Mumsnet users share their thoughts on meat free options

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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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have 2 vegetarian children in the family - one is on and off. We all quite like vegetarian food and eat it quite a lot.
However I and one of my children tend to find a lot of the stuff you buy too spicy. I understand that it's probably done to flavour the product but could it be flavoured without all the spice?

I use quorn mince in place of beef mince for chilli con carne ect ben eating less red meat generally.

Are you considering reducing your family’s meat intake?

Yes, For the environment, for my health and for the animals. My friend is a vegan activist so will often tell me the facts on the effects of meat eating. So it has changed my view a bit.

What do you think about meat-free products?

Expensive! I would love to buy meat free products but usually they are more expensive than the meat version. Like most people I always want a low shopping bill and opt for the cheapest thing.

Perhaps you’re already including meat free products in your family meals?

Yes when meat free products are on offer we tend to buy them I am a big fan of sausages and burgers and actually find them more filling than a meaty burger.

I love vegetarian food and enjoy making bakes, casseroles, salads, anything vegetarian. But I also like to cheat by using meat substitutes such as quorn.

DD is veggie we love bean chilli, linda mcartney sausages & burgers plus spanish frittata

I understand why people choose to not eat meat and we too are cutting down our family's consumption of meat and choosing other sources of protein for mealtimes, fish, egg and cheese based dishes.

What I don't understand however is, for those who don't choose to eat meat, why are many of their products produced to look like meat, sausages, burgers etc, that really confuses me.

Try and keep meat down to the minimum. Vegetarian/vegan food can be real tasty, as long as you avoid meat substitutes like quorn etc.

We have gradually been reducing our meat consumption, mainly due to animal concerns, also realise that it would be better for our health.

We have tried some quorn products, also the Stella McCartney range of foods. Both have been satisfactory, especially quorn mince as it is difficult to tell the difference between real meat.

We are influenced by different new flavours, pricing, and whether I feel the family as a whole would enjoy the meal. But I need inspiration to try new ideas.

We are only looking to cut back on the lower quality and fatty meats. I have tried a few of the vegetarian range meat products but dont enjoy them.

Yep absolutely want to reduce our meat intake! At one point we were having meat with every meal! I want to reduce it for health reasons, as I think too much of anything is bad for you. We have started to have non meat meals, and find things like cheese and onion crisp bakes, or mozzarella, roasted veg and pesto melts are fabulous alternatives. We have tried a meat substitute burger, but I personally hated the texture! We are definitely open to trying other ones though!

I personally couldnt see myself going totally meat free. My 9 year old son though doesnt eat meat only fish so some days we have vegitarian meals as a family. I enjoy meat free products but quorn etc is not a big favourite with my son as it reminds him of meat too much!

I don't eat much meat myself, but I do cook it for the children and hubby.

I do enjoy certain vegetarian dishes. when eating meat and I get a bit stuck in my tooth it really puts me off, this is the reason I turn to the alternatives.

I am limited on the alternatives though, because I don't like vegetables apart from peas and potato.

We do like vegetarian meals at times but we also do like meat, so I can't see us ever switching away from meat based meals.

I have not given up on meat entirely but for heath reasons have cut down to just a couple of times a week (with much reduced portions) I have not tried meat substitutes as they don't appeal but I have widened the range of foods I eat considerably.....the emphasis being on fresh ingredients in easy to prepare meals. The family always enjoy whatever is put in front of them, they are not picky eaters and my health issues (gout like symtoms) have been resolved so I would advise anybody to go meat free or at least reduce their meat intake.

I'm vegan and so are my family. The biggest thing is accessibility. By having a good variety of vegan options in the local supermarkets it makes all the difference and shows that vegan lifestyle doesn't have to be niche or just for richer people, it's actually very easy to be an affordable vegan! I turned vegan because I love animals and since turning vegan I appreciate flavour and detail in my dishes so much. I like a good mix of 'faux meats' but then just beautifully cooked vegetables too!

My husband is a confirmed carnivore. I really struggle to reduce the meat in our meals because of it, but I'm doing well at mixing up the bolognaise a bit by using grated veg or soya mince in with the meat.

Just to say we tried your burgers today- well not me but veggie son and husband, and both gave a proper thumbs up! We'll buy again. Pleased to see a good range of your stuff in our local Sainsbury's.

We are trying to reduce our meat intake by having a couple of meat free dinners during the week. I actually prefer some of the meat-free dishes although I don't think I could ever completely give up meat!

We haven’t made any plans to reduce our meat intake at the moment, it foesn’t Help that there aren’t any good meat substitutes available

We have been reducing red meat over past months, replacing with chicken and fish. Hard to just stick to vegetable with two little fussy eaters.

My daughter eats very little meat so we have introduced a lot of quorn in our diet, we all love the mince and i make lots of different meals with quorn which are low in fat and very healthy

Reducing meat is definitely something we're trying to do - I really love the Quorn Swedish 'Meatballs' - they're actually even better than normal meatballs in my eyes!

I am not a fan of meat free products. I worry about what they put in them to make them appetising. We are however reducing the amount of meat we eat. Luckily the whole family eats a lot of fish and veg anyway. We have only had meat 5 times this year which I think is very good so,far. Xx

I’m mostly veggie with the occasional fish dish and have been for over 20 years, DH very much feels all meals needs meat. Our children like meat but will also go meat free without comment. I’m trying to cut down the processed meat in their diet - getting rid of ham in packed lunch and have recently started using veggie sausages and thing like falafel in their packed lunch where before I might have put in meat sausages. It’s helped that they are less fussy eaters the older they get. I like the marinated tofu for stir fry you can get now and the Quorn products just as savoury Thai bites which the kids also love.

I’ve been vegetarian for 18 years. My family have just recently started eating more veggie meals ❤️