Which of these vegan delights have you tried and how would you rate them? Photo: The Lincolnite
High Street giants introduced new vegan delights just in time for ‘Veganuary’, and this week The Lincolnite put a selection of notable meals through a rigorous taste test.
Greggs’ Vegan Steak Bake, Costa’s Vegan Smoky Ham and CheeZe Toastie, and McDonald’s Veggie Dippers became the first to face the test. The office tucked in and ranked the new menu items out of five, and we had to herb our enthusiasm in an attempt to find a winner.
Some vegan meat replacements from top takeaways added stiff competition as the latest offerings from Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King were also rated.
As part of the taste test series, Greggs’ and Cafe Nero’s vegan sausage rolls also faced off in a head-to-head competition, but which meat-free snack came out on top?
The Winner – Greggs’ vegan steak bake – 4.1/5
Greggs’ Vegan Steak Bake. Photo: The Lincolnite
Greggs’ vegan steak bake was the highest scoring meat-free item, ranking an average of 4/5.
The office was in agreement that the £1.55 vegan snack tasted like the real deal. It wasn’t obvious it was vegan, although it had a softer texture. The pastry is just as flakey and the gravy sauce is surprisingly rich.
Caffe Nero’s vegan sausage roll
Caffe Nero’s vegan sausage roll. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Caffe Nero launched its “Veganero” menu on January 8, with new products including the vegan sausage roll, which ranked an average of 3.6/5.
Although it was very tasty with a good texture, the vegan sausage roll, priced at £3.45, wasn’t really a typical sausage roll. Instead of any meat substitute, the vegan puff pastry is filled with roasted butternut squash, courgette and sweet potato. It felt more like a veggie pasty, with an enjoyable tomato flavour.
KFC’s vegan burger
KFC’s Vegan Burger. Photo: The Lincolnite
KFC’s new vegan burger has a ‘very chicken-like texture’ that can be enjoyed without the guilt, but with the full taste of KFC spices. It ranked an average of 3.5/5.
The burger priced at £3.99 on its own is quite plain in appearance, but it certainly tastes good with the spices and plenty of flavour as the Quorn alternative is coated in the Colonel’s secret blend of 11 herbs and spices.
Burger King’s Rebel Whopper
Burger King’s Rebel Whopper. Photo: The Lincolnite
Burger King is cheating a bit. Its patty is 100% plant-based (soy), but the whole burger itself is not vegan because it’s cooked on the same broiler as the meat whoppers to deliver the “same unique flamed-grilled taste”.
It is not obvious from the taste that the burger, priced at £4.99, is ‘vegan’, so it is a good alternative with some in the office saying they would happily order it again. It was given an average rating of 3.2/5.
Subway’s Meatless Meatball Marinara
Subway’s Meatless Meatball Marinara. Photo: The Lincolnite
Subway’s Meatless Meatball Marinara has plant-based meatballs smothered in a marinara sauce and topped with vegan cheese.
A footlong, priced at £5.79 in Lincoln, has a nice texture with a good flavour to the sauce. Although it was generally enjoyed in the office, some said the meatballs themselves lacked flavour, giving it an average rating of 3.1/5.
McDonald’s Veggie Dippers
McDonald’s Veggie Dippers. Photo: The Lincolnite
A blend of red pepper rice, tomato pesto and split pea mix, coated in breadcrumbs — approved by The Vegetarian Society and certified as vegan compliant as well as gluten free (including the fries that come with it as a meal, fried in vegetable oil).
The Veggie Dippers – four pieces priced at £2.99 or as a meal for £4.59 – are unlike any other taste on the McDonald’s menu, and you definitely need some dips to go with them. It ranked an average score of 3/5.
Costa’s Vegan Smoky Ham and CheeZe Toastie
Costa Coffee’s Vegan Smoky Ham and CheeZe Toastie. Photo: The Lincolnite
Costa’s new vegan Quorn smoky ham free slice and vegan coconut cheese toastie is selling well and scored 3/5.
The toastie does what it says on the tin despite the “ham” not tasting very smoky, but it needs to be eaten while hot or it can be a bit chewy.
Greggs’ vegan sausage roll
Greggs’ vegan sausage roll. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Greggs’ vegan sausage roll proved such a hit last year that thousands of the bakery chain’s staff are set to get a £300 one-off payment.
The product, priced at £1, tastes like a meat sausage roll with a nice texture and flaky pastry, but it was a little dry, ranking an average of 2.8/5.
Pizza Hut’s Vegan Pepperphoni Pizza
Pizza Hut’s Vegan Pepperphoni Pizza. Photo: The Lincolnite
This pizza, only available through Deliveroo and Uber Eats, is topped with tomato sauce, Violife vegan cheese (made from coconut oil) and meat-free Pepperphoni (made from pea protein). An individual regular pizza is priced at £12.29, with a larger sharer available for £20.89 — plus delivery charges.
The Pepperphoni itself is tasty and spicy, but the cheese did not go down too well in the office. The cheese was described as tasting rubbery in texture and quite sour and overpowering. It also sticks to your teeth. It was given an average ranking of 2/5.
The final scores in full
The final scores in full. Photo: The Lincolnite
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The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Roman Bank, one of Skegness’ busiest roads, will temporarily pause roadworks and reopen to the public for four months this summer.
The project began in September 2020 and was scheduled to take eight months, with the road being closed throughout to repair and replace worn out carriageways and footpaths.
Lincolnshire County Council has now confirmed that construction will be halted for four months in May, allowing for locals to move freely around Skegness as lockdown eases further.
Traffic management is expected to be removed by Wednesday, May 26, meaning residents will be free to use the area over the summer.
The project will then resume on Monday, September 20, before completing road and footway improvements from Muirfield Drive up to the junction with North Shore Road by spring 2022.
Before the reopening, work will take place to rebuild the Roman Bank section north of Muirfield Drive to Fenland Laundry, excavating 500 tonnes of old road in the process.
The project has seen one of Skegness’ busiest roads closed for some time.
As well as this, a road closure will be in place between Asda and Brancaster Drive for seven days, starting on Monday, May 17.
The diversion route for this will be via the A52/C541/A158 at the Gunby dual carriageway, and vice versa.
The road’s rebuild hasn’t been without its setbacks, with the council blaming Cadent Gas, suppliers of the gas pipes for the project, for delaying the project in March by asking to move one of the pipes.
Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways at LCC, said the date allows for businesses to trade easier and locals to utilise the town more.
She said: “This was the best of all the options we looked at since it means businesses can trade and take deliveries freely throughout summer, while residents and visitors can get around town and park without having to worry about road works.
“Once the school holidays are over in September, we’ll head back to town with Cadent so they can finish diverting the gas main between Muirfield Drive and Brancaster Drive ahead of us completing our road and footway improvements from Muirfield Drive up to the junction with North Shore Road in spring 2022.”
A Lincoln man has helped save lives during the 2,000 medical emergencies he has attended in 10 years of working as a Community First Responder for the charity LIVES.
Bill Barber is a dedicated volunteer who has progressed to now being at Level 4. This means he can attend some of the most serious medical emergencies, including those involving children and infants.
The 60-year-old has always been interested in the medical world and, after his friend had two mini strokes on the same day in October 2010, it prompted him to start his career with LIVES. He qualified as a Community First Responder in January 2011.
It can be difficult for an ambulance to reach a patient quickly when they live in rural areas, like many Lincolnshire villages, which is why Bill continues to be part of LIVES.
He said: “To do 2,000 jobs for LIVES is a great honour and achievement. It is a great feeling to have had the opportunity to meet all of these people in their time of need.
“Along this journey, I have met so many fantastic pre-hospital colleagues, including our own LIVES medics and Community First Responders.
“I think the most rewarding aspect of being a responder is making a difference and being there for the people in your community in their time of need.
“Living in a more rural area, where ambulances can take longer to get to patients, a fast response by LIVES is vital. Minutes really do matter.”
Bill with his wife Jeni and granddaughter Brooke. | Photo: LIVES
Nikki Cooke, CEO at LIVES, said: “Bill is the ultimate LIVES responder. He’s someone who’s always there to help. We’ve received so many messages of praise and thanks for Bill from patients, families and colleagues that we’ve lost count!
“Bill has been there for so many people over the years and it is only right that we recognise this and the incredible achievement of attending 2,000 emergencies on behalf of LIVES. Thank you, Bill. We hope you’ll be responding for many more years.”
Bill receiving his Responder of the Year award from LIVES Medical Director, Dr Simon Topham, at the LIVES AGM in 2019.
LIVES turned 50 last year and continues to support its communities in Lincolnshire by responding to medical emergencies when a 999 call is made.
The charity relies on the support and generosity of the public and each year it needs to raise £1.4 million to ensure the Community First Responders and Medic Responders have the lifesaving training and equipment they need. They are taking donations online here.
Lincoln City’s LNER Stadium will be back open as a public space for anyone to come and ‘Take A Break’ later this month.
The League One club first launched ‘Take A Break’ last summer and due to popular demand it is returning after the latest lifting of lockdown restrictions, which allows people to meet in a group of up to six people.
The first Take A Break session will be held on Friday, April 23 between 11am-12.30pm at ten-minute intervals, with further dates to be announced in due course – book a free ticket here.
Tickets must be booked in advance and admittance will only be via allocated time slots, which can be selected at the time of people. The club said that one booking allows a maximum of six people from two households.
Entry is free, but you can donate to Lincoln City Foundation via a bucket collection should you wish to do so.
You can bring food, drink and other provisions into the stadium with you, but there will be no indoor facilities or toilets available.
Movement from seat to seat will not be permitted and social distancing rules and government guidelines must be followed.
The club said: “Of course, we want to make it as safe and easy as possible for you to book and enjoy your visit.
“The ‘Take A Break’ project will be strictly conducted under guidance set out to allow for time to be spent outdoors for recreation.”
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