Supermarket to Launch Meat-Free Pop Up Butchers

Leading supermarket chain announces the arrival of UK’s first meat-free butchers

Supermarket giants Sainsbury’s have revealed this week that they will opening a pop-up, in the guise of a butchers shop. However, the shop will only be selling plant-based meat substitutes in celebration of World Meat Free Week.

The plant-based butchers shop will open in Bethnal Green from the 21-23 June and will be selling an abundance of meat-free alternatives. These will include Sainsbury’s popular Cumberland ‘shroomdogs’, their Sweet & Smoky BBQ Pulled Jackfruit,  Moroccan Vegbabs, a mince made from pea protein and the newly launched Veggie Ribz, produced by the brand Plant-Power.

View this post on Instagram

We see this becoming a family fave for autumn c/o @nuttyvegankitchen. SHROOMDOG STEW 1 tbsp vegan butter 1 onion, diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp tomato puree 2 tsp Balsamic vinegar 400g Chopped tomatoes 400g Cannellini beans 150ml Water 6 Sainsbury's Cumberland Shroomdogs or Caramelised Onion Shroomdogs Parsley, freshly chopped to garnish 130g kale, roughly chopped 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ fan 200°C/ gas mark 7. 2. Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat. 3. Add the diced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 4. Stir in the dried herbs, spices and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently (add a few tablespoons of water if it is too dry). 5. Mix in the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar and cannellini beans, stir well and cook for 1 minute. 6. Add in the tomatoes, water and combine. Reduce the heat a little and partially cover with a lid. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Place the shroomdogs onto a lined baking tray and put in the oven to cook for 10 minutes, turn, and then cook for a further 5 minutes. 8. Stir the stew and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the stew from the heat and mix in the kale. 9. Add the stew to a large ovenproof dish and place the shroomdogs on top, pushing them down a little. The lesser cooked side should be facing up. 10. Place in the oven and bake for 10 -15 minutes until the shroomdogs are browned on top and the stew is bubbling. Garnish with the fresh parsley and serve. #shroomdogs #comfortfood #vegancomfortfood #veganstew #vegansofig #veganrecipes

A post shared by Sainsbury's (@sainsburys) on Oct 11, 2018 at 8:59am PDT

With veganism growing rapidly in popularity, Sainsbury’s reveal that they have seen a 24 per cent rise in online vegan product searches, and a 65 per cent increase in plant-based product sales year-on-year over the last two years, with sales doubling in the last year compared to the previous year.

However, many people are still unsure about how and what to cook in relation to plant-based foods, so the pop up shop will be offering customers free samples of products they may wish to buy, with all food sold at a discounted price.

James Hamilton, the buyer for Sainsburys commented: “Whilst we’re seeing a huge climb in sales of our plant-based foods, we know from conversations with customers that there is a sense of trepidation about cooking with them. So, our Meat-Free Butchers has been launched to encourage people to get up close to the products, try what they like and take home some valuable cooking advice and recipe inspiration.
We have carefully selected the products on offer from the growing range of over 100 plant-based products now available at Sainsbury’s, so customers are in for a real meat-free treat when visiting the butchers!”

The 3 day event will take place at 146 Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 6DG and open 11am – 8pm on Friday, and 10am – 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.