Her singing was often a bit suspect, but Linda McCartney started to create hits with her vegetarian meals. Chloe puts aside meat-based prejudices and tries the latest dishes from the range.

25 years ago, Linda McCartney launched her meat-free brand with the vision to spearhead the changing attitudes around the world to vegetarianism. Today, we have a whole host of movements from vegetarians, to vegans, to flexitarians and everything in between. I am still a meat eater, but I would definitely consider myself as someone who would like to reduce the amount of meat I eat on a weekly basis, so I welcomed my delivery of Linda McCartney’s with open arms.

I tried two products from the new range – vegetarian chicken and leek pies and vegetarian chicken biryani – as well as the vegetarian sausages from the existing selection.

Starting with the sausages, I tried them in a normally meaty after-work favourite, sausage pasta bake, and was happily surprised. The meat-free alternatives were delicious, with a fantastic texture which wasn’t at all dry, and definitely less calorific than the original version. Dish one – a success.

Next, I sampled the vegetarian chicken and leek pies. Again, a resounding success – deliciously crisp shortcrust pastry filled with chicken-style pieces in a creamy leek and carrot sauce, all topped with a puff pastry lid. I was especially a fan of the way the creamy sauce melted into the first layer of pastry – my favourite part of any pie. Although I’m still not convinced it was as good as my mother’s homemade chicken pie, it was a great  alternative for when you want something a touch more indulgent mid-week.

Finally, the vegetarian chicken biryani – a blend of basmati rice, spinach, peas, chickpeas, lentils all combined with chicken-style pieces and a biryani sauce. A good take on an Indian classic, this one didn’t quite live up to expectations but, compared to other frozen versions still a good meal to enjoy when you are short of time.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the new products from Linda McCartney’s despite all my initial scepticisms surrounding meat-alternatives, and have definitely been convinced to make the switch several times a week.

Linda McCartney’s products are available in Tesco stores. For further inspiration, visit www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk