Is Vadasz Kimchi Good? The Full Review — Taste, Ingredients & Where to Buy (2026)
Is Vadasz kimchi good? A standalone deep-dive on the UK’s most talked-about kimchi brand — real ingredients, taste, where it’s actually stocked, the wider Vadasz fermented range, and honest answers to what UK shoppers are asking.
Is Vadasz Kimchi Good?
Yes — is Vadasz kimchi good? By most measures, yes. It’s a genuinely well-regarded UK-made kimchi, holding a 4 out of 5 star rating across over 100 reviews on Waitrose’s own site, plus a Great Taste Award from 2018. Made with a short, natural ingredient list — Chinese leaf cabbage, carrots, spring onion, sea salt, chilli powder, ginger, and garlic — it’s fully vegan and naturally fermented with live cultures. It isn’t a strict copy of a traditional Korean recipe (no fish sauce, no rice paste, no gochugaru specifically), so treat it as a well-made, approachable UK take on kimchi rather than the most authentic jar you could buy. It’s sold at Waitrose, Asda, and Morrisons for around £4.95 per 400g pot.
Vadasz Kimchi — At a Glance
Here’s what actually matters before you decide whether to put a pot in your trolley.
- Taste: clean, natural, milder than a traditional Korean jar — genuinely well-reviewed.
- Made by: Vadasz, founded 2011, now produced by The Compleat Food Group.
- Ingredients: Chinese leaf cabbage, carrots, spring onion, sea salt, chilli powder, ginger, garlic — no fish sauce.
- Diet: vegan and vegetarian, naturally fermented with live cultures.
- Where to buy: Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons — not a Waitrose exclusive.
- Price: ~£4.95 for a 400g pot.
Vadasz Kimchi — Product Overview
Before answering is Vadasz kimchi good in detail, here’s the product itself, at a glance.
Who Makes Vadasz Kimchi?
Unlike most kimchi brands, Vadasz has a genuine, documented UK founder story behind it.
Vadasz was founded by Nick Vadasz in 2011, initially selling pickles and ferments from market stalls in London. The brand’s own materials describe a Hungarian family background as part of the inspiration behind the pickling and fermenting approach. It arrived on Waitrose shelves in 2019 — the same year the brand was acquired by The Compleat Food Group, a UK food manufacturer that continues to produce the range today.
That acquisition matters for anyone asking is Vadasz kimchi good from a consistency standpoint: rather than remaining a small artisan operation with the batch variation that can come with it, Vadasz now has the backing and quality-control infrastructure of an established UK food producer, while retaining its original, natural recipe positioning. The Compleat Food Group has since described Vadasz as “the UK’s leading pickles and kimchi brand” in its own trade press statements — a claim worth treating as marketing language rather than an independently verified ranking, but one that at least signals real commercial confidence in the brand.
A genuine grassroots-to-supermarket trajectory: starting on London market stalls in 2011, reaching Waitrose in 2019, and now also listed at Asda and Morrisons — real, documented retail growth rather than a single-location artisan product.
Vadasz doesn’t market itself as a strict traditional Korean recipe — it’s positioned as a natural, vegan “super condiment.” That’s a meaningfully different promise than a Korean-import jar, and worth knowing going in.
Real Ingredients Breakdown
Pulled directly from the current Waitrose ingredient panel — not a marketing summary.
| Ingredient | Role |
|---|---|
| Chinese leaf cabbage | Base vegetable |
| Carrots | Sweetness and colour |
| Spring onion | Aromatic |
| Sea salt | Fermentation and seasoning |
| Chilli powder | Heat and colour — not gochugaru specifically |
| Ginger | Aromatic |
| Garlic | Aromatic |
Taste & Texture — What Reviewers Say
So, is Vadasz kimchi good on flavour specifically? The available reviewer evidence points consistently one way.
Independent UK reviewer sentiment describes Vadasz as a genuinely good-tasting vegan kimchi with a simple, natural ingredient list — one dedicated UK gut-health review site’s verdict specifically calls out its clean flavour built from straightforward ingredients. That lines up with the 4-out-of-5-star rating and over 100 reviews visible on Waitrose’s own product page, a meaningfully large and public sample size for a fermented side product.
Because the recipe skips fish sauce, shrimp paste, and rice paste, expect a cleaner, milder flavour than a traditionally fermented Korean jar — less funky, less deeply savoury, but also more approachable for someone trying kimchi for the first time or cooking for a household with fish allergies or a vegan diet. The packaging itself flags that the pot is “full of healthy lactic acid bacteria,” which can cause a build-up of CO2 — genuine evidence of active, ongoing fermentation rather than a shelf-stable, heat-treated product.
The Wider Vadasz Range
Part of what makes Vadasz stand out among UK kimchi brands is how far the range has expanded — genuinely differentiated content no other UK kimchi brand guide covers in this depth.
Vegan & Halal Status
One of the clearer answers in this review — Vadasz Kimchi is explicitly labelled suitable for vegetarians and vegans on its packaging, with no fish sauce, shrimp paste, or other animal-derived ingredients in the published list.
Storage & Shelf Life
Storage instructions are specific and worth following closely, since this is a genuinely live-fermenting product.
- Keep refrigerated below 5°C at all times, both before and after opening.
- Once opened, use within 2 weeks per the current packaging guidance.
- Keep the pot upright. This isn’t a generic instruction — active fermentation genuinely builds up CO2 pressure inside the sealed pot, and the label specifically warns about this.
- Don’t exceed the use-by date printed on the side of the pot.
Is Vadasz Good for Cooking, or Best Eaten Raw?
Both — and the brand itself leans into this dual identity.
Vadasz markets its kimchi as a “super condiment” as much as a traditional side dish, and the milder, vegan flavour base genuinely supports that positioning — it works well stirred through kimchi fried rice, folded into noodles, or used as a sandwich or burger topping, without the stronger fermented-fish funk of a more traditional jar potentially overwhelming other ingredients. Because it’s milder to begin with, it doesn’t need much aging before cooking with it — it works well straight from a freshly opened pot as well as after a week or so in the fridge.
Where to Buy Vadasz Kimchi & Price
Confirmed at three major UK retailers — worth knowing, since some earlier coverage assumed this was a Waitrose exclusive.
| Retailer | Confirmed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Waitrose | ✓ Confirmed | Original launch retailer (2019); ~£4.95 for a 400g pot |
| Asda | ✓ Confirmed | 400g pot listed on Asda Groceries |
| Morrisons | ✓ Confirmed | 400g pot listed on Morrisons Online Groceries |
Availability can still vary by individual store size and region even at these three retailers — larger branches are generally more likely to stock the full Vadasz range than smaller local stores. If your regular supermarket doesn’t carry it, checking a larger branch nearby or ordering via the retailer’s website is worth trying before assuming it’s unavailable in your area.
Related Guides
Naturally connected reading if you’re deciding on Vadasz or want to put a pot to use.
Is Vadasz Kimchi Good? FAQ — 17 Questions
Yes — Vadasz is widely regarded as one of the better UK-made kimchi brands, with a simple, natural ingredient list and a genuine reputation among UK reviewers and shoppers. It’s a vegan kimchi rather than a strict copy of a traditional Korean recipe, and it carries a Great Taste Award from 2018. On Waitrose’s own site it holds a 4 out of 5 star rating across over 100 customer reviews.
Vadasz was founded by Nick Vadasz in 2011, initially selling pickles and ferments from market stalls in London. The brand arrived at Waitrose in 2019, the same year it was acquired by The Compleat Food Group, which continues to produce it today from UK sites.
Yes — Vadasz Kimchi is explicitly labelled suitable for vegetarians and vegans, made without fish sauce or shrimp paste, unlike a traditional Korean recipe.
Per the current Waitrose listing: Chinese leaf cabbage, carrots, spring onion, sea salt, chilli powder, ginger, and garlic. A short, simple list with no rice paste, fish sauce, or listed preservatives.
Vadasz Kimchi is sold at Waitrose (where it originally launched in 2019), and is also listed at Asda and Morrisons, so it isn’t a Waitrose exclusive. Availability can vary by store size and region.
Around £4.95 for a 400g pot on Waitrose’s website (roughly £12.38 per kg), per the current listing. Pricing can vary slightly by retailer.
Yes — the packaging describes it as naturally fermented and live cultured, and specifically notes the pack is “full of healthy lactic acid bacteria,” which can cause a build-up of CO2 — a genuine sign of active fermentation, not a fault.
Not in the strictest sense. Traditional Korean kimchi typically includes gochugaru, rice paste, and often fish sauce or shrimp paste — Vadasz uses chilli powder instead of gochugaru and leaves out fish sauce and rice paste entirely, giving a simpler, milder, vegan-friendly flavour rather than a direct copy of a traditional recipe.
Reviewer sentiment describes it as a genuinely good-tasting vegan kimchi with clean, natural flavour — milder and simpler than a traditional Korean jar, without the funk that fish sauce or a longer ferment can bring.
Keep it refrigerated below 5°C at all times. Once opened, use within 2 weeks, and keep the pot upright — active fermentation can build up CO2 pressure inside a sealed, unopened pot.
Yes — Super Green Kimchi (launched 2020, made with cucumber, apple, kale, spring onion, green jalapeño chillies, ginger and garlic), Kimchi Ketchup, Super Beet Kimchi, and, as of 2025, a Kimchi Shot health-shot format with no added sugar.
A 2020 line extension made with Chinese leaf cabbage, cucumbers, apples, kale, spring onions, green jalapeño chillies, ginger and garlic — a distinctly different, milder and fruitier take on kimchi than the original recipe, launched exclusively at Waitrose at the time.
Yes — the packaging carries a Great Taste Award badge from 2018, a respected UK food industry accolade, alongside its “Naturally Fermented” and “Live Cultured” claims.
It contains no meat, fish, or animal-derived ingredients based on the published ingredient list, which some Halal-tracking product databases list as suitable on that basis. We could not independently confirm a formal third-party Halal certification as of this update — check the current packaging for a certification mark if that matters to you.
Yes — its milder, vegan flavour base works well folded into fried rice, stirred through noodles, or used as a sandwich condiment. It’s positioned by the brand itself as a “super condiment” as much as a side dish.
Both are vegan-friendly options sold in UK supermarkets, but from very different backgrounds — Vadasz is a UK-founded brand built around a natural, simple recipe, while Bibigo is CJ CheilJedang’s global Korean food brand, with its UK ambient pouch using a soy peptone starter culture instead of fish sauce. See our full Bibigo kimchi review for that comparison.
Produced for the brand in the UK — packaging lists production addresses in Redhill, Surrey and Belfast, Northern Ireland, consistent with ownership by The Compleat Food Group, a UK food manufacturer.
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