Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (the best brands)

Magpye is an amazing company in Northumberland, where a couple make vegan pies (without palm oil) then fill them with vegan steak and chicken, and sometimes vegan steak and blue cheese! They are even made with pastry made from regenerated local wheat.

The range includes:

• Steak & ale (in onion gravy)
• Chick’n, Leek & Bacun (in creamy parsley sauce)
• Mince & Onion (in homemade gravy)
• Mushroom & Roasted garlic
• Roast Chickn’ Dinner (in a pie!)

Avoid sausages for young children and choking hazards (for older children, slice lengthwise and lengthwise again into strips).

Keep faux meats away from pets, due to onion, garlic and salt.  Also don’t give leftovers to garden birds or wildfowl ((salt is toxic, and fat can smear on feathers, affecting waterproofing and insulation).

Recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside doesn’t recycle.

Why choose plant-based meat alternatives?

England is a country of around 67 million people. This means that although most people eat meat (though the amount of people who don’t is growing rapidly), there is simply not enough land for everyone to eat free-range meat, from animals that graze outside and have access to cosy indoors barns,

This means that most meats sold in England are either raised in factory farms here, or imported (for instance, most factory-farmed Danish bacon is imported to the UK for supermarkets).

So it’s not ‘harming traditional farmers’ to try faux meats, because people who eat meat will support them anyway by eating free-range meat. But for everyone else, then it’s good to discover some good vegan alternatives. And these are not just animal-kind, but cholesterol-free and not linked to cancers, like many processed meats (bacon is an obvious example, due to nitrates produced when cooked).

Moving Mountains (plant-based meats)

Moving Mountains Foods (sold in shops and wholesale to hotels and restaurants) is one of the better brands, made with pea protein and sold in easy-to-recycle packaging. This brand sells burgers and other faux meats like sausages and hot dogs, along with faux fish fillets and fish fingers (as good as the captain’s!)

The brand was founded by a vegetarian entrepreneur, who was told by his GP to give up dairy for his health. He did, and now this brand sells millions of plant-based alternatives to the masses.

Their burgers hold up well for a barbecue or in a pan, always staying tender and moist. You’ll also find faux versions of chicken, beef and pork.

There are also plant-based versions of:

• Beef (including bolognese mince and ‘meatballs’)
• Pork (including hot dog sausages)
• Chicken (including nuggets)

Planted (tasty vegan meats from Switzerland)

Planted is a European brand (from Switzerland) of foods, widely sold in UK grocery stores. This one is setting the standard for ethics, sustainability and taste of faux meats. The brand’s ambassador is meat-loving wrestler Christian Stucki. A passionate amateur chef, he has made this brand uber-popular (the chicken is even now sold in Swiss Subway restaurants).

The range includes:

• Steaks and burgers
• Chicken schnitzel and nuggets
• ‘Pulled pork’ and Bratwurst sausages
• Kebabs and ‘vegan duck’

Vivera (plant meats from The Netherlands)

Vivera is a Dutch food brand that is sold in UK groceries, mostly based on sustainable tofu, so packed with protein. All items are affordable and easy to cook.

This is quite an interesting story. The brand began (under a different name) as a meat butcher. But as people requested plant  foods, it began to add them to the range. Eventually they were so popular, they  decided to give up selling meat, now only sells plant-based foods, and changed their name!

Now sold across Europe, the range includes:

• Plant-based steak, mince and bacon
• Plant-based chicken breast & pieces
• Plant-based kebabs
• Plant-based salmon fillets
• Mini protein-bites

Linda McCartney’s Vegan Lamb Steaks

Pairing vegan lamb with fresh mint sauce is one of England’s favourite meals. So look in stores for Linda McCartney’s vegan lamb steaks, made from textured soy protein, onion and seasonings.

MOCK Lamb Pieces are sold at Welsh vegan pub The Queen Inn. These mock lamb pieces cook from frozen in just 8 minutes, so are ideal for kebab shops and food service. They are also Halal-certified.