Christmas can be a tricky time for those who follow plant-based diets, but fortunately you're not just limited to nut roasts for Christmas dinner these days. From fancy wellingtons to vegan turkey, there are more options now than ever before.
With more and more people going meat-free these days - and with 'Veganuary' fast approaching - we decided to taste test five meat-free roasts from UK supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and M&S to see how they held up.
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It was a bit of a mixed bag - but there was one that took the (vegan turkey) crown.
Asda Soya and Cranberry Wellington
This was by far the cheapest roast at just £2.75, so we weren't expecting much, but it tastes great and is actually pretty sizeable at 500g. The pastry is nice and buttery, and the meaty soya filling holds up well - 7/10
Sainsbury's Gammon Style Roast with Spiced Blood Orange Glaze
As many herbivores will know, bacon and gammon are very difficult things to replicate, and this effort from Sainsburys did not disprove that theory, despite the glaze being pretty tasty.
The inside was quite stodgy and too dense, not awful tasting but by no means a revelation - 5/10
Sainsbury's No Turkey Crown with Sage and Onion Stuffing and Vegan Bacon Lattice
Sainsburys' turkey-style crown was a huge improvement on the gammon, with even the bacon working really well, although the inside was a tad dry. A bit of Bisto sorted that problem out though, making this a really strong product - 9/10
Marks and Spencer Vegan Turkey Joint stuffed with Butternut Squash, Cranberry and Apple
This was the priciest roast at £10 and wasn't the most exciting-looking out of the oven, but looks can be deceiving and this was another solid effort. It's a bit heavy on the stuffing compared to the actual 'turkey' but overall not bad at all - 7/10
Tesco Wicked Kitchen No Turkey Roast
This one looked amazing out of the oven, definitely the most visually impressive of the bunch. The pea protein and wheat roast was nice and juicy, and the leftovers made a great sandwich. There wasn't a lot between this and the M&S roast but this one just pips it - 8/10
So Sainsbury's take the crown with their excellent bacon-covered roast, with an honourable mention to Asda for their wellington, which is an absolute bargain at £2.75.
All four supermarkets came up with solid meat-free alternatives for Christmas dinner this year, so give one of them a try and you might be surprised by how well they compare to the real thing.
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