First it was the Greggs sausage roll, then the KFC chicken burger and the Subway sandwich, now the classic bacon roll has become the latest snack to get a vegan makeover.
Italian cafe chain Coco di Mama will be selling the £2.95 roll from in 23 stores across London and on Deliveroo.
The plant-based rashers are from vegan company THIS, who make the fake bacon from peas and soy beans. It’s severed in a multigrain sourdough wrap with bit of tomato ketchup or HP sauce on the side.
Dr Magda Robinson also noted the nutrition value is ‘vastly superior’ to real bacon.
There are ‘ extremely low levels of fat and saturated fat and the much lower levels of salt,’ she said. ‘The high protein content makes it very filling.’
But with bacon roll a much loved snack of Brits, can a vegan alternative live up to the legend? Eight Femail reporters put it to the test…
Vegetarian Harriet (left) and meat-eater Jo (right) but the UK’s first vegan bacon roll the test
talian cafe chain Coco di Mama will be selling the £2.95 roll from today in 23 stores across London and on Deliveroo. The plant-based rashers are from vegan company THIS, who make the fake bacon from peas and soy beans. As well as claiming to taste like bacon, the plant-based alternative is said to be a better hangover cure than its meaty counterpart
How does it compare to the real thing? Coco Di Mama’s vegan bacon roll (nutrition left) has almost half the calories, and only a tenth of the fat of the real thing (information right)
LUKE: 3/5
‘It looks like an artisan woodland-esque sandwich, and a bit like something you might find at a National Trust property or one of those fancy estates, Chatsworth in Derbyshire springs to mind.
‘The roll itself tastes very nice (which is definitely a blessing if you’ve ever tried Vegan cheese).
‘I would recommend this roll, it’s very nice and not dry. There’s also some greenery in it.
Luke thought the roll tasted very nice, but not like bacon
‘However, there aren’t strong bacon tastes coming out of it, perhaps as the name suggests. Maybe recommend to them not calling it a bacon roll? I can’t taste the bacon.
CLAIRE: 1.5/5
‘I’m all for vegan variations of food if it gives people more options, however, I wouldn’t be buying this for myself.
‘The smell is quite strong and didn’t smell like bacon. Taste-wise, however I do admit it resembled bacon, but I wish there were more fillings as well as it was a bit dry.
HARRIET: 4/5
‘I really enjoyed this sandwich – crusty bread, tasty filling, what’s not to love?
‘The bacon is not like any veggie alternative I’ve had before, but I’m really impressed.
‘As a vegetarian it’s tough to find anything that comes close to bacon, but this almost completely nails it. My only critique that’s stopping it from being a strong 5/5 is the lack of sauce – it needs some kind of garlic dip or tomato sauce inside.
Harsh critics Tim (left) and Claire (right) both thought the sandwich was too dry, but did taste like bacon
TIM: 2/5
‘There were elements of a bacon sandwich here – chewy, salty and a bit greasy – but the taste was way off.
‘It was cooked through but wasn’t crispy, and ketchup was the overriding taste even with only a small amount of sauce. The bread was nice, though’.
BRIDIE: 4/5
‘I’m a vegetarian and love that there’s been such an explosion of meat alternatives in the last few years after almost two decades of being given mashed up potatoes and carrots in a patty shape and told it was a burger.
‘That said, very few places manage to sell products that both look and taste like meat. Jackfruit, for example, looks just like pulled pork but tastes like feet.
‘When I looked at this it did not look appetising, the rashers were grey and looked like meat that might be served up by a dodgy vendor at a fairground, something that you should definitely avoid.
Vegetarians Bridie (left) and Jessica (right) both thought the bacon sarnie would be a great hangover cure
‘But this tasted very meaty, and I could definitely see myself ordering one if I was hungover – it’s very salty and made me thirsty straight away.
‘I never really liked bacon when I did eat meat – but would definitely snack on this.
‘I’m also shocked the whole thing is less than 300 calories, I only had half a roll and was full.’
CHLOE: 3/5
Chloe thought the sandwich tasted more like smoked bacon – but liked that
‘While there’s nothing that can beat a greasy bacon sandwich, this isn’t a bad vegan alternative.
‘It tastes more like smoked bacon when my preference would usually be unsmoked, which is slightly disappointing.
‘However, if I was to close my eyes and eat it without being told it wasn’t the real deal, I would be none-the-wiser. The appearance makes it more obvious though, as it looks like a slice of roast beef!’
JESSICA: 4/5
‘As a recently failed vegetarian this roll was of great interest to me – and didn’t disappoint.
‘It had the saltiness of bacon (great for a hangover) but wasn’t too dry – despite appearances.
‘It still didn’t quite live up to the standards of a crispy bacon butty, but I’d eat it again!’
JO: 3/5
‘There’s a heavy bacon flavour, it tastes salty and has the right aroma.
‘The dark appearance was a little off-putting and the texture made it almost feel like I was eating dried mackerel or another oily fish.
‘Inside a good baguette though, with a splodge of ketchup, it’s definitely not a bad imitation.’
VERDICT: 23.5/40