Mumsnet users share their thoughts on meat free options

[JustineBMumsnet]

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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

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DH wanted to try a vegan low fat diet and so we have begun the new year eating lots of vegetables beans & pulses.

I'm not much of a meat eater anyway but our goals are about health and as a menopausal woman I don't want to give up dairy or oily fish completely, so I'm going meat free but not full vegan/vegetarian.

I'm looking forward to hearing other people's ideas for meat free meals. My own new year resolution is to keep food waste to a minimum so I'm also hoping for recipes for batch cooking.

So far our successes have been vegetable curry, bean fajitas, lentil bolognaise and primavera pasta with home made pesto (basil,lemon & walnuts).

Not so successful was vegan gravy made with veg stock & rice flour.

Vegan for 15 years. We do use some meat substitutes, TVP, sausages, burgers but only those which do not closely resemble meat. We tend to prefer nut based products etc. I don’t get the appeal of meaty products but then I never liked the texture of meat

I am doing Veganuary, and am including my children, we have tried vegan lamb koftas, and with vegetarian mince have made cottage pie, lasagne, chilli. I have found it to be easier to digest, tastier, more colourful - so my children love the sweetcorn, peppers, and tomatoes. Come February, I am more than likely to stick to many of the recipes.

I've always been a non meat cook! Basically I eat meat but rarely, if ever, cook it. I use lots of veg, mainly aubergines, to supplement dishes. My husband knows to eat meat for lunch at work! I do use quorn mince and we get on with that. I have girls, no boys and no teenagers (although my eldest loves bacon) so not much meat eaten in our house in any case.

I am quite happy to reduce my meat consumption, and frequently feed my family meat-free meals.

What I have absolutely no interest in is eating fake meat.

I am pescetarian, DH and 2 DC eat meat too.

We're not particularity looking to reduce meat consumption but on balance prob meat is eaten 4-5 evening meals a week and the other 2 are fish. I would like to encourage more varied range of veg in the children's diet but that's different to making a conscious effort to eat less meat.

I enjoy a meat-free burger or sausage for a bbq but otherwise am not interested in fake meat versions, I don't see the point and wouldn't want to over-consume soy protein.

My husband is vegetarian and I eat very little but we really struggle with the kids. The meat substitutes we have tried just don’t seem adequate. Our children refuse a lot of meat substitutes as well (queen for example they both dislike-i can’t blame them to be frank). It makes it difficult to cook balanced family meals.

Vegetarian living with 3 meat-eaters. I often use meat substitutes in meals with strong sauces - especially Indian/Chinese food - and people rarely notice.

As I'm vegetarian for environmental reasons I sometimes miss the taste of meat so like the taste to be similar. I like the Iceland "no bull" vegan range for this.

We raise our own poultry as we know the standards of care are good but as we don’t have the land for beef it is difficult to ensure the red meat we do eat is genuinely well cared for before slaughter. Therefore reducing meat consumption may help alleviate some of our concerns.
We are a meat eating family but would like to reduce the amount of red meats simply due to intensive farming practices. Some meat substitutes would allow us to do this without giving up enjoying the meals we love.

No vegetarians in my household so I would never have chosen to buy meat substitutes until my DS told me he had to have the quorn sausages at school one day because the other options had sold out and he liked them better than normal sausages. We bought some other quorn products to try as he can be a fussy eater as he has SEN and we found he preferred the texture of meat substitutes over the real thing. My DD can dind some of the Quorn products a bit bland so I would be willing to try this product if it is suitably priced for my budget.

We've been taking part in veganuary with a view to reducing our meat consumption after the month is up.

My husband suffers from gout and most of the replacement foods contain yeast extract which causes flare ups for him.

A lot of the products also contain soy which I can't eat as my youngest has a soy allergy.

We've used a few replacements that don't contain either of these things but mainly just replaced meats with extra veg or legumes.

some weeks we'll have lots of meat and sometimes we'll have hardly any. Its just a case of what we fancy. Obviously a lot of meat isn't great for you as is too much of anything. I don't think I will cut back per say but being aware and mindful of how much we eat/eaten of it would be useful.

Quorn products can be gruesome ans upset the stomach. I find soy meat substitutes, tofu and jackfruit OK but only for one or 2 meals week. The rest of the time I eat pure veggie food or fish.

Completely reducing for 2019! I’m down for meat free products as long as they aren’t total Frankenstein’s- I’d rather not have the alternative if the alternative is full of weird “not food”. Have tried some of the new Iceland range but nothing I would buy again. Mostly influenced by reduced plastic packaging, price and ingredients.

I haven't eaten meat for around 30 years and have now become vegan. Meat free products are something I use a few times a week although I tend to buy the ones that don't resemble red meat so much.

I've been a vegetarian since I was a teenager (early 80s). DC are vegetarian, DH is not. Of all of us, DH is the one most likely to try meatless alternatives. The rest of us like to know exactly what we're eating so prefer more traditional foods like pulses, beans, nuts and so on.

We are a (Monday - Friday) vegetarian household. I don't really like the idea of meat subs and calling them x sausages, x mince, .... Therefore I am not using them. Maybe if they where a stand alone product that didn't need the familiar meat word in it, I'd be more open.
As it stands, we eat chick peas, lentils and other high protein pulses. My meals are called x fritter, x casserole, x filling.
No x meat in sight!

We are a family of five meat-eaters trying to make better decisions for the environment.
Over the past few years we have been cutting down to consume meat two or three times a week. But with three little fussy eaters I worry about being able to provide a balanced diet without it.
The meat we buy is organic and free range. On non-meat days we eat eggs, pulses and Quorn/cauldron/tofu products. Would be interested in trying more brands to widen our non-meat options.

Are you considering reducing your family’s meat intake? No, as we are pescatarian anyway. What do you think about meat-free products? They are so much better now than they used to be! There's a wide choice of products now. Perhaps you’re already including meat free products in your family meals? Staple meals in our household are Quorn bolognese and vegetable/lentil chilli neither of which need meat anyway. What influences your choice when it comes to meat free options? Price is the main factor. I bulk buy frozen products when they're on offer, especially Linda McCartney mozzarella burgers which are the best burgers on the planet IMHO!

Reducing meat intake is certainly something I’m interested in, but I’m not a fan of fake meat.

If I’m making a meat free meal, it’ll be one that’s based around something like extra vegetables, beans, or lentils replacing the meat.
Not one where I’m using some meat substitute mince or burgers instead of mince / burgers made from meat.

Are you considering reducing your family’s meat intake? Yes, we all eat meat but have several meat free meals a week.
What do you think about meat-free products? there's so much choice now it's fantastic. when I was younger and vegetarian I found it very tricky eating out. Now meat-free options are mainstream and delicious.
Perhaps you’re already including meat free products in your family meals? I have to go half and half with vegetarian mince and beef just to make it a lower fat healthier option.
What influences your choice when it comes to meat free options?
we all really like Quorn especially the chicken pieces which are the is in a Thai green curry or enchiladas or anything where chicken would normally go. My kids also prefer Quorn roast to a meat roast.
I often go for the veggie option if I'm eating out but not if it's limited numbers because it's not fair on the actual veggies if the meat eaters eat all their food.

We occasionally buy meat substitutes for the DC, so I'm glad to see an increase in the availability and quality of vegan meat substitutes. DH & I are vegan and the DC are mainly vegetarian (although eat mostly vegan at home). Personally I couldn't eat anything 'meaty', but I'm glad it's available for people who do like to eat meat but would rather not for health, environmental or ethical reasons. The less animal products people eat, the healthier society and our planet can become.

We eat a fair amount of vegetarian meals but no meat substitutes. From my admittedly unresearched perspective, I don’t fancy the idea of lab grown things instead of actual veggies. Especially not for my DC.

Also we don’t need them as we do eat real meat!

I have had the non-meat substitutes at friends’ houses and they tasted fine, though.

Not vegetarian but definitely happy to not eat meat. We enjoy substitutes such as quotes but also vegetable alternatives.
Anything tasty for the whole family would be welcome!

At least a third of our meals are meat free, but I never use fake meats or quorn. There are a wide variety of dishes which are have been developed over centuries which are naturally meat free and so I have never found a need to resort to substitutes. I'd rather eat the meat product rather than an over processed fake, version of something.

I do eat quite a bit of tofu. I grew up eating it and come from a culture which uses different kinds of tofu in a variety of ways, and I love the taste of it.