Garden Inspirations is a new name to me. Close inspection of this packaging shows this is a sub label of FarmRich, their platform to compete in the ever growing plant-based foods space. Six sliders come inside this cardboard pack. The frozen sandwiches come sealed in plastic wrapping inside, two to a pack.
Cooking: Microwave or bake. I can’t imagine many will invest the near 30 minute cook time to bake these. They’re ultimately snack sized and the microwave offers a piping hot grab and go option in barely two minutes.
Taste and texture: As you’d expect, if you microwave these, the buns come out on the mushy and soggy side. The “pre-shredded soy product” inside is surprisingly good though, it has an enjoyably meaty chew and the BBQ sauce is somewhat restrained in its use of sugar. There’s some tangy fruitiness and also a little spicy warmth on the back of the throat. Sadly there’s just not enough of it. The buns are dense and bready and thoroughly overpower the flavor of the BBQ filling, which is completely lost.
Overall: There needs to be 2-3x more BBQ filling per slider in my mind. Compare the packaging’s ambitious looks (overstuffed buns with BBQ spilling out) to the reality below, they’re not even close. The slider bun recipe needs reworking too, its far too strong a flavor. For the time being, this one is a pass for me.
Garden Inspirations Plant Based BBQ Sliders nutrition and cooking
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Overall
Are Garden Inspirations Plant Based BBQ Sliders any good?
While the plant based BBQ filling is surprisingly enjoyable, there’s just not enough here to outcompete the flavor of the heavy, dense and bready bun.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!