Veganuary: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Domino's Vegan Veggie Supreme

Anyone who knows me well will know I absolutely love cheese.    So, naturally, I decided to set myself a challenge this year and do    Veganuary. I was going to do Dry Jan at the same time but my mum    swiftly talked me out of that, saying that giving up two things in what is already a depressing month was just plain stupid, and to be fair, she was right, so I scrapped that idea pretty quick. 

On the whole, I must say I absolutely smashed Veganuary. Didn't touch cheese for a month, which is honestly a massive achievement for me. I did accidentally slip up one or two times, but on the whole I'm pretty impressed with myself! I already have plant-based milks in my tea and coffee anyway, so that wasn't something I needed to change, and I use Vitalite vegan spread instead of dairy spread on my toast, so I had a headstart there, too. 

The hardest thing about being vegan when you're not used to it (apart from missing cheese - did I mention I love cheese?) was having to check literally everything for milk or egg in the ingredients. Like, why is Quorn mince not vegan, yet they have a separate vegan mince? What's the point in manufacturing two entirely different products when you could surely just make it easier for everyone and make all the mince vegan? Anyway, that was the most faffy bit by far. 

In this post I'm bringing you the good, the bad, and the ugly of the vegan products and takeaways I tried. It's partially for me to go back to next year when I inevitably decide to do Veganuary again next year, and partially for anyone who is considering giving vegan a go themselves. Hope you find it helpful!

Vegan cheese

Violife vegan grated cheese

Violife vegan grated cheese: 4/10. Tried to kid myself that I like it at first, but it's really not that great if I'm honest. It doesn't melt well at all, which is kind of a key thing cheese should do. It also has a weird texture, so overall not a big fan.

Applewood vegan smoked cheese: 8/10. Actually pretty impressive. Had it on burgers and it was really nice, and it melts relatively well too. Would definitely have this one again.

Vegan dairy alternatives

Vitalite: 9/10. As far as spread goes, this is a decent alternative. It spreads well and is basically the same as any non-vegan spread. I use it even when I'm not vegan, which says a lot about the quality of it.

Hellman's vegan mayo: 9/10. Again, can't fault this really, it's a really good alternative.

Elmlea plant-based double cream: 8/10. Was dubious about this before I tried it, but it was honestly a really good substitute for normal double cream. I used it in a pasta sauce and it was really thick and rich, so I'm impressed.

Vegan meat substitutes and ready-to-eat dishes

Richmond meat-free sausages

Richmond meat-free sausages: 10/10. Genuinely incredible. Taste and look pretty much just like the meaty versions to me. They're also less greasy than meaty sausages often are, which is great.
THIS isn't bacon: 9/10. There's a lot of crap vegan bacon, but this doesn't fall into that category. It's really, really good. Crisps up well and even smells like bacon when it's cooking. It's been a while since I had real bacon, but this tasted like the real deal to me.

Vivera plant-based mince: 9/10. After my discovery that Quorn mince isn't vegan, I had to hunt down one that was, and this was the first one I found. I absolutely loved it, it's the best mince replacement I've tried, and I made the best bolognese ever with it, so top marks for that.

THIS isn't chicken sea salt and black pepper pieces: 10/10. I'm trying not to be too generous with marks but honestly I love this stuff. Every single time I get it from a takeaway I have to check it's not real chicken, and it's just as good when you cook it yourself.

Vivera plant shawarma kebab: 8.5/10. I went a bit vegan-product-crazy during Veganuary, and this was one of my impulse buys. It was well worth it though, and it tasted great with vegan mayo and chilli sauce in pitta bread.

Pukka vegan chicken and mushroom pie: 7/10. Good chicken and a good creamy sauce, but was a bit bland flavour-wise.

Wicked Kitchen vegan macaroni cheese: 8/10. I've had this before and I love it, it's so creamy. My only issue with it is that it gets a bit monotonous in terms of flavour, so I added a bit of sriracha to make it a bit more interesting.

Vegan takeaways

The fact that this section has the most items is testament to my love for takeaways. With all the Veganuary specials on offer though, it would have been wrong not to try a good amount of them.

Papa John's Vegan The Stinger

Domino's Vegan Vegi Supreme pizza: 8/10. Think the cheese they use is pretty decent, as vegan cheese is sometimes claggy on pizzas. The vegan garlic & herb dip is practically as good as the real one, and it helps to make the pizza taste virtually non-vegan.
McDonald's The Spicy Veggie One wrap: 5.5/10. Maccies should have better veggie and vegan options by now, and that's partially why this has a lower mark. The relish is nice, but the dippers are a bit dry to be honest. Hopefully this is the year Maccies revamp their veggie menu!

Papa John's Vegan The Stinger pizza: 4/10. As you can see from the picture, this pizza isn't the most visually appealing. I sometimes get vegan pizzas from Papa John's anyway, because I like the jackfruit pepperoni and that tastes best with vegan cheese, but honestly this pizza was a let down. I think the vegan cheese comes across as really claggy if you have a chilli base rather than a tomato one, so I won't be ordering this again. Even the jackfruit pepperoni was dry on this one.

Papa John's Vegan Nuggets: 8/10. These helped PJ to redeem themselves after that pizza. I liked the taste and texture. Tia said they've "not got the juiciness of a real nugget", but she liked them all the same.

Barburrito THIS isn't chicken burrito: 8/10. Honestly THIS isn't chicken is just insane, I love it so much. I also love Barburrito so much. No complaints other than that the chips that came in my bundle don't travel that well.

Nando's The Great Imitator wrap: 8/10. It's a good chicken replacement, but Nando's just isn't as good on delivery as it is in-store. The chips go soggy, which is a shame. But 8/10 for the wrap because it is impressive.

Tortilla vegan chilli burrito: 8.5/10. The chilli in this is insanely good. Plus, I just love burritos.

Domino's Chick Ain't pizza: 6/10. Was alright. The vegan chicken is a bit crap to be honest, so they lose marks for that.

Domino's vegan nuggets: 9/10. I think these are made by Vivera? They're amazing, anyway. Better than the Papa John's ones by my rating!

Friends of Food cauli wings

Doner Summer Nashville chick'n burger: 9/10. Doner Summer are a vegan restaurant in Leeds and in a couple of other locations in the north, and they're amazing. The Nashville chick'n burger was so good, it was bursting with flavour and the portion sizes here are class.

Friends of Food Shroom burger: 10/10. God this was amazing. Another Leeds vegan place here, and they're so so so good. My housemate Lucy and I looooove them. If you're ever in Leeds, check them out.

Friends of Food cauli wings: 10/10. These are the main reason we keep going back to Friends of Food, honestly. These wings are just so good. They're panko covered cauliflower pieces which are marinated and then covered in kimchi mayo, hoisin, spring onion and radish and I actually don't think I love anything in the world more than I love these cauliflower wings.

Papa John's vegan Alice Tai pizza: 9/10. Best vegan pizza I've had by a mile. Really tomatoey and yummy toppings.

Papa John's cauli wings: 7/10. I used to love these, but after trying the Friends of Food ones, nothing else can compare. They're still decent, though.

Papa John's potato tots with vegan cheese and jalapenos: 3/10. Pretty underwhelming, to be honest. 

Leon vegan cheezy baked fries: 7/10. The baked fries were a bit dry, but the cheese sauce is class so that made up for it.

Leon vegan Carolina BBQ burger: 8/10. Really good vegan patty, and full of flavour. I love Leon's food, for the most part.

Leon vegan jack bites: 8/10. These are so yummy, I'd recommend them to anyone. They were a tiny bit dry but I still love them.

Byron vegan Truffler burger: 9/10. Really good burger patty, and delicious toppings too.

So that concludes my Veganuary round-up! Yesterday I pigged out on loads of cheese to compensate for the month that I hadn't eaten it, and it was great. See you next year, Veganuary!