A UK first: Waitrose have launched vegan fondue

The supermarket is the UK’s first ever to stock vegan fondue

 

 

 

Vegan cheese fondue has long been asked for by customers, and Waitrose stores across the UK are now supplying the demand.

 

As Christmas approaches, supermarkets are gearing up to supply vegan consumers with the tasty festive foods they love most – and Waitrose have beaten a lot of stockists for one of the most in-demand products. They have become the first supermarket to launch vegan fondue to the UK market in time for the festive season.

 

The vegan fondue now on the shelves, is This Is Not Cheese Fondue, made by Willicroft – it’s a 100 per cent plant-based fondue made from a combination of nuts and tofu.

 

‘Insta-Worthy Cheese’

 

 

In a statement sent to Vegan Trade, a Waitrose spokesperson said: “The base of This Is Not Cheese Fondue is made from nuts and tofu and is double fermented.”

 

“The first step is to create a fermented quinoa culture, leaving the water to ferment with the quinoa until it starts sprouting little shoots.”

 

“Once the fermentation is complete, the liquid from the culture becomes a main part of the fondue recipe.”

 

“This process produces the satisfying and ‘Insta-worthy’ cheese pull you expect from traditional fondue as well as rich and decadent flavours.”

 

 

Plant-based Transition

 

This is not the first time Willicroft products have been stocked in Waitrose.

 

Willicroft Farm, previously, a dairy farm in Devon run for over 30 years by Brad Vanstone’s (Willicroft founder) grandfather, once sold meat and dairy products to Waitrose.

 

Now, 30 years later Brad has reinvented Willicroft and switched the products to be vegan-friendly. The farm now supplies Waitrose with plant-based cheese, including the new vegan cheese fondue.

 

 

Rising Demand

 

The demand for vegan food continues to rise – Waitrose r recently eported that searches on their website for ‘vegan cheese’ increased by 76 per cent compared to last year and ‘vegan Christmas’ increased by 64 per cent.

 

Jo Haywood, Waitrose speciality cheese buyer says, “We are really excited to be the first UK supermarket to launch a vegan fondue product.”

 

“This Is Not Cheese Fondue is innovative and delicious and we think our customers will be very excited to try it, even if they aren’t vegan!’

 

Also launching with Waitrose, is This is not Cream Cheese and This Is Not Grated Italian Style Cheese to offer further tasty vegan cheese options.

 

 

 

This Is Not Cheese Fondue (£6 until Nov 4th and then £7.50), This Is Not Cream Cheese (£2.80 until Nov 4th and then £3.50) and This Is Not Grated Italian Style Cheese (£3.50) are available from 7th October exclusively at Waitrose.com and in store.