Guide to vegan Devon

This is one of the most fabulous posts I have ever featured on my blog.

Clare of Fairfoods has very kindly written this stunning vegan guide to Devon with a detailed tour of Exeter.

Start planning your next holiday, UK vegans. It looks like you are heading to Devon.

Vegan Devon

with a tour of Exeter

Vegan food is slowly but surely on the rise in Devon. As if to prove it, (Number 1 on map) Seasons health food shop in Exeter went vegan last week, having just changed ownership. It is now packed full of vegan delights – homemade pies and cupcakes, freezer and fridges full of savouries, vegan cheese, cheese and onion crisps, naan bread, a huge range of chocolate, palm oil free soap, toiletries, organic veg and loads more. Seasons was established in 1978 which makes it even more awesome that it’s now 100% vegan. You can find it at 8 Well Street, Exeter, EX4 6QR.

Exeter has other vegan food on offer and here it is:

2. Starting at the bottom of Exeter, go from the Quay and up New Bridge Street and you’ll find Hidden Treasures tea room at 5a New Bridge Street on the right. Not a fully vegan venue, but you can purchase a vegan cream tea with sandwiches, cake and scones, vegan cream and jam for around £12. I haven’t tried it but have heard rave reviews about it.

3. Carry on up and on your left you’ll find Tony’s at 141 Fore Street, where they offer the option of lovely homemade vegan ice cream. I’ve tried pumpkin; matcha tea and coffee coconut flavour. They were all gorgeous, the coffee coconut was my favourite.

4. Still further up the street at 153 Fore Street is Jasmine Thai. This omnivorous restaurant has a vegan member of staff in the kitchen and the vegan options are amazing. A bit pricey – but worth it – about £18 for two courses. Or you can have a set menu for about £20 which is probably better value and gives you the chance to try more dishes.

5. Next up is Herbies veggie restaurant at 15 North Street. They have been there for over 20 years serving up generous portions of lovely grub. Main courses are between £8 and £11, my favourite is the lasagne. There are lots of vegan options and most of the puds are vegan.

6. Now we’re popping into Cathedral Green which is a nice place to sit, though it does get packed in the summer. On Cathedral Green is Plant, another veggie restaurant which has some vegan options including cake. Their food is rustic, tasty and their salads are worth a mention. I think it’s quite hard to get salads right, theirs are spot on and usually all vegan. A savoury and salads is about £10.

7. Go down a narrow cobbled street called Gandy Street and just off there is the Cavern. There aren’t loads of vegan options on their veggie menu, but you can get a cheap and cheerful vegan breakfast for £4, or £5 with extra vegan sausages. Plus a mug of tea for just over a quid. The veggie cafe is open during the day, in the evening the Cavern is a music venue and they have some pretty awesome bands.

8. Next up is the Firehouse pub, near to the other end of town on 50 New North Road. The Firehouse pub is a venue popular with students and they offer a vegan section on their menu at all times, after 9pm they also offer massive (about 14 inch square) vegan pizzas complete with vegan cheese. I shared a mushroom pizza with my partner, it was delicious and cost about a tenner. My pizza came quickly, other people in my (large) group had to wait an hour as the place was so busy. This is often the case so it’s worth getting there early to make sure you get a pizza. They also serve meat and dairy.

9. Directly opposite the Firehouse is The Oddfellows Bar where Exeter Friends for Animals (EFFA) hold their Vegan Drinks, usually once a month. Oddfellows is a typical gastropub with vegan main meal options at around £10-£12. Each time, except on my last visit, I’ve found the food to be delicious and nicely presented. On my last visit though, the vegan options were limited and I really liked one of my choices but was disappointed with the other. Oddfellows usually provide good vegan choices and have a vegan real ale on tap for the Vegan Drinks nights.

10. Not that far away is New Horizons at 47 Longbrook Street. Not exclusively vegan or veggie, but they offer a vegan mezze and vegan baklava among other things. It’s good basic food at a reasonable price – the large mezze cost £6.

1. And then we’re back where we started, with Seasons at 8 Well Street.

Before we leave Exeter, a quick shout out to EFFA, they have played a big role in promoting veganism in Exeter, they run ‘Go Vegan with EFFA’ each year which includes film screenings, socials, vegan outreach stalls and culminates in a vegan fair and bake sale. You can find out more here.

The rest of Devon

Devon is huge so I’ve picked out the vegan food establishments/groups in the rest of Devon. I think this is all of them, but would hate to miss one, please add in the comments if this is the case.

• Bake, Eat, Love – Delicious vegan cupcakes and bakes. BEL are based near Tiverton and cater for birthdays, weddings etc. or just if you fancy a treat.

• Ethica – fantastic vegan health food shop packed to the hilt with vegan treats and some healthy stuff too. Plus stuff for dogs.

• Fairfoods – which I co-own – hello! We are based in mid-Devon and provide vegan catering for Devon, Somerset and beyond.

• Fairport – vegan market stall with health foods, homemade treats and toiletries.

• Mim’s Emporium – Mim’s started off the trend for vegan food outlets in Devon with their market stall in Newton Abbott where they sell a large range of food and toiletries. They also offer mail order.

• Plymouth Vegans – social and campaigning group

• Samphire Vegan Restaurant – their menu includes vegan chicken bucket, vegan steaks, seitan burger, pizza, deep fried oreos, panna cotta and two salad main meals. Main meals are £8-£12.

That concludes our rough tour. There are other places that offer vegan food in Exeter and throughout Devon that I haven’t tried or maybe even heard of, so please add them in the comments.

Extra note from FGV: one million thanks to Clare for this comprehensive guide to Exeter and Devon. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute a vegan guide to your local area.

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