This is some really sauSAGE advice.
I have been on a sausage-fuelled mission to try and test VEGAN SUPERMARKET-AVAILABLE options, to attempt to find the best for our money. I have had some disappointments (haven’t we all), but equally some great surprises. I have done it, so you don’t have to. Of course, this is all my own opinion, but with these Top 5, you are bound to find one you fancy. I have employed the help of a non-vegan taste tester to confirm the legitimacy of my claims. We’ll call them Dr. X. I aim to convince them to go vegan by the end of this blog series.
I have given each a recommendation of what they are ‘best for’; listed the macronutrients; suitability for freezing AND price, so that you can get what you need to know, at a glance.
Just BTW: I was born on a dairy farm (love you, Dad :), and now I’m a vegan. Stick that sausage in your mouth and eat it.
LET’S DO THIS.
Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages
All hail Queen Linda! Still on her pedestal, and in my opinion is yet to be beaten. These are so realistic in terms of flavour, it’s almost scary. The texture, although different to sausage meat is decent, and as they are frozen, they don’t have that slimy sausage feeling before you cook them. A Linda sandwich is the ultimate comfort food when you are tired, and can’t be bothered to cook, which for me is on the regs. My only complaint is that 6 sausages is nowhere near enough. I’m sure the recommended serving size is probably two, but I have been known to blast through a whole packet in one sitting. You laugh now, and think that you wouldn’t be capable of such an act. I like you. I used to be like you too. See if you can look at yourself in the mirror, after it happens to you for the first time. I could, and I liked what I saw. In fact I’m still looking in the mirror now, and my expression is one of deep satisfaction. No sausage shame here!I would also like to highlight, that out of all the sausages listed here, these have the lowest carbs but highest protein (Keto Vegans say, YEAAH? YEAAAH!), with a whopping 15.5g protein per 2 sausages! How on earth does Linda do it? Some kind of wizardry I say. Paul McCartney needs to go meat-free every day, not just on Monday’s.
This is the absolute BOSS-age:
- Low price
- Suitable for Keto
- High in protein
- SO tasty
BEST FOR: Sausage sandwiches or dipping in the vegan mayo jar (that’s a thing).
FOUND IN: Morrison’s, Tesco, Sainsbury’s
PRICE PER SAUSAGE: £0.33
@lindamccartneyfoods
Richmond Meat-Free Sausages
These have a very strange and disconcerting texture when raw. They feel like what a jellyfish looks like it would feel like, which I would know if they weren’t always trying to sting me. I’ve tried to make friends with jellyfish on a few occasions, and I think I need to enhance my communication skills. Last time I ended up getting stung on the arse. True story. Must have been sending mixed signals. Next time maybe I’ll offer them a Richmond’s.
HOWEVER, and it is a big however, when cooked, these sausages are nothing like jellyfish, in terms of texture or appearance. INFACT, they are delicious. The hype from other vegans for Richmond’s was REAL. But I never know if I can trust the hype. I was so pleasantly surprised. I cooked them in the oven, as I’ve got a habit of burning things in the pan. The outside became nice and crispy, and the texture inside was spot-on. The taste is very realistic, almost disturbingly so. They get extra points from me for being Irish, and using their ‘own Irish recipe’. This can be found lurking in the actual meat fridge, which may be off-putting to vegans, but I think could work as a good tactic for unassuming meat-eaters who may not notice the difference (insert evil laugh here).
BEST FOR: Bangers & Mash, and making friends with jellyfish (to be confirmed).
FOUND IN: Tesco
PRICE PER SAUSAGE: £0.31
@richmond_foods
Plant Pioneers – Caramelised Onion Shroomdogs
These are probably the closest in feel and texture to a meat sausage (that is corroborated by Dr X.). When it comes to summer BBQ’s for vegans, the struggle is real. I’ve watched on, teary-eyed, as my bean burgers have disintegrated and fallen through the grill onto the coals to their hellish demise. To much hilarity for non-vegan onlookers. You need something firm and sturdy to avoid that kind of embarrassment (I’m not gonna say it, but you’re thinking it ;). Shroomdogs are pushing the sausage boundaries, in terms of meaty similarity. It’s weird, but also useful for transitioning meat-eaters. People always ask me why I eat things that are like meat, but aren’t meat. Why wouldn’t I just eat meat? Well, why would people who play shooting computer games, not just go out and shoot people? Because that would make them murderers…
Anyway, back to the Shroomdogs (love that name, btw). The casing is very similar to actual sauz’s, and the way they crisp up in the oven is just right. I like this flavour, as the caramelised onion gives it an extra boost. These are quite high in carbs, but seeing as I’m a carb junkie, I would say it’s worth it. But, I’ll let you decide.
BEST FOR: BBQ (without the embarrassment).
FOUND IN: Sainsbury’s
PRICE PER SAUSAGE: £0.42
@sainsburys
Meatless Farm Co. Meat-free Sausages
Ahhh the Meatless Farm. I’m a bit of a über fan of this brand. Each product I taste, I’m stunned by the texture & flavour and how uncannily they have replicated actual meat. I very much enjoy these sausages. They are quite short in stature but are densely packed and have an intriguing texture. And that’s also what she said, but moving right along, they’re almost more like a kind of mince cylinder. The flavour is absolutely delicious, and I’m happy to see one brand being totally allergen free! I have listed the full set of ingredients below, as I barely believed it myself. They are also very high in protein due to being made from peas. So when people ask me where I get my protein, I tell them: ‘Bitch, peas’.
Full ingreds list:
Water, Pea Protein (18%), Rapeseed Oil, Shea Oil, Thickener: Methyl Cellulose, Seasoning (Spices (White Pepper, Nutmeg, Coriander), Onion Powder, Sage, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid, Sunflower Oil), Coconut Oil, Pea Fibre, Potato Fibre, Potato Starch, Rice Protein, Natural Flavourings, Salt, Vegetable and Fruit Extracts (Beetroot, Radish, Tomato), Yeast Extract, Acidity Regulator: Ascorbic Acid, Caramelised Carrot Concentrate, Sage, Coriander, Nutmeg, Carrot Concentrate, Sausages filled into Sodium Alginate Casings.
BEST FOR: Hotdogs (don’t scrimp on the mustard and crispy onions).
FOUND IN: Sainsbury’s
PRICE PER SAUSAGE: £0.42
@meatlessfarm
Heck – Vegan Breakfast Sausages
A surprise hit! Heck yes. They are luminously green and therefore made me presume they would taste too healthy (that’s the salad-avoidant vegan part of me coming out). However, they were Heckin’ tasty. A really interesting combination of ingredients. Just listed on the front cover we have: mushroom, carrot and tomato with parsley & sage. The herbs really Heck it all off, and I like the fact that you can tell you are eating vegetables, rather than a faux-meat. It feels somehow like they have combined the whole fry-up into one Hecker of a sausage. How the Heck do they make them taste so good.
BEST FOR: HECKfast (you guessed it!)
FOUND IN: Asda
PRICE PER SAUSAGE: £0.42
@heckveggie
Now for the holy grail – the Master Table…
This compares all 5 sausages brands, like for like, to give a quick overview. If you need to know who has the highest protein per 100g, you got it. Lowest carbs, you know it. Allergens? It’s. All. Here.
That’s all for now folks. Check back here soon for the next in the series.
FGGV x