ZENB
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
As we keep saying, a vegan diet isn’t just for that first month of the year, it’s for life, or at least something to weave into your daily dining habits – and this is where ZENB comes in. Currently delivering all over the UK, you can get their special vegan dishes at the click of a button.
Plant-based diets are set to rocket in the coming years and ZENB will be leading the way
You’ll find a range of pasta-not-pasta dishes on offer, including lunch pot, aka agile bowls. These are entire meals in a pot, entirely plant-based and full of high-end aromatic flavours, such as vegetable Thai curry, garlic spinach and red pepper harissa. Just add hot water, wait then enjoy something a lot snazzier than the usual portable lunch pots on the market.
ZENB’s pasta is something special indeed. It’s made entirely from yellow peas, meaning it’s a good source of iron, high in potassium and phosphorus, gluten-free, but most important of all: delicious. It’s pretty much the exact same smooth texture as traditional pasta, with a satisfying al dente bite that kept me full and satisfied long after eating – no food crashes here. And you can choose from all your usual favourite styles: spaghetti, penne, fusilli and more.
Something different and unique in the tightly-packed vegan market
But it’s the gourmet sauces that I’ll be returning to again and again. Also plant-based, these are a combination of bright flavour-packed ingredients, that use as much of the entire vegetable as possible – stem, seeds and skin, meaning it’s low on waste and high on taste. They’re all top-drawer but the red pepper, with sauteed onion and olive oil hit the mark for me, many times over. It’s perfect for a simple lunch or as the basis for a more complex pasta bake – but then again, play around with it, there’s no reason why it couldn’t make an excellent sauce for pizza.
ZENB is doing something different and unique in the tightly-packed vegan market. The pasta is a fine replacement for old-style pasta, the lunch pots make for a nifty daytime snack and the gourmet sauces are actually that: gourmet and far better than any packet sauce you’re used to. Best of all, you’ll find sampler packs, variety boxes and pick and mix options all across the website so you can try the lot without taking a risk. Plant-based diets are set to rocket in the coming years and ZENB will be leading the way.
