One trip to the supermarket is enough to see just how mainstream vegan food is becoming – and we couldn’t be more excited. The number of vegans in the UK has risen by 700 per cent in the last two years, making vegan living the fastest-growing lifestyle movement, and countless savvy businesses are embracing plant-based eating by creating exciting (and tasty) food for all.
So far this year, a large number of food companies, major supermarkets, and restaurants have stepped up to meet the ever-growing demand (#vegan now has more than 66 million posts listed on Instagram) by stocking up on vegan food options. This inspiring increase in new vegan products, menu items, and even entire ranges free of animal-based ingredients across the UK is proof that people are making the shift to compassionate eating.
Now in their sixth year, PETA’s Vegan Food Awards highlight some of the most delicious and innovative new vegan offerings. Check out the award winners before heading out to try them for yourself:
PETA Vegan Food Awards 2018
Best Vegan Meat
Oumph! produces a selection of vegan meats, all of which are very tasty. Our favourite variety, though, is Kebab, which is seasoned with a host of classic kebab spices. Once you taste it, you’ll know why it’s called Oumph!
- Best Dairy-Free Milk
Innocent has entered the booming plant-milk market with this luscious oat milk in a recycled and recyclable bottle. Made with just three ingredients and unsweetened, this smooth operator is excellent for making muesli or porridge, adding to tea or coffee, or drinking straight from the bottle. It’s creamy and guilt-free – a winning combo!
Best Vegan Cheese
Free-the-Goat Ch**ze by New Roots is a superb plant-based alternative to ricotta. It’s crafted using traditional artisan cheese-making techniques but replacing animal milk with cashew milk. The result is a delectable, classic flavour for all cheese lovers to enjoy.
- Best Dairy-Free Ice Cream
Marks & Spencer Chocolate & Caramel Sticks
These chocolate-coated dairy-free goodies from M&S are delightfully creamy with a subtle caramel flavour. For anyone who loves a chocolate-caramel combo: this needs to be a staple item in your freezer – and tummy – all year round.
- Best Vegan Burger
Iceland’s No Bull Burgers will blow your mind. Their soya base produces the right taste and texture, and beetroot powder comes through with the colour. If you close your eyes as you take a bite, you might not even be able to tell they’re vegan – but rest assured that no animal was harmed in the making of them. A noble burger, indeed.
- Best Dairy-Free Yogurt
Nush makes its own almond milk from Sicilian almonds and then transforms it into this gorgeous creamy yogurt that’s rich in almondy goodness with a delicate and clean flavour. The hibiscus sets off the caramel perfectly.
- Vivera
Best Vegan Fish
Vivera’s Veggie Fish Burgers are off the hook. These 100 per cent plant-based beauties provide a fish-friendly taste of the sea that’s fintastic in a sandwich with crispy lettuce and some vegan mayo. Thank cod!
- Wagamama
Best Vegan Chicken
Wagamama has many great vegan options, and its Vegatsu (vegan chicken katsu curry) is a showstopper. The dish comprises seitan covered with Japanese breadcrumbs over sticky rice, all topped with a delicious, fragrant sauce that complements the “meat” perfectly, and comes with a fresh salad.
- Best Vegan Sausage
Fry Family Food Smoked Hot Dogs
For a sure hit at any barbecue or dinner party, cook up Fry’s Smoked Hot Dogs – you’ll be the star of the show. Just add a squiggle of mustard and ketchup and you’re good to go. Be sure to check out the brand’s other vegan delights, too.
- Best Vegan Sandwich
Popular UK bakery Greggs released its first savoury vegan item this year – and it’s a winner . The Mexican Bean Wrap has a wonderful combination of flavours: mixed beans in a tomato and jalapeño sauce, guacamole, sliced peppers, fresh salad leaves, and chipotle chilli sauce in a soft tortilla wrap. Yum!
- Best Egg-Free Mayonnaise
Saclà’s vegan mayonnaise is smooth enough to spread and thick enough to dollop, making it easy to use in whichever way you fancy. The recipe is also gluten-free, so this is one that everyone can enjoy.
- Best Vegan Chocolate
Green & Black’s Velvet Edition Dark Chocolate Roasted Almond
This ethically sourced dark chocolate is wonderfully smooth, and roasted almonds give it a satisfying crunch. Madagascan vanilla bean powder perfectly enhances the flavour of the Ghanaian cocoa.
- Best Vegan Pie or Pasty
An unusual name for an uncommonly good pie: Kevin is made with mushrooms, baby onions, tomatoes, red quinoa, red wine, and thyme. It’s full of flavour, and the pastry is crafted to perfection. All in all, it is wholesome and hearty and has all the texture and taste you want from a well-made British pie.
- Best Vegan Ready Meal
Waitrose Vegetarian Green Thai Curry
This Thai green curry is fragrant and flavoursome – plus, it gives you a day off of cooking. Exotic spices and hearty chunks of vegan chicken by The Vegetarian Butcher make for a satisfying dish. You are so ready for this meal .
- Best Vegan Pizza
With vegan crusts, gooey dairy-free cheese, and a ton of delicious veggie toppings available, Pizza Hut’s plant-based pizzas are a winner. C’mon, Domino’s!
- Best Vegan Cookie
Costa Vegan Sticky Toffee and Pecan Cookie
Costa’s soft-based Vegan Sticky Toffee and Pecan Cookie is what dreams are made of – and it’s available across the country at the high-street favourite. With a gooey toffee centre and pecan topping, this treat takes the biscuit. Try it warm for sweet surprises with every bite.
- Best Vegan Cake
Starbucks Vegan Chocolate & Raspberry Cake
Starbucks’ chocolate cake is a treat for the taste buds – and the eyes. Sandwiched with a layer of raspberry icing and topped with chocolate icing and dried raspberries, it’ll satisfy any sweet tooth.
- Best Vegan Doughnuts
This sourdough doughnut chain has locations around London – including an entirely vegan branch in Marylebone. From a dark chocolate truffle doughnut to a cinnamon scroll, there’s something for everyone.
- Best Vegan Range
The Wicked Kitchen range of 20 irresistible vegan items has all the punch, crunch, and zing needed to satisfy hungry bellies and discerning taste buds. From pastrami-spiced carrot wraps to teriyaki noodles – and from kung fu bowls to caponata sourdough pizzas – these healthy, vibrant, flavoursome convenience foods are impossible not to love.
Best Vegan Menu
Marston’s Pubs take pub dining to the next level with their inventive new 11-dish vegan menu featuring Buffalo cauliflower wings, jackfruit-topped potato wedges, and the Moving Mountains B12 Burger served with chips, sweet-chilli coleslaw, and onion rings. Desserts include a chocolate-cherry cheesecake and a show-stopping raspberry-jam doughnut pudding.
- Best Luxury Food Item
Baileys Almande Almondmilk Liqueur
Baileys Almande blends whiskey with the light, nutty flavours of almond milk and vanilla to create a smooth, versatile liqueur. It’s warming and easy to drink, making it the ideal post-dinner treat or tipple on a night out. Vegan Baileys – a dairy-free dream come true.
- Best Vegan Cookbook
BOSH! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby
BOSH! Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants is so packed with satisfying recipes and gorgeous photos that it’s no wonder it’s the best-selling vegan cookbook of all time. From go-to breakfasts, filling dinners, and delectable desserts to party favourites and cocktails, there are over 140 recipes for you to try. Some of our favourites include the Spanish Beach Churros, Gooey PBJ Brownies, and Creamy Mac and Greens.
Vegan living is growing at an astonishing rate as more and more people recognise that other animals have just as much of an inherent desire to live as we do – and that eating vegan is better not only for animals but also for our own health and that of the planet. As a result, you’ll find delectable animal-friendly options almost anywhere you go to shop or eat.
After you’ve tasted these award-winning foods, get cooking with the recipes in our free vegan starter kit:
