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The Compleat Food Group’s meat alternative brand Squeaky Bean has expanded into the hot pie category with a new fermented vegetable pie line.

Claimed to be a first-to-market innovation, the plant-based pies feature rich, savoury flavours from the fermented vegetables – according to the brand, this enables a kind of umami depth typically associated with meat.

They are launching in two varieties, Braised Veggie Pie and Spanish Chorizo Style Pie, now available in Tesco stores across the UK at an RRP of £3.75 per 209g pie.

Braised Veggie Pie includes chestnut mushrooms, beetroot and onion with a rich stout gravy and warming spices, complete with a puff pastry lid for an indulgent and comforting option.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Chorizo Style Pie celebrates Mediterranean flavours, combining creamy butter beans, courgettes and a fermented vegetable filling, also topped with puff pastry.

Squeaky Bean said the inclusion of butter beans marks the beginning of a new direction for the brand, with ‘more bean-based innovation to come’. This aligns with increasing consumer interest in more ‘natural’ and veg-led options, while the pies’ fermented vegetable ingredients also tap into the rising popularity of gut-friendly foods.

The pies are chilled and designed to be oven-cooked within 30 minutes, designed to provide a convenient main course option for any consumer, whether vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian.

Yvonne Adam, chief marketing officer at The Compleat Food Group, said: “At Squeaky Bean, we’re always looking for ways to inject plant-based excitement into other categories, and we identified an opportunity with pies. The hot pie category is now worth £424 million and vegan pies are growing at over 14% in value, so it’s the perfect time for us to bring something new to the table.”