Quorn Mince > Reviews (34)

6th May update: Quorn is currently on a BOGOF offer at Safeway. £2.09 per pack + 1 free. Offer ends 25th May. Don't say I didn't tell you!

As you’ll know if you’ve read my (cat’s) ‘A Day In The Life Of..’ op, we’re trying to cut down on take-aways so that we can go on our ‘dream holiday’ next year. There are times, though, when we have very little time to prepare a meal, so I’m always on the look-out for foods that are suitable for ‘quick and easy’ recipes. That’s why Quorn was a great discovery for me, especially Quorn Mince. You can prepare a delicious Bolognese sauce in the amount of time it takes to boil a pan of water and cook some pasta - eat your heart out, Ainsley Harriott!

Quorn, a vegetariansubstitute for minced meat, ‘is made with mycoprotein, a nutritious member of the fungi family’. According to the packaging, it is low in fat, helps maintain normal cholesterol levels, satisfies your appetite for longer on fewer calories and it helps to maintain a healthy digestive system because of the fibre content. There is a range of Quorn products available, including things like burgers and sausages, ready meals like lasagne and cottage pie, and flavoured slices for sandwiches. I have tried many of these products, but I have to say that the star of the Quorn Show, for me, is Quorn Mince.

Value for Money? Costing around £1.78 for a 300g pack (a little over 10«oz) of frozen mince, it may seem expensive, but there’s no shrinkage during cooking so it easily serves 4-6 people, depending on the recipe. You can’t really compare it weight-for-weight with fresh minced meat, as Quorn goes much farther. I tend to use half a pack to make Bolognese for 3. It also tends to come up regularly on BOGOF offers, so you can stock up your freezer while it’s such a bargain!

Product Quality? Well, I think it’s excellent - it has a good texture and you don’t get any nasty gristly bits. The quality is consistent in terms of nutritional content and the product is suitable for vegetarians although not, alas, for vegans as it contains rehydrated egg white.

Product package? Nothing outstanding - the frozen mince comes in a bag with the words ‘Quorn’ and ‘Mince’ on it in rather large letters, so it’s easy to find in the freezer cabinet. If you really want to know the details, leave a message in my Guest Book, but basically the packaging is in green, orange and white! The package also gives nutritional information, cooking instructions and tips amongst other things.

Taste? Quorn in its raw state is really rather flavourless, but the good news is that it takes up flavours well. It’s perhaps at its best in very flavourful dishes, e.g. Bolognese, curries, Mexican dishes. Basically, you could use it in more or less any recipe where you would normally use minced beef, pork, turkey, etc. I’ve served Quorn several times to vegephobics who love their meat and haven’t suspected for a second that they were eating processed mushroom!

Smell? The only down side for me! Can’t say I particularly like the smell of the raw product, but then I don’t linger over it and it’s usually masked by the smell of garlic, onions, herbs or whatever I’m using in the recipe of the day!

I have to say that I’m a big fan of this product and I have no hesitation in recommending it. Should you want to know more, you can get loads of information and some delicious recipes (I recommend Thai Basil Quorn™ Mince - yum!)on the Quorn website:

www.quorn.com

Go on, try it - your arteries’ll thank you for it!

Thanks for reading - Catherine