From cauliflower “rice” to cauliflower “mac and cheese”, the world seems obsessed with disguising the veg as alternative food.
And now, Marks and Spencer has jumped on the bandwagon.
The store is selling slices of the humble cauliflower as ‘Cauliflower Steak’, topped with herbs as an apparent alternative to your traditional sirloin.
Twitter user Rachel Clarke shared a photo of the product after spotting it in an M&S store last week.
“Marks and Spencer stores are selling sliced cauliflower as ‘Cauliflower Steak’ with lots of lovely plastic and charging £2 (normally £2.50),” she said.
“A cauliflower costs about 69p from a local veg shop.”
M&S isn’t the first place to rebrand sliced cauliflower as steak, with restaurants long passing the slab of veg off as a legitimate vegetarian meal option.
But that hasn’t stopped some on Twitter pointing out just how ridiculous the idea is.
Meanwhile others have raised concerns about the amount of plastic waste generated by the M&S food packaging.
Many on Twitter have also pointed out that purchasing cauliflower by the slice is not the most cost-effective method if you do desire charred cauliflower for dinner.
A single, whole cauliflower in M&S costs £1 and will provide more than one ‘steak’.
In response to the criticism an M&S spokesperson said in a statement: “We have launched a ready-to-cook Cauliflower Steak with a herb dressing as part of our new Veggie range. This is for customers looking for a quick and convenient vegetarian meal option.
“The plastic tray protects the product and is widely recyclable. We continue to look at ways to optimise our food packaging and ensure it can be widely recycled.”