In the UK, eating insects might seem something only horrified showbiz personas on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! or adventurous contestants on Fear Factor are forced to do.

But edible critters are an up and coming market that promises not only extremely protein packed meals, but much more sustainable production - for obvious reasons, they require much less land, water and resources than livestock.

I'd always been curious and excited by the prospect - after all, if I can eat a pig, why can't I eat a fly?

And what's more, plenty of countries around the world have made delicacies out of creepy crswlies. 

So when offered, I was delighted to sample the latest offering from meal prep brand STOCKED - who have teamed up with insect-food company Yum Bug to create a 'Chilli con Cricket' meal that 'swaps beef for bugs'.

Elmira, 26, pictured, says she's always been curious and excited by the prospect of eating insects

Its 'rich, slow-cooked chilli is packed with smoky chipotle peppers, warming spices and black beans' claims to be as hearty as regular meat - but naturally, it's cricket mince instead of cow. 

STOCKED claim their offering tastes 'just like the real thing' - and they're absolutely right.

I was downright underwhelmed and bored by how regular the concoction tasted. Everything from the smell and down to the texture resembles beef in every way.

The ingredients list describes the curious mix as 'Cricket Mix [crickets/shellfish]' - but if there is any crustacean seafood in the mix, it was entirely undetectable to my tongue.

Spices are delicately balanced to create all the smoky flavours which don't leave you craving anything in terms of the palate. 

The cooking method was also quick and easy to follow. STOCKED provides you with frozen portioned out cubes which you can section into as big or small a meal as you want.

I decided to have two for a nice and easy meat wrap. The instructions are easy enough: top your cubes up with some water and simmer in a covered pan.

In 12 minutes (six minutes per brick), I was done and ready to eat. The food smelt absolutely delicious as it cooked - I'm sure that if anyone walked in and didn't know any better, they'd ask for a plate.

Elmira says she was 'downright underwhelmed and bored by how regular the concoction tasted'

STOCKED claim their offering tastes 'just like the real thing' - and they're absolutely right. Pictured, Elmira preparing the mince

I placed the meat into a wrap, deciding not to add anything I normally might - like cheese, some rice or extra vegetables - to make sure I wasn't covering up the flavour of the mince. 

I prepared to feel something on the first bite - imagining an odd aftertaste, a strange bitterness or maybe even a rogue cricket leg - but absolutely nothing came.

It tasted like an entirely normal meat wrap - which made me wish I'd gone to adorn it with more toppings to amp up the flavour.

My only qualm is that it was a touch too tomatoey for me - but that can be mitigated by adding other ingredients in the meal.

Leo Taylor, Yum Bug CEO and Co-founder, said: 'We're on a mission to create a more sustainable food system by showing people bugs are really just delicious food.

'By partnering 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 have recently launched London's first ever permanent bug-based restaurant in Finsbury Park.

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

Elmira said the cooking process was easy, starting off by placing the frozen blocks into a pan to simmer

The cooking method was also quick and easy to follow. STOCKED provides you with frozen portioned out cubes which you can section into as big or small a meal as you want

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

'Our customers care about the planet too, so we always have an eye out for innovative brands that are doing their bit to make our food system more sustainable. Then, along came Yum Bug!

'Our collaboration with Yum Bug is all about introducing our customers to a new source of protein in a dish they love, and hopefully introducing a few bug-lovers to the beauty of Blocks as well.'

The mince not only tasted good, but left me feeling incredibly sated for hours. The Yum Bug website says that their mince has 'up to 50 per cent more protein than beef for 15 times less CO2' and I'm not surprised - my partner was baffled by how little my usually ravenous appetite was when it came to dinner time. 

If you're more squeamish about bugs, this is a great first start - I feel up for many more insects now!

In 2022, a study suggested that swapping animal products for future foods such as insect protein or cultured milk could reduce global warming, water and land use by over 80 per cent.

Researchers used computer modelling to find the optimal diet combination to meet nutritional needs, while also minimising global warming potential, water and land use.

They found that if people in Europe replaced meat and dairy with foods produced through new technologies, such as making fake steak out of bovine cells, it could significantly reduce all environmental impacts.

Not only that, but it would be nutritionally adequate and meet the constraints for what can be feasibly consumed, according to experts at the University of Helsinki.

They said that alternative diets such as vegetarian, vegan or flexitarian, had demonstrated the health and environmental benefits of shifting towards lower meat consumption.

The ingredients list describes the curious mix as 'Cricket Mix [crickets/shellfish]' - but if there is any crustacean seafood in the mix, it was entirely undetectable to the tongue

 Elmira says it tasted like an entirely normal meat wrap - which made her wish she'd gone to adorn it with more toppings to amp up the flavour

BEEF VERSUS CRICKET

PROTEIN (g per 100g)

• Beef: 19.4g
• Cricket: 69g

CALCIUM (mg per 100g)

• Beef: 5mg
• Cricket: 104mg

IRON (mg per 100g)

• Beef: 1.95mg
• Cricket: 5.46

FAT (g per 100g)

• Beef: 9.3g
• Cricket: 5.06g

Source: YumBug 

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But novel or future foods (NFFs) — including cultured milk, insect meal or mycoprotein — can contain a more complete array of essential nutrients compared to currently available plant-based protein-rich (PBPR) options like legumes, pulses and grains, according to the researchers.

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

But it would appear the solution is much harder to implement for picky eaters around the globe.

That same year, a survey said seven in ten people are unwilling to adopt a 'bushtucker trial' diet – including insects such as mealworms – in order to save the planet.

The findings come from a study into alternative foods such as insects, meat grown in a laboratory and plant-based proteins, that are seen as better for the environment than meat and dairy.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey found 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 if they 'looked appetising' and 37 per cent were willing to try insects ground up into food. 

'Bushtucker trials' were made famous by 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 food... whilst 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 per cent), the poll results showed.

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