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Product Review, The Veg Life

Odd Burger Frozen PreTenders Review

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I was over-the-moon when I discovered that amazing food truck brand I tried back at the Vegan Festival not only had a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but also that some of their products were now available for sale at a grocery store!


I had only tried their burgers at the festival, but I was pretty certain that I would also like these PreTenders – and I was right!

Odd Burger (formerly Globally Local) definitely knows what they’re doing when it comes to food. The bag of PreTenders only came with 8 pieces and at $9.79 that’s a little over a dollar a nugget but, they were pretty big! So if you cut them up to add to something, they would go further than if you just ate them whole like I did.

I made them in the oven and paired them with some smiley face fries and was surprised at how fast they cooked! They only needed 10 minutes at 425 to turn perfectly golden.

The inside of the tenders was dark, not white and they had a nice chewy texture. They weren’t overly tofu-y like the Gardein nuggets and they ripped/pulled apart in a knit pattern, similar to seitan. They also had a coating of breading over them that added a nice little crunch to the pieces.

There was also a small kick of spice somewhere, but I had been dipping them in the thousand island dressing I also reviewed earlier this year, so I’m not sure if that was from the tenders or the dressing. (I didn’t know at the time the dressing was spicy)

Despite the tongue-tingles, these PreTenders made for a great dinner, and I’d definitely love to buy them again! Alas, they always seem to be sold out when I look. Which is good! Because that means other people are recognizing how great they are. But it still sucks for my own grocery shopping.

If you haven’t tried these Odd Burger PreTenders yet, I’d highly recommend you do! They’re some of the better nuggets/tenders I’ve tried and they’ve made me excited to try more of Odd Burger’s products!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Two Bears Frothed Salted Caramel Oat Latte Review

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This was one of the products I was most excited to try this year, despite it being coffee.

Unfortunately, it was also one of the most disappointing.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this drink was bad, it just wasn’t as good as I was expecting.

For one, it didn’t taste like salted caramel. At all. I even shook the can first because it had been in the fridge for a little bit and I thought maybe the flavour had settled or something, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. It overwhelmingly just tasted like oat milk. (And coffee)

Which again, isn’t a bad thing – I drink oat milk all the time! – I was just expecting my salted caramel latte to taste like salted caramel. If I didn’t see it said the words ‘salted caramel’ on the can and I drank this, I would’ve just thought it was a normal coffee with oat milk in it.

I also poured some out into a glass – because I’m a curious person by nature and because I definitely couldn’t drink the entire can of caffienated coffee unless I wanted to be up for the rest of the week – and it had a light/tan colour with little bubbles in it. I’m assuming the little bubbles were the ‘frothed’ part of the ‘frothed oat latte’.

Unfortunatley, I’m not enough of a coffee snob to know whether or not the ‘froth’ actually added anything to the drink or if it just makes it sound fancier.

And, when I poured it out into the cup, it did smell a little like caramel. So, caramel was in there, somewhere! I don’t know why it didn’t carry over into the taste, though.

I also can’t speak to how ‘effective’ the caffiene part of the coffee was, since I’m hyper-senesitive to it, so it kept me awake for the same amount of time as every other non-decaf coffee I’ve ever had. So if you were wanting to buy this for a qucik afternnon pick-me-up, you’ll have to try it for yourself. (Or go read another review)

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t buy a lot of coffee or caffienated drinks, so I don’t know how this compares to others – last time I was even in a caffienated drink aisle was easily 10 or so years ago (I was picking up a Red Bull for a friend) – but this can was only $4.29 at Good Rebel and I think that was a good price for it’s size.

I can’t tell you whether or not that’s more expensive or cheaper than similar items, but I can tell you the price was the ultimate deciding factor in getting it over something else. If it had been $6-10 I definitely wouldn’t have tried it. But $4? That seemed reasonable.

For the name this drink has, it was a bit of a let down – but that in no way means I think it was bad/gross/disgusting. I just had different expectations and they weren’t met. But if you’re looking for just an oat milk latte in a can, this drink’ll definitely hit the spot!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Walden Farms Thousand Island Dressing Review

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Like a lot of other foods I’m reviewing this year, I’ve never had thousand island dressing before, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect.

The only ‘real’ thing I know about it is from a scene in a tv show, where one character explains they’re eating a salad with thousand island dressing on the side for lunch because they’re on a diet, and another character asks, “Isn’t thousand island dressing, like, really fattening?”

To which the first character replies, “Yeah, that’s why I got it on the side.”

But that was played for laughs, so I’m not even entirely sure if that was true, or it was just supposed to be ridicluous.

What I do know, though, is that this dressing is pretty good!

I’d also never heard of the Walden Farms brand before, so I was excited to check them out, as well.

A cursory look at their website let me know they apparently make salad dressings, syrups and coffee creamers, and they all seem to boast being dairy, gluten, cholesterol, sugar and calorie free!

Which is pretty cool, if you ask me.

I wasn’t able to find a specific About page, so I’m not sure on their full story – or whether or not they’re Canadian – but they had a Bac’n Ranch and Pancake syrup that that caught my eye, so I think I’ll definitely be trying some of their other products in the future.

But for now, we’re here to focus on their Thousand Island Dressing!

First thing I noticed about their dressing was that it had was very runny – even after I shook it! It was closer to juice than syrup consistency, which isn’t a dealbreaker by any means, it just took me by surprise.

I went to pour some out into a container and it came out a lot faster than I was expecting. Guess I’m a little used to Daiya’s dressings or my own homemade ones which are notoriously thick.

The dressing itself had an orange-y/pink colour and it smelled like what I remember French dressing being.

Originally I tried this dressing as a dip with some Odd Burger Pretenders (review coming in August!) and smiley face fries. The consistency of the dressing made it a little hard to use as a dip, unfortuantely.

It also had a slightly-too-vinegary taste for my liking, and was a touch too spicy, as well. Taste-wise, it was fine to use as a dip or later when I used it as a sandwich spread, but I don’t think I could handle the spiciness of it if I used it for it’s intended purpose and actually put it on a salad. So, keep that in mind if you decide to try it.

As I said above though, I’ve never had Thousand Island dressing before, so I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be spicy or if that’s unique to this one.

It was also only $5.99 at Good Rebel, so it was a decent price for a normal-sized bottle, which I definitely appreciated!

It took me a few months to finish the bottle (I bought all the review foods back in Decmber), and honestly, I’m not sure if I would buy it again.

My low-spice-tolerance-body definitely wouldn’t be happy with me if I did and I also just don’t think the taste was there for me. The homemade ranch dip I make is more my speed, so I just don’t think it’d make sense for me, personally. Maybe once in a while if I feel like switching things up.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying this product was bad by any means. It’s just not staple material in my book.

And I definitely think you should try it out yourself!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Nut Grove’s Camembert Style Aged Cashew Cheese Review

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Being allergic to dairy, it might not surprise you to learn I haven’t tried that many different cheese flavours.

I’ve actually tried more different kinds of cheese being vegan!
So, I want you to keep that in mind while you read the rest of this review. If I say anything that’s clearly a cheese ‘newb’ thing, just, roll passed it. I don’t know, what I don’t know, y’know?

This cheese came in a square box, and was one of those what I refer to as ‘classic’-looking cheese wheels. It was also squishy, which I wasn’t expecting. I’d akin it to the texture of un-cooked tofu: solid enough it held it’s shape, but sponge-y if you poked it.

Something else that surprised me, was that it didn’t really smell like anything when it was cold. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting, but it was definitely more than… nothing.

The wheel – it was so soft the top got imprinted with the paper it was wrapped in!

I was also surprised to learn after cutting off a piece, that this cheese apparently had a rind on it?

I don’t know if this is common cheese knowledge or not, but I wasn’t sure if I could/should eat the rind or not. I figured it didn’t look like something that wasn’t edible, so decided to try it.

I was wrong.

Not in a ‘I almost died’ way, but the rind… I definitely don’t think I was supposed to eat it. It ended up burning my throat in a similar manner that happens when you eat too many salt and vinegar chips. And the piece I had wasn’t even that big!

Raw piece of cheese cut straight out of the fridge – see the difference in the rind colour vs the actual cheese?

The non-rind part of the cheese had a pretty mellow taste, thankfully. It tasted pretty close to Daiya’s mozzarella, if I had to compare it.

I tried the cheese cold alone, on a cracker, in a deli slice sandwich and heated up in a grilled cheese. Cold alone and smeared on a cracker it was fine, but definitely not my favourite vegan cheese. I did try it this way after I’d eaten part of the rind, so my throat was still a little burn-y, so I’m not sure how accurate my tastebuds were in that moment.

I also wrapped it in a Gusta deli slice, and that helped ease the burning, so I was happy about that. (I also ended up drinking some water and brushing my teeth, putting the cheese ‘away’ for the night)

Smeared on a cracker – easily spreadable, like cream cheese!

The next day, I used it in a grilled cheese, to see if the flavour changed when it was heated. I also painstakingly peeled the rind off the part I was using, because I did not want to burn my throat again.

Unfortuantley, it still happened – but not as badly! While the grilled cheese was cooking, I could actually smell the burning sensation in the air – which I thought was kinda weird – and then when I was eating it, I could definitely tell it was back, but was tolerable enough I could finish the sandwich. It wasn’t nearly as bad as eating the rind raw.

I have no idea why the rind burned my throat, whether or not that’s normal or just a ‘me’ thing, but I definitely can’t in good concious recommend you guys try eating the rind if you decide to try this cheese yourselves.

If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think I would buy this cheese again. It was an adventure, and I’m glad I tried it! But the taste at best was neutral, and at worst, hurt me, so I just don’t think it’d be worth it. It was also $16.99 at Good Rebel, so I can’t justify spending that much on something I wasn’t over-the-moon about.

Maybe if I was making a charcuterie board for a party and was trying to appear fancier than I actually am, I would buy it, but I just can’t see this cheese becoming a staple on my grocery list.

So, what about you guys? Have you tried this camembert before? Do you have any tips on how/why I could’ve tried it in a different way to have a better experience? Any doctor readers out there know why it burned me and whether or not that was ‘normal’?

Let me know!

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Vegan Kit Kat Review

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Even before going vegan, I wasn’t able to eat Kit Kats, because they not only have milk ingredients in them, but also, they have ‘whey’ – which is the specific part I’m allergic to! Needless to say, I was pretty excited when these were announced.

Unfortunately, these were a big deal, which meant they were sold out for a while. I finally managed to get my hands on one of them back in December, which also kind of sucked, because while it was good and I would’ve gladly bought more, they’ve since been discontinued.

But, I still wanted to post a review of them, in case Kit Kat is taking notes of people who want them to come back, and so – on the off-chance they actually listen and do bring them back – you’ll know whether or not you need to put them on your grocery list.

If you’ve also never had a Kit Kat before, they’re basically just a chocolate bar with little/thin strips of waffer cookies inside, so they have a bit of crunch to them.

This bar came with 4 sticks in one pack/bar, so it was one of the bigger-sized Kit Kats, which was great, because it meant I could make it last a little longer than if it’d been the standard 2 stick kind.

It also didn’t taste like dark chocolate, despite what the wrapper said. It was closer in flavour to the No Whey! Milkless bar, if you’ve ever had those. Not bitter like straight dark chocolate. It also had what I assume is the ‘standard’ waffers on the inside, which added the right amount of crunch. Not super hard, but definitely made a satisfying snap when biting into it.

Because it was winter and I had the heat on, I did end up sticking mine in the fridge, because it got a little melt-y in my pantry. But putting it in the fridge I don’t think affected the flavour or structural integrity of the chocolate bar at all. It maaaybe added a little extra to the crunch, but it wasn’t anything too different.

I gave one of the sticks to one of my friends, and they said they tasted ‘pretty close’ to the non-vegan version. The only thing they said it was missing was more crunch. But I don’t know if that’s for non-vegan-bar-closeness reasons, or just their personal preferance for chocolate bars. So, feel free to take that criticism with as much salt as you’d like.

Another thing I liked about this bar, was the price! It was only $4.79 at Good Rebel, and while that does sound a little more than what you’d expect a chocolate bar to cost, keep in mind, it was the 4-bar size, so I was essentially getting 2 bars in one, and that would’ve made them $2.39 each, which is not that bad of a price at all. Especially when we’re talking about vegan chocolate.

All in all, I really enjoyed this chocolate bar! It wasn’t my favourite kind – that, if you’re curious, is Go Max Go’s Twilight bar, which I highly recommend – but it was pretty good. I definitely would’ve been happy if I’d got some of these on Halloween.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Choose Life Beefless Lover’s Mild Jamaican Patty Review

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I’m going to be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve had any form of a Jamaican Patty. The closest in recent years would’ve been those Oggi’s Calzones I tested a few years ago – and those were supposed to be pizza flavoured!

There were a few years there when I was in school where it seemed like everyone was absolutely obsessed with eating Jamaican Patties for lunch. They were everywhere at one point, and then faded out after a few years. Does anyone else remember that, or was my school just special?

Unfortunately, because of my food allergies, even pre-vegan there were a lot of foods I wasn’t able to try. So, while I personally didn’t eat them, Jamaican Patties were a strangely big part of a few years of my life.

Because of this, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this patty, but, I’m happy to report, I enjoyed it!

This patty came frozen, individually wrapped, and only had cooking instructions for a microwave. (I have no idea if this is a normal cooking method for this food or not) Because the place I recently moved into has pretty much brand-new appliances, I cooked the patty for 1 minute, then flipped it over and did another 20 seconds, wrapped in a paper towel. (Out of the plastic)

I don’t know if wrapping it in a paper towel was the right move, because it got a little stuck to it post-cooking. The patty also had a very strong flour/corny smell post-cooking that wasn’t there when it was frozen.

Size comparison

The patty was a good size, in my opinion. And, if I’m remembering correctly, it was taller than a ‘regular’ Jamaican Patty. The crust was very flaky, soft, and had an Earthy turmeric taste. There was also a good amount of beefless filling inside, though I didn’t think it really tasted all that beef-y. Not that that’s something that bothers me – if you’ve been around this blog a while, you know I like when plants taste like plants – I just think that’s important to note if it’s something you care about. I can’t say specifically what the faux beef tasted like, other than just, sort of vaguely ‘veggie’.

Beefless filling amount

Also, even though I did get the mild one, there was (unfortunately) still a bit of spiciness to the filling. It wasn’t overpowering to the point of making my tongue tingle, but I was also glad I had my water bottle with me.

For something that was only $4.69 (Good Rebel), it was also surprisingly filling. It was more filling than the snack territory I thought it’d be in, but definitely wasn’t enough to be considered a whole meal. (I had to eat ‘real’ dinner maybe 2 hours after)

This is definitely something I’d buy again, especially if I were to find it at a regular grocery store, or if it was available at a gas station or something. There are definitely worse vegan options out there.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Gusta Turkey Veggie Deli Slices Review

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I wanted to start this year’s reviews off on one of the products that would be replacing a staple at my house: Gusta’s Turkey Flavoured Veggie Slices.

If you didn’t hear the news, unfortunately, Yves has been discontinued. It was not a great way to end 2025 for sure, but luckily, Gusta stepped up to fill the gap. (A little too quickly*, according to some people)

So, I wanted to answer the big question: is Gusta actually filling the void left by the 40-year legend?

Right out of the gate, I thought the packaging could use some improvements. The slices came in a sort of plastic sack-like bag, which… was not the most appetizing way to package a product that’s brown.

The slices were also all lumped together, there was no paper separator or anything, they were just layered one on top of each other, the same way Yves’ were. Unfortunately, unlike Yves, the Gusta slices don’t have that small rind, and are very clearly a different texture, because they were extremely difficult to separate. Unless I carefully slid a knife between the top slice to gently separate it from the slice underneath, they tore.

And, they didn’t even tear straight across, they tore jagged. I believe this is because of the way the product is made – when you rip it in your hands, it separates the same – but, this cross-stitch connection made for a thicker slice, which I think, was a good thing!

Example of the jagged tearing

If you’ve eaten Yves deli slices for anything longer than once in your life, I’m sure you can related to the pain of getting those so-thin-they’re-see-through couple of slices that were somehow present in every pack.

The smell, I’ll admit, made me a little apprehensive. There wasn’t anything specifically wrong with it – it was just a little… strong, for a deli slice. I hesitate to use the word ‘weird’ here, because the slices did taste how they smelled, but I’m not yet sure if that’s a good thing.

To me, these slices had a slightly smokey flavour, and reminded me of what I remember white-meat turkey tasting like. They didn’t give me that, ‘Oh no, you just ate meat’ thing that Beyond Meat does, but it also wasn’t quite veggie enough to not-notice.

It was like an odd, no-man’s-land between the two flavourings.

I would say, I think the slices would be more enjoyable if Gusta picked a side. Either make them more veggie tasting, so they almost completely blend into a sandwich, like the Yves ones, or make them stand out more, so you know you definitely have a Gusta deli slice in your mouth.

These slices were also weirdly… dry? Like, they had a sticky-ish juice/sauce/whatever on them when you pulled them out of the pack, but when you actually put one in your mouth, it was somehow dry? I don’t really know how else to describe it, but I thought that was odd, too. (This was another contributing factor to why it reminded me of white-meat turkey)

I had my non-vegan friend try a slice, as well, and they agreed they tasted dry, and went on to say: they are pretty close, reminiscent of thick-cut turkey slices, like the kind you’d put on a toothpick. In a sandwich – which mustard or something – you wouldn’t be able to tell as much (that they’re not real meat).

So, feel free to factor that into your decision however you’d like.

I also didn’t exactly count how many slices were in the pack, but I know it was definitely more than 10, just from the sheer number of times I ate them. And, they were selling at a comparative rate to Yves. ($6.49 from Good Rebel)

Deli slice size comparison to my pointer finger

Now, to be fair, I haven’t bought a lot of other Gusta products – I had only sort of peripherally heard of them, but learned recently, apparently they’re Canadian! – so I don’t know if this packaging and taste is on-brand for them or not.

What I do know, is that these deli slices are a new product for this company, and I feel like you can tell. They haven’t quite honed these to perfection, but I think, with time – and, if they’re willing to listen to our feedback – they could very well fill the hole left by Yves.

*On the Yves discontinued announcement post, Gusta had made some comments announcing they were coming out with deli slices, and some people had… opinions about the way they went about this announcement. One person commented (to Gusta) something like, ‘Wow, Yves’ body isn’t even cold yet, and you’re coming in to take over?‘ which I thought was hilarious, but the comments have since been deleted, so I guess not everyone agreed. (I thought I had screenshotted it when I saw them the first time, but I apparently didn’t)

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Smirnoff Ice Green Apple Review

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Important: This is the last article of 2025! I’ll be taking the last half of December and first half of January off from posting. I’ll be back January 19th, 2026 with the first article  of the new year! (First short story will go up the previous Friday)

If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know I’m not a big fan of alcohol. Not only do I not enjoy a lot of flavours, but I’m also very sensitive to it’s affects.

But, ‘tis the season’ of mostly, family drama – despite people telling you it’s really about world peace or something – so doing an alcohol review for this month seemed appropriate.

I consider Smirnoff Ice Original my go-to for alcohol, so the one day I walked into LCBO and saw two other flavours, I decided it just made sense to take a chance on them.

LCBO had this flavour and a pink one that I thiiiink was raspberry? But, that was a few years ago, so I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly. (And/or whether or not it’s still a flavour)

What I do remember though, is how much I liked this green apple flavour! The apple taste wasn’t over-powering, or taste like cough syrup from my childhood – which was a description I used for one of the cherry-flavoured drinks – but I don’t know if I’d tasted the ‘green’, at all. Since it was alcohol, it fizzed on my tongue and burned down my throat, anyway, so that made it hard to tell.

It had the same amount of alcohol content as the Original (7% for an 11.2oz glass bottle) and was within the same price range! The only ‘downside’ to trying to buy the flavour, was it either came in a four pack of the small bottles, or as a single in the big (1L) bottles. This means that, if you just want one personal sized bottle, you’ll have to forgo this flavour. I did check the Smirnoff website and it didn’t say if the flavour was listed in tall cans, as well, but I don’t think it’d hurt to ask your local store, if you really wanted to try one.

Or, you can always buy the four pack, try one, and then host a holiday party or gift the extras to friends/family.

And, in case you missed my Surprising Vegan Alcohol post, yes, Smirnoff Ice is vegan! Which means you can indulge in it guilt- and worry-free during these next few busy, hectic weeks. (Or, any other time of the year)

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Lightlife Smart Tenders Plant-Based Chicken Review

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Important: This is the 3rd last article of the year! I’ll be taking the last half of December, and first half of January off from posting. I’ll be back January 16th 2026, with the first short story of the new year! (First article will go up Jan. 19th)

This year has surprisingly shaken out to include a lot of faux meat reviews, so I’d like to apologize in hind-sight about that. I usually try to pick food items that I think go with the seasons (like soups/heartier foods in the cold months) and are a good mix of products, but clearly that doesn’t always work out the way I plan. Next year I promise I’ll try to add a wider variety!

For right now though, we’re gonna do one more faux meat review – the last one of the year! (Faux meat review, not over-all product review)

Mostly I know Lightlife through their notdogs (which I haven’t done a review of because it would be one line – they taste like a hot-dog), so I was somewhat surprised to learn they made a few other faux meats, including bacon, ground round and sausages. Ironically, their website doesn’t list these faux chicken Smart Tenders, but it also says they’re an America company, so I’m not sure if they’ve been discontinued, or are just showing a different product range than what’s available up here. (Ontario, Canada)

These tenders come in a pack of 5 and it looked like they are vacuum packed in a plastic bag/wrap inside of the cardboard box. If you’ve been around a while, you know how I feel about companies using unnecessary plastic in their packaging, so while I’m glad the tenders weren’t individually wrapped, I’m a little annoyed that plastic is still the standard. But, I’m not a food safety person, so if that’s the way it has to be for health-standards, I’ll understand. (Albeit bregrugingly)

On the plus side, these tenders were a good/proper chick’n finger size, and surprisingly thick. They didn’t look like much in the package, but once I got them out and separated, they were thicker than my finger, and slightly longer, too. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of them whole when I got them out of the plastic, because they were all stuck together and I had to start cooking them as a ball. (I didn’t know I was going to use them that day, otherwise, I would’ve defrosted them first) Once I got them cut into chunks though, you could tell how much chick’n they had!

The tenders didn’t have too strong of a smell, either, which I really appreciated! They only smelled once they started to cook, but it wasn’t over-poweringly meat-like, like the Beyond Meat products are. It was more subtle.

That was true for their taste, too. They had a ‘realer’ taste of meat than the Gardein products, but I would say were about halfway between Gardein and Beyond Meat. You could tell they were made out of plants, but they were close enough to give my brain that small warning it gets when it smells meat.

I also learned, these tenders are the same chick’n that’s used in PizzaPizza’s Plant-Based Boneless Bites, so it was that flavour, but without the breading. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but before I was vegan, I used to love PizzaPizza’s Boneless Bites. I used to like them so much, I started referring to them as ‘crack chicken’. Their plant-based Bites are also very worthy of that label, so if you haven’t tried those yet, I recommend you do!

These are also worthy of the label, so I definitely recommend these tenders, as well. I will say though, they have a bit of a weird aftertaste that I can’t quite put my finger on, so if you do decide to try these, I recommend you put them in something, instead of eating them plain.

I ended up putting them in a simple pasta I made (tri-coloured butterfly noodles, frozen peas, hemp hearts, the tenders, faux butter, a little oat milk and then just some oregano and basil), and they definitely added to the dish, instead of taking away. Their flavour was enough to know they were there, pleasantly, but they didn’t steal the show. Which I think is an important quality if you’re making a product that you want people to mix in/cook with other things, instead of eating it ‘plain’.

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Product Review, The Veg Life

Gardein Nashville Hot Chick’N Tenders Review

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If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know that I’m not exactly a fan of spicy food. It lights my mouth on fire, burns up my tongue, makes me sweat and isn’t easy going out, either. So, it might surprise you that I decided to try something with the words ‘Nashville hot’ in the name voluntarily.

It might also surprise you to hear, I actually liked them!

I first tried these tenders back in January 2023, and have had them a few times since, and I have to say, they’ve been slowly growing on me!

These tenders are slightly longer than the 7 Grain Crispy Tenders, and a little thicker, which might explain why they only come 8 to a bag. But what these tenders lack in quantity, they make up for with flavour!

They’re not overtly spicy like I had assumed they’d be – when you open the bag, there’s no puff of spice to sting your nostrils – and when you’re eating them, you don’t get any heat until the after-burn on the swallow. If we ignore the spice factor, they taste the same as their other faux chicken products and they have a pretty interesting breadcrumb coating.

If they had a non-spicy version of these tenders with the exact same breading, I would definitely add them to my weekly shopping list!

Another thing I appreciated about these tenders is that you can easily cut them up and add them to things like rice or pasta, and they won’t overpower the dish at all. The flavour of the tenders is great at seeping out and permeating the rest of the dish, so if you, for example, add them to pasta, I would recommend not adding additional spices if you want to avoid a tongue-burning-disaster when you go to eat.

If you’re not too big into spice, like I am, but are still curious to try them, I’d recommend eating them on their own, with some kind of dip to cool off your mouth. I chose a fairly easy homemade ranch, but I’d imagine any non-spicy dip would do the trick.

As I said earlier, they only come 8 to a bag, but I actually don’t mind that with these. Between their bigger size and their spice, I think 8 is a good number to get you through the week.

Also, they aren’t any more expensive than Gardein’s other faux chicken products, so the only deciding factor in whether or not you should add them to your grocery haul would be whether or not you feel like getting a new batch of taste buds.

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