Heinz Beans

Beans are an essential part of any vegan diet, they are filled with loads of good stuff like fibre, half a can is one of your five a day, and the are virtually fat free so they are perfect to have on your plate or in your bowl! They are filling, healthy, and super cheap, what more can you want out of something?

The beans are of a high quality and taste delicious when paired with the sweet tomato sauce that has a distinctly Heinz taste to it if you get me? Some people may find them a bit sweet but personally I love them, they are currently my go to lunch. 

I would recommend them on crumpets instead of toast because that is a combination which cannot be beaten, and if you want to go wild add a bit of grated cheese on top to let it melt (you can use vegan cheese aswell so you can make this into a whole vegan meal!) I have a friend who does this an I can't help but be a little envious despite having a deep hatred of cheese.

Rating - 9.75/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 328 per tin

Buy Again - Always at least two tins in my cupboard!

Heinz Spaghetti Hoops

I know that this will sound daft, but I only recently discovered that Heinz Spaghetti Hoops were vegan. For some bizarre reason I was under the impression that the pasta was made with egg, but upon further examination I realised that they are in fact vegan (or at least as far as I can tell). Heinz Spaghetti Hoops are a staple product in most households, and it is no wonder because it is quick, easy, healthy, and most importantly, super yummy! I love them, they are perfect for lunch because of how filling they are, plus a big tin is only 214 calories which is pretty darn amazing in my opinion! Okay I do realise that they are quite sweet and not to everybody’s taste, but I really like the sweetness because it works well against the starchy spaghetti. The spaghetti itself is of a good quality and has a nice flavour to it. Basically, I love Heinz staple products, I don't tend to like it when they try weird new flavours and variations. Stick with what you know and you can't go too wrong, although, if Heinz are reading this I would really appreciate a vegetarian/vegan sausage and beans or spaghetti! Or maybe a vegan spaghetti bolognese? 

Rating – 9/10

Vegan – Yes (As Far As I Can Tell)

Calories – 107 per ½ a Tin

Buy Again? – Already Have!

Heinz Curry Lentils

Everyone needs staple products to keep in their tin cupboard, stuff like beans, spaghetti hoops, mushy peas, etc. but this my friends, is certainly not one of them. This had such potential. It could have been flavoursome with warming spices and a good texture from the lentils, unfortunately it was so spicy it was uncomfortable to eat, it was that type of spice where you cannot actually taste anything and as a result you couldn't enjoy the rest of the meal because your tastebuds are experience a spice induced numbness! 

The texture of the lentils was good, firm yet soft, this one redeeming factor alone was not enough to redeem the product. This would be to your taste if you loved spice, but for me it was a bit too much and I wouldn't have it again.

Rating - 3/10

Vegan - Yes

Calories - 138 per half a tin 

Buy Again? - No

Heinz 50% Less Sugar Beans

Okay, now I know that this isn't some brand new product innovation, but this is a new recipe and new rebranding so I feel it is worthy of a review. Regular Heinz Beans are rather healthy anyway, what with their high levels of fibre and protein. So it is interesting that they have a healthier- or less sugary version- to add to the range. This tin boats a significant 50% sugar reduction, they have replaced the sugar with a natural sweetener called stevia. 

I don't really know if I enjoyed the taste, it was a little too sweet for my liking. I think I preferred it when they didn't sweeten it at all. I ended up adding a bit of salt to them in order to counter the painfully and strangely sweet flavour of the sauce. I thought it was worth a second try, just incase I was just getting used to this new taste, but I still didn't particularly enjoy them and I regret buying eight tins... Maybe somebody in my family will eat them, or I suppose they aren't unpalatable. 

Personally, I would rather they go back to their old recipe, or I will just buy the regular beans instead. I am so disappointed in these beans! Why did they ‘improve’ upon an already delicious product?

Rating – 3/10

Vegan – Yes

Calories – 278 per tin

Buy Again – Definitely Not!

New Heinz Beans Meals

Beans are a staple part of my diet so whenever there is a new product out that involves beans I get a little excited (strange I know). So I was thrilled when I spotted these in my local Asda. Now they were a tad expensive in comparison to regular beans but this is probably to be expected as they are new and seem to be intended as a meal rather than just to go on your jacket potato or with your cottage pie.

Goodness me these are spicy! Delicious and full of flavour but incredibly hot so they are definitely not for those with a delicate palate. Normally I am not a big fan of spicy food but these are an exception as they manage to be flavoursome, with rich tomatoey tones in the sauce that help to mellow out the otherwise overwhelming heat.

Now the Chilli flavour was a lot milder in terms of heat and had a variety of different veg in it like sweet corn, kidney beans, peppers etc so it was very filling. It did taste a bit generic and like most vegetable chillies but that isn't a bad thing because it was still very tasty and packed with flavour.

Rating - 7/10

Buy Again - Maybe

Vegan - Yes

Calories - Around 157 per half a can