Review: Violife Vegan Alternatives to Cheese*

I am a self-confessed cheese fiend. Now it might sound cheesy, but I am so fondue of each delicious diary delight, I curd quite happily eat it at every wheel, I mean meal. I really do think cheese is grate – I wonder how long I can keep up the cheese puns? Ok, I’ll stop.

You can imagine my delight at receiving five outstanding vegan cheese products from Violife Vegan Cheese to try out.  So to give the cheese the attention it deserves, I hosted a cheese tasting evening with my vegetarian friends and here’s what we thought of each one.

Violife Epic Mature Cheddar – 4/5

As vegan cheeses go this one is an excellent dupe at a ‘real’ mature cheddar. The Violife Extra Mature vegan cheese looks very similar to a block of dairy cheddar cheese and the semi-hard block certainly wouldn’t look out of place on a cheese board at Christmas.

In terms of aroma, it’s not overly pungent, it’s very subtle and a lot like how you’d expect a mature cheddar to smell and it tastes fantastic. We all agreed, it would be a great alternative to those looking to make a switch to vegan cheese.

This cheese is made from: Water, Coconut Oil, Modified Starch, Starch, Sea Salt, Sunflower Kernel Grounded, mature Cheddar Flavour, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid, Olive Extract, Colour: B- Carotene, Vitamin B12.

Violife Smoky Cheddar Flavour Slices – 4.5/5

Our top scorer of the evening! These delicious slices of smoked cheese felt like an indulgent treat and tasted delicious. We couldn’t believe they weren’t a speciality cheese as the taste is truly convincing. They do have a very strong smoky flavour that might not be to everyone’s tastes but we all found the taste and texture to be very pleasant. The slices are thicker than I would usually cut for myself but trimmed to size for a cracker and these slices made for a very tasty addition to the cheeseboard.

These slices are made from: Water, Coconut Oil (21%), Starch, Modified Starch, Sea Salt, Smoke Flavour, Olive Extract, Colour: B-Carotene, Vitamin B12.

Violife Original Flavour Slices – 2/5

I do love a pre-sliced cheese, particularly when I’m making the kids’ packed lunches for school as they are so convenient. These slices from Violife are probably a little too mild for my children though but if you are partial to a mild cheddar and are looking to switch to a vegan lifestyle, these would be great.

Texture wise, they look and feel like a pre sliced gouda but taste wise they’re even milder. So mild infact we couldn’t really taste any cheese flavour.

These slices are made from: Water, Coconut oil (23%), Modified Starch, Starch, Sea salt, Flavourings, Olive extract, Colour: B-Carotene, Vitamin B12.

Violife Original Flavour Grated – 3/5

The texture and appearance of the grated cheese was the first thing we noticed as it wasn’t typically what you’d expect as the cuts of cheese were thicker and it felt quite rubbery. For the purposes of the cheese tasting evening we tried it on its own and on a cracker and taste wise it’s not bad. However, this one really came into its own when I used it in a cheese sauce. It melted extremely well and my children couldn’t tell there was anything different about their favourite mac and cheese dish.

This cheese contains: Water, Coconut Oil (24%), Modified Starch, Starch, Sea Salt, Flavourings, Olive Extract, Colour: B-Carotene, Vitamin B12.

Violife Le Rond Camembert Flavour – 3.5/5

If I was to fully embrace a vegan lifestyle, it’s camembert I’d probably miss the most so this was the cheese I was most intrigued by.

It came with a little recipe guide with suggestions on how to cook and at a first glance you’d swear it was the real thing. To prepare it we chose to go the traditional route of slicing, inserting a little garlic and sprinkling with oil before baking in the oven. According to the recipe card, you can pop it in the microwave but that didn’t feel like we were giving it the fanfare it deserved.

After about 15-20 minutes it was ready to come out and overall it was worth the wait. Though a little runnier than regular camembert, the flavour was lovely and again, if you were to pop this on a cheeseboard at Christmas time for any vegan family members, it would be a fabulous addition to help them feel included.

This cheese is made from: Water, Coconut Oil (31%), Modified Starch, Starch, Sea Salt, Flavourings, Olive Extract, Colour: B-Carotene, Vitamin B12.

Summary

As a Lacto-vegetarian I often think I would be able to fully embrace a vegan lifestyle if there were cheese products on the market that would fill the gap. Having been able to road test a selection from Violife it’s definitely left me thinking that making that leap would be more possible than ever before and though the texture and appearance of some of the products would likely take a little getting used to, as a healthier alternative to cheese, you probably couldn’t get closer to the real thing. You can also find more vegan recipes on their website.

Where can I buy Violife products?

Violife cheeses are available from all leading supermarkets and range from £2-3.50 per product.

About Violife

Violife are an award winning Greek-based company with more than 30 years of vegan products development and production experience. All of their products are free from allergens, nuts, GMO and preservatives. Plus they are enriched with Vitamin B12.

Review by: Libby Dallimore

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