Want to eat less meat without missing your favourites?

[Stravaig]

I like Holland & Barret's natural soya mince - it's a dried product rather than something like that damp yukky Quorn mince.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/ ... e-60082699

I don't usually go for pretend meat products but this soya mince is particularly good. I've made food for people who might never consider eating a vegan meal and they've loved it. And been very surprised it's been vegan or veggie, depending on what I serve with it.

I dunno if the cooking instructions on the packet work because I've never tried them. I don't like following instructions! What I do is to chop an onion (or maybe two) and sweat off in veg oil and then pour in the soya mince and stir. I might need to add more oil to keep it moving and not burn or stick, then I treat it pretty much as one would treat, say, beef mince and use for chilli, lasagne, any kind of wet meal that you make with mince. By adding herbs and spices or whatever else such as cooked beans or tomatoes, whatever the dish requires. Marmite is brilliant for seasoning and giving a "meaty" taste to your gravy.

I wouldn't attempt burgers with it. I'd use cooked and crushed beans for that. On the subject of veggie burgers, we tried Garden Gourmet Sensational Burgers. I thought they were truly awful.

I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian or even anything. I've just never liked eating a lot of meat. Even as a child I'd prefer a fish to a steak.

[Colin2016]

I have never cooked using soya although have eaten shop brought pies. Tesco do/did a great pie (chicken look alike) Linda McCartney's left an unpleasant aftertaste. I now make my own vegie pasties Jamie Oliver style.

I cannot understand why there is a need to imitate meat, a vegetable meal is is just that vegetable.

[Primrose]

We tried some "fake" meat products years ago and found them truly awful. Perhaps they,ve Improved over the years but have found them utterly flavourless. Imagine you have to drown them in herbs or a savoury sauce of some kind to make them taste of anything st all?

I,d rather settle for a tasty cheese omelette or something similar if I had to avoid meat than settle for this artificial stuff.,

[oldherbaceous]

I still like a big fat juicy steak…

[Stravaig]

Sometimes I do too, OH. And has to be rare and bloody.

Most of the time I don't eat much meat because there are lots of things I'd rather eat.

[oldherbaceous]

I must admit, we have a lot less meat than we used to…smaller amounts, but better quality!

[Westi]

I have definitely found Linda Mc's quality has really deteriorated. I used to really like the gravy flavour in them & they were full of the pretend mince. The last one I bought was all watery gravy & little texture.

I'm like OH & buy better quality but smaller amounts of meat, but spend a fair bit of time looking for new ideas for using the veg I grow. I'm very keen on middle eastern recipes where there is layers of flavour without having to throw chillies in the mix & some of the grains are really tasty in their own right & the results look very bright & inviting on the plate. I do cheat with the grains now they are in microwave packs as some take ages to cook!