Pret a Manger gives BLT a vegan makeover

Pret a Manger has given its most popular sandwiches – including the tuna baguette and BLT – a high profile vegan makeover, in response to the fast-growing demand for plant-based food.

Two baguettes, one wrap and a sandwich will go on sale next week, with all four based on bestselling items from the Pret menu but using only vegan ingredients.

Its chefs have used chickpeas to mimic the texture and flavour of tuna and mushrooms to replicate bacon and duck in the plant-based versions of the bestselling tuna baguette, BLT, egg mayo baguette and hoisin duck wrap.

Related: Want to eat much less meat? Take the top vegan tips from the world’s tastiest cuisines

The new “chuna” mayo baguette, VLT, eggless mayo baguette and hoisin mushroom wrap have all been created in response to soaring consumer demand for more plant-based options.

They will be sold, initially, exclusively in the standalone Veggie Pret shops which sell only vegetarian and vegan products, but if successful they will be stocked in the main chain too.

An Instagram poll helped to find out which products its customers most wanted in vegan versions, according to Hannah Dolan, Pret’s global head of food innovation.

“These have been nine months in the pipeline and we have gone to great lengths to ensure that the new versions have all the tastes and textures of the original sandwiches they were inspired by,” she said.

The new chuna mayo baguette replicates the tuna mayo and cucumber original – a staple on the Pret menu for two decades and with more than 10,000 now sold in the UK every day. To mimic tuna, crushed chickpeas are flavoured with chopped pickled onions and capers – and a hint of seaweed – and mixed with vegan mayonnaise.

Its VLT pairs roasted shiitake mushroom “rashers”, with sliced tomatoes, green salad and a dollop of vegan mayo on malted bread. The eggless mayo is filled with finely chopped tofu in vegan mayonnaise, while the vegan hoisin and glazed mushroom wrap swaps chestnut mushrooms for duck.