What’s in those vegan Christmas treats that makes them look and taste like meat – and is it actually healthy?

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But when you’re vegan and it’s the centrepiece of a traditional Christmas lunch that you’re trying to copy, it’s no easy task.

This year, the range of lookalike vegan Christmas fare is bigger than ever. Laid out in front of me are turkey joints, glazed cuts of ham, slices of orangey-pink smoked salmon, pigs in blankets and beef Wellingtons.

But while they may resemble the real deal, all are 100 per cent free from any animal products.

According to Maisie Stedman, of the Vegan Society, many people avoid animal products not because they dislike the taste or texture of meat, but for ethical, health or environmental reasons.

And the proliferation of vegan lookalike food is driven by manufacturers wanting to appeal to as many customers as possible — not just vegans but ‘flexitarians’ who have reduced, but not halted, their meat intake.

TOM RAWSTONE: This year, the range of lookalike vegan Christmas fare is bigger than ever. Laid out in front of me are turkey joints, glazed cuts of ham, slices of orangey-pink smoked salmon, pigs in blankets and beef Wellingtons

Such ‘fake’ meats should be the perfect compromise — but do they measure up?

Joanna Blythman, award-winning investigative food writer and author, is sceptical.

 ‘Manufacturers trying to sell ultra-processed imitation products make desperate efforts to make them look like the real thing, to sell us the lie that, in taste and texture, they are a credible substitute for animal-source foods,’ she says. ‘But they aren’t.’

‘Essentially, they consist of chemically-modified protein powders and tap water tarted up with an armoury of colourings, flavourings, stabilisers and preservatives. Their composition bears no genuine resemblance to real food.’

To find out which meat-free alternatives deserve a place on my Christmas table — and which were plain ho-ho-horrible — I put a selection to the test.

FAKE SMOKED SALMON

Squeaky Bean Beechwood Smoked Salmon Style Slices, 80g (£3.25 Sainsbury’s)

TOM RAWSTONE: Not as good as the real thing, but with a squeeze of lemon and a grind of pepper, not bad at all. 4/5

The colour and feel of this fishless smoked salmon is impressive. According to the packaging, the orangey-pink look is produced using colourings including carrot concentrate, paprika juice and beetroot juice. 

It also contains modified starch and locust bean gum. The ‘salmon’ has those little white lines of fat that real smoked salmon has.

I close my eyes, pop a bit in my mouth and get something of a fishy flavour, albeit one dominated by smoky sweetness. It’s let down only by its slightly pulpy texture.

Not as good as the real thing, but with a squeeze of lemon and a grind of pepper, not bad at all. 4/5

PIGS IN BLANKETS

12 Vegan Pigs In Blankets (£5.50, Marks & Spencer)

TOM RAWSTONE: When cooked, they look appetising. But the eating experience is let down by the fake bacon, which is cardboardy and tastes unpleasant. 3/5

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without pigs in blankets and there’s no shortage of vegan options.

I try Marks & Spencer’s which, pricewise, are more expensive than their meat version. 

The cooking process releases a lot of oil, which isn’t surprising given it’s the second largest ingredient — with sunflower, rapeseed, shea and coconut oils.

When cooked, they look appetising. But the eating experience is let down by the fake bacon, which is cardboardy and tastes unpleasant. 3/5

‘TURKEY’ CROWN

Plant Revolution No Turkey Roast Crown (£6, Morrisons)

TOM RAWSTONE: But when it comes to flavour, this is seriously bland. The addition of some very oniony Morrisons vegan gravy at least gets my tastebuds working. 2/5

Formed into the shape of a turkey breast, this crown from Morrisons certainly looks the part. Given the main ingredient (of 35) is listed as ‘reconstituted wheat protein’ I’m expecting it to be dry once cooked, but the food scientists have clearly worked out how to lock in moisture using a combination of oils and water. 

As a result, it carves into slices convincingly.

But when it comes to flavour, this is seriously bland. The addition of some very oniony Morrisons vegan gravy at least gets my tastebuds working. 2/5

CROWN AND STUFFING

Taste The Difference No Turkey Crown with Sage and Onion Melts and Savoury Sage and Onion Stuffing (£6, Sainsbury’s)

TOM RAWSTONE: The sage and onion ‘melts’ that coat it have a nice enough flavour, which is just as well because the ‘meat’ itself, which is made from mushrooms and pea protein, is fairly tasteless. 2.5/5

A BIG plump breast of a thing, the manufacturers of this crown have gone large on colouring — caramel, beta-carotene and paprika extract — to ensure it emerges from the oven with what looks like a crispy, golden-brown skin.

The sage and onion ‘melts’ that coat it have a nice enough flavour, which is just as well because the ‘meat’ itself, which is made from mushrooms and pea protein, is fairly tasteless. 2.5/5

TURKEY AND GRAVY

OMV! No Turkey Joint with Umami Gravy (£6, Asda)

TOM RAWSTONE: Interestingly, it’s more expensive than the real deal, costing £11.65 per kilo compared with £8.88 per kilo for a small Asda turkey crown. 3/5

Not content with mimicking a poultry breast, the boffins at Asda have added a pair of darker brown legs to complete the look, as well as an outer ‘skin’ that browns up in the oven. The ingredients include bamboo fibre.

The umami gravy, if a bit sweet, certainly brings something to the party, and the ‘meat’ has more flavour than some of its rivals. But its texture, while moist, is so weirdly melt-in-the-mouth that it dissolves almost before you can chew it.

Interestingly, it’s more expensive than the real deal, costing £11.65 per kilo compared with £8.88 per kilo for a small Asda turkey crown. 3/5

FAKE BACON CRUMB

No Turkey Crown with Vegan Bacon Crumb (£4.99, Aldi)

TOM RAWSTONE: If it’s stuffing you’re after, then Paxo’s Sage & Onion version is vegan — and cheaper. 2/5

The best thing about this soya-based turkey-free crown is the crispy, salty crumb that it’s coated in. 

Sadly, beneath that lies a flavourless, bread-like layer of ‘meat’ encasing a core of cranberry and chestnut stuffing which makes up the majority of this meal.

If it’s stuffing you’re after, then Paxo’s Sage & Onion version is vegan — and cheaper. 2/5

GAMMON SUBSTITUTE

Specially Selected No Gammon Joint with Orange Marmalade Glaze (£4.99, Aldi)

TOM RAWSTONE: Well, I didn’t love or even like this, mainly because of its bizarre, bitter, lingering taste — from the smoke flavouring, I think — that pervades the product and which even the intensely orange glaze can’t compete with. Ingredients include methyl cellulose (a synthetic thickener). 1/5

According to Aldi, this ‘meaty’ plant-based gammon joint can be served as a main or as cold cuts over the holidays.

‘Because loved ones deserve food they’ll love,’ goes the patter on the side of the pack.

Well, I didn’t love or even like this, mainly because of its bizarre, bitter, lingering taste — from the smoke flavouring, I think — that pervades the product and which even the intensely orange glaze can’t compete with. 

Ingredients include methyl cellulose (a synthetic thickener). 1/5

VEGAN WREATH

Vegan Sausage and Cranberry Wreath (£4.99, Lidl)

TOM RAWSTONE: The puff pastry is tasty and crisps up well while the filling benefits from its relative simplicity. The sausage is sausagey, and the occasional cranberry dotted within does not overwhelm. 4/5

Does what it says on the packet. The puff pastry is tasty and crisps up well while the filling benefits from its relative simplicity. 

The sausage is sausagey, and the occasional cranberry dotted within does not overwhelm. 4/5

NO BEEF WELLINGTON

Plant Pioneers Meat Free Wellington (£3.75, Sainsbury’s)

TOM RAWSTONE: I assume the filling is meant to mimic beef. But while of a similar colour, it is soft and texture-less and the only flavour is that of cheap gravy. 1/5

This latticed offering has the look of a giant Gregg’s steak bake. Sadly, that’s as good as it gets because, other than the pastry, it’s disappointing.

I assume the filling is meant to mimic beef. But while of a similar colour, it is soft and texture-less and the only flavour is that of cheap gravy. 1/5

CLASSIC NUT ROAST

Two Sage, Onion and Hazelnut Vegan Nut Roasts With Gravy (£2.99, Lidl)

TOM RAWSTONE: Not an ‘imitation’ meat product — and maybe all the better for it. 4/5

After a spell in the oven, these two individual nut roasts refuse to come out of the plastic pots in which they have been cooked. 

The resulting splodge, topped off with a sachet of gravy, looks neither ‘deluxe’ nor ‘indulgent’ as the packaging promises.

But, that aside, it’s actually one of the best options I try, largely because the hazelnuts have a recognisable flavour and bite that many of the other products are lacking. Not an ‘imitation’ meat product — and maybe all the better for it. 4/5

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