AH Terra is a home brand of the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn. As is typical of a home brand, the ‘Plantaardige witte plak’ is offered at an attractive price. Like we also did with the Mild Slices by AH Terra, we thought it would be interesting to compare the price against some of the other vegan cheeses we reviewed of the same type. We paid a price for this product that is €14.60 per kilo.
Compared to the four other feta-style vegan cheeses we reviewed so far, from cheapest to most expensive:
- Greek White by Violife: €18.60 (our rating: 3)
- Gourmet feta by Simply V – €21.27 (our rating: 3.5)
- Sheese Greek Style by Bute Island Foods: €21.45 (our rating: 4)
- Vegan alternative for Greek Organic Cheese by Soyananda – €24.45 (our rating: 2.5)
So, in our sample, it does come out 20% cheaper than any of the other feta-style cheeses we tested. How does the tasting experience compare?
Firstly, from a looks point of view, it is stark white and the consistency is very smooth. It does not have any irregularities or creamy colour one would find on a feta cheese. The texture is less like feta as for example the Bute Island Sheese Greek Style, which is crumblier, whereas this one is more a smooth paste.
On the other hand, it smells lactic, quite like feta. The taste has quite a lot of tanginess, while it is still milder than a sheep and goat milk based feta. This tanginess, or basically acidity, we assume comes primarily from the Glucono-Delta-Lactone (E575), an additive also used in the Greek White by Violife, which imparts a feta-like tanginess.1 Also on other ingredients, it bears quite some similarity to Greek White, as both are coconut oil and starch based, while also some differences exists and we find this Plant-based White Slice less buttery, a bit lighter and tangier than the Greek White.
As with almost all coconut oil and starch based vegan cheeses, it melts well, very quickly actually, almost turning completely liquid under the grill. On the nutritional values, it is relatively high in saturated fat and salt, with only trace amounts of fibre and protein (potato protein is also listed in the ingredients).
Conclusion
Overall, while we would not add it to a cheese platter, we do think its competitive price makes it an interesting alternative to some of the similarly produced branded options.
