Love the name of this product! Let’s start out with…I am not affiliated with this product or any other at this time. I just tried it and thought I would let others know about it. Now if someone wanted to send me free vegan foods to review HONESTLY I would not stop them. I am just a tiny little blog though so nothing free coming my way.
Back to the Squeaky Bean! It is lunch “meat” or deli slices and chunks. That doesn’t sound all that nice….chunks….but it tastes really good. If you have ever been in a UK supermarket then you have likely seen the packs of ready to eat meat pieces near the lunchmeat. This is a vegan version of that. It is pieces of plant-based meat alternative with favours like bbq, hot &spicy, falafel and tikka. They are high in protein and taste so good. They are also very filling!
Before going plant-based I did a high protein diet which helped me lose a lot of weight. One of my favourite lunch ideas was a pack of that cooked meat from the supermarket along with a pack of berries. This filled me up, was easy, and I enjoyed it. Going plant-based my options plummeted for that favourite easy meal then came Squeaky Bean with their chunks. It fills that space perfectly and I can see having that favourite lunch back again.
In addition to that lunch idea I have a few other uses for the chunks. We have had wraps a few times lately. Just chunks, salad, and a bit of a plant-based sauce of choice. Once we even added hash browns which was too filling but yummy. This week I plan to make a pesto pasta salad with the hot&spicy chunks chopped up in it along with veggies. Normally this is more of a summer meal for us but it is striking my fancy. Another is to add to your salad just like a meat eater might add cooked chicken. They are great cold but would be good hot as well I am sure. I have not cooked them myself nor submerged in liquid (soups) so not sure how they would hold up there but if anyone tries that let me know how it goes in the comments.
I have added a picture of the nutritional information to show how high in protein they are. I realised too late for the pictures that the ingredients is likely helpful too. I would make note that the chunks are a product of the UK and that I believe Squeaky Bean is a UK company (based on these labels). The pastrami looks to be produced in Italy .
Now for the deli slices. I have tried several favours with two as my favourites. There are pastrami, ham, kebab, and roast chicken that I can recall off the top of my head. My favourites being the pastrami and ham. I think most everyone knows how to use a deli slice so I won’t get into that. I will say that these are popular enough in my home that I am buying 6 packs a week and still running out before payday. I would buy more but the price is a bit high for me.
Let’s talk price. The deli slices are 90g a pack and cost £2. For comparison, Tesco has ham slices in a 125g pack for £2. That is about 38% more product for the same price. The chunks are in packs of 160g for £2. Ready to eat chicken chunks are 180g for £2.50. For this one it is 12.5% more product for a 25% more money. That is my point here? It isn’t that it is horribly overpriced but this is definitely in the realm of how you make eating a vegan diet expensive compared to an omni diet. As I bought 2 packs of ham, 4 packs of pastrami, 2 packs of bbq chunks, and 2 packs of hot& spicy chunks last night, I spent £20 on this stuff. That is shocking to my wallet! I can’t afford to keep that going now that I have done the maths. OUCH!
Are they worth the purchase? If you have the money to spend on it then I wholeheartedly recommend these products. If you are trying to feed the family on a tight budget you will probably need to give this a miss or save for a special treat. If you are a vegan that is out of the house for the day and needs lunch, the chunks and a pack for fruit might be a decent lunch option.
I really have loved these items as evidenced by the excessive amount I spent on them last night. Squeaky Bean products taste really good and fill the sandwich filler gap perfectly. Have a go for yourself and enjoy.
FIVE BEAN SOUP 