Urban Farm-Produce Hops On UK’s Whole-Food, Anti-UPF Drive with Lion’s Mane Steaks & Mince

Amid an ongoing fundraising drive, UK mushroom grower Urban Farm-Produce has unveiled Prepared Mane, a range of lion’s-mane-based meat alternatives.

As sales of plant-based food bounce back in the UK, one company is betting the farm on mushrooms.

Mushroom specialist Urban Farm-Produce has launched a range of lion’s mane mushroom products to target the country’s evolved meat-free category.

The Prepared Mane range comprises ready-to-cook mushroom steaks and mince that fit neatly into the growing demand for minimally processed, whole-food-forward options.

“Prepared Mane is our response to a category that’s lost touch with what vegan-friendly should be. Consumers are looking for food that’s simple, clean and recognisable, and right now, too many meat-free products are anything but,” said founder and CEO Elliot Webb.

“By centring this range around UK-grown lion’s mane, we’re showing that whole food innovation can deliver flavour, texture and convenience without compromise.”

Mushroom meats meet the clean-label shift ‘head-on’

Lion’s mane mushrooms have enjoyed a hike in popularity thanks to their functional and culinary benefits. They are known to boost brain health, cognitive function, and immunity, enhance digestive and gut health, and lower the risk of heart disease, among other advantages.

Further, chefs love the ingredient for its tender, fibrous texture and buttery flavour, lending itself well to marinades and holding its own as a meat alternative.

“Chefs have been telling us for years that they want meat-free options that work with the pace of a professional kitchen, not against it,” said Webb.

“Prepared Mane was designed for that reality of real ingredients, minimal prep, and ready to go. It gives operators the practicality they need, while still staying true to whole-food principles.”

The line has both frozen and chilled products, including unsmoked and smoked lion’s mane steaks. The former pairs the mushrooms with beetroot juice, apple juice, cider vinegar, sugar, and salt; the latter includes wood-smoked water, salt and sugar.

The mince is described as a customisable base rather than a “highly flavoured imitation”. It’s made from lion’s mane and chestnut mushrooms, beetroot, white onions, salt, and white pepper.

“Consumers are becoming far more selective, questioning long ingredient lists and looking for meat-free/vegan options that feel closer to real food. Prepared Mane meets that shift head-on. Simple, versatile and built around a single ingredient that stands on its own,” said Webb.

“There’s huge demand for meat-free/vegan products that are not only better for people, but better for the planet,” he added. “Growing Lion’s Mane here in the UK allows us to create a meat-free solution that’s local, transparent and genuinely sustainable. Prepared Mane reflects everything we believe food innovation should be: responsible, honest and rooted in real ingredients.”

Tapping into whole-food, fibre and gut health trends

The rollout comes at a time when whole foods are reigning supreme in the UK. Unease about ultra-processing has pushed more Brits to choose vegetable-based products over meat alternatives. In fact, 60% of Brits are cutting back on ultra-processed foods, citing concerns about their health effects.

Many health experts have warned against confounding processing levels with nutrition, but the discourse had shrunk Brits’ appetite for plant-based foods like meat alternatives. In 2024, for instance, sales of these products fell by 10% compared to the year before.

However, that changed in 2025, with the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, reporting that the plant-based category had returned to growth for the first time in years. Vegan mince products witnessed a near-25% sales hike in its stores, and plant proteins like tofu, tempeh and seitan experienced a 12% increase.

Data from market analysts Nielsen shows that volume demand for chilled plant-based food rose by just under 1% across UK supermarkets in 2025, increasing to 1.7% in the final quarter of the year.

For some, the one drawback of mushroom-based meat alternatives may be the protein content. Urban Farm-Produce’s smoked steak and mince both have around 2.5g of protein per 100g, far lower than their animal- and plant-based counterparts.

However, Brits already exceed the daily recommended amount of protein. What they’re lacking in, however, is fibre – 95% of consumers are deficient in this nutrient. And these mushroom meats provide this in droves. The unsmoked steak has 5.4g of fibre per 100g, rising to 7.4g for the mince.

These products will key into the gut health and fibre consumption drive spurred by the 30-plants-a-week movement, documentaries like Netflix’s Hack Your Health, nutrition apps such as Zoe, and TikTok trends like fibremaxxing and fibrelayering.

Urban Farm-Produce’s new offerings join an ever-expanding list of whole-food plant-based products in the UK, including Symplicity Foods’s fermented-vegetable-based meats, Juicy Marbles’s Umami Burger, This’s Super Superfood and chickpea tofu lines, and Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop.