This year marks the 10th anniversary of PETA’s Vegan Food Awards, a celebration of the delicious new animal-free offerings. Here are 2022’s winners.
Supermarkets, producers, and restaurants are meeting the growing demand for exciting animal- and planet-friendly fare, proving just how much the market has grown since we launched the Vegan Food Awards a decade ago.
This year’s winners are more diverse and delicious than ever, but each time someone selects these vegan foods, the real winners are the animals. This roundup is sure to win over the one-third of Brits who now report an interest in going vegan. Are you one of the vegan-curious? Then grab your shopping list and start scrolling.
BEST VEGAN MILK
This smooth and creamy barista-style milk, crafted with British oats and enriched with calcium and vitamins B12 and D, is as versatile as it is delicious – splash it on cereal, use it in a milkshake, or froth it up for a coffee. GRO’s vegan price pledge means it’s great value, too.
BEST VEGAN MEAT
Squeaky Bean Applewood Smoked Ham Style Slices
These ready-to-eat “ham” slices with an Applewood smoked flavour take lunchtimes to the next level. Packed with protein, vitamin B12, and iron and with low saturated fat and no pig parts, they make for a great sandwich filling if you can resist eating them straight from the pack.
BEST VEGAN CHICKEN
Meatless Farm Plant-Based Chicken Breasts
These vegan chicken breasts make for a tasty centrepiece that can replace chicken flesh in any recipe, from Sunday roasts to katsu curries. An excellent source of protein, they are easy to cook in the pan or oven and have a fraction of the carbon footprint of their meat equivalent.
BEST VEGAN CHEESE
Palace Culture Herbes de Provence
Handcrafted with organic cashews, Halen Môn Anglesey sea salt, homemade herbes de Provence, and live cultures and aged for two weeks, this cheese is the real deal. Order it from Palace Culture, check the company’s website for stockists, or if you’re in town, sample this beauty in the vegan cheeseboard at Gordon’s, London’s oldest wine bar.
BEST VEGAN FISH DISH
Greene King Omni Fish and Chips
A fish-friendly take on the British classic, this dish features OmniFoods’ impressive Omni Golden Fillet, which has the flavour and flakiness of fish, in a golden-crusted tempura batter served with oven-baked chips and a side of mushy peas. Catch it at nearly 500 Greene King pubs nationwide, including Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns.
BEST VEGAN FISH PRODUCT
No fish are harmed to make this tasty, flaky tuna. Add a bit of chopped celery, diced red onion, and vegan mayo for a perfect tuna salad, or use it in tuna melt toasties and pasta dishes. It is packed with protein and omega-3s and available from Sainsbury’s.
BEST VEGAN BURGER
Byron Vegan Double Bacon Cheese
Every burger on Byron’s menu is now available with a vegan meat patty for the exact same cost, and we think the star of the show is the indulgent Vegan Double Bacon Cheese: two Beyond Meat patties, dairy-free American cheese, smoked streaky “bacon”, ketchup, American mustard, and pickles. Now that’s one tasty burger.
BEST VEGAN SAUSAGE
THIS Isn’t Pork Caramelised Onion Sausages
With THIS, you’ll always have a tasty dish to cook up in no time – whether it’s a weekend breakfast fry-up or dinner classics like a sausage casserole or bangers and mash. Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s, the pea protein–based sausage has 75% less saturated fat than its meat equivalent, and no one had to die for it.
BEST VEGAN BACON
This game-changing animal-free bacon looks, cooks, and tastes just like the cruel kind and is your new answer to “But bacon …”. It caramelises, crackles, and infuses – so you can load it into BLTs, burgers, and fry-ups for the ultimate bacon bonanza. Find it at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, or enjoy it in this year’s “Best Vegan Burger” winner from Byron.
BEST VEGAN PIE
Higgidy Roasted Chickpea Masala Pie
There’s a lot to love about Higgidy’s new Roasted Chickpea Masala Pie. Its seeded spelt shortcrust pastry is packed with layers of creamy coconut, lentil, and spinach daal and vibrant chickpea and tomato masala, finished with a sweet mango chutney and roasted chickpea crumb. Yum!
BEST VEGAN READY MEAL
Get your phones ready for the most Instagrammable lasagne in town! Then tuck into these colourful layers of butternut squash, red onion, beetroot, and spinach, all topped with herby breadcrumbs. It’s the best-selling dish on Zizzi’s excellent vegan menu, and now it’s available as a frozen ready meal at Tesco, so you can enjoy your favourite Italian comfort food at home.
BEST VEGAN PIZZA
This classic pizza is loaded with melty vegan cheese and tender “pepperoni”, courtesy of The Vegetarian Butcher, and served with Domino’s signature vegan garlic and herb dip. Pizza party, anyone?
BEST VEGAN SANDWICH
Black Rabbit Nae Egg & Cress Sandwich
Nothing can beat this winning combo of tofu, mayo, and cress that creates an egg-like flavour without caging sensitive chickens. With fantastic cakes and more filling out the all-vegan menu, you’ll want to add Black Rabbit to your list of must-visit places in Edinburgh.
BEST VEGAN DESSERT
Sizzling Pubs Banoffee Cheesecake
With over 220 locations across the UK, Sizzling Pubs offers a menu full of vegan pub classics. We know you want to try them all, but please leave room for this vegan cheesecake topped with a warm banana and toffee flavour sauce.
BEST VEGAN LUXURY PRODUCT
From winning Bake Off: The Professionals in 2020 to serving up his vegan patisserie at Wimbledon, chef Thibault Courtoisier is on a roll. His delightful and delicate range of macarons are crafted in his fully vegan French patisserie in Wales and are also available online. Warning: the chocolate hazelnut ones are highly addictive.
BEST VEGAN DOUGHNUTS
Krispy Kreme Vegan Caramel Iced Ring
Dough-not miss this special treat. Hand dipped in caramel icing and finished with a caramel drizzle, this delectable doughnut is part of Krispy Kreme’s vegan range. Buy them in-store or order online – we’ll take a dozen, please!
BEST VEGAN ICE CREAM
Ben & Jerry’s Chocolatey Love A-Fair Non-Dairy
Chocolate lovers rejoice! Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with chocolatiers Tony’s Chocolonely to create a match made in ice cream heaven. Plunge your spoon into non-dairy chocolate ice cream with sea salt chocolate and chunks and swirls of salted caramel. Ben & Jerry’s has made this non-dairy flavour cheaper than the dairy version, so the kinder choice is kinder on your wallet, too.
BEST VEGAN CHOCOLATE
LoveRaw M:lk Choc Nutty Choc Balls
LoveRaw’s impressive chocolate creations keep on coming – and the M:lk Choc Nutty Choc Balls might be the best yet. A crunchy hazelnut coated in hazelnut cream, a crisp wafer shell, and vegan milk chocolate and hazelnut pieces – think a tastier version of Ferrero Rocher, without harming a single animal.
BEST VEGAN AFTERNOON TEA
Did you know you could have high tea delivered to your door? Positive Bakes served up its mouth-watering afternoon tea at the Wimbledon championships this year, and now you can sample it, too, with the company’s range of vegan and gluten-free hampers. Packed full of fruit scones with thick vegan cream, fruity jams, tea cakes, and brownies, it’s perfect for a celebratory lunch or luxury picnic. Ace!
BEST VEGAN SUSHI
Wasabi Vegan Xalmon Harmony Set
A top seller at Wasabi, this vibrant selection of delightfully fish-free sushi and sashimi has revolutionised the whole concept of vegan sushi. It includes the innovative Xalmon Nigiri, Xalmon & Avocado Chumaki, and Inari & Red Pepper Hosomaki. There’s Xalmon for everyone!
BEST VEGAN EGG
Scrambled OGGS make an egg-cellent breakfast treat. Grab them from your local Sainsbury’s to make a quick scramble or even an omelette or a creamy carbonara. Don’t feel like cooking? Treat yourself to Scrambled OGGS on toast or a Plant Plate at a Bill’s restaurant.
In today’s meat, egg, dairy, and fishing industries, piglets’ tails may be docked without painkillers, chickens’ throats are slit while they’re still conscious, cows are forcibly separated from their beloved calves, and fish are cut open while they’re still alive. Vegan foods have a smaller carbon footprint than animal-derived foods, as animal agriculture is a leading producer of the greenhouse gases that contribute to the climate catastrophe. Eating vegan also lowers a person’s risk of developing heart disease and cancer.
Once you’ve tasted these award-winning vegan options, get cooking with the recipes in our free vegan starter kit:
