Vegan Latest: I can’t believe it’s not animal: the suppliers upping the vegan standard

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

I can’t believe it’s not animal: the suppliers upping the vegan standard

From thecaterer.com

Advances in vegan and vegetarian food mean it can imitate the real deal more convincingly than ever, so no guest needs to feel they have to choose the second-rate alternative

Sometimes vegan food can seem otherworldly. At Better Dairy in east London, for example, a technique called “precision fermentation” is being used to create vegan cheese that the company hopes will be indistinguishable from the real stuff.

It’s a development that might prove genuinely revolutionary – but in terms of convincing more people to eat vegan cheese, science might not be the best approach. What’s more likely to convince customers is the sense that the food they’re eating is normal, exactly like other food, except for the lack of certain ingredients.

So says Chris Owen of Saputo Dairy UK, the makers of Sheese. “We need to fully integrate vegan dishes on menus alongside non-plant-based dishes, instead of treating them as a separate category,” he says. “Plant-based dishes have to feel authentic and not just an afterthought on a menu. That’s how you win over diners.”

Vegan food continues to grow in popularity – ING estimates the plant-based alternative food market in the EU and the UK will be worth £6.4b by 2025, compared to £3.8b in 2019 – but there are still hurdles to overcome. So how can operators tempt more customers to try vegan grub?

Texture time

According to restaurant technology provider Vita Mojo, plant-based orders at UK quick-service restaurants, including Leon, Gail’s, Wasabi, Yo!, Wenzel’s and Subway, increased by 56% in 2024, while vegetarian orders were up 64%. “There’s clearly a real appetite for plant-based dishes,” says Owen.

This is a trend that Sheese, founded in 1988, has fuelled and benefited from, but evolution is inevitable. Last year, the company – which uses coconut oil, potato starch, maize starch and soya protein in its products – updated its recipes in response to evolving public demand. “For diners, taste is the number one driver [of what they choose], ahead of both price and health credentials,” says Owen. “It was a key consideration for us when we refined our Bute Island Sheese recipes last year.”

The most significant element of the update was ensuring Sheese provided the right textural experience when used in foods like burgers, lasagne and pizza. “We improved aroma, ‘meltability’ and browning to deliver a sensory experience as close to real dairy as possible,” says Owen.

There’s clearly a growing demand for products that replicate the texture as much as the flavour of cheese, such as Aviko’s Plant-Based Chilli Cheezz Nuggets, which are made from potato spiced with green jalapeño peppers.

“They have an excellent holding ability, thanks to their crispy crumb coating, which helps them remain hot, tasty and crisp,” says Aviko’s commercial director Mohammed Essa. “They’re cooked and ready to serve in less than four minutes [and] are perfect for targeting multiple markets and occasions, from bar snacks to shareable sides.”

Aviko Chilli Cheezz Nuggets

The Brighter Burger

Texture is also key in vegan ice-cream, where vegetable oil and coconut oil or cocoa butter replicate the fats normally provided by milk. “Achieving the same creamy mouthfeel as a regular gelato is the biggest challenge,” says Henley Bridge’s Steve Carrigan. “It’s all about replicating the fats present in dairy milk.”

It’s a complicated process, but Henley Bridge’s Rubicone and Irca brands offer a simpler alternative: vegan ice-cream base mixes, which can be flavoured with vegan flavour pastes. “It’s genuinely very difficult to tell the difference between dairy and vegan ice-cream now, so much so that we’re seeing a lot of operators who don’t specifically label it as ‘vegan’ because a lot of non-vegan consumers still believe plant-based, dairy alternatives won’t taste great,” adds Carrigan.

Authentic flavour

A similar evolution is happening in the world of vegan meat alternatives, albeit in a more open fashion. One example is vegan smokehouse LD’s Kitchen. It provides the food at London bars Saint Monday and the Black Heart and has won both press and public approval for its vegan wings, burgers, macaroni cheese and Sunday roasts.

The next generation are on-board, it would seem. Allmanhall recently worked with private school Epsom College and Redefine Meat to develop and trial a new product at the school, “the Brighter Burger”, where 74% of pupils said they would like to see it featured on menus outside of the trial.

Quorn, of course, has been operating in this arena for years, and the company is very keen to emphasise that its product is not just a “vegan alternative”. “It’s for everyone,” says Mark Wetherill, QuornPro head of culinary, UK. “We are working with our foodservice partners to make Quorn available and accessible to everyone, whenever and wherever they are making food decisions.”

Quorn ChiQin Crispy Strips

Major Korean Mari base

Major believes it has the answer when it comes to flavouring vegetables, with its gluten-free Barbecue Mari Base and Caribbean Jerk Mari Base. Both are approved by the Vegan Society and the Vegetarian Society. “By having stock pastes and powders readily available in the kitchen – such as those offered by Major International – and combining them with lentils, mushrooms, jackfruit or a plant-based protein, means virtually any classic dish can be transformed into a tempting meat-free alternative,” says Fergus Martin, senior development chef.

Pastry perfection

Bread is also evolving to meet vegan demand and La Lorraine has plenty of vegan options, from its dark sourdough Miller Loaf to its Crystal Roll, a premium burger bun.

“The plant-based movement is here to stay, and caterers who innovate will reap the benefits,” Rebecca Calveley, trade marketing manager for La Lorraine Bakery Group, says. “At La Lorraine Bakery Group, we continue to expand our range to meet the evolving needs of the vegan and vegetarian market.”

And then there’s pastry. Bridor has this year introduced a new collection of vegan Viennese pastries, including two French-style pastries and four gourmet vegan pastries. “The range was developed to tap into the growing demand for plant-based products,” says Erwan Inizan, Northern Europe sales director. “Our new vegan pastry items are made from rigorously selected ingredients, including high-quality margarine with a melting point similar to butter and French wheat flour, giving the products the familiar taste and light and crispy texture that consumers expect.”