Vegan Cheese - Tesco vs. Vegusto |Review|

Cheese. One of the most lamented and perceived losses from the diet according to most who contemplate the vegan way. (Aside from chocolate, but have you tried bournville?!)

I was certainly a bit worried about it as I did enjoy cheese a lot before. I've tried a few different brands and mostly been disappointed. The solid soy versions seem to have a weird after taste an I just can't get on with them. However, it was my birthday last weekend, and I haven't had pizza since last year, so I decided to treat myself to the No-Moo Melty cheese from Vegusto having read very good reviews on the stuff. Coincidentally, the friend my Mum was staying with had bought some of Tesco's Creamy Cheddar Style Spread to try as well. So a comparison was born.

I'll admit to having high hopes for the Vegusto cheese and low expectations from Tesco which may have influenced me somewhat, but they both had to go through rigorous testing to see which I preferred! It's a hard life!!

 

 

Cheese on Toast

 

Pre-Melting

The late or lazy dinner staple.

The No-Moo Melty cheese can be sliced to put on things, but I found it was better to grate it for more even coverage, as although it sort of melts and feels creamy when you eat it, it doesn't spread, so the circles just kind of sit there….it does crisp up nicely on top making it feel more authentic. It's got a pleasant taste, although a lot of it can be quite strong and tangy. The creaminess is really nice, but definitely more like a sort of mozzarella than the cheddar that would normally grace my toast. It will burn fast though if you don't watch it.

 

 

The Spread went on rather crumbly straight out of the fridge, and it, like the Melty, got creamier as it was heated, but held it's shape. It tastes really good, I wouldn't have said like cheddar, but like a smoky sort of cheese. I really liked it. It doesn't crisp up which was a little disappointing even if it was not expected.

 

 

Melty: 7/10 pleasant flavour, good crisping, creamy texture.

Spread: 6/10 good flavour, no crisping, creamy texture.

Baked Potato with Cheese and Beans

I sliced and spread two halves of a baking potato with the cheeses and topped with piping hot baked beans. The Melty again went slightly creamy but kind of held it's shape and didn't really mingle with the beans at all, whereas the Spread being slathered all over the potato, mixed in quite nicely as I cut it all up.

It all tasted the same as before, and to be honest the Melty behaved more like real cheese, perhaps I should have grated it on top rather than sliced underneath? I preferred the Spread though as I preferred the flavour and the fact there was no real difference in texture as it blended well.

Melty: 7/10 behaved like real cheese, nice and creamy.

Spread: 8/10 blended well, I preferred the flavour.

Pizza

Tesco Spread on Pizza!

The real test! Plus it's the reason I bought the Melty in the first place!

A bit sticky to grate the No-Moo Melty...

I made both pizzas from scratch (recipe next week!) and the only difference was the cheese topping. The Melty actually had the better flavour on here which surprised me (more is more with Melty?) and crisped up really nicely. Plus because it grates it's more authentic than the Spread. I really, really enjoyed this pizza, and it's also amazing cold. Just like the real (non-vegan) thing!

No-Moo Melty Crsiped up Nicely

The Spread was difficult to get onto the pizza in the first place. I warmed it slightly in the hope of it spreading easier, but actually I think you'd be better putting little chunks on straight out of the fridge. (and now I'm wondering if you could freeze and grate it, but that's an idea for another time!!). It went nice and creamy again, but not quite as good as the Melty. It also crisped up a bit which I think was a function of being in the oven for longer than on the cheese on toast. It had a very strong taste in fairly large quantities, and it was a little overpowering….I was a tad (lot) greedy and ate rather a piggy amount of pizza and the Spread slices left me feeling a little blegh. In moderation though it's almost certainly fine!!

Even the Spread crisped a bit!

Melty: 10/10 I really think this is the closest you'll get to real cheese on the pizza front!

Spread: 5/10 It was good, certainly tasty, but difficult to use and the quantity required made the taste overpowering.

ALL IN:

Vegusto No-Moo Melty: 24/30 (£7.49 plus shipping for 400g)

Tesco Creamy Cheddar Style Spread: 19/30 (£2.25 for 255g)

Both Delicious Pizzas

All in when you consider price as well I probably won't buy the Vegusto except for special Pizza occasions. It was undeniably better on the pizza (I'm restraining myself from eating more right now…) but sadly the cost puts it out of my reach for an everyday cheese. The Tesco one I have bought a few times now and I think it's brilliant. It'll do all your basics of sandwiches, crackers and anything else cold, and it's great hot too. I've mixed it with pasta, and added it to baked potato skins. It's been great every time.

Too much Vegan Cheese?

Now, I've eaten far too much cheese this weekend, so excuse me while I go detox!! Have you tried Vegan Cheese?

Jo :)