Januaryis alreadya stellar month for vegans and vegetarians, thanks to a plethora of new and actually delicious dishes appearing on menus across London. (In more good food news: Pret has just added another 15 vegan items to its shelves.)

Tosave you wasting your pennies on any plant-based flops,the Time Out office has takenon the task of taste-testing the newbies from Greggss new steak bake to Yard Salesfresh range of vegan-friendly pizzas. Well, it was atough job, but someone had to do it

Photograph: Pret

What is it?Only Prets firstEVER vegan pastry. It uses margarine and sunflower oil to try and recreate the buttery French classic.

How does it look? More like a turnover than a croissant actually.But those trademarkflakes are there, absolutely slathered with jam and covered in sugar.

Does it hit the spot? I can feel the sugar high already. Feels like Ive eaten a tube of Love Hearts for breakfast but Im okay with it. If you picked this up and didnt know what it was, youd assume it was made with all the butter of a regular croissant.Ellie Walker-Arnott, Digital Editor.

Delicious. A bit like a jam croissant covered in shards ofsugaryglass. The more I think aboutthe vegan pastry, the more I appreciate it. Katie McCabe, Events Editor.

This was pretty good. So sweet. Its not as nicely layered as a croissant with butter its definitely not as airy. The jam is nice but makes it even sweeter.Katherine Lovage, Commercial Copywriter.

What's the verdict? 4/5

Photograph: Yard Sale

What is it? An American Hot pizza in disguise, ftvegan mozzarella and vegan pepperoni.

How does it look? Like pepperoni from a distance, but up close the lack of grease gives those spicy slices away. Oh, and the vegan mozzarella looks a bit like toasted marshmallows.

Does it hit the spot?The vegan pepperoni kind of worked. I loved the chillies too. The only disappointment was the cheese. It lacked any discernible flavour, although it did have a creamy texture, which was welcome. The thing is, with this kind of pizza, you want the cheese to be a mixture of creamy and squeaky, which it failed to deliver IMO.Alim Kheraj, freelance writer.

The vegan pepperoni slices were very dry, although they did have similar spice and flavour to meat pepperoni, so fair play. The rest of the pizza was quite tasteless.Philip Lay, Senior Designer.

The verdict?3/5

What is it?A BBQ base covered in sweetcorn,chunksof This Isnt chicken nuggets and a spicy vegan mayo.

How does it look?Pretty ace to be fair. Its colourful, appealing and those chicken bits arent half convincing.

Does it hit the spot? The Texas VBQ was a great slice of pizza. Im veggie and I think Ive forgotten what meat tastes like. So as far as Im concerned, I just ate a delicious bit of chicken. Theres enough going on, flavour- and texture-wise, to keep the slice interesting. Dip the crust in that vegan garlic-and-herb dip and Im happy.One hundred percent would eat again. EWA

Imagine Quorn nugs, sliced up and thrown on a pizza base slathered in spicybarbecue sauce. KM

The chicken one was the best because it didnt feel like anything was trying to make up for being vegan. It was just tasty, end of. KL

The verdict? 5/5

What is it? Mushrooms, truffle oil and no less than two vegan cheeses: mozzarellaAND parmesan.

How does it look?Pale and interesting (its tomato-free) and not at all like a substitute for something. That cheese looks legit.

Does it hit the spot? Thats the best vegan cheese Ive ever tried. It tasted like actual ricotta. I loved the topping flavours and thought the crust was firm, crunchyand generally banging.Alexandra Sims, Deputy Events Editor.

This was excellent Yard Sale work. I regret dipping a corner into that chilli sauce (Holy F*ck Hot Sauce), though, as it was hotter than the molten core of the Earth.Liz Tray, freelance sub-editor.

All I can remember now is the dips, the searing horror of the dips. I thought the mushroom pizza was pleasant enough; the cheese wasnt spectacular but you cant really fuck up mushrooms.Andrzej ukowski, Theatre Editor.

The verdict? 4/5

Photograph: Patty & Bun

What is it?Its the Patty & Buns Hot Chic burger, butwitha chunky ThisIsnt fried chicken pattyinstead of an actual bit of bird.

How does it look? Seriously good. Its the stuff of vegan daydreams.The chickenhas the same stringy consistency of meatwhile the batteriscrisp and crunchy looking.

Does it hit the spot?Im a raging carnivore and have no interest in vegan food, but I was v v impressed. It was tasty! And had a great crispy texture. I wouldnt have been able to tell it wasnt chicken. My eyes have been opened!Sarah Cohen, Deputy Chief Sub Editor.

Definitely the best fake chicken I haveeaten.If you hadnttold me it was vegan, I probably wouldnt have questioned it.PL

The thing with fried chicken is always this: the chicken is rarely that great, its all about the batter. And this batter is delicious.James Manning, Global Projects Editor.

The verdict? 5/5

Photograph: Greggs

What is it?The second Greggs pastry to get a vegan version. This is the steak bake, sans steak,and witha crispy vegan pastry shell.

How does it look?Hey, you dont go to Greggs for the aesthetics. Lets just say it looks pleasingly like the original steak bake.

Does it hit the spot?The pastry is top-notch. Nowt wrong with that.Bryan Mayes, Art Director.

Its completely delicious. All the rich umami goo of the real thing, none of the horror of meat.Oliver Keens, Music & Nightlife Editor.

See, this is what happens when a company giveits staff 300 bonuses: they produce meat-free pies that taste exactly like meat pies would! Im impressed.PL

Another banger from the high-street purveyor of plant-based pastry filth. If being a dirtbag tastes this good and doesnt involve a whopping carbon footprint, I'm down.SW

Impressive pasty rich, gooey filling with all the deliciousness of the original. I hope the staff get anotherbonus out of it.AS

The verdict? 5/5

Photograph: Subway

What is it?Plant-based balls hanging out in a seeded sub with tomato sauce and melted vegan cheese.

How does it look?Literally like every other Subway you've ever seen, so... delicious in shamelessly hungover kinda way.

Does it hit the spot?Hard to taste the meatball in the massive wodge of nutty brown roll packaging it: a bit like eating an Amazon delivery.Caroline McGinn, Global Editor-in-Chief.

Could have done with a bit more sauce, but themeatballstasted just the same. If youd given me that and told me it was a normalmeatballsandwich, I would never have questioned it.BM

As a student, the standard meatball sub was my go-to treat (those were the days, eh) so this wassuper-nostalgic. I genuinely couldnt tell the difference between this and the real meatballs I used to eat in my pre-vegetarian days.EWA

The verdict? 3/5

Love vegan food? Check out the best restaurants in London for vegan foodor for fake meat.

So over Veganuary? Here are the best places to eat in London right now.

Ellie Walker-Arnott is Digital Editor at Time Out London, where she's worked since 2016. She also edits Time Out London's Escapes pages.

Ellie writes about amazing places to explore in London. She's really into London's green spaces, markets and unique attractions, as well as cool fitness studios and hidden pockets of calm. Ellie also loves a day trip and the chance to explore lesser-known corners of the UK. Ellie was born in London and, after a stint in the countryside, triumphantly returned to the city eight years ago. She's been a journalist ever since, specialising in film, TV and travel before moving to Time Out and getting to champion her home city every day.

Reach her at ellie.walker-arnott@timeout.com or connect with her on social at Twitter: @Ellie_Wa and Insta: @elliejwa

View post:

We tried (pretty much) all the new vegan junk food. Here's our verdict - Time Out