Planet Veggie

I first reviewed Violife vegan cheese on this blog almost ten years ago. How much has changed since then? Well, Violife have certainly added to their range, that’s for sure! 

Ten years ago, I was far more likely to eat dairy cheese than vegan cheese. While I can’t honestly say vegan cheese has improved so much over the years it’s now on a par with the stuff that comes from cows, supermarkets these days have so many different styles and brands of vegan cheese to choose from, you’re bound to find something you like (or at least don’t hate too much). 

A dairy-free fridge

Since moving into a house on my own five years ago, I have a 99.9% dairy-free home. I say 99.9% dairy-free because occasionally I will eat something that contains dairy but, hand on heart, I can say I have only ever had vegan cheese in my fridge since living here. That’s how far vegan cheese has come along.  

Violife vegan cheese

Most of that time, that vegan cheese has been Violife, and I’m not just saying that because they recently sent me a load of cheese to review. I’m well aware that, even if I’m allowed to say whatever the flipping flop I like on my own blog, there is a such a thing as positivity bias and, if someone’s given something for free, psychologically, they’re going to look on it more favourably. 

However, I am not that person and if I think something’s shit, I’ll say so. Don’t believe me? Check out this review, or this one. 

Violife original flavour slices

I love Violife slices. Okay, they can’t compete head-to-head with those wonderfully disgusting neon yellow rubbery cheese slices you get in individual plastic wrappers, but if you don’t feel a burger is a burger without a cheese slice somewhere amongst the salad and sauce, then Violife slices perfectly fit the bill. 

They’re also great in sandwiches, too. 

Violife original flavour grated

While I prefer Violife Epic Mature Cheddar Flavour (see below), Violife original flavour grated is great for those who either can’t handle a cheese grater easily, don’t want to wash up a grater or just want the convenience of ready-grated cheese. 

While there’s a mega-melty image of pizza on the packet, my experiement with Violife grated on a pizza wasn’t so successful. Admittedly, I didn’t put enough on for it to melt like it is on the illustration but I don’t like that much vegan cheese on my pizza. 

What am I trying to say here? I’m not sure I even know myself! 

Violife grated tastes fine and is a good addition when you want to add a bit of grated cheese to something such as pizza or pasta. 

Violife Epic Mature Cheddar flavour

Violife state that their Epic Mature has an epic taste and I’ve got to say, they’re pretty much there. This is probably the closest vegan cheddar cheese to dairy cheddar cheese I’ve had. I still wouldn’t go as far as eating lumps of it straight off the block but, as a cruelty-free alternative to cheddar, it hits the spot in sandwiches or wherever else you’d use a block cheese. 

Violife Le Rond Camembert flavour

I have to admit I haven’t tried Violife Le Rond Camembert flavour yet but I’m definitely intrigued. I’ve tried a vegan Camembert from another brand in the past and that was pretty much spot on. Violife’s Camembert can be served hot or cold, so I might give it a try hot. 

Violife smoky cheddar flavour slices

Again, I have to admit I haven’t tried Violife smoky cheddar flavour slices yet. Not because I’m scared but because I’ve been calorie counting and my lunches have consisted mostly of fruit and yoghurt, not sandwiches.

Violife vegan cheese range 

All of Violife’s products are vegan, registered by The Vegan Society and contain coconut oil and B12. Their range doesn’t begin and end with the products mentioned above, either. They have soft cheese (I can confirm it’s yum and fab on bagels, crackers, etc.) and I even saw a vegan cream with their name on in Asda the other day. 

As I said at the beginning, there isn’t really a vegan cheese that can compete head on with a dairy cheese, but vegan cheese has vastly improved over the years and just the sheer availablity of it is a good enough excuse to ditch the dairy. 

For more info and vegan recipes, check out the Violife website.