We’ve seen plenty of meat-free meat - and even fish-free fish - now it’s the turn of the prawn-free prawn.

Vegetarian-friendly king prawns - the latest innovation from the Linda McCartney brand - are made from whey protein, potato starch and natural colourings and flavourings.

Rolling out next month, they were “very similar” in texture to real prawns, and were high in protein and a good source of fibe, claimed the company.

The first two lines to be launched would be plain Fish Free King Prawns (rsp: £2.50) and Fish Free King Prawn & Vegetable Stir Fry (rsp: £1.89), but the company said it was already looking at further ways to use the prawns and that other products were in the pipeline for launch later this year.

“We believe there is a huge market for Fish Free King Prawns and expect year-one sales to reach £1m,” said brand manager Roberta Herd.

Linda McCartney owner Hain Daniels Group - formed when Hain Celestial acquired Daniels last year for £144m - has unveiled ambitious plans to become a major force in the UK fresh and frozen foods market.

Last month, the company said it would broaden the Linda McCartney offering with lighter products and take on rival veggie brand Quorn in chilled.

Last year, Quorn launched a range of chilled and frozen fish substitutes including fish-less fingers and tuna style & sweetcorn crispbakes. Two of the crispbake lines were delisted by Tesco late last year.