Festive vegan lunch option mini reviews
I have tried every UK chain's vegan festive lunch offering that I could get my hands on, here are my mini reviews! If there's any more out there let me know - I don't have an Asda or Morrisons nearby so don't know what they had. I couldn't see any festive vegan options in Lidl, Costa, Nero, Starbucks, Subway or Leon, so 0 points for them.
Co Op Gro No Turkey & Spiced Slaw - £3.70 - 6 Turkey was a bit soft, giving the sandwich a bit of an overall mushy texture, and the slaw didn't add as much crunch or flavour as I would've liked. A bit bland.
Boots Plant Made Festive Bhaji - £3.30 - 7.5 Torn on this one as I don't think onion bhajis or mango chutney are very festive, simply writing festive on the package doesn't make it Christmassy. Nice sandwich however, the pickled beetroot adds a nice tang.
Pret Very Merry Lunch - £4.75 - 7.5 Pret has been my clear winner in previous years, theirs is not only just a great Christmas sandwich but one of my favourite shop-bought sandwiches full stop. This, while still nice, isn't quite up to the usual standard.
Tesco Plant Chef Christmas Veg Fest - £3 - 4.5 This is wrap filled with half undercooked chunks of parsnip and carrot, half raw spinach. I love spinach but there's too much of it. Feels like it's all filler, it says there's cranberries and gravy mayo but I didn't get much festive flavour coming through, a dud.
Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers No Pigs Under Blankets - £3.25 - 6 I don't mind a bit of fake meat but as I eat it year-round this didn't quite feel festive enough. This wasn't quite as dry as it looks, but it needed something else to break up the flavour, some cranberry sauce or something would've upped the festiveness.
M&S Plant Kitchen Very Merry Veggie Roast Wrap - £4.50 - 8 Really good, very festive flavours with cranberry, rosemary, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange zest. I'm always a fan of roast squash and the cabbage adds a nice crunch. On the pricer side at £4.50 but delicious.
Waitrose PlantLiving Vegan Bubble & Squeak - £3.50 - 8.5 Delicious, it tastes like the Christmas dinner leftovers made into a sandwich on Boxing Day which is exactly what I want from a festive sandwich. The cabbage is nicely spiced and it has a mild chilli kick to it. My only complaint is that the bread was a little dry.
Aldi Plant Menu Vegan Festive Feast - £1.99 - 8 Given that the main element is a parsnip fritter it doesn't taste much of parsnip, and the fritter has no crunch to it whatsoever, but the cranberry chutney and sage and onion mayo pack it with all the festive flavours I desire, and it's a great option for the price, just needed a bit of crunch.
Smith's Family Kitchen Vegan Spiced Parsnip Christmas Lunch (WH Smith's) - £4 - 7 Another parsnip fritter offering but double the price of the Aldi sandwich and not as much flavour, and the texture wasn’t great, too dry and barely any crunch. Could have done with more sauce and parsnip crisps. Not worth the money.
Greggs Vegan Festive Bake - £2.40 - 7 This mostly tasted of sage and onion, the Quorn is totally lost and there wasn't enough of the cranberry sauce for me. Nice pastry but overall a bit mushy. Not bad!