Fray Bentos Vegetarian Pie

With 140 years of history, we can say that Fray Bentos is a well-established company. They have their main products which are a range of different meats from meatballs to corned beef so what could they do to surprise us?

So if you are like me and love a savoury snack and the king of all is a crunchy pie, then you have to try this new pie! Also if you are thinking of a non-meat alternative, you are in for a treat! Fray Bentos just jumped into the vegetarian world with a new alternative pie.

A few months ago, Fray Bentos launched a vegetarian Pie, with a rich flaky case, filled with potatoes, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, carrots and peas, in a spicy balti sauce, topped with puff pastry. It makes sense that the company broke into this market, as the article in the Guardian published last year shows that one third of British people have stopped or reduced eating meat, and one in eight consider themselves veggie or vegan, so there is a full market for this product, however, the competition is high. It is easy now to find the vegetarian section in any supermarket, the range of available dishes in restaurants have multiplied by three. It is pleasing to see that new products have now established room in places that we visit frequently, but as I mentioned, all the competitors are breaking into new markets and competition is fierce.

Personally, there are so many different ways to make your product stand out now and to make your product the number one selling in the sector, from a great marketing strategy to competitive pricing. However the most important thing at the moment is the taste if something tastes great, consumers keep coming back and promote themselves by word of mouth as well.

So, let's speak about the taste and the product, in simple terms it's a Pie in a tin, probably it does not sound exciting, but I have to admit that I have been very impressed by this veggie Fray Bentos pie. This is a product that I would consume in a day that I haven´t cooked and I feel tired or I do not have anything in the fridge and I need a quick option. The spicy balti sauce is full of flavour, the flavours are well combined, not too salty or spicy, and the vegetables are soft and chunky, I like to find the vegetables when I am eating them, and know what I am eating, no like little pieces of something that I cannot identify.

On the other hand, something that this pie has similar to the others, it is the puff pastry, and if you know me, this is something that I love, I could just eat puff pastry all day. The pastry in this pie grows incredibly well, you can see the different layers and when you are eating, it cracks and mixes perfectly with the sauce. The mix of textures when you put it on your mouth, the vegs, the sauce and the crunchiness of the pastry, it is difficult to explain but recommended to try.

Now it is your time to try this new veggie pie, you can find it in different supermarkets as Morrisons for a decent price! If you try it, let me know what do you think and if you add something to it to make it more special as a side or other dish or sauce.