The asda grassington ones are 100% identical to the tesco brand ones.
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The asda grassington ones are 100% identical to the tesco brand ones.
I went to ASDA at 2am out of boredom and they didn't really sell anything I wanted to buy apart from London Pride, of which I had plenty, so I left.
What a funny place.
There's push & there's pull factors I guess, but I'm glad you still choose to spend a good proportion with local retailers. At least supermarkets aren't your default setting. The supermarkets don't have a view on my needs as a vegan & things will come and go according to how they sell. This is very much evidenced by the numbers on here complaining because ASDA or whoever have stopped doing X,Y or Z. I find smaller retailers very flexible when it comes to ordering stuff they don't have & will even sometimes point out things I'm not aware of yet. I'm also very aware of supporting the set ups that actively support our community and have done for years.
If you know other veg*ns or wholefooders, it's worth contacting one of the big wholesalers (SUMA*, LEMBAS*, INFINITY* or GOODNESS**) to see if you can bulk buy. If you're doing this for a few people you could share some of the discount among yourselves but you could hold back a slightly greater amount as payment for the work of getting it together. This way you'd get cheaper food and avoid the ethical dilemma of shopping in those places.
*These are eco-friendly veggie co-ops
** Goodness uses its profits to support an evangelical christian community in Northampton.
I just mention this as it might influence choices.
I didn't mean the 'Whole Foods' store (US chain) I meant any local wholefood shop! Blimey, shopping in Kensington is going to push the bills up!!!! Tell me where you are and I'll research your local possibilities & get back to you. (send me a PM if you like)
The alpro stuff might still be dearer than the supermarket, but think of how much better you'll feel not shopping in a butchers.
Forgot to mention, box veg delivery schemes often include veg*n extras and are delivered to your door.
I'm fully aware of their practices (economics student here). The profits are largely repatriated to the UK after the merry-go-round of £10 paper-clips is said and done, I would rather see UK money stay here where possible than go into the hands of a ridiculously wealthy family in the US. People like me cannot afford to buy organic independent soya milk etc. and certainly not Whole Foods. My food budget is very tight indeed, the cheapest options generally win and within that I make a small concession for ethical operation, eg if Waitrose cost me a few p more each week they would still beat tesco and sainsbury's. Asda will always lose because they are never any cheaper for me and even if they were it would not make up for their company. Tesco do allow all their staff union rights unlike walmart and certain benefits that other retailers including walmart don't afford them. Sainsbury's are better still on that one. There is then overall product quality, Asda and Morrisons again fall bottom of the pile, then it's Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose. The only reason I don't get more of my stuff from Waitrose is that by getting off the DLR at Canary Wharf on my way home means that I can hardly get on one again with the shopping so I go on to Sainsbury's instead and if I am to go to a supermarket on a day off Tesco and sainsbury's are about a 20 min walk but Waitrose means i have to get two tubes and spend between 2.00 and 2.80 return depending on the day, they don't have super discount bran flakes or fruit and fibre (next equivalent cereal is a pound more a box!) or the 7p noodles that Sainsbury's have. I go to a broad mix of places in the end including local grocers, the co-op normal supermarkets and waitrose. But unless it is something that I can only get in ASDA I never go there.
Gardein made the ASDA ones, too. But yeah, they were bigger and had no sauce on so were much more flexible.
On the other plus side we found a big selection of Redwoods stuff in the Chatham ASDA. We bought bacon, pepperami, breaded chicken, pate, fish fingers. Also picked up 5 boxes of the large frozen spring rolls.
^ whereabouts do they stock these things in your local Asda, Pob? i find i never know if a supermarket starts selling these things because they shove them in with the non-vegan equivalents where i never even think to browse.
Its a real pain that those chicken fillets have gone! They were really nice. The ones with sauce on are crap. I loved the chicken type fillets in pitta bread with onions and lettuce!:mad:
Me and my family loved them too Pearl..........I really miss them. I used them in curried rice and vegetable rice dishes etc, they were very versatile. I haven't tried the new ones yet but I don't like the idea of sauce on them! :(
Not exactly our local ASDA, unfortunately. That used to sell redwoods fish fingers and chicken style pieces, but then they THREW THEM AWAY!!!! to make room.
The Redwoods stuff should be with the chilled Quorn products.
The spring rolls are with lots of other buy 5 for £4 products in the freezer, in small red boxes. Not in the meat-free section.
I emailed Asda because I read somewhere that their value unsweetened soya milk wasn't vegan (contained D3). It's only 60p a litre and it tastes ok to me. I emailed them to check because it doesn't say on the back whether it contains D2 or D3 and I got this reply -
Thanks for your email to our service team.
The ASDA Unsweetened Soya milk contain Vitamin D2 which is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Apparantly Asda now stock a lot of the Redwoods Deli range!
Chicken pieces, pepperoni- brilliant!
Found a new own-brand range of dry mixes in Asda. 2 types of sausage, a chargrilled burger mix, a nut roast mix, a chicken style roast mix.
All 78p. They're in brown sachets.
We bought one of each.
So far we have had the burger mix, which was really good. Supposed to make 8 burgers, but I made 4 quarter pounder sized burgers out of it. It seemed unlikely it would hold together, so I baked them rather than fried or grilled as recommended on the packet. They actually firmed up really well.
They have a chargrilled flavour and tasted really great in a bun with all the trimmings. :thumbsup:
With this and the Redwoods chilled stuff I'm actually willing to forgive Asda for the lack of freezer goodness. Shame we have to venture to the Chavham branch to get all the good stuffs.
Pob, they do them in Chavham (Haha!) ?
Shame I don't live nearer, however, they do most redwoods stuff in the H&B over in T Wells.
Nice to see other Kent ppl on here, i've yet to find a decent vegan restuarant in the county tho.
Very large Asda store in Pudsey, a suburb of Leeds but the veggie choice is poor (apart from the ubiquitous Quorn) and the vegan choice is negligible. A shame really as Asda started in Leeds, but then this is the uncivilised North..
:mad:
Yeah, Quorn is a bit all-conquering in the supermarkets in general. :mad:
You find some vegan stuff one week, and then when that's all sold they don't restock. And the Quorn stuff expands into the space.
I can't see the dry packet mix stuff doing well unless they promote it and place it somewhere more visible.
Tried the pork style sausages. Not bad, but could do with more spice. Made 8 decent sized sausages.
Nut roast mix is tasty but doesn't go far at all. 2 medium sized servings. I don't think it works out any cheaper than the Granose stuff. In fact, looking at the ingredients I would say it is made by Granose. Handy size if only for one or two people though :)
Pob what section of Asda are these products?
I was in Asda yesterday and couldn't find them anywhere. The one I was in didn't have much of a veggie section though! :(
I'm not sure. If your Asda sells Beanfeast packets they should be near there. They might not have rolled them out to many stores yet.
There was also a vegetarian chilli con carne packet mix, and a soya mince mix, in older style of packaging with them. I think there were couscous packet mixes as well.
I found a new falafel mix, as well.
Thanks Pob, I'll check to see if I can see any Beanfeast stuff next time I'm there and have a look around that area! :)
I'm trying to get confirmation that the mixes are definitely vegan.
I had a reply containing a vegetarian list which doesn't list vegan products and also doesn't list these products at all (which are labelled vegetarian on the packets). So that's helpful then. :rolleyes:
Found all the new stuff in my local branch (which is a really rubbish branch). It's on the same section of shelf as the mashed potato and ready made polenta.
Coventry Asda (The big one) has bags of Grassingtons Chicken Nuggets which are vegan. They've also reintroduced their own brand frozen chicken fillets - now with added milk/egg!
The nuggets are like chicken nuggets but with nasty cheap looking yellow breadcrumbs. Have a slight odd taste, but not nasty.
The Redwoods chicken nuggets (the breadcrumbed ones) are more realistic.
I will chase Asda again. It's the old unspecified flavourings, that is the dubious bit. I can't see how they could have milk/eggs in without mentioning it on the allergens list. Honey is possible, though, I suppose.
I had one of these from Asda the other day:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b82/troutina/YUM.jpg
YUM!
seriously? - is that vegan??
- good to know for an 'emergency'...... :D