Veganuary might be over soon, but the vegan product launches just keep on coming.
So far this month, Greggs once again had customers queuing up for a plant-based dish, this time in the shape of a steak bake, while KFC released its vegan burger nationwide and Nando’s decided it was time to give the people vegan PERinaise.
All in all, not a bad time to be vegan – and it’s just about to get even better.
Pret, which released a fruity vegan croissant at the start of the month, has announced new plant-based meals, launching in stores tomorrow (21 January). There’s just one catch; you can only get it in the chain’s Veggie Pret branches in London and Manchester.
Nevertheless, that’s still pretty great.
The menu will feature 19 recipes in total, 15 of which are vegan, and bowls are a big draw – with poké, smoothie and buddha bowls on offer.
As for the poké, you can choose from two options; the sashimi-style watermelon bowl with black rice, avocado, edamame beans, pickled cabbage, carrot and radish, with watermelon in place of tuna and a tamari and ginger dressing.
Or spice things up a notch and try the Marinated Tofu Poké Bowl with tofu marinted in tamari and ginger, as well as garlic and chilli pickled cucumber, mango and pickled cabbage.
On to the smoothies – such as the Cocoa, Nuts and Berries Bowl, which, as the name suggests, contains cocoa, cashews, raspberries, blueberries and caramelised pecans, in addition to banana, lemon, granola and almond butter.
For a more ‘green’ taste, try the Tropical Green Smoothie Bowl with mango, coconut, avocado, banana, spinach and ginger, dressed with mango, blueberries and pomegranate.
Talk about getting your five-a-day.
The new Veggie Pret menu – in full
- Mozzarella, Pesto & Avo Salad Bowl, from £4.99
- Mexican Inspired Salad Bowl, from £4.50
- Spicy Egg Brioche, from £2.75
- Sweet Potato Falafel Mezze Salad Bowl, from £4.50 (VG)
- Chocolate, Almond Butter & Banana Smoothie, from £4.50 (VG)
- Avocado, Mango & Ginger Smoothie, from £3.99 (VG)
- Raspberry, Mango & Ginger Smoothie, from £4.50 (VG)
- Apricot & Pistachio Overnight Oats, from £3.25 (VG)
- Mexican Inspired Sweet Potato Wrap, from £3.50 (VG)
- Lightly Spiced Carrot & Coriander Soup, from £3.80 or £2.40 for side soup portion (VG)
If breakfast dishes aren’t your thing (though admittedly smoothie bowls are tasty any time of the day), go for the buddha bowl with its base of brown rice and kale, mixed with roast sweet potatoes, smoked carrot ribbons, avocado, fresh pomegranate and chipotle chilli sauce for that extra kick.
A pinch of skin on almonds, a lemon wedge and a dollop of Pret’s hummus finished off the dish.
‘This launch is an opportunity for us to establish Veggie Pret’s menu, offering customers something different to what they have seen so far,’ said Hannah Dolan, Pret’s global head of food innovation.
‘We wanted to put a real focus on creating new vegan dishes, so looked at where we could use vegetables and fruits to deliver flavour, rather than mock meat or fish.’
In more good news, Pret is expanding its Veggie Pret branches with three more openings happening in 2020.
Like we said, it’s a good time to be (or go) vegan.
MORE: Seven of the most romantic restaurants to take your Valentine in 2020
MORE: McDonald’s in Japan is selling a brand new dessert with a very rude name
MORE: Mum makes incredible KFC cake for chicken loving son
