Best Veggie Mince

[tadpole73]

Hi, what's the best veggie mince on the market please?

None of them are perfect and in general I prefer to substitute with lentils and accept the taste difference. But when nothing else will scratch the itch the frozen Linda McCartney one is head and shoulder above the others I’ve had. Some of the fancy looking ones in the chiller (like Meatless Farm) look amazing in the packaging but they have a weird mushy texture when cooked. I haven’t tried the Richmond one though, and I like their sausages, so that might be worth a go, but for the couple of times a year I have veggie mince, I’m pretty risk averse and stick with what I know.

I like the Asda plant based one, but it's very soya-y.

I like own brand soy mince, quorn is all wrong for me after years without it!

Seconding the Asda plant based one, miles better than any other I've tried.

I like meatless farms but to be honest lentils are my first choice.

Linda McCartney
I used to like Meat the Alternative then it changed recipe
Real-Eat was nice but vanished
Quorn mince is too sweet for me

There was a chicken substitute earlier this year (Taste and Glory or similat , purple bag) it was brilliant but that vanished too . Sigh

I mostly stick to Quorn but will try others. Very variable but sadly for you and mostly for me I can never remember which ones are good or not. I loathe the Linda McCartney range - find the sausages claggy in the extreme and the pre-made products foul in taste - so would have been unlikely to have tried the mince. I had a wierd reaction to the Plant Pioneers range (Sainsbury - is it their own version of veggie mince?). I do buy meatless but am not that keen. Vivera seems to have good texture.

But I am starting to agree on the lentils for flavour. I struggle to get flavour into any of these minces. I made a mushroom & lentil, root veg cottage pie - it was delicious but it should be - the amount of ingredients and the time taken was crazy.

I use the dehydrated savoury soya mince from Holland and Barratt. Much prefer it to all the others. I don't like the eggy taste of Quorn and the frozen ones are really expensive.

Taste and Glory were from the same parent company as Richmond. They closed the Taste and Glory brand to focus on Richmond. I know some people have said the T&G chicken strips were the same as the Richmond ones are now, so maybe same is true for the mince. Not tried either the mince or chicken strips from either brand though, so can’t say for sure products are the same.

But I am starting to agree on the lentils for flavour. I struggle to get flavour into any of these minces. I made a mushroom & lentil, root veg cottage pie - it was delicious but it should be - the amount of ingredients and the time taken was crazy.
What lentils are missing which beef has is lots of umami. Replacing it with things like marmite, miso, soy sauce, dried mushrooms, tomato purée, sundried tomatoes, Henderson’s Relish, nutritional yeast, kombu, stock cubes, olives, capers or a straight up pinch of MSG will add that extra flavour into the dish. If something feels flat when it’s salted enough and has some acid (lemon juice, vinegar) to brighten it, it’s probably missing umami.

I am not a fan of quorn mince so use lentils in my bolognaise, but recently thought I would give Richmond mince a go for a chilli.
It didn’t break down but the texture was good and dh and ds agreed that it was a good substitute.

Thete are loads on the market. It’s worth using different one for different things.
I use beyond meat mince to make a really rich bolognese. it!’s very pricy but worth it.’ The burgers are amazing as well.
It’s what Mc Donald’s use for their PLT.

I use vivara mince (chilled) for a Guinness cottage pie. That’s delish as well.
Aldi asda and Tesco frozen are all decent as well. and good for chilli.
i’ve perfected a gorgeous chilli recipe, using quinoa for the ‘meat’.
Meat and non meat eaters love it and it’s always requested.
I’m not veggie, but eat very little meat.

I think the best one is Plant Pioneers Meat Free Mince. It’s from Sainsbury’s and is in the freezers. I’ve tried all sorts and that’s the one I prefer. I’ve several bags in the freezer.

Although we eat a lot of Quorn pieces in stir frys and curries etc., I don’t rate the mince at all.

www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/richmond-meat-free-chargrilled-no-chicken-pieces-220g

Thanks toastofthetown this looks like the one (there's a fresh one too , I might try both)
At the moment we're using the "This Isn't" range but the shape of the pieces annoys me (illogically)

My favourite is Linda McCartney or Vivera. I don't like the ones made to look like raw mince, I find they are very mushy.

Tesco Plant Chef frozen mince is also good.

I personally love the Meatless Farm mince. Really good meaty taste if that's what you like

I just use Quorn, from Aldi.
Fresh onions, chillis, ginger, tomatoes etc. DH eats meat and he tucks in too.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget they were bought by Richmond and are now rebranded but still exist! I loved them too and was so pleased when I figured that out

Sorry, should have read the whole thread - but can confirm that they are the same