Plant-based brand Symplicity is launching its first roast into Waitrose stores nationwide on 10 September.
Dubbed Cranberry & Sage Roast (rsp: £7.95/300g), it has been described as an “indulgent centrepiece” with a “deep, rich umami flavour” that has been developed through lacto-fermentation – like kimchi.
Mushrooms, onions and beetroot are slowly fermented to “unlock depth, complexity and umami”, according to the business, before being combined with “creamy butter beans, sweet cranberries and fragrant sage, with sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeds” that add texture and bite.
Symplicity said the SKU had a protein count to rival “traditional roast meats”, delivering 29g of protein per 150g serving alongside 9g of fibre. It also contains 11 plant points and it is not ultra-processed.
The development is the latest retail launch by the business, which released its first retail products into Waitrose earlier this year – although it already featured in foodservice and on the menus of Dishoom and Gordon Ramsay restaurants.
It will also be initially available at an introductory price of £6.
“Roasts are already predominantly vegetables, but the protein or centrepiece has always been a blindspot for professional cooks and home cooks,” said Symplicity co-founder and chef Neil Rankin.
“I’m not excited by dry nut roasts and heavily processed mimics always feel to me like a bad imitation that, while clever, never quite hits the mark,” he continued.
“I believe in simple cooking, great ingredients and in fermentation, which gives vegetables the depth and richness you actually crave,” Rankin added. “That’s why chefs like us so much and we now want to bring it to the mass market.”
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