One of the top reasons people give for not going vegan is convenience. Being able to pick up a sandwich on the go can be challenging. Although some high street retailers have slowly started to feature perhaps one or two vegan options in their sea of meal deals, there’s still not the choice that vegans crave.

I was contacted by someone who is trialling four different varieties of Tofurky sandwiches in Whole Foods, London. She told me these sandwiches were different. Vegan takeaway sandwiches pretty much all contain falafel, which is fine – if you’re in the mood for falafel. But what if you’re not? Well, these sandwiches are vegan versions of some of the classic sandwich choices our omni friends can enjoy every day. I thought it sounded intriguing, so was delighted when she offered to send me some samples.

When they arrived I was determined to try them with some omnis, which I did – two of them. It’s been thirty years since I last ate animal flesh, so I needed the opinions of those who could at least remember how it tasted. These sandwiches are designed to appeal not only to vegans, but to those looking to reduce meat in their diet.

The first sandwich we tried was the Chick’n and Sweet Corn. I must say that although the other sandwiches were nice (in my opinion) this was felt to be the best by all of us. Apparently it did indeed ‘taste like chicken’ and I found it to be a really tasty bite. One of the tasters felt there should even be more ‘chicken’ in it in relation to the mayo, which was yummy and creamy and um, tasted like mayo.

The next one we tried was the Chipotle Chick’n. One of the tasters felt this was even more authentically chicken tasting than the last one. I enjoyed it, but found it a bit spicy for my personal taste. The clue is in the title however and it was certainly very tasty too with great flavours.

 

Third on the list was the Ham Style salad. We had a difference of opinion on this one when it came to ‘hamminess’ (is that a word..?) One omni felt it tasted just like ham whereas the other did not and felt it had a few too many mustard seeds. I enjoyed it. It was a nice sandwich that I would’ve been happy to buy in any shop.

 

Last of all was the TLT (Tempeh, lettuce & tomato.) This was probably my second favourite as the smoky flavoured, chewy tempeh was a satisfying filling. Everyone felt it had great textures and it was another popular choice.

To sum up, I can’t wait till these sandwiches are available up and down the country. Although I enjoy falafel and avocado, sometimes you feel like something different. I think that’ll be when veganism will truly be in the mainstream – when you can swing by any supermarket or shop to pick up a sandwich and be greeted with a choice. A real choice doesn’t mean scouring the shelves to find the one vegan option that has sold out because it’s so popular. It means having tasty vegan sandwiches on the shelves for everyone, not just the falafel lovers.