To say: M&S, it's not a "pesto wrap" without pesto!

[amoreoamicizia]

I grabbed a mozzarella and pesto wrap from M&S yesterday as a little treat (normally I don't buy preprepared stiff as I'm on a budget). Was excited to have a mozzarella and pesto as an option that wasn't yet another "cover all bases" vegan option (I like vegan food, that is another post- I'm sure you all know what I mean).

Anyway, it turns out the "mozzarella and pesto wrap" doesn't actually contain pesto at all, but rather a gloopy, unappetising "basil mayonnaise" concoction. I was so disappointed! 😐😒 Or did I get this wrong? What would you expect from a "pesto and mozzarella wrap"?

But what about the mozzarella? If you can have real mozzarella in it then what's the problem with pecorino?? And it has egg in it....

Why is nobody paying any attention to this post, which helpfully shows the ingredients? Here's another image of the same thing. All the ingredients of vegetarian pesto are there, as well as all the ingredients of factory-made mayonnaise.

Pecorino isn't vegetarian, mozzarella is.

Pecorino uses rennet in its processing (cow stomach lining enzyme) - mozzarella doesn’t.

I was intrigued by the reference to figs upthread. Considered non-vegan for reasons explained here: https://tastecooking.com/arent-figs-considered-vegan/#:~:text=Botanically%2C%20figs%20aren't%20fruits,or%20so%20species%20of%20fig. I am an omnivore so not bothered by this in the slightest, but I can see why vegans have an issue with them. Many years ago, I got a leaflet from the Vegetarian Society which explained what was and wasn't vegetarian. One earnest explanation confirmed my view that this was never going to work for me. Malt whisky was considered too risky because it matures in sherry casks, and sherry, like many other wines, is sometimes (not even always) clarified with ingredients of animal origin (white of egg? isinglass? can't remember now). So an infinitesimal amount of animal product in a small glass of Laphroaig puts it out of bounds. No thanks.

pesto is nasty, basil mayo sounds equally bad.

Wine, beer, sherry, whiskey, lots of alcohol isn't veggie. I think this is secretly to stop veggies getting drunk and thinking, "fuck it, mines a large donar kebab".

Someone better tell all these people then that their pesto isn’t really pesto.

Like I said, you are being pretty weird about this

It's not weird to say read the packet.

Classic pesto contains basil, garlic, Parmesan or Pecorino or similar Italian hard cheese, olive oil and pinenuts. Which bit don't you like? Or is it the texture?

In my limited experience, as I haven't made pesto very often, home-made pesto is a completely different thing from ready-made. I like both.

@MrsTerryPratchett, yes, it's all very puritanical.

I have a late onset dairy intolerance ( miss cheese very much) and vegan ‘pesto’ is one of the rare food equivalents that works to an acceptable level. It’s not a good as normal presto, and certainly not as good as a freshly prepared pesto stirred into fresh pasta but at commercial level we aren’t talking about that. I’m grateful that the fake jars are there - did spent time doing a basil, cashew and nutritional yeast version once and was ok but I’m not doing that for a quick supper dish all the time,

I’m with the op - basil mayonnaise is not going to have the same flavour hit as pesto, especially as most sandwich offerings with it now also contain inauthentic sun dried tomato so there is in an expectation of that flavour style.

I will @BiscuityBoyle I will.

This was the first sensible post 😂

I hate mayo.

It is weird to claim that the big billing of pesto on the packet is irrelevant, whilst exhorting people to read the packet.

We can agree to disagree on the weirdness, if you wish.

Why is nobody paying any attention to this post, which helpfully shows the ingredients? Here's another image of the same thing. All the ingredients of vegetarian pesto are there, as well as all the ingredients of factory-made mayonnaise.

With this and the other side of the packaging saying basil mayonnaise, all the information was there. OP just didn't read it.

The front of the package says mozzarella and pesto, then basil mayonnaise in much smaller letters. I would assume the main ingredients to be mozzarella and pesto, with the mayonnaise as a lesser ingredient.

I would too, but there's been a lot of speculation on this thread and the definitive explanation was there, but was being ignored.

Don't assume then. It seems obvious to me.

I'm now wondering whether, contrary to this discussion... the wrap did indeed contain 'vegetarian pesto'?
But a very small amount, diluted with the basil mayo. So you can't discern the existence of the former.

It's hardly outlandish to assume that a "mozzarella and pesto wrap" would in fact, contain pesto, lol.

Homeopathic pesto?

I totally get what you mean, OP, and the fact that I hate both basil and mozzarella is of no more relevance to you than other posters' insistence that your disappointment doesn't matter because in their eyes it wouldn't have been a true Parmesan pesto, so you deserved everything you got.
YANBU, for clarity. This is a helluva thread for misunderstandings and people getting their knickers in a twist.

It's hardly outlandish to assume that a "mozzarella and pesto wrap" would in fact, contain pesto, lol.

It was vegetarian so was never going to be pesto of the traditional kind. With things like this, you have to read. With vegetarian alternatives. you have to look what it's made of. If it was pesto, it wouldn't have been vegetarian. It was obviously going to be different.

I'm now wondering whether, contrary to this discussion... the wrap did indeed contain 'vegetarian pesto'?
But a very small amount, diluted with the basil mayo. So you can't discern the existence of the former.

Yes, I don't understand why they didn't just call it "Mozarella and pesto mayonnaise wrap"