• Consultancy
  • Contact
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Consultancy
  • Contact

Canny Food

Canny Food > Vegan Recipes > No Bull Burgers arrive in Iceland – Review

No Bull Burgers arrive in Iceland – Review

Vegan Recipes

10 Apr

Back before I became vegan I tried out an Impossible Burger in New York. Touted as the ultimate meat substitute, the patty was designed to mimic the taste, smell and texture of meat so realistically that even the most voracious carnivore (and I use that term in a jokey way) would agree that the alternatives were just as good as ‘the real thing’.

There was a lot of consternation within the vegan community about whether a vegan would want something that ‘bled’, especially once we’ve made the ethical switch to avoid animal products. I always argued back that I didn’t stop eating meat because I didn’t like the taste or the texture, amongst the many reasons I quote it was also because my conscience started to nag me too loudly on paying for someone to do my ‘dirty work’. People like my Dad will never take replacements seriously if Linda McCartney Sausages are the best we can offer. Give him something so realistic and cheap he can’t say no and I think even he would reduce the amount of meat he consumes. Not only would this benefit his health greatly, it would also benefit the environment. Don’t believe me? Go watch Cowspiracy.

The arrival of No Bull Burgers in Iceland this month (April) has been big news. The first chain to start selling a meat substitute along the lines of Impossible and Beyond Meat, these patties are being heralded as a game changer for those looking for a realistic alternative to an Angus. Retailing at £2 for 2, they aren’t as cheap as one may expect from the retailer. That said, they are still comparatively inexpensive in relation to some of the superior quality meat products on the market. Hopefully with enough demand they will reduce in price to make them more attractive to families on a budget, etc.

Made from soya protein and coloured with beetroot extract and paprika, there’s no getting away from the redness of the ‘meat’. Cooking from frozen in a frying pan is supposed to take between 4 to 6 minutes, although I’d suggest a little longer to ensure the middle is cooked through. Oil is required if frying as they are quite sticky, although they can be cooked in the oven, and it is possible to get a nice crust on the exterior as you’d want from its meat parallel.

This is where some vegans may feel a bit uneasy. When you cut through the cooked patty it looks disconcertingly meat-esque, especially for those who were never fond of their meat on the rare side. There’s no earthy flavour from the beetroot and I can reassure those who are worried about it ‘bleeding’ that it doesn’t. Did it match up to the Impossible Burger? Not quite, but it was the best vegan burger I’ve tasted from a store. The fact that I can buy something like this from Iceland in Gateshead blows my mind. This is how far veganism has advanced in the last year.

The texture is spot-on, but for me the colour needs a bit of tweaking to tone the redness down. They are definitely better cooked in the oven where some of the exterior redness does down.

The taste was entirely like a beef burger to me and we were impressed.

The reactions in our house was entirely positive and we’ll definitely pop into Iceland to buy more in the future. It isn’t a store I buy from usually, favouring Farmfoods for stocking up on frozen food, but if they continue to focus on increasing their vegan lines I may switch allegiances.

Thanks for reading,

Pip x

Share28
Tweet
Shares 28

7 Comments

Subscribe to get the latest

free goodies straight to your inbox

« Nu To Go opens in Gateshead
Pani’s Newcastle – Review »

Comments

  1. Nyomi says

    April 10, 2018 at 6:52 pm

    I’ll give these a go. Good review. Loving the new look site too.

    Reply
  2. Clare says

    April 13, 2018 at 11:22 am

    I want to try these but it scares me that they are still red in the middle when cooked. I know it doesn’t matter because it’s not really meat but I’m not sure I could convince myself.

    Reply
  3. Bentley says

    April 14, 2018 at 8:28 am

    Iceland has also promised to stop using palm oil in their products and to stop using plastic packaging. More reasons to go to Iceland and not Farmfoods. Thanks for the review.

    Reply
  4. Rich says

    April 15, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    Great review – I tried them last week (I was just looking for a review to send my sister who doesn’t believe that something from Iceland could be nice haha!) and they’re lovely. Best at-home vegan junk food I’ve had I think!

    I was just wondering what cheese it was you used? It looks quite melty which is difficult to find! x

    Reply
    • Emma Phillips says

      April 16, 2018 at 8:41 am

      Hi Rich, I used Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda Slices and stuck them in the oven for a couple of minutes. The FYH range has some great dairy free ‘cheese’ available x

      Reply
  5. Kay says

    April 17, 2018 at 4:35 pm

    I can’t remember what a berf burger tastes like as its been 20 something years but thia was delicious and I didnt think it looked bloody at all. I opted for 10 mins under grill thena few mins in a pan!

    Reply
    • Emma Phillips says

      April 17, 2018 at 7:18 pm

      The oven is definitely the best way to cook them to avoid some of the pinkness others have complained about.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Follow on

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Search

Recent Posts

  • Considerit, Edinburgh
  • MOD Pizza, Metrocentre
  • Vegan Cookie from Pret a Manger
  • PizzaStorm Newcastle – Vegan Options
  • Vegan Doughnuts – Where to find them

Categories

  • Afternoon Tea
  • Breakfasts
  • Dining Out
  • Dinky Dining
  • Family Day Trip Idea
  • Light Bites
  • Posh Scran
  • Sunday Lunches
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegan Recipes

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Stay up to date

Subscribe to get all the latest

Our Sponsors

Restored 316 Business Planner

Load More...
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2018 · Refined theme by Restored 316