3D-printed vegan beef? Surely some misteak...
Pub sells ‘meat’ created by AI
A PUB is giving punters taking the Veganuary challenge something special to chew over by serving up 3D-printed “meat”.
The Queen Inn serves 100% plantbased food, including the “steaks” – which cost £25 with sides of chips, mushroom, peas and sauces.
A £55 mixed grill sharer includes a “meat” flank, “filet” and other plantbased items that mimic chicken breasts, BBQ ribs and sausages, plus a dairyfree Stilton sauce.
Owner Ryan Edwards said: “We have a couple of different vegan steaks, which is unheard of for a lot of restaurants, and in veganism as a whole.
People all across the UK know about us. People all across the world support us and it’s amazing to see the reaction.”
The 3D-printed steaks have been made by Israeli company Redefine Meat since 2021 under a closely guarded recipe.
The firm developed AI to observe the texture of meat and replicate it – but its “meat” is made from ingredients including pea, soy, beetroot and wheat, which mimic three components of animal flesh – muscle, fat and blood. The industrial-size 3D printing machine then layers the ingredients – the “ink” for the printer – on top of each other to make “meat”.
And this is sent to The Queen Inn in Cwmbran, South Wales, for cooking, where steaks are fried in oil, salt and pepper before being sealed off.
The menu has put it in the world’s top five vegan restaurants on HappyCow, a tripAdvisor-style site for those on plant-based diets. The pub went 100% meat-free in 2022 after
Ryan and his family signed up to the Veganuary challenge, in which people follow a plant-based diet in January. They also wanted to gauge year-round demand for meat-free fare. Ryan said the pub is busier than ever, adding: “Other pubs are struggling with the cost-ofliving crisis. So for us to have that selling point with Veganuary and then continuing into February and March, it’s a big help for us.” Consumer insights firm Vypr says 17% of people are currently taking part in Veganuary.
People all across the UK, across the world support us
QUEEN INN OWNER RYAN EDWARDS ON VEGANISM