Mumsnet users share their thoughts on meat free options

[JustineBMumsnet]

NOW CLOSED

Whether you’re thinking of reducing your meat consumption for environmental or health reasons, or if you or a member of your family is vegetarian or vegan, the use of meat free options is on the rise. With this in mind, The Meatless Farm would like to hear your thoughts on reducing meat intake and meat-free options.

Here’s what The Meatless Farm has to say: “With an estimated 22m flexitarians in the UK seeking to reduce their meat consumption, there is an increased appetite for healthy, protein-rich alternatives. After years of research, the team behind Meatless Farm have created a range of products that not only deliver on nutrition, they also taste delicious.”

Are you considering reducing your family’s meat intake? What do you think about meat-free products? Perhaps you’re already including meat free products in your family meals? What influences your choice when it comes to meat free options?

All who post on the thread below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I eat fish and everyone else eats meat and fish and we're all reducing this, me by cutting fish and dairy consumption and them by further reducing their meat intake to start with. They're happy to try alternatives. and it is easier than ever to find delicious, healthy alternatives. I think we have a responsibility, especially those with children, to educate ourselves on how the meat and dairy industry affects the climate and do what is necessary.

We do have meat free days, not intentionally but some nights there is no time to cook a meal to all sit down together so some nights its just egg and beans on toast or soup. If anything i think it makes us all enjoy our proper meals alot more.
We are all really active but i am aware of what the kids eat and very aware of how much food i put on the plate.

We try to limit red meat and eat mostly chicken in our house, although we are all partial to a veggy burger or veg curry too

I do try and have at least 3 meat free meals per week. Currently this has mostly been pasta dishes or salads, but i am going to have to start introducing meat free alternatives as my husband never feels full. I have avoided them as some "packaged" food just has so much garlic in it overpowers anything else.

Definitely trying to cut back but couldn't commit to full vegetarian!

We all eat meat here, my husband is now on a low carb diet and is slowly cutting down on the meat he eats and had started eating quorn products. He enjoys them and says they taste nice.

We already eat meat free products once or twice a week. For instance I make chilli with Quorn and Spaghetti bolognaise but there are many other tasty options now.

im vegetarian and though my husband and daughter are not they eat when i cook, if they want meat they usually eat it out

I think it is probably a good idea to reduce the amount of red meat eaten. We have more fish instead and occasional vegetarian meals.

We have 2-4 non meat days every week
We all hate quorn and other than the odd veggie nugget we largely don’t have pre prepped food on veg days just do tomato pasta or beans with jackets or lentil/chickpea stews etc

I find the calorie content of your stuff really high. My strapping teens would need 3 burgers I’d say along with veg and starch and each burger has 230 calories and don’t look huge.
Meat free pre prepared products are rarely calorie control friendly.
Gosh burgers are all well over 250 each and again are quite small.

I would consider cutting down red meat but am always put off by the tasteless meat free alternatives.

Not a veggie household but there's do many veggie and vegan meat substitutes were definitely going to try cutting down on meat. Most recently made a vegan curry with cauliflour which we really enjoyed, including DS (7months)

I wasn't planning on cutting back on my family's meat intake as we already eat a really balanced diet.

However, my daughter has begun to do some research and as a result has become vegetarian. Further research had led her to consider becoming a vegan.

If I can find some decent meat-free products then I will reduce or cut out meat altogether.

Our read meat consumption has always been less due to the cost, we have traditionally ate a lot of chicken, but this is slowly reducing as we experiment with the wider variety of vegetarian ingredients available. We don't do anything consciously like a meat free Monday, but we definitely have more confidence cooking without meat then even 5 years ago.

We are not vegetarians but do believe in eating all the animal therefore we have increased the amount of offal we consume but we do occasionally have meat free days but that tends to include cheese so not sure that counts

My daughter is vegetarian and we buy meat substitutes but she does prefer to try different alternatives to make her own as she is so fussy with food as well as being vegetarian, personally I can take or leave meat I can quite easily eat a roast dinner with no meat on it, hubby on the other hand is the opposite. The No Porkies sausages from Iceland are the best my daughter has tried.

We're already a vegan household. The range of meat free products available is growing all of the time - there's so much choice its fab!

Quorn is lovely and an excellent meat free product

We are a vegan family. It is so much easier being vegan now, especially as the supermarkets have finally realised there is money to be made in selling vegan food.

I'm wanting to go meat fee twice a week but haven't tried any substitutes yet.

I've been veggie for nearly 30 years. I'm not at all keen on products that attempt to look and taste like meat. I prefer food that looks and tastes like the vegetables, pulses, nuts and dairy products it contains. While I usually cook from scratch, it is helpful to sometimes have "convenience" veggie food.

For the sake of our health and that of the planet, I really feel that we ought to cut our meat consumption. Normally we eat chicken or fish about 5 days a week, and red meat about twice, but I would like to try and cut this down and have at least a couple of meat free days. However I'm not overly impressed with the "meat substitutes" that I've tried. We bought veggie sausages the other week which were not nice at all - really dry and hard. I prefer things that are vegetable based, rather than meat subs. I'd prefer to make veg lasagne for example, rather than use veggie "mince". However I've a long way to go to convince my meat loving husband and three carnivorous sons!

None of us are vegetarian, but we are naturally all eating less meat than previously. My daughter likes quorn products and my husband no longer thinks in terms of meat and 2 veg, so we do naturally eat a mixture of meals each week

I'm starting too reconsider everything in regards to meat, I've never been one to eat alot of it and its reduced greatly. As I find that when I've had certain meat products i tend to feel sick for hours after and lately barely eat it. I'm already lactose intolerant so I dont eat many animal byproducts. But Im considering going vegetarian again or slight pescatarian as j do like tuna and salmon and the odd prawn but no other seafood., so I'm already familiar with alot of quorn and meat free products so will definitely try your products.

yes totally, im really ken to buy less meat products and increase out veg intake. Im trying not to be hypocritical about how i feel about animals and then eat them. We eat a lot of quorn which we find really tasty