The Vegetarian Butcher Taps Michelin Chefs for Its First Cookbook

The Vegetarian Butcher, the Unilever-owned Dutch plant-based meat brand, has launched its first cookbook “New Meat.”

The new cookbook builds on the success of the Vegetarian Butcher’s offerings since it launched in 2010. “New Meat” features 100 classic meat dishes made for “open-minded meat lovers.”

The book builds on the success of The Vegetarian Butcher, which started out in The Hague, offering meat-free options out of a butcher shop after ninth-generation farmer and meat lover Jaap Korteweg gave up eating meat. The company has been a leader in replicating sausage, mince, and burgers, with placement in 55 countries and more than 40,000 retail outlets.

“I was hooked on the taste of meat and my idea was how we can produce meat without animals with the same taste, the same texture, the same experience,” Korteweg told the World Economic Forum in 2019.

“People like meat,” says Korteweg. “But it’s not necessary to live without it, you can eat as much meat as you want, without the use of animals.”

The book features recipes from Korteweg along with a range of contributions from eleven top chefs including those from Michelin-starred chefs Asimakis Chaniotis, the executive chef at Pied à Terre in London; James Goodyear, the head chef at Adam’s; Ricky Saward chef at Seven Swans in Frankfurt, the first vegan restaurant in the world to be awarded a Michelin star and Michelin green star for sustainability; and Andrew Pern, chef and owner of the Star in North Yorkshire.

“New Meat” aims to spotlight the diversity plant-based meat offers. It features five of The Vegetarian Butcher products including vegan Chicken Chunks, the vegan Raw Burger, vegetarian Meatballs, vegan Chicken Breast, and the vegan Crispy Chicken Burger.

The book features cooking tips and tricks for working with plant-based ingredients in recipes including vegan Wellington, Bourguignon, and Indian Butter Chicken. “All of them showcasing the best of plant-based, sacrificing nothing in terms of taste, texture and traditions.”

Recipes cover five categories: Weekdays; Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch; Weekends; Snack Time; and Classics. Most of the recipes were developed by recipe developers, food stylists, and lifelong cooks José van Mil and Fleur van Mil, and photographed by Remko Kraaijeveld.

Beyond its retail presence, the Vegetarian Butcher, which was acquired by Unilever in 2018, plays a key role in making plant-based foods available at QSR chains across Europe through its multi-year and multi-country partnership with Burger King. The fast food chain has opened several 100% plant-based and vegetarian locations featuring the Vegetarian Butcher’s plant-based chicken and beef alternatives in Germany, the UK, and Portugal and debuted meat-free items in Austria, Spain, Switzerland, France, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

New Meat: A Plant-Based Ode to 100 Classic Meat Dishes by The Vegetarian Butcher. A vegetarian cookbook starring plant-based meat, with tips and inspiration recipes from Michelin star chefs is available to order here.