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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Tom Hunt

‘Smoky, rich and umami-filled’: the best supermarket veggie burgers, tasted and rated

Several veggie burgers with sesame seed buns, lettuce, tomato, pickles and patties arranged on a yellow surface
Grillin’ me softly or smashed to perfection? Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Robert Billington.

This was an interesting and varied test, with a range of burgers from classic, 1960s-style bean patties to ultra-processed meat analogues. Even though the latter have become far more convincing of late, I find it hard to trust the more processed examples, because they’re made with a blend of dozens of ingredients and synthetic additives designed to deceive the palate, rather than offer genuine flavour.

As a result, I’ve marked down patties based on their processing levels and synthetic additives, though I do understand their value and purpose. Ultimately, the lesser-processed burgers stood out, not least for their incredible value: flavour-packed and textural, with a good bite and ingredients lists bursting with nutrition.

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