Demand for vegan food is rising so rapidly that it has become the UK’s fastest growing culinary trend of 2018.
In the last year sales of chilled vegan foods at Tesco have soared by 25%, helping to grow the UK meat-free market to £310 million.
Now, to meet the soaring demand, Tesco is more than doubling its Wicked Kitchen plant-based private brand which launched earlier this year.
Included in the 26-piece new range are Wicked Kitchen’s own crafted pies, ‘sausage’ rolls, sourdough pizzas, chilled desserts and deli foods:
- All The Rage Rolls (kale, mushroom and garlic in flaky puff pastry)
- Packed Puff Pie (roasted cauliflower and oyster mushrooms in brandy gravy)
- Pesto Lasagne
- Charred Pineapple Dream Cake
- Spicy Mushroom and Veg Sourdough Pizza
The label was created by Tesco’s pioneering chef and head of plant-based innovation Derek Sarno whose mission is to convert meat eaters to vegan food.
Tesco Product Development Director Kate Ewart said: “We know from our own data that flexitarianism is on the rise and many more customers are dabbling in cutting out meat for a day or so during their weekly diet.
“With the new range, we’re now hoping to attract an even wider audience including customers looking for on-the-go delicious snacks such as a plant-based sausage roll, pie or pasty as well as dessert lovers.”
The first batch of the 26 new Wicked Kitchen lines was launched on Monday, October 15. More will be launched in November and December in time for Christmas.
Derek Sarno said: “This is a dream come true for us. When we launched Wicked Kitchen back in January, the response was just phenomenal. We’re excited to be able to announce the expansion of the range today.
“At the start of the year, I said that veganism was going mainstream, and – as plant-based options are taking over the supermarket shelves – that belief is fast becoming a reality.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has bought and loved Wicked Kitchen food. I can’t wait for you to try these new items too.”
In September, Wicked Kitchen won PETA’s 2018 Vegan Food Award for ‘Best Vegan Range’
