With greater variety and more adventurous menus appearing in restaurants, it hasn’t taken long for one of the nation’s favourite takeaways to offer meat-free options.
We are seeing an increasing number of consumers choosing a meat-free diet every year. This has led to a dynamic change within one of the UK’s biggest fast-food chains.
McDonald’s is commonly known for its tasty hamburgers and chicken nuggets, but now they have released the new McPlant Burger which is 100% plant-based.
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Launching last week across 250 different chains nationwide, vegans rejoiced as they finally got their hands on the new product.
Having already tried Quorn nuggets, I wanted to find out if the hype was really worth it for this burger.
Now, before I describe my food experience, I must say that I am not 100% fully vegan.
During my early childhood, I was identified as having severe dairy and egg allergies which meant that I could only eat plant-based products whilst growing up.
McDonald’s was one of those rare places that could accommodate for me and my allergies during the early 00s.
Fast forward to now, the situation could not be more different.
With a vast and ever-increasing array of non-dairy and non-egg alternatives in today’s takeaways, my diet is less restrictive now than it has ever been.
Now, back to the burger.
I travelled to my nearest McDonald’s in Hammersmith just after noon on the day the McPlant was launched.
The impressive McPlant features a vegan sesame bun, ketchup, vegan patty, mustard, vegan sauce, pickles, tomato pickles and vegan cheese
(Image: MyLondon)
As always, it was packed inside. Clearly I wasn’t the only vegan in the room.
Five minutes after ordering, my McPlant Burger was delivered to me on a tray with a side of medium fries.
I was also given four different sauce flavours, much to my delight. Never before have I tried sweet curry dip until now.
But I wanted to attack the burger first before it got cold. Time to face the music I suppose.
Opening the box, I was shocked at how normal this burger looked. Surely this cannot be plant-based?
The cheese looked identical to regular cheddar and the patty was the spitting image of your bog-standard beefburger.
The plant-based patty looked so normal to a regular hamburger that I was slightly concerned.
(Image: MyLondon)
Other fillings included an absolute mountain of lettuce, some vegan mayonnaise, tomato, ketchup, fresh onion, and two slices of pickles.
As I picked up the burger with one hand, I struggled to keep the contents inside the vegan sesame bun.
It got to the point where the lettuce was just falling out all over the table and created a disorderly mess.
Normally in a restaurant, I would cut a burger with a knife and fork. But, not today.
Here in McDonald’s, I would have been crucified if I performed that ritual.
As soon as I took my first bite, my taste buds were in shock.
The plant-based patty was indulgent, juicy and packed to the brim with flavour.
It delivered the same great experience you would expect from any McDonald’s burger.
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The vegan cheddar complimented the patty perfectly, and tasted very similar to the real deal.
There was also the right amount of ketchup and vegan mayo so that the bun wasn’t soggy.
In other words, McDonald’s have truly nailed this.
The only downside to this junk food magic was that there was just too much lettuce to handle.
I finished my hearty meal with my satisfyingly sweet curry dip along with my french fries, which had now gone cold.
Washed down with a Diet Coke, I headed out very much full and content.
The verdict
This is one of the top vegan burgers I have ever had. Period.
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Offering a high-quality, plant-based alternative to one of the UK’s junk food favourites, McDonald’s have served up a remarkable product.
Junk food is at the heart of the grab-and-go culture, and the plant-based world is no different.
McDonald’s have given everything vegans want from a fast-food experience, just without the meat. And way too much lettuce for my liking.
If you have non-vegan friends, convince them to go to their local McDonald’s and try this burger; they’ll be converted in no time.
Have you tried the McPlant? Email [email protected] or let us know in the comments below.
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