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Fast veganuary

Another year, another resolution. What started as a bid to get people to eat a bit less meat has turned into an annual institution.

Veganuary has grown arms and legs in the last couple of years, with more high street food chains than ever now involved in bringing out vegan versions of classics. The turning point was of course the Greggs vegan sausage roll — this contributed to a 13.5pc sales surge for Greggs in 2019, with the company announcing that it would hand out £7mn in bonuses for its employees.

With so many other companies releasing vegan options, we thought we would rate the most popular to see if they live up to the hype.

Photo – Greggs

Greggs vegan steak bake, £1.55 — 4/5

After the success of the vegan sausage roll, Greggs wasted no time in producing a second savoury vegan item this year. Made with Quorn, the bake is rich and tasty, much like the original, but could maybe do with a little more seasoning. We still prefer the almighty vegan sausage roll, but this is a great second offering from Greggs, along with a new vegan doughnut for dessert.

Photo – KFC

KFC original recipe vegan burger, £3.99 — 5/5

Using KFC’s original 11 herbs and spices mix, the vegan burger tastes just as good as its chicken alternative. Also using Quorn, this time a fillet, the burger is served with lettuce and vegan mayo in a soft-glazed bun. We absolutely loved this, and while it has been described as quite plain, we think one of this burger’s biggest strengths is that is shows how versatile Quorn — and all vegan protein — can be.

McDonalds vegan nuggets, £3.75 — 2/5

The fast food giant has had a couple of veggie options on the menu for a while now, but the nuggets are truly vegan. Unfortunately, they miss the mark and are really quite bland. Made from chickpeas, carrots, onions and sweetcorn, the nugs have the potential to be great, but the tangy tomatoey sauce leaves an odd aftertaste and the filling was a mushy mess.

Photo – Subway

Subway meatless meatball marinara, £6.29 (footlong) — 4/5

Finally! A second veggie/vegan option at Subway. The long-awaited meatless meatball sub is a great addition to the menu. The plant-based “meatballs” are themselves delicious, and go well with the chain’s rich and tasty signature marinara sauce. The only downside is the vegan cheese, which is sticky, shiny and does not taste good. But the beauty of Subway is that you can choose regular cheese for non-vegans, or simply forgo it altogether and throw some salad or vegan aioli on there instead. Overall, a great sandwich that we will definitely be ordering again.