If you think conjuring up tasty vegetarian meals has to be hard work, then think again! Classic veggie brand Linda McCartney has had a bit of a makeover with some exciting new frozen vegetarian meal options. Perfect for throwing together a healthy veggie meal after a long day at work. The team at Linda McCartney challenged us to go meat-free for a week, so our writer Nell gave the new meals a road test, see what she thought below.
I have thought about going vegetarian over the years, and growing up in my house it would have been easy to. My brother became a vegetarian when he was 10 years old, after discovering where meat came from, so for many years we’ve had meat-free alternatives on our table. But to be honest, the thought of a bacon butty when I’m hungover is too much for me to resist.
Linda McCartney: easy veggie options on-the-go
Although I do eat meat, in recent years I have tried to limit my intake in order to save a bit of money, and to feel a bit better ethically about the food that I eat. I have been a fan of Linda McCartney meat substitutes for years, so I jumped at the opportunity to try some of the new range on offer for National Vegetarian Week.
Aromatic Thai Sweet Potato Cakes
These were delicious and very easy to prepare. They’d be a yummy vegetarian alternative to fish cakes or a meaty Thai curry. I decided to make a fresh cucumber Thai salad from BBC Good Food to complement the flavours, and the combination of the two worked really well. The fishcakes were fresh and zingy and I would definitely have these again.
Pulled Pork burger
Out of the four options, this was my least favourite. Texturally, I found it a little strange. It didn’t really feel like meat, more like a poor substitute. However, that is coming from someone who enjoys meat. I can imagine that my brother would like this as it was hearty and filling and did have a good, flavourful sauce with it. I served it up with homemade sweet potato curly fries and corn on the cob to stick with the Southern US vibes.
Chicken Biryani
This was my favourite of the lot. It was incredibly easy to prepare, all I had to do was heat a little oil in a frying pan and then stir fry the frozen Biryani until it was cooked through, which only took a few minutes, simple! It had a great flavour and felt healthy and satisfying to eat. This would be perfect for a quick and easy mid-week dinner. It would be great for anyone who enjoys meat but wants to cut down their intake, as the chicken substitute was the closest to tasting like real meat out of the four Linda McCartney options.
Chicken and Leek Pie
This pie was classic comfort food at its best and another one I really enjoyed. The flavour was great and I definitely didn’t feel like I was missing out on meat at all. Chicken pies aren’t normally my favourite thing to eat, so I definitely think in future I would go for this as a meat-free option. I served it up with some mashed sweet potato and peas, and it felt like the perfect dinner for a weekend meal after a long brisk walk.
Try it out
Check out the full range on the Linda McCartney website.
So there you have it, our round up of the new Linda McCartney frozen meal range.
Have we tempted you to try them out? Share your thoughts with us – @tweetjanes.