Hi, I’m Nicole and this is my first time writing for Healthy Living London, I could not be more excited and grateful for this opportunity! Last week, I had the wonderful pleasure of attending the Wicked Top-Secret Vegan Project Launch Influencer Party hosted by Vevolution at The Old Trampery in Old Street. Check out Hannah’s post here for a review of the event and a bit more information on who Wicked Kitchen are. And check out my own blog nouw.com/nicolesblog for my take on having the opportunity to attend a super cool vegan event on Healthy Living London’s behalf, perfect for Veganuary if you’re celebrating that!
Anyways, the American brothers Chad and Derek Sarno have joined up with Tesco to create vegan ready-made meals which launched around the UK last week. At the end of the event last week, we got these goody bags to take home which included five yummy meals to try out! I was really excited as the food at the event was surprisingly good! I say surprisingly as I am not a vegan. One of my best friends is vegan and a lot of my friends are almost there, so I am very used to how to eat and live vegan but I have to be honest and say that I am sometimes a little disappointed by the vegan options. Until now.
Wicked Kitchen describe the food as “mighty plant flavours unleashed” and I would totally agree. If you like fresh, crunchy, healthy food with flavour, colour and spice, then this is for you!
Goodie bag goodies!
So let’s have a look at what was inside the goody bag:
– The Smashin’ Pumpkin Falafel Sandwich
– The Hoi Sin Mushroom Wrap
– The Rainbow Curry Bowl
– The BBQ Mushroom Sourdough Pizza
– The Gunpowder Potato Chana Masala
Pssst… a cookbook is coming out in May if you are interested!
The Smashing Pumpkin Falafel sandwich
The Smashin’ Pumpkin Falafel Sandwich
They were joking about this, saying all vegans have probably had enough of the falafel options by now. But think again. This is a “triangle sandwich”, as I call them, like never before. Soft tomato bread enveloping cabbage, spinach and falafel. My favourite lunch option, healthy and filling.
The Hoisin Mushroom Wrap
The Hoi Sin Mushroom Wrap
I had this one for lunch and it was so fresh! I do not particularly like the traditional Hoi Sin Duck but I really liked this wrap. It was packed with goodness with an oriental flavour and crunchy texture.
The Rainbow Curry Bowl
The Rainbow Curry Bowl
This is another great lunch option as it is a salad that comes with a separately packed yoghurt and mint dressing, as well as a fork. However, we had it as a side salad with the
other options below for dinner, that works too. As you can see from the picture, it is overflowing with nutrients with everything from grains to mango, all with a zesty, summery taste meeting the Indian flavours of curry.
The BBQ Mushroom Sourdough Pizza
Ok, a pizza without cheese?! I was not excited to be perfectly honest. This is probably the hardest part with turning vegan for me, I just love cheese and milk products too much. Nevertheless, I stuck it in the oven and out came the perfect sourdough pizza base: crunchy on the outsides but with a thin inside. It is covered with mushrooms with a smoky, barbecue flavour, sprinkled with fiery chillies, and what impressed me the most was the very flavour of it. It is actually one of the tastiest pizzas I have ever tried. It still feels crazy writing this but it is true…
The Gunpowder Potato Chana Masala
Gunpowder chana masala
Last, but not least, was the curry. And I mean THE CURRY. My boyfriend tried this and he is a true non-vegan if you know what I mean. However, when I asked him what he thought, he told me this was his favourite. Say what?! A meat-loving man falling for a very plant-based chickpea and potato curry? Yes! As you can see, this last dish looked exotic and tasted it too. Personally, I think it was the al dente texture of the rice from this ready-meal heated in the microwave that sold me.
Now, as I am Scandinavian, I have been brought up to be aware of the planet and be environmentally friendly so I should be vegan already really. I like to recycle and use eco-friendly cleaning products and although the food is packaged, they have minimised it as much as possible and used materials that can be recycled or even re-used like the curry Tupperwares. I know I have been lucky enough to try these products out, but if something was going to turn me vegan, it would probably be this range. Affordable, healthy for you, healthy for our planet and the most important part of food: inspirational and tasteful like I have never experienced from other ready-made vegan meals.
This new range includes twenty ready meals and food to go options, so go try it out now, vegan or not, these are honestly delicious, fresh, healthy and give “normal” options a run for their money! Spoken from a non-vegan that is.
More Information
Who’s it for: All vegans obviously, but also the health-conscious, busy people who want a quick but nutritious meal
How much: £3.50-£4.00
Where from: Tesco stores across the UK
Website: Wickenkitchen.com or shop Wicked Kitchen at Tesco’s
Hi can you try to make vegan cheese and onion pastry, vegan quiche and vegan massouka? Thanks