Image: Matthew McAuley/Tina Tiller
Image: Matthew McAuley/Tina Tiller

KaiDecember 27, 2021

The vegetarian sausages of New Zealand, reviewed and ranked

Guest writer
Image: Matthew McAuley/Tina Tiller
Image: Matthew McAuley/Tina Tiller

Summer read: The range of meat-free snags available in Aotearoa is ever increasing, but which should grace your next barbie? We put 22 of them to the test to find out.

First published March 19, 2021

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For a long time, vegetarian sausages were objectively bad. I, for one, am still scarred by the tasteless tubes forced upon me at barbecues as a vegetarian tween in the late 90s. Much time has passed since then, however, and an alternative protein revolution is upon us. Technology has advanced, allowing scientists to isolate the protein in a range of plants and create products with a more “realistic” (as in meat-sausage-like) texture, attracting more omnivores to dip their toes in the plant-based world.

Our contributor Amanda Thompson is one of those omnivores, keen to eat less meat for the good of the planet. So she tried a range of vegetarian sausages from her local supermarket, and was largely unimpressed. Some readers thought Amanda didn’t give vego sausies a fair go – she sampled only a handful, and is usually a meat eater, which some believed clouded her view.

So here at Spinoff HQ, we decided to do a more comprehensive tasting, with a panel comprising tasters of all different dietary persuasions – vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians and yes, a couple of full-blown omnivores. (For what it’s worth, our results were largely in line with Amanda’s – though we couldn’t find the elusive Tofurky Beer Brat, so that went untasted.) 

The taste test was kindly hosted by the aptly named Kind Cafe, a very good and mostly vegan joint that happens to be right next door to The Spinoff office in Morningside, Auckland. Most of the 22 sausages we tried were sent in for free by the companies that make them; some we bought. We tasted only sausages that are available nationwide, either at a retail store or online. All were cooked in the Kind kitchen and tasted blind with no condiments or accompaniments allowed (yes, it was rough, but necessary). 

The tasting panel consisted of Spinoffers Alice Neville, Catherine McGregor, Alice Webb-Liddall, Stewart Sowman-Lund, Calum Henderson, Natalie Wilson and Matthew McAuley, plus Kind’s manager, Cathie Cottle. We gave each saus a score out of 10, which we then averaged out to get the overall mark. Our top 10 are presented below. We’re not naming the sausages we weren’t so keen on, but have included some of our less flattering comments for your enjoyment.

– Alice Neville 

Some of the contenders (Photo: Matthew McAuley)

THE TOP 10, IN DESCENDING ORDER

10 =) Grater Goods BBQ Beet Bangers (5.7/10)

$15 for four from Grater Goods; also available at selected retail outlets including Robinson’s

Made by Grater Goods vegan deli in Christchurch, this wasn’t the prettiest of sausages, with Calum Henderson saying it looked like something off the Bristol stool chart. Once the tasters recovered from that disgusting analogy, however, they were broadly positive. Stewart Sowman-Lund praised the sausage’s texture, saying it had “good fork feel” as he plunged in his pronged utensil. Other tasters were impressed by how much it looked like meat (which is not, of course, the measure of a good vegetarian sausage unless you want it to be). Cathie Cottle enjoyed the subtle smokiness of this snag, which, incidentally, was named the country’s best NZ-made vegan sausage at The Vegan Society’s awards last year.

10 =) Bean Supreme Parsley, Sage & Rosemary Sausages (5.7/10)

$8.30 for six from Countdown

This tofu-based number reminded us of the veg sausies of old; the kind you’d get served at a barbecue in the early 2000s, say – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Calum described it as a “real no-nonsense vege sausage”, adding: “It’s not blowing anyone’s mind but it’s not letting anyone down.” Cathie thought it would go nicely with a bit of sauce and some coleslaw, and Stewart agreed: “It’s nice. You have to remember that no one else in their right mind would eat just a plain sausage on a plate.” 

8 =) Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Red Onion & Rosemary Sausages (5.8/10)

$10 for six from Huckleberry, The Cruelty Free Shop and some supermarkets

The global juggernaut that is Linda McCartney Foods enters the top 10 with these stuffing-esque numbers. The texture was polarising, with some (Catherine McGregor, Stewart) describing it as “pretty impressive” and “really good”, and others (OK, just Alice Neville) opting for “gross”. It grew on her, though, and the other tasters were fairly positive, with Natalie Wilson saying it was like “if you juiced an onion in a juicer and built the pulp into a sausage”, which is not as bad as it sounds. “I don’t mind it,” she concluded.

8 =) Field Roast Italian Vegetarian Grain Meat Sausages Plant-Based Sausages (5.8/10)

$16-$18 for four from Robinson’s and The Cruelty Free Shop

These pricey snags come all the way from Seattle and immediately stood out for having “bits in” (eggplant and fennel and peppers etc, apparently). Wheat protein-based, they were particularly enjoyed by the meat eaters of the group, with Calum commenting on the “gristly texture”, and Cathie reminded of her nana’s meatloaf. Vegan Alice Webb-Liddall initially enjoyed the flavour, but then decided there was too much going on (that’ll be the aforementioned bits).

Ready to go (Photo: Matthew McAuley)

6) Tonzu Vegan Sausages Italian Herb (6.2/10)

$8-$8.30 for six from Commonsense Organics and New World

This one was rather pallid in hue, but tasted better than it looked. “It’s so squishy and wrong but I love it,” said Alice WL. “I think it’s yum.” Calum thought it had “huge stuffing vibes”. “As a fan of stuffing, I’m loving it.” Matt McAuley and Alice N didn’t enjoy the herb flavour, however. “Tastes like old dried herbs,” said Matt. “It’s kinda like a harsh rosemary or some such,” added Alice. “It doesn’t taste like any sausage I’ve ever eaten, but it’s nice,” concluded Stewart.

4 =) Bean Supreme Parmesan & Red Onion Sausages (6.4/10)

$8.30 for six from Countdown

The vegans of the group (Alice WL and Natalie) abstained from tasting this controversial cheese-containing number, but the rest of us were fairly pleased with it. Calum said it was “lighter than air” and “like eating a cloud”, but then decided it was too soft to be a sausage. There was a lot of flavour in this snarler, a welcome change from the blandness we encountered with many of them, with Matt saying, “I’m not sure I like any of the flavour in it, but I appreciate that it’s there”. The fact it wasn’t dry was also praised, with Catherine saying “moistness wise, that’s pretty impressive”.

4 =) Fry’s Braii Style Sausages (6.4/10)

$8.79 for eight from Countdown

Originating in South Africa, Fry’s has been around for about as long as Linda McCartney Foods – ie yonks. These braii-style sausages (a braii, not to be confused with The Bulletin editor Alex Braae, is a South African barbecue) did not look appealing, it must be said. Cathie compared them to that sausage you left on the grill and forgot about until lifting the lid of the barbecue some weeks later. “That looks like the driest thing I’ve ever seen,” noted Matt, with Calum suggesting the sausage had been “mummified”. Things improved upon tasting, however. “Quite mushy, but not too bad,” said Alice N, with Catherine opting to have a second piece – a huge vote of confidence during a tasting of 22 sausages. “It would hold sauce very well,” added Cathie. A note to vegans: Natalie did not enjoy this sausage, finding it too meaty.

Here they come (Photo: Matthew McAuley)

3) Bean Supreme Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Sausages (6.7/10)

$8.30 for six from Countdown

Another non-vegan offering from Bean Supreme, of which the general impression was “quite nice”. Alice N liked the texture, saying “I prefer it to the ones that are trying to replicate meat”. Catherine was impressed with the moisture levels, while Calum enjoyed the “sun-dried tomato 90s nostalgia flavour” of the sausage, which brought to mind barbecue-flavoured Shapes. “It’s quite moreish. I would accidentally eat a whole packet of these,” he said. Stewart was the sole dissenter, feeling the tomato flavour was one dimensional and “lacked roundness”.

2) The Craft Meat Co. Plant Based Chorizo Spanish Style Sausages (7/10)

$10 for five from New World

Everyone was pretty impressed with this chorizo, praising the authentic (if we’re thinking of it as trying to be a meat sausage, anyway) casing that charred nicely, making it look appetising and locking in the moisture. “I got a nice burnt bit that tasted quite meaty,” said Catherine. Both this and the winning Craft Meat Co snag below contain hemp protein in addition to the more traditional soy-based protein.

1) The Craft Meat Co. Plant Based Old English Sausages (8.3/10)

$10 for five from New World; $2.50 each from Robinson’s

An impressive showing from Dunedin company The Craft Meat Co, which took out the top two spots. The old English was one good-looking sausage, stealing the limelight from the also-rans it shared a tray with. Like its chorizo sibling above, it sported a very appealing casing that charred up beautifully. “Amazing that’s a vegan skin!” said Catherine. On tasting, we found it had substance as well as style. “The mouthfeel is incredible,” said Catherine. “You put sauce on that and you’d fool a meat eater,” said Cathie. “Juicy,” added Alice WL. “Almost the perfect sausage.”

A very serious business (Photo: Matthew McAuley)

A selection of tasters’ comments about the less successful sausages

“This is remarkable in its tastelessness. It’s a real achievement.”

“It’s claggy, like eating raw bread dough.”

“It’s pasty. It multiplies in your mouth like a gremlin.”

“This tastes like rubber. Like it’s not food.”

“It’s another squishy boy.”

“It’s like play dough.”

“I’m getting marzipan –  it’s almond. Almost Christmassy. “

“Yeah, like cyanide.”

“It’s removed all the moisture from my mouth.”

“It looks like a draught stopper.”

“Surely you can make a better texture than that, the year is 2021. It’s so pasty.”

“This one really takes me on a journey. I’ve gone from loving it to hating it to loving it… or not.”

Keep going!
(Image: Archie Banal)
(Image: Archie Banal)

KaiDecember 25, 2021

Some of us have always been excluded from dining out

Contributing writer
(Image: Archie Banal)
(Image: Archie Banal)

While some are criticising the vaccine pass system because it restricts unvaccinated people from dining in restaurants, one group has always faced hurdles when grabbing a bite to eat – those with disabilities.

Disability is a far-reaching term. In New Zealand, around 24% of our population has some form of disability, whether that be through a physical, sensory, learning, mental health or other impairment. 

As we settle into the traffic light system, being unable to dine out has become a focal point for critics of vaccine passes. But many people with disabilities have long dealt with barriers when eating out.

Dunedin-based professional speaker and writer Julie Woods has been blind for 24 years. Dining out has always been an important part of her social life, so when she went blind in her 30s, she approached the myriad obstacles in restaurant and cafe settings with determination.

“It can be anxious walking into a space that you can’t see,” she says. “I just commit to it. And then once I’ve committed to it, I proceed with the faith that everything’s going to work perfectly and it’s all going to be fine.” 

For people who are blind, “the main barrier when dining out is access to the print menu”, says Woods. If your date or someone at the table is sighted, that’s helpful, “but it’s much better if we can access it independently”. And despite Woods’ attempts to get more local eateries to make braille versions of their menus, uptake has been sluggish, which she says can feel discouraging. “When I went blind I didn’t feel worthy of access because clearly I was a problem,” she says. “I was too much trouble to provide things for in an accessible format.”

Julie Woods eating pizza in Italy (Photo: Supplied)

Attracting the attention of waitstaff can be a challenge too when you can’t see. Sometimes Woods will “resort to ringing them at the restaurant and saying ‘we’re a table, and we need help’”. Beyond that, transport to the location, portion sizes, knowing where food is on your plate and the (hopefully fleeting) trend of deconstructed and precariously stacked meals can be anxiety-inducing too. Woods recently had an egg topple off its perch upon a towering breakfast and onto her shoe.

Access Alliance manager and NZSL interpreter Taryn Banks explains that when it comes to accessibility, the range of features that make eateries inaccessible vary wildly, from the built environment to sensory elements like ambient noise, large crowds and lighting.

“Once you’re walking alongside or behind people with lived experience of disabilities, you start to see the world through their eyes,” she says. 

As things are currently in New Zealand, the ability to go out, socialise and eat together is limited for many people with disabilities. 

Banks notes that this is largely by design. While nobody chooses to have an access need, “it is a choice that parts of society made to not make their doorway, their information, their consumer offering, their employment policy inclusive for you”.

To make the country more accessible, the Access Alliance, which advocates for disabled people and others with access needs like seniors, neurodiverse people or parents of young children who use prams, is campaigning for a legislative framework that removes and prevents barriers, a barrier notification system, accessibility standards and an independent regulator. 

Woods reckons hospitality staff are mostly pretty good at doing what they can to make things more accessible. And it can be as simple as saying where a wine glass is when putting it down on the table, addressing customers by name or patiently explaining what cakes and quiches are in the cabinet. It wouldn’t take much for hospitality to be more accessible – in fact, it’s in the name. “It would be playing to their strengths,” Woods says. 

Auckland-based disability activist Juliana Carvalho moved from Brazil to New Zealand in 2012.

As a child, Carvalho had “no disability, no health issues”. She was 19 when she went to hospital with flu-like symptoms and within 48 hours her body was totally paralysed. “The doctors had no idea what it was,” she says. “I had transverse myelitis caused by lupus transverse myelitis” – a rare disease with just over 100 cases described in medical literature, she says. Her legs and core didn’t recover and she now uses a wheelchair. “So I like to frame it that I am a very special and very rare person.

“From day one when I sat in the chair, I noticed that I was still the same person,” Carvalho says. “And it was like, ‘OK, so how come I lost so many rights that I took for granted, just because I can no longer walk?’”

For Carvalho, it was a natural step to become a disability advocate, “because you have to, especially having the experience of living life without disability”, she says. “I know we deserve better.”

Juliana Carvalho says plenty of changes need to be made in the hospitality industry to make dining out more accessible (Photo: Supplied)

As a wheelchair user, Carvalho frequently faces barriers in the realm of hospitality – tables that are too close together, tightly packed seating, stairs, uneven floors, a lack of accessible bathrooms or carparks nearby. All of these potential obstacles mean dining out is rarely spontaneous, and always involves forward-planning. “You always have to prepare and research, it’s not like I’m just gonna go to this place,” she says.

Recently Carvalho, keen to go to a singles night at a bar, emailed the venue to check whether or not the space was wheelchair friendly. The staff wrote back that it wasn’t, without any attempts to accommodate Carvalho’s needs. 

“We spend a lot of time just doing the extra mahi just because the world was not designed for everyone. And it’s tiring.”

For many unvaccinated people, this will be the first time in their lives they’ve encountered such barriers. 

Carvalho says unvaccinated people are making a decision that those with disabilities are not afforded. “I acknowledge what people that have not been vaccinated are going through, and I feel the pain.” But, she says, unlike people with disabilities, “they do have a choice”. 

More than that, they are putting other people at risk. Immunocompromised people, such as Carvalho, as well as the elderly and children who can’t be vaccinated, are living in a world that has become much more dangerous for them. Vaccine passes offer some security for Carvalho – without them, she wouldn’t dine out, she says, as she wouldn’t feel safe. 

Woods points out that it’s not only in hospitality settings that people with disabilities face obstacles. “We have barriers everywhere,” she says – on the street, in the home, in schools, and even in outdoor spaces like parks and beaches.

“We didn’t have the luxury of that [easy access] to start with. They have it and they’re throwing it away,” Woods says.

For Banks, who has severe asthma, our freedoms always exist in relation to those of others. 

“I do totally respect people’s decision to not get vaccinated, however, all decisions have consequences and the consequences of that decision at the moment is that they can’t go and be in those social environments,” she says. “So now it comes down to my right to protect myself as a vulnerable person – is that less important than your right to freedom of choice?”

Kai