Every couple of months I like to get out there and scour around the shops to find some vegan and gluten-free food items to test and try. This has been a little more difficult since March because of the problems caused by Covid 19 such as
- Being in shielding since March and not been food shopping
- Food shortages and hoarding
- Hard to get a grocery delivery slot
I have managed to come up with a fairly mixed range. For me, being coeliac, the supermarkets that carry food items that are both Morrison’s or Sainsbury’s.
The bulk of the fresh food and where I can it is Aldi’s.
The following opinions of these items are of myself and family members.
I am independent and have not received renumeration for any of these products.
Alpro no sugar plain yoghurt £1.70 500g
Free from dairy, lactose, sugar, nuts and gluten
I was delighted to find this one at Morrison’s. The trouble with being vegan and trying to stay healthy is that low calorie, low fat or fewer sugar options are not always available to us. I love the plain and the Greek-style yoghurt but it was good to find one with no sugars or sweeteners. I use yoghurt a lot in baking as well as pasta and potato salads, so for me, this is good news for me. I loved this. Still lovely and creamy. 8/10
Morrison’s chocolate & almond ice creams £2.00 for 4
Vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian
I saw these and just had to buy them. I have no nut allergy so perfect for me. Lovely dark chocolate containing slivers of almonds, covering creamy vanilla ice cream. They are a treat at 266 calories but so worth it. 10/10
Morrison’s vegan caramel swirl ice cream £2.85 for 500ml
Free from dairy, gluten, nuts and lactose
Salted caramel is an absolute favourite of mine and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with this one. Heavenly creamy ice cream swirled through with slightly salted ribbons. Could quite easily have polished off a whole tub so better buy this one very occasionally. Next to Swedish Glace my favourite vegan ice-cream. 9/10
Green Cuisine powered by plants meatballs £2 for 280g
Vegan, soy-free, dairy-free and nut-free
I could not try these as they contain oat flour which was not gluten-free. My non-vegan son however, prefers vegan meatballs over the meat version. Normally I buy the Quorn version but thought I would give him these without saying anything. Apparently, they were juicier than the last ones. He loves them in a tomato sauce or with wedges. I would say these were a hit. 8/10
Sweet potato Tikka Masala £2.50 for 300g 1 serving
Vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and vegetarian. Contains nuts and sesame seeds
Tikka Masala is my favourite curry sauce and needed a quick meal as had no batch cook ones left in the freezer. I was looking forward to this and thought it would go well with the sweet potato. I had tried another product in The Best range so I was pretty confident. How wrong was I. The sweet potato was hard and the spices tasted bitter and unpleasant. A couple of mouthfuls was enough and had to leave the rest. Definitely, not a favourite for me will be having my own from now. 1/10
V Taste Moo-zarella sticks £2.50 for 8
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian
I bought 2 packs of these as they were on special offer and placed them in my freezer. It does say that freeze for 1 month but mine were in there for 3. I kept putting off eating them, This was for two reasons. These were that I am not a fan of Morrison’s vegan cheese and I am terrible at trying new products. This seems so silly as I eat such a wide variety of food, it is like I talk myself out of it. Time and time I am greatly surprised how much I like most of them. These cooked wonderfully and did not burst open as long as not overcooked. A savoury crispy shell containing a good flavour melted cheese. A favourite of mine now with a big salad and veggies. 8/10
Plant Pioneers Cumberland shroomdogs £3.50 x 10 (Frozen)
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and vegetarian
This is so good to see, especially over the BBQ season. A larger bag of frozen hot dogs which were both vegan and gluten-free, winner for me. On their own, they seem a little bland but in a hot dog roll with fried onions and some BBQ sauce, they were pretty delicious. They can be cooked by shallow frying or grilling. If placing on the BBQ do not put at the hottest part. 7/10
Love Raw Butter Cups (salted caramel) £1.09 for 2 pieces
Vegan, gluten-free, soya-free, wheat-free and organic
Oh my, I just had to try these, were calling me loudly from the shelf. They come in 3 flavours, peanut, salted caramel and hazelnut. They are low enough in sugar and calories to have as a treat, containing 67% less sugar than the well known-brand. 9/10
V Taste Vegan Mozzarella slices £2.00 per 180g
Vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free and milk-free
Before turning, vegan soft cheeses to me were pure heaven. Brie, Camembert and mozzarella were my go-to as I loved melted cheese. I have tried many kinds of vegan mozzarella type cheese and for me, this was one of my worst. I could taste a strong coconut flavour. Not at all what I want from a toasted cheese sandwich. Once I taught myself to make a creamy alternative (link below) I rarely buy it but sometimes it is nice to have some in the fridge as a backup. This was not for me. 3/10
Good Life Falafels £1.80 for 14 (frozen)
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and wheat-free
Sorry to say Good Life but this is among the worst vegan and gluten-free food item I have tried. I had to remove it from my mouth (polite version). This was so far removed from what a Falafel should taste like. It was dry with a nasty taste, like old dry herbs. These Lebonese when right are a joy to behold, crispy outside, soft pillowy inside and tasting of garlic and herbs. Gorgeous drizzled with a tahini dressing. 0/10
Remember, these are only my opinions. If you would like to add an opinion of any of these items, I would love to hear from you.
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