Ever since this product was launched, there have been Instagram pictures of vegans across the UK holding up a packet of plant based steak awkwardly in Tesco.

I managed to get hold of some today in probably the biggest Tesco in South Wales. They had Vivera’s whole range, but honestly all I had time for was the steak. I’ve had all the other stuff before in various forms from multiple brands. Vegan steaks are a rarer find although this is not the first vegan steak to grace UK shelves. Let’s not forget the mighty Mheat and Vegusto, brands which have never managed to get a supermarket distributor, but are still delicious.

There were two considerable chunks of rehydrated soya and wheat protein which resembled a fillet steak in each pack and for £2.99 I didn’t think that was too bad. (Vegan brands love to rip us off, in case you hadn’t noticed.)

I followed the cooking instructions exactly for the first pack.

“Perfectly pink every time!” as described on the packet, is not what I got from gently frying each steak for 2.5 minutes on each side. There was none of this infamous beetroot blood either.

I served with some creamy cauliflower and thyme puree.

The puree really complimented the meatiness of the steak, even if it was slightly over cooked. It wasn’t chewy like well done cow’s flesh, but soft like a burger with a beefy undertone.

I decided to have another go. This time I went with 1.5 minutes on each side on a high heat.

They came out less cooked but still not pink and still not bloody. These had a completely different texture from the first batch though. In places it was perfect and in others it was mushy. I finished them off in the microwave for 30 seconds.

I served this batch with sweet potato wedges, roasted vegetables and cauliflower puree.

Funnily enough when I microwaved them, there was a little bit of blood on the surface like a resting piece of flesh.

Now here’s crunch time!

I didn’t go vegan because I didn’t like the taste of meat. I went vegan because it was the morally right thing to do. I love all this fake meat shit. This almost hits the mark, almost. Maybe I need to play around with it a bit more, maybe this is just as good as it gets right now. I’ll definitely be buying more………

If you don’t like fake meats: DON’T BUY THIS.

The end.