Leeds company is behind new Wetherspoon vegan fake meat burger

The pub chain has added vegan patties, produced by The Meatless Farm Co, to sit on its menus alongside its meat options in nearly all of its 900 pubs following a trial in a small number of venues.

-> Channel 4 reveal multi-million pound investment in The Meatless Farm CoUnlike most traditional veggie burgers, the new breed of plant-based patties - often dubbed 'fake meat' - being rolled out across numerous restaurant chains and fast food outlets, typically replicates the appearance, texture and flavour of the real thing.

The Meatless Farm Co's patties are made with soya, pea and rice protein.The firm, which has an office near The Calls, started out selling to Sainsbury's two years ago but now sells across the world thanks to a growing demand for vegan food.Oliver Addis, food development manager at JD Wetherspoon, said: "We were looking for a plant-based burger that could deliver on taste and texture and we found that in The Meatless Farm Co.

"The British company is really driving the UK’s plant-based based movement and we’re confident customers are going to enjoy this new offering within our pubs."

The move follows the success seen by businesses such as Greggs from introducing vegan and meatless alternatives to menus.

The bakery chain's vegan sausage roll became a national talking point when it launched in January.

Morten Toft Bech, Meatless Farm Co's founder, believes attitudes are changing, with many hardened carnivores keen to cut down on their meat intake.

“It’s not about these polarising views between ‘vegan’ and ‘meat-eater’ anymore, it’s about balance and everyone working together to reduce their red meat intake as we know it’s fundamentally better for our planet and health,” he said.

“To partner with a pub giant such as JD Wetherspoon is testament to the fact that plant-based is well and truly mainstream.”