There are 600,000 vegans in the UK and the word Veganuary has made its way into the Collin’s English Dictionary. There’s no getting around it, you’ll likely have to cook a vegan meal in 2020, whether you are vegan or not so knowing the best vegan meat substitutes is key.

Meat substitutes are a tricky topic. In France, for example, law decrees food makers can’t use traditional meat-related words like ‘sausage’ or ‘steak’ to describe alternatives for fear of misleading the buying public.

It is not just meat-eaters unhappy with animal-free alternatives. In the UK, many vegans grump at the idea of copycat versions of carnivorous food. The tech community is enamoured by it all - the unlikely star of the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show was Impossible Pork (a plant-based pork-a-like mock meat), but there are plenty of vegans who push for less processed options that don’t resemble the real deal.

What we’ve pulled together, as a result, is something for everyone - a top 1- list of two types. There are true meat substitutes that actually look, smell, taste and, occasionally, bleed like the animal they’re emulating, and less processed alternatives to be enjoyed on their own merits.

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10. Heck The Beet Goes On Sausages

Heck embraces nature, jamming everything from beetroots to carrots right through to sunflower seeds into its melodically named Beet Goes On bangers. They are loaded with flavour, and combine horseradish and red chilli for a rounded, subtle kick. Nigella seeds add a fragrant, aromatic headiness that pops up to say hello every now and then as well.

Each sausage provides 7.4g of fibre, great for your digestion. And with just 0.3g of saturated fat in each, versus the 9g in a typical pork sausage, they are great if you want to cut back on fatty foods. This could be the ideal swap-out, whether you are vegan or not.

9. Waitrose Vegan Mince

Unlike the mince meat alternatives from the Quorn and Sainsbury’s, Waitrose’s Vegan Mince is filled with familiar foods you can make out as you eat. Whole sunflower seeds, chunks of mushrooms, lentils; it’s packed with protein, fibre and, of course, flavour. It functions like mincemeat and tastes unique.

If you’re after the most like-for-like mince alternative you can buy, that’d be the Vivera Vegan Mince but Waitrose’s option, introduced in 2020, is easily our favourite. It works well in pasta sauces and shepherd’s pies alike. It’s also quick to prepare. Just fry it up with a bit of coconut oil until bits of it brown up a touch, give it a bit of a mix and use as you would standard mince.

8. Vivera Steak

Vivera makes the only sirloin substitute on our list with its convincingly fibrous two-pack Plant Steak. This salty slab of protein is nothing short of a revelation for newbie vegans and can be found in most UK supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Treat it just like you would a standard steak. Fry it off to taste and it makes for a satisfying main event that pairs perfectly with a spoon of creamy mash, braised asparagus and a crack of black pepper over the top.

Serve it with a dollop of grain mustard and we doubt even staunch meat fans would complain. In fact, the only demographic who might turn their noses up at Vivera’s steaks are the sodium conscious. Two steaks pack 44% of your daily recommended allowance of salt but, if you can hack that kicker, your taste buds will jump for joy.

7. Cauldron Marinated Tofu

Cauldron’s marinated tofu makes for a fantastic cold chicken swap-out if you’re after a quick-fix dose of flavourful protein to chuck over your salads and don’t want to have to cook something up. While it doesn’t taste like chicken, and does not try to, a pack of this cubed tofu is loaded up with smoky flavour and convenience in spades.

In addition to packing more protein than some meats, Tofu is also a decent source of iron and calcium. Cauldron’s ready-to-eat tofu is also low in sugar, and carbs in general. This substitute is one of the most natural meat alternatives on our list, with easy to pronounce and recognise ingredients, and you don’t have to have it cold. Drop a handful into a stir fry or risotto and you’ve packed a hearty dish with extra protein in seconds.

6. Beyond Burger

It has infiltrated UK supermarkets at £5 for a pack of two. The Beyond Burger is the priciest vegan patty around, but if you’re a new vegan craving something that could fool a carnivore, no other widely available option is quite as convincing. Between its smoky flavour, pockets of fat that seem to pop when you bite into it and general meaty springiness, while it may not be cheap, the Beyond Burger is very, very good.

Made from a combination of pea protein, oils, cocoa butters and vegetable extracts, including beetroot for that bleeding party trick, the Beyond Burger even packs a similar carbohydrate, fat and protein profile to traditional burgers. It's an impressive feat of food engineering that will leave carnivores convinced, and many devout veggies and vegans nothing short of queasy.

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