I had ground cricket and it was delicious.

In the UK, eating insects may seem like something only the showbiz characters in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here are horrified by. or the adventurous Fear Factor contestants are forced to do so.

But edible bugs are a promising market that promises not only protein-rich meals, but also much more sustainable production; For obvious reasons, they require much less land, water and resources than livestock.

I had always been curious and excited at the prospect; After all, if I can eat a pig, why can’t I eat a fly?

And what’s more, many countries around the world have made treats featuring creepy creatures.

So when it was offered to me, I was delighted to try the latest offering from meal prep brand STOCKED, which has teamed up with insect food company Yum Bug to create a ‘Chilli con Cricket’ meal that ‘swaps meat for insects’.

Their “rich, slow-cooked chili, packed with smoky chipotle peppers, warm spices, and black beans,” claims to be as hearty as regular beef, but naturally, it’s ground cricket rather than beef.

STOCKED claims their offering tastes “just like the real thing,” and they’re absolutely right.

I felt completely disappointed and bored by the so-so taste of the concoction. Everything from the smell to the texture resembles beef in every way.

The list of ingredients describes the curious mixture as ‘Cricket Mix [crickets/shellfish]’ – but if there were any crustaceans in the mix, they were completely imperceptible to my tongue.

The spices are delicately balanced to create all the smoky flavors that won’t leave you wanting for anything palate-wise.

The cooking method was also quick and easy to follow. STOCKED provides you with pre-portioned frozen cubes that you can divide into as big or small a meal as you like.

I decided to grab two for a nice easy meat wrap. The instructions are pretty simple: fill the cubes with a little water and cook over low heat in a covered saucepan.

In 12 minutes (six minutes per brick), it was done and ready to eat. The food smelled absolutely delicious while it was cooking; I’m sure if someone walked in and didn’t know any better, they would order a dish.

I placed the meat in a wrapper and decided not to add anything I would normally add, like cheese, some rice, or extra vegetables, to make sure I didn’t cover up the flavor of the ground beef.

I prepared myself to taste something at the first bite, imagining a strange aftertaste, a strange bitterness, or maybe even a wayward cricket leg, but absolutely nothing happened.

It tasted like a completely normal meat wrap, which made me wish I had garnished it with more ingredients to enhance the flavor.

My only qualm is that it was too tomato for me, but that can be mitigated by adding other ingredients to the meal.

Leo Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Yum Bug, said: “We are on a mission to create a more sustainable food system by showing people that bugs are actually a delicious food.”

“By teaming up with STOCKED to create the new Chilli con Cricket, people now have the perfect way to try crickets at home in a quick, sustainable and delicious meal.”

Yum Bug is also planning major restaurant partnerships this year and recently opened London’s first permanent insect-based restaurant in Finsbury Park.

“STOCKED was born out of a hatred of waste,” added STOCKED co-founder Sam Moss.

‘Our innovative packaging is a way to fit more food into less packaging and our Blocks allow people to choose their own portions. This means busy foodies can eat what’s right for them every time and limit what ends up in the trash.

‘Our customers care about the planet too, so we’re always on the lookout for innovative brands that are doing their bit to make our food system more sustainable. Then came Yum Bug!

“Our collaboration with Yum Bug aims to introduce our customers to a new source of protein in a dish they love and hopefully introduce some bug lovers to the beauty of Blocks, too.”

The minced meat not only tasted good, but also left me incredibly satiated for hours. The Yum Bug website says its ground beef has “up to 50 percent more protein than beef and produces 15 times less CO2” and I’m not surprised: my partner was baffled by how little my usually voracious appetite was. at dinner time. .

If you’re more squeamish about bugs, this is a great first start – now I’m looking forward to a lot more bugs!

In 2022, a study suggested that exchanging animal products for future foods, such as insect protein or cultured milk, could reduce global warming, water and land use by more than 80 percent.

The researchers used computer models to find the optimal diet combination to meet nutritional needs while minimizing global warming potential and water and land use.

They found that if people in Europe replaced meat and dairy with foods produced using new technologies, such as making fake steaks from bovine cells, all environmental impacts could be significantly reduced.

Not only that, but it would be They are nutritionally adequate and meet the limitations of what is feasible to consume, according to experts from the University of Helsinki.

They said alternative diets, such as vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian, had demonstrated the health and environmental benefits of switching to less meat consumption.

But new or future foods (NFF), including cultured milk, insect meal or mycoproteins, may contain a more complete range of essential nutrients compared to currently available plant-based protein-rich (PBPR) options, such as legumes, legumes and cereals, according to the researchers.

They said NFFs also tend to be more land and water efficient than existing animal products.

But it seems the solution is much harder to implement for picky eaters around the world.

That same year, a survey said sEven one in ten people are unwilling to adopt a “bushtucker-proof” diet (including insects such as mealworms) to save the planet.

The findings come from a study on alternative foods such as insects, lab-grown meat and plant-based proteins, which are considered better for the environment than meat and dairy.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey found that 67 per cent of people said “nothing could make them try edible insects”, 13 per cent could be persuaded if they knew it was safe to eat, 11 per cent would would do if they “looked appetizing.” and 37 percent were willing to try ground-up insects for food.

The ‘Bushtucker Trials’ were made famous by the TV show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, in which contestants are forced to eat creepy crawlies.

The FSA said it is working to ensure people can enjoy “innovative foods… while still having full confidence in their safety”.

While six in 10 respondents were willing to try plant-based proteins in their diet, the biggest barrier was a preference for traditional meats (36 percent), survey results showed.

Of those who said they were unwilling to try lab-grown meat, 27 percent said they could be persuaded if they knew it was safe to eat and 23 percent if they could trust it was properly regulated.