Provincial towns you jog round

Each ridge and narrow bridge

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I apologise in advance for the money you will be forced to spend after reading this review. The plane tickets, the train bookings and the coach fares will be inevitable.

Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

Sowerby Bridge is a picturesque village situated approximately halfway between Leeds and Manchester. The market town is nestled alongside the rushing River Calder and is made up of true story book visuals. Cobbled lane ways meet narrow passages amid historical churches, chimneys and shop fronts. Sowerby Bridge is a charming location sure to enchant most. Sold? OK. Well what if I throw in a world class, vegan restaurant?

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The winds blow all of my dreams away

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When I stepped out my front door inappropriately-wearing canvas shoes and landed in a few inches of slushy snow, I should have turned back and climbed into bed. Instead, I forged on into the dark depths of a hideous northern town called Wakefield.

The Albion Inn... a Samuel Smith pub in Wakefield

Simon and I thought it would be a fun adventure to check out the bars and pubs of Wakefield. This Yorkshire city is located roughly 8km/12 miles from Leeds and is easily reached by car or public transport. Whether people should attempt to reach it is another matter. The town centre is littered with closed stores and bankrupted businesses. Unemployment is higher than the national average and there doesn’t seem to be much of anything happening. Disillusioned with the grim first impression of the town, we decided to brace ourselves and delve a little deeper. Of course when prospects look down, I always head for vegan cider. This time I wish I hadn’t.

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You can even bring your baby

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Sheffield has given humanity a lot. Pulp. ABC. The Human League. Heaven 17. Moloko. Def Leppard. Arctic Monkeys. Seemingly, the stream of musical output doesn’t end. But now this northern city has expanded its gift-giving into the fields of vegan food and roller derby.

Last weekend Stuart, Baby Bobby and I decided to go on a bit of a northern road trip. We packed up the car with vegan sweets and our warmest winter accessories and hit the road. It was my first trip to Sheffield and I was keen to discover what it had in store besides an eclectic musical history.

The Blue Moon Cafe in Sheffield

First up was lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe. This vegetarian eatery sits in the shadow of the main cathedral and is housed in a huge, stunning room featuring a skylight. Bobby was right at home as the cafe supplied a number of high chairs for patrons and was buzzing with babies and infants. The food is pre-made and displayed in glass cases along the counter. Most of the dishes are vegan and anything containing dairy is clearly labeled.

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My name is FGV and I’m a Shake’a’holic

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Every vegan usually has a product, service or item of food they miss.

Vegan peanut butter milkshake from Shake'a'holic in Leeds

I don’t mean we aren’t committed to our cruelty-free stance, but sometimes you can find yourself daydreaming of more accessible foodstuff. How fantastic would it be to stumble out of a bar at 2am and devour a vegan kebab or a bag of chips? It is my dream to be able to walk into any pub in the world and order a pint of vegan cider. I am sure every vegan out there would have a different answer if poised with the question, but surely on demand milkshakes would rank favourably in a ‘what do you miss’ quiz.

Vegan milkshake lovers in the north of England, be prepared for this discovery. During a somewhat-hungover wander through Leeds city centre yesterday, my FGV eye was drawn to a colourful and cheery establishment known as Shake’a’holic. Being in a fragile state, I wholly intended to keep on until I spied the small print on the shop sign that sent my heart aflutter: “Ask us if you’d prefer vegan”.

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Taking the long way ’round

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Isn’t it fab when something wonderful pops up where you least expect it?

A few days ago I was cheerfully strolling around Halifax town centre in West Yorkshire when I stumbled upon a shop front called Food Therapy. As I possess the skill to spot a health food store from a quarter of a mile away, I hotfooted it over to explore just as quickly as my FGV trotters could carry my ample frame.

Soya mince pie with vegetables and gravy at Ginger, Halifax

Opening the door was akin to walking into my very own vegan heaven. Food Therapy is brimming with Redwood products, vegan ice cream, Fry’s frozen goods, sweets, hair care products and anything else needed to sustain a cruelty-free existence. They aren’t a vegan store, but they certainly have a fantastic range of products suitable for us. The grocery range is reason enough to sing the praises of this establishment but you suddenly get more bang for your quid when you take the internal staircase inside the store to the mezzanine housing Ginger Vegetarian Cafe.

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Bobbing for apple cider

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One of the best things about being vegan in the UK is the access to an abundance of clearly-labelled, cruelty-free alcohol.

Look for this on your alcohol purchases

As I have mentioned previously, alcohol is often made with the aid of animal by-products. The most common way this occurs is during the fining process of beer, cider or wine. A large vat or container of drink contains much unwanted organic matter that needs to be filtered out before it can be sold. Egg, bone, fish stomach or sometimes milk protein is used to create a film that is sprinkled over the product. As the dead animal remains sink and pass through the booze, the organic matter is dragged down leaving the final product. Sounds tasty, right?

The above description is my take on what is a rather complex process. If you are a brewery technician and can add finer detail to this explanation, please enlighten us.

The good news is a large number of booze producers are opting out of this grisly practice. Increasingly here in the UK, a recreational drinker such as myself can walk into the local supermarket and experience no trouble in finding vegan drinks.

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