Western Morning News (Saturday)
‘Meat’ from a 3D printer is put to the toughest taste test
IT’S the plant-based alternative that has fooled foodies into thinking it’s the real thing, But could a shepherd’s pie made with “3D printed meat” pull the wool over the eyes of a Western Morning News reporter? There was only one way to find out – send a crack team of journalistic gourmands to the city’s Crowne Plaza Hotel to do a taste test.
Business editor William Telford and photographer Matt Gilley were chosen to, er, steak out the taste-bud teasing “3D printed plant-based meat” being offered as a pilot at the hotel’s Marco Pierre White Steakhouse. The restaurant has teamed up with revolutionary food company Redefine Meat to offer the plant-based dishes which are supposed to look and taste just like their flesh-and-blood counterparts.
The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, on the top floor of Armada Way’s Crowne Plaza, has been piloting the Redefine Shepherd’s Pie with buttered garden peas, at £16.95, alongside its traditional lamb version. The vegan specials menu also had the Redefine Pork Stuffed Aubergine A La Marocaine, with crispy celery leaves, at £14.50.
With William being a vegan already, and the Redefine Shepherd’s Pie being only vegetarian due to milk in the pastry, he offered to sample the stuffed aubergine, leaving intrepid Matt to tackle two shepherd’s pies and see if he could tell the difference. The verdict was that they looked identical, but when it came to taking a taste the difference was palpable.
“They both smelled the same and didn’t look any different,” said Matt. But when he took a bite the real meat dish was a, well, meatier option.
He said: “The texture was thicker, richer, the plant-based was more watery. But as a substitute the Redefine Meat was good, I liked it. And if I had not tried the meat one first I might not have noticed it wasn’t meat. Overall, I preferred the meat dish, but I couldn’t knock the other one.”
William, who has been vegetarian since he was a teenager and a vegan for six years, couldn’t actually remember what meat tastes like anyway, so couldn’t say if the Redefine version was a dead ringer for a piece of dead animal. But he said it was among the best plant-based alternatives he has tried, being nicely spicy, smooth and not chewy, and it fitted well with the tender aubergine.
Redefine Meat was formed in 2018 to create the world’s first “3D printed plant-based steak” mimicking the muscle structure of animals with a vegan alternative. It launched in Israel in 2021 and claims to be the first firm to commercialise plant-based whole cuts – a technological breakthrough which not only has the appearance of a steak or lamb chop but also has the same texture when eaten.
Redefine Meat uses 3D printing technology to build plant protein into the shape, texture and mouthfeel of meat. The firm – which has not revealed its recipe, but it is thought to contain soy, pea protein, beetroot, chickpeas and coconut fat – has now spread to Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, where Mr White has been so impressed he brought the products to his Plymouth operation.
Mr White said the increase in the number of non-animal dishes comes as more and more guests turn to a plant-based diet, and with celebrities such as motor racing champ Sir Lewis Hamilton having turned vegan, the lifestyle choice is becoming increasingly popular. Some switch for perceived health reasons.
The no-nonsense chef and famed restaurateur – himself a committed carnivore – now hopes guests will enjoy the new dishes that sit alongside regular favourites. Tui Donovan, food and beverage assistant at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, said the Redefine product was “the closest thing you are going to get to meat” and said the response to the pilot had been “really positive”. She said: “Lots of people are ordering it and everyone has said good things about it.”
‘The meat version was thicker, richer... I preferred the meat dish but couldn’t knock the other one’ TASTE TESTER MATT GILLEY