This one was James' request. He used to love having a pasty when he was a kid - it brings back images of him going fishing with his grandad on the Isle of Wight and has good summer associations. When we saw these on our visit to the shops, we thought we'd give them a go. So what does Ginsters have to say about their new partnership with Quorn?
“Giving more choice to more people, we’ve teamed with the UK’s number one meat-free pioneer, Quorn, to bring you the Vegan Quorn Pasty. We’re working to ensure we have a little something for everyone and don’t want to exclude the vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian pasty lovers out there." Essentially, this is "Marinated Quorn® pieces with potato, onion and swede, distinctly seasoned with pepper, wrapped in light puff pastry" and here's what we thought!
Amy’s View:
I must be honest, I have never had a Cornish pasty before and pies and pasties aren’t my top choice of meals. Saying that, I did love Ginsters’ Cheese and Onion pasties when I was veggie – it helped me get through those long university lectures - so I had high hopes!
We decided to heat the pasties by oven cooking as opposed to microwaving: I always find this gives it a better crunch and doesn’t leave it with a soggy bottom! The pastry, as always, was crisp and delicious – I couldn’t tell the difference from its other pastries if there’s any difference? Although when it came out of the bag it had a few holes from transportation, the filling didn’t ooze out so the pastry did its job well. The look of the filling left a little to be desired but, actually, it tasted quite good. The potato was soft but with a bite, the onion was a strong presence, the Quorn added extra texture and the gravy brought the flavours together nicely. Would I buy it again? Potentially (as I said, I’m not the biggest pasty fan). Would I recommend it? To a pasty fan, definitely! Rating 6.5/10
James' view:
While they're getting better, the vegan alternatives to meat-based products are disappointing and, as an ex-meateater, I didn't have particularly high hopes for this because I did appreciate a Cornish Pasty way back when.
When we'd cooked these and opened them up for the photo, I was a little bit sceptical because it didn't seem quite as juicy as the meat based alternative. So I was pleasantly surprised when I bit in and it tasted pretty convincing! The texture is very close to what you'd expect from the original version - minus the gristle which is always a bonus! The flavour has a saltiness which helps make it seem more meaty. All things considered this is a very good vegan version of a traditional classic and if you told me to blind taste test this I think I'd struggle to tell you it was Quorn. If you're trying to meat reduce this is probably a good product to try because it's considerably low in Sat Fat, Salt and Fat than the meat version. Don't be under any illusions though, this should still a treat as opposed to a daily meal!
Rating 9.5/10
Nutritional Values.
Nutritional values correct as of 19.04.20
Comparing the two products, both should be eaten in moderation due to their high fat, saturate and salt content. If you’re wanting to cut down but still desperate for a pasty, the vegan version is a lot lower in the majority of areas!