Affordable Vegan Ready Meals (the best brands)

Lazy is a brand of fast-frozen ready meals, which are easy to cook up, for a nutritious plant-based dinner. They are a bit more expensive, but you can use half the pack and fill up with spuds and veggies, then chill the rest to heat and eat the next day. All are packed with fresh veggies and protein.

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends). Recycle packaging at kerbside or supermarket bag bins. 

Before choosing a vegan ready meal, do a quick scan of the label to ensure it has ingredients you recognise (beans, lentils, rice, vegetables, herbs, and spices). Ensure it has plenty of fibre and not too much salt, and a good protein source (pulses, tofu, tempeh, seitan or sustainable soya).

Avoid sneaky ingredients (often labelled vegan) like honey. And beware of fish sauce, anchovies or shellfish in Asian meals. Some meals are made in factories where there are milks or eggs, so avoid for severe allergies. And remember that some brands may be ‘accidentally vegan’ (say a vegetable chilli) without a label.

The range includes:

• Gnocchi alla pesto (spinach gnocchi with grilled veggies, olives, red pesto and plant-based Parmesan).
• Korean Noodles (kale, romanesco, shiitake and edamame in a delicious Asian sauce)
• Risotto Funghi (Arborio rise with frozen asparagus, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in a vegan cream sauce, with garlic, spring onion and black pepper).
• Tikka Masala (cauliflower, spinach, red bell pepper and carrots, in a rice curry with chilli, garlic, coriander and chicken-style pieces).
• Thai Green Curry (sugar snap peas, baby corn, green bell peppers, carrots and rice, with chicken-style pieces in a ginger/garlic/coriander sauce).
• Pasta with Pesto (courgettes, roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes, with fusilli in creamy pesto, topped with garlic, basil and vegan cheese).
• Mexican Fiesta (green beans, kidney beans, red bell pepper, sweetcorn and potatoes, with a chilli Mexican sauce).
• Chili Sin Carne (beans, vegan mince and tomato sauce with a hint of lime). Not too spicy!)
• Mexican Falafel Bowl (brown rice, quinoa, mini falafel, sweet potato, bell pepper, broccoli, corn and kidney beans, in a coriander-lime dressing).
• Lebanese Bulgur Falafel Bowl (fresh veggies, chickpeas, lentils, bulgur and mini-falafel, in a lemon-herb dressing).

Grubby (delicious affordable ready meals)

Grubby offers plant-based meal kits.  It works with local organic farms to provide the veggies, so the only thing that tastes of cardboard is the box! Plus it has recently launched its own ready-meal deliveries).

The range includes:

• Creamy cashew carbonara
• Creamy rose harissa butter bean stew
• Spicy Noodles with soya and mushroom mince
• Sweet potato tagine with apricot
• Harissa cauliflower with muhammara sauce
• Tofu saag curry (potato and spinach)
• Tex Mex Protein Bowl (with broad bean smash)
• Mexican Five Bean Chilli with sweetcorn salad

All meals delivered within the M25 area are carbon neutral, and for each meal kit sold, they donate another to a child in need. There are also discounts for students, and if you refer a friend.