There’s now more vegan products available than ever before as people embrace a meat and dairy-free diet.
You may be trying out a new diet this Veganuary and there’s plenty of choice when it comes to vegan alternatives in the supermarkets.
Yet when it comes to substitutes for meat and dairy products it can be tricky to taste as good as the real thing. With so much choice available, it’s hard to know which vegan products to pick, LiverpoolEcho reports.
We thought we’d try vegan alternatives to one of the most popular foodie items this weekend - cheese.
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For those who fancy a cheese toastie for lunch, or just want to add a bit of pizzazz to their salad, here’s our verdict on vegan cheese from Aldi, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Tesco, Lidl and Asda.
M&S Plant Kitchen Grated Not'zarella
There's a fair few vegan cheese alternatives available in M&S so I thought I'd give all the ones I could find a go, because M&S are all about quality, right?
First up was the M&S Plant Kitchen 'Not'zarella' and I'll be completely honest, I didn't have high hopes for this one, purely because mozzarella is one of my favourites.
Aesthetic wise, the mozzarella looked basically anaemic. It was a strange pale colour and not the usual creamy yellow I'm used to with the grated version of the cheese. Nevertheless, I kept an open mind and gave it a try completely on it's own, with nothing else, to make sure my opinion was completely accurate.
The initial texture of the Not'zarella was very dry, but it was definitely the least vinegary option out of the three M&S vegan cheeses I tried. Perhaps if I'd melted the cheese in a dish it would've tasted a little bit nicer, because to me, it just tasted like a very weak mozzarella cheese.
I'd most probably try this cheese again if I had to, but I'd make sure I actually put it in something, because on its own you can really tell it's not actual cheese.
My overall verdict? Stick it in a toastie or carby pasta dish to really get the best out of it.
Where to buy: Your local M&S store or Ocado.
Price: £2.50
Rating: 3/5
Vitalite Dairy Free Block Cheese
I have to confess I'm a massive cheese lover and having heard that vegan cheese is hard to get right, I knew this was going to be a tough taste test.
But determined to remain impartial, I picked up a block of Vitalite Dairy Free Cheese and set my reservations to one side.
When I opened the packet, the smell of the cheese struck me as quite vinegary. In appearance it had the look of feta, yet wasn't as crumbly when I started to chop into it.
I sampled a slice on its own first, and certainly didn't hate it. It didn't particularly taste like cheese - but was fairly mild, creamy and inoffensive.
Next I tried it melted on toast, but this didn't go down well. The cheese took quite a while to melt and when I bit into the toast that vinegary smell came through in the taste. Plus it was so sticky it coated all my teeth and roof of my mouth. Pretty unpleasant unfortunately.
Where to buy:Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda
Price: Around £2 depending on retailer
Rating: 2/5
M&S Plant Kitchen Greek Style Cubes In Brine
I knew that Greek style 'feta' cheese was going to be hard to replicate, it's quite a unique flavour, so I was very intrigued to see how the M&S vegan Greek Style Cubes tasted.
The feel and look of it looked very similar to an ordinary dairy feta cheese cube, but it was once I took a bite that I could tell it wasn't cheese.
Initially, the taste was odd, almost plastic-like, but after I'd given it a try it was actually the after taste that was quite similar to feta cheese.
I'd say it was middle of the range, but definitely better than I thought it would be, perhaps if it was in a nice Greek salad it would've tasted a little better.
Where to buy: Your local M&S store or Ocado.
Price: £2.75
Rating: 3/5
Aldi's Plant Menu Mature Cheddar Cheese
As a big cheese lover, I was a little apprehensive to try a plant-based alternative, but I was interested to see if it did taste like the real deal.
As soon as I opened Aldi's Plant Menu Coconut Oil Alternative To Mature Cheddar, a very strong cheese smell filled my kitchen which was a good sign, but the colour was a lot paler than a normal block of cheddar cheese.
The plant-based alternative was easier to cut into due to it being softer, and when I tried a slice of it on its own, it had quite a rubbery texture. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant, just different to normal cheddar.
Unfortunately, the flavour was very underwhelming, as it didn't taste like cheddar at all and was very bland. I decided to make myself cheese on toast and thankfully when the cheese was melted it had much more flavour and I did enjoy it.
However, when melted it tasted more like Camembert rather than cheddar, and the consistency was very thin. I found a lot of it disappeared into the toast rather than coating it with a thick layer of cheese like a normal cheddar does.
I think Aldi's plant-based alternative would cure a cheese craving and I did enjoy the flavour when it was melted, however it definitely doesn't taste like cheddar.
Where to buy: Your local Aldi store.
Price: £1.39
Rating: 1/5 as a cheddar alternative, but 3/5 as a cheese alternative
M&S Plant Kitchen Plant-Based Mature Cheddar
One word. Vinegar. This Plant-Based Mature Cheddar didn't impress me at all in terms of taste, it was very vinegary with a generally odd taste.
The consistency wasn't too dissimilar to cheese but it absolutely stunk my fridge out, it basically smelt like gone off cheese, which isn't very appetising!
Maybe I should've had this melted on a toastie or had it with something else, but if I wanted vinegar with my cheese I could've just grabbed some Sarsons.
Sorry M&S, but this was by far my least favourite cheese out of the three, but I guess the consistency was reasonably okay.
Where to buy: Your local M&S store or Ocado
Price: £2.25
Rating: 2/5
Vemondo Vegan Cheddar Style & Vegan Greek Style
I've been a vegetarian for 12 years and I do have a mostly plant-based diet. I haven't made the full switch to veganism but I am trying so have embarked on Veganuary this month to help.
The main reason I slip up on a vegan diet is cheese. I adore all cheese. As a fussy eater as a child, I didn't eat cheese till well into my teenage years but have more than made up for it since.
I was keen to try vegan cheese but have even heard vegans say plant based alternatives don't measure up to dairy versions. One vegan friend suggested forgoing all cheese - vegan or dairy - for six months to "forget" expected flavours, but even though January feels like it goes on for six months, it's still only a matter of weeks, so I had to give it a go.
Lidl has a wide range of vegan food in at the minute, including the two cheeses I tried. I bought a block of its Vemondo Vegan Cheddar Style cheese and its Vegan Greek Style cheese to try.
I tried both on their own before including them in my cooking to make sure I had an accurate taste of each one.
The cheddar smelt incredibly strong but it was clearly an inauthentic aroma and not too similar to dairy cheddar cheese. Taste wise, it manages to bring cheddar flavours to the table but fails on the consistency. Dairy cheddar is very creamy whereas this vegan cheddar was a little like plastic in texture. Melted on pasta, it was much better and definitely provided a cheese fix.
The faux feta tasted just like dairy feta at first, but again failed with the texture. It works well on a salad and definitely adds a hint of dairy feta flavouring.
I'd try both again but I think, when I fully switch to veganism, I'll try the advice of my friend and swerve any alternatives for a good few months. There's plenty of delicious vegan food out there to keep me distracted during that time - I hope.
Where to buy: Lidl
Price: £1.99 each
Rating: 2/5 for the cheddar and 3/5 for the feta
Violife 100% Vegan Original Flavour Slice
I never thought I'd see the day that I enjoyed non-dairy cheese. I'm a big cheese fan and while I'll admit I got my fill at Christmas, I didn't think I'd ever turn to a vegan alternative.
I couldn't get my hands on a block of vegan cheese in my local Tesco, but tucked away in the corner I managed to pick up the Violife 100% vegan original flavour slices. The pack costs £2.50 for 10 slices.
As soon as I opened up the packet, the overwhelming scent almost put me off. The cheese smelt like one thing - smelly socks. And it was almost enough to make me leave cheese behind forever.
However, after a few minutes of convincing myself, I tucked into a slice and was pleasantly surprised. The cheese was soft and didn't taste too rubbery, and very similar to what you'd find in a packet of non-vegan cheese slices. If you don't think about the smell, the cheese was actually okay.
After this I thought I’d try melting the cheese on toast which, while it took a while, was a success too.
The melted cheese was thick and creamy and was more reminiscent of a baked Camembert than your average cheese on toast. While the cheese -thankfully - lost some of its unique smell in the process, it still didn’t quite have the best flavour.
While I’d probably have this again in the future, I think I’ll be sticking to dairy.
Where to buy: Tesco
Price: £2.50 or £2 for Clubcard holders
Rating: 3/5
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