Big demand for Balfours’ vegan range — so what does it taste like?

There’s been such demand for Balfours’ vegan range SA’s independent supermarkets have rushed them on to shelves. Here’s where to buy them — and how they taste.

Millie Looker with a Balfours’ mushroom, kale and leek vegan pie at Romeo's Rundle Mall store. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

News that Balfours Bakery was set to release a vegan range, including a vegan pie, has prompted so many customer inquiries that Romeo’s, Foodland and Drakes supermarkets have rushed the range on to shelves.

Due to high demand, the Balfours range, which includes two pies, a pastie and savoury roll, is set to appear at SA’s Independent Retailer Group stores this Monday.

Retailers commonly roll out new products over the course of months instead of rushing them out.

Romeo’s, Foodland and Drakes have a combined total of more than 150 stores across the state, including the new Rundle Mall Romeo’s store.

“Vegan demand across all of our stores has increased dramatically over the last 18 months,” said Romeo’s Retail Group national marketing manager Alan Jones.

“For the vegan community, convenient vegan grab-and-go options have always been limited, so this will help provide quick lunchtime and snacking options,” he said.

“It’s so exciting to see such an iconic SA brand embracing a vegan range,” local shopper Millie Looker said. “Their vegan pies are delicious.”

The Balfours pies will be offered as a curried lentil and creamy potato version or a mushroom, kale and leek.

The Sunday Mail took the new pies to the Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival at Wayville Showground, where our taste-testers gave it the thumbs-up.

“They’re actually all right,” said Chris Schneider, 31, of Stirling.

The savoury roll gets a potato, leek and rosemary filling. The pasty has red and green capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, onion, potato and sweet potato.

“This fresh range of vegan savouries is the result of us listening and responding to consumer demand. The response from customers and consumers has been overwhelmingly positive,” Balfours Bakery chief marketing officer Erik de Roos said.

“While it is easy to get distracted by those who live an exclusively vegan lifestyle, we’re also seeing a growing number of ‘flexitarians’; those who are actively reducing the amount of meat they eat to create more balance in their diet. The benefits of reducing our meat consumption to both the environment and our personal health is well reported. We developed the new vegan range with this in mind.”

“Balfours Bakery has an incredible relationship with our independent retailers and we expect this to be a smooth roll out, based on a carefully planned process. To launch this range with such great South Australian partners is a privilege,” Mr de Roos said.

The vegan range — including two types of pies, a pastie and a savoury roll — is set to appear at SA’s Independent Retailers stores from Monday.

The release coincides with Balfours’ 165th birthday celebrations — it is Australia’s oldest bakery, with the first outlet opening in Rundle St, in 1853.

 

Originally published as Big demand for Balfours’ vegan range — so what does it taste like?