Vegan News and Reviews

To help you find new products, news, reviews, recipes and websites in the vegan space.

Vegan Essentials

Reasons to be vegan

How does eating meat harm the planet? - quick information sheet from PETA

Going vegan - Viva's guide with plenty of links to further information

Choose life - go veggie - an overview from Animal Aid covering animals, health and the environment

Why Vegan? (pdf) - a leaflet from the Vegan Society which explains some animal welfare issues, the effect on the planet and the worlds poorest people

What not to eat

The Vegan Society have produced a comprehensive guide to additives which are and may be animal derived

The Vegetarian Society have an which list common stumbling blocks for vegetarians and vegans

The BBC also have a simplistic guide which would be suitable for beginners

What to eat

Find out if it is vegan with IsItVegan.info

Have a look at PETA's vegetarian starter kit for ideas for breakfast, lunch, sandwiches and snacks.

There are hundred of vegan recipes available online here are a few places to find them:

You can also try using my Vegan Search Engine which only searches vegan friendly sites so you can just search for lasagne or chocolate cake and you will find several links to vegan recipes for both. I use it to find a recipe that will use up any ingredients that I have left over.

There are now a wide variety of products which replace the traditional animal derived ingredients, see Where to shop, you can buy specialist products online, in health food shops and the more popular items can be found in supermarkets.

Butter

Instead of butter I use Pure spread, it is widely available in supermarkets and health food shops. They have three varieties; Pure Soya (the green one) which is enriched with folic acid and vitamins D, E, A, B12 and B6, it also contains less than 1% salt, Pure Sunflower (the yellow one) which has a slightly nicer flavour and includes omega 3 and 6 as well as the previously mentioned vitamins but is more expensive and Pure Organic (the blue one) this one seems to be rarer in the shops in my area so I have not tried it, it only contains vitamins A and D but is certified organic by the Soil Association.

There are other varieties available from supermarkets and health foods shop, always read the label as some spreads that might first appear to be vegan may contain whey or buttermilk...

Chocolate

Chocolate was the first thing I panicked about when I went vegan, but there was no need to worry because there are many options available. If you are looking to replace your favourite type of chocolate bar you will probably need to buy online and may be disappointed, but the key is to focus on what you can is not what you can't. Check out Animal Aid for chocolates like Coffee Cremes, Hazelnut Crunch Truffles and Golden Coconut and Dark Chocolate bars, and Vegan Store for chocolate like Golden Crunch (like a crunchie bar), chocolate covered marshmallows and Organic Chocolate Caramel bars. So to buy online check out:

Vegan shops

Other shops

Another way to get a chocolate hit is with chocolate spread I recommend Biona Organic Chocolate Spread available from Ethical Superstore. Buying online is certainly the way to find a variety of vegan chocolate options but it is also pretty expensive, I like to buy some chocolate treats when I'm buying new shoes or energy efficient gifts...otherwise the postage charges can be prohibitive.

Also check out your local health food shop, mine stocks Booja Booja truffles which make great gifts, bars of Plamil chocolate, bars of Green and Blacks chocolate and my favourite Whizzers speckled eggs. You can also check out your local supermarket I recently found speckled eggs in Morrisons, Green and Blacks chocolate is widely available, and Sainsbury's does a freefrom soya choc bar. There are many makes of after dinner mints that are very nice including After Eights but it is always best to check the ingredients because things change. Elizabeth Shaw Coffee, Mint and Orange Crisp boxes are vegan and you can check out other makes using isitvegan.info

You may also want to have a look at these chocolatey recipes and check out the above vegan recipe sites to find more to try.

Other Products

Look out for products from Plamil, all of their products are vegan, some are organic and some are sugar-free. They produce chocolate bars, chocolate spread, carob bars, milk alternatives and mayonnaise. These products are widely available in health food shops and supermarkets or can be purchased online.

What to wear

The main problem here is shoes, fortunately there are several online shops that sell all sorts of shoes, boots and sandals.

These sites are also useful for jackets, belts and wallets. You can look out for sandals and shoes made from other materials on the high street. eBay can also be a good place to look.

Where to shop

Vegan Store

Sells:

Vegan Shoes - a wide range of hiking boots, shoes, trainers and sandals for men and women.
Leather Alternatives - including jackets, wallets and belts
Body Care - skin care, dental care, shaving, hair care, deodorants, suncare, bath and shower products, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, feminine products, vitamins, baby products and eye care
Groceries - egg and milk replacers, burger mix and similar, sauces, snacks, desserts, chocolate and sweets
Household Products - laundry, washing up, cleaner, unclogging drains, glue, dishwasher liquid and silver cleaner
And Also - plant wax candles, cook books, magnets, bumper stickers, t-shirts, a shopping bag, and badges

Delivery:

For UK deliveries they aim to process orders within seven days, 

	Orders under £5 - £2.50
	Orders under £10 - £3.50
	Orders under £15 - £4.50
	Orders over £15 - £4.95
	24 hour service - £6.20 (conditions apply)
	Orders over £50 - Free

For overseas orders details of postage rates will be emailed and are based on the weight of the order.
See site for further details

Animal Aid

Sells:

Vegan Shoes - sandals, shoes and boots mostly ladies some unisex
Clothing - t-shirts, vests and fleeces, some organic all with Animal Aid messages or logos
Accesories - Hats, wristbands, badges and shopping bags all with Animal Aid messages or logos, hemp socks, organic catnip bags, hemp wallets and unisex belts
Toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shower gel, foam bath, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, perfume, lotions, moisturisers and cosmetics
Chocolate - gift boxes, fudge, chocolate bars and drinking chocolate
Wine - cases of wine, champagne, lager and cider some are organic
Books and DVDs - a selection of animal rights books and cookbooks, some fiction books, several books about being a vegan and supporting animal rights plus DVD and Videos about animal cruelty
Stationery - Christmas cards, Greetings cards, pens, pencils and writing sets
Household - toothbrushes, razors, nutritional wallcharts, magnets, mugs, washing up, laundry and dishwasher liquid

Delivery:

Minimum order of £5

Goods normally dispatched within a few days but always allow 28 days for delivery especially in busy periods

For UK delivery:
	Orders from £5 - £20 = £3.25
	Orders from £20 - £45 = £4.50
	Orders greater than £45 = £5.50
For EU delivery:
	Any value = £15
For delivery to the rest of the world:
	Any vaule = £25

*Animal Aid members receive a 10% discount*

Alternative Soles

Sells:

Vegan Shoes - shoes, boots, trainers, sandals, wellies, slippers, tap and ballet shoes for men, women boys and girls, great range reasonably priced
Acce ssories - laces, wallets, waist bags, handbags, shoulder bags, hats, scarves,
Toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bath foam, hand wash, skin care, toothbrushes, toothpaste, makeup and hair colours
Confectionery - chocolate bars, buttons, gift boxes, sweets, lollies, mints, fudge and licorice
Food - cereal bars, baking products, beans and pulses, biscuits, cake, nut loaves, sausages, burgers, tvp, chinese food, condiments, soya desserts, jelly, custard, gravy, vegetable stock, herbs and spices, cereals, pate and nut butters, chocolate spread, soup, vitamins and minerals
Stationery - pencils, pens, rulers, pencil cases, notepads and mousemats
Household - soap pods, natural detergent pods, eco balls, magno balls, dryer balls, cleaning cloths and citricidal
Toys - paperpod play houses, playscenes, board games, block puzzles, dolls and skittles

Delivery:

Aim to despatch within 7 - 14 days but allow 28 days for delivery.

Goods delivered by courier between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday, signature 

required, see site for details.

For UK mainland delivery:
	Orders under £50 = £6.50
	Orders greater than £50 = free
For Scottish Isles, Highlands, Ireland and Channel Islands = £15
See site for rest of the world prices

Tried and tested

Recipes

Veggie Burgers - I love this recipe on Recipe Zaar from khah it tastes amazing, it's simple to make, if you have a blender, and is made from almost totally unprocessed foods. There is plenty of scope for adding flavours or different vegetables. The down side is that the burgers fall apart easily. Overall I give this recipe 8/10.

Just Like Egg Tofu Sandwiches - This is a lovely quick recipe. Basically it is grated tofu mixed with vegan mayonaise or salad cream. You can then add herbs, spices, onion etc. and top with lettuce or whatever you prefer. Great idea. 8/10.

Chocolate Cake - Perfect chocolate cake recipe, I have only made the cupcakes variation but they were gorgeous. I used vegetable oil and vanilla flavouring as that is what I had to hand, also note that baking soda means bicarbonate of soda to us Brits. The recipe made about 24 cupcakes which I topped with chocolate icing. 10/10!

Vanilla Cake - I have had some trouble making a plain cake in the past but this recipe from the Vegan Family House worked really well as cupcakes. Keep an eye on them when making cupcakes when the oven is preheated you are really only looking at 10-15 minutes until they are done. This recipe made about 18 cupcakes although I guess it depends on the size of your cup! Great cake I put lemon icing on the ones I just made and they are delicious. 10/10!