In our plant-based sausage showdown, we compared a variety of meat-free links head-to-head. They compared their flavor, mouth feel, and enjoyment of the product. The tasting looked at a wide range of brands on the UK market, including products from Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. Their goal was to find out which products are best meeting consumers’ expectations for flavor, quality and overall experience with meat alternatives.
One of those products, and one that’s garnered tons of interest, is THIS Isn’t Pork Plant-Based Sausages. You can pick up a 270g pack from Tesco for £3.75—that’s only £1.39 a 100g! This sausage is made with pea protein isolates and textured vegetable protein (TVP), making it a plant-based customers’ dream.
A pleasant surprise to see was the Veggie Sausage Sage Lentil & Black Pepper. You can pick up a 240g pouch at Ocado for only £2, which works out to 83p per 100g. This product scored a highest rating of ★★★★★ for superb consumer acceptance in flavor and texture.
Linda McCartney’s Vegan Red Onion Rosemary Sausages are £2.60 (for 270g) at Waitrose, equating to 96p per 100g. Even with the low price point, these sausages only earned 2 out of 5 stars ★★☆☆☆. This indicates that although the product is affordably priced, it falls short of the promise made to all consumers.
Or keep things simple with Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Red Onion & Rosemary Sausages, available at Morrisons for only £2 for a 270g pack (74p/100g). The review failed to draw out notable ratings for this above-mentioned variant.
Heck 8 Meat-Free Chipolatas received terrible reviews. They’re £2 for 300g in Morrisons, which is 67p per 100g and rated ★☆☆☆☆. This abysmal score reflects the extreme level of disappointment testers felt with its taste and consistency.
Beyond Sausage is the more premium choice, costing £4 for a 200g pack at Ocado or £2 per 100g. Specifically, while it’s produced with pea protein, it has been criticized for leaking excess fat and slurry during cooking, which has hurt its taste and mouthfeel perception overall.
Finally, the Cauldron Vegetarian Lincolnshire Sausages are £3.75 for a 270g pack at Sainsbury’s. They achieved a truly stellar ★★★★☆ rating, costing £1.39 per 100g. Reviewers noted that this product resembles an ultra-processed sausage but offers improved taste and texture, making it a favorable choice among the tested options.
Our taste test reveal the varying quality of plant-based Bangers in the UK market and they expose huge gaps in satisfaction for consumers. What worked: a great brand stood out in flavor and texture, what didn’t work like some leading brands disappoint consumers on flavor and texture.