One of my favourite past times is trolling up and down supermarket aisles looking for vegan products. The first thing I love to do when arriving somewhere on vacation is find the nearest grocery store. It is my signature move.
I recently (as in two days ago) moved housed to another part of London so of course before I even unpacked, I made a direct route to the supermarket.
My new local Sainsbury’s is a big one, with plenty of vegan goods to keep me overfed. Much of it was the same old stuff I’ve seen everywhere else, but three products caught my attention.
They have all possibly been on the market for a while, but it was the first time my fat gay eyes had seen them.
Have you tried any of the treats below? Do you love supermarket tourism as much as I do?
I was traipsing around Waitrose just off Holborn when my FGV eyes were drawn to the colourful packs of Coconut Collaborative. These super tasty (and very vegan) coconut-based yoghurts are slowly spreading across the country and I couldn’t be happier. They are the taste of happiness.
Have you tired them? Which is your favourite flavour?
Fry it. Stick it in a bun. I want it. Slap some mustard on. Melt some plant-based cheese. I dream of these things.
This love of all things burger forced me into a difficult position a few days back. I was strolling the aisles of Aldi in Leeds (oh, the romance!) when my chubby, queer eyes spotted a vegetarian selection in the frozen food section.
Imagine my delight when I found not one box of vegan burgers, but three. Yep, all three products you see below were labeled suitable for vegans.
Imagine my reaction when an invitation came through to visit a vegan cupcake factory. I was like a larger version of that dancing baby that was a viral sensation a few years back, except a bit camper.
One of the most-loved cake companies in London, Trina’s Delicacies, asked me to drop in on their production premises south of the river to see how they go about creating some of the loveliest vegan cupcakes on the planet.
When you love vegan cake as much as I do, it can be a little overwhelming to find yourself in the centre of a commercial kitchen dedicated to baking huge quantities of the stuff. Trina (along with her friendly assistant Andy) made sure I stayed focussed by talking me through how each cupcake is lovingly handcrafted, where they can be purchased and what the plans are for the future.
I have delightfully-good news for the vegan cake lovers of London.
Remember when I lost my mind over the fact Lujuria Vegana cakes were being sold in Whole Foods Market Fulham? Check this post for all the glorious photos.
Since that blog post, it appears Lujuria Vegana creations have spread to Whole Foods locations all across the capital. On tweeting about seeing them in the Kensington store, I have received responses from people telling me they had also seen them in Piccadilly and Camden.
Toni of Lujuria Vegana had mentioned to me the vegan desserts would be creeping across London later this year, so it appears later is now!
Los Angeles is the danger. If you are vegan, you need to get to LA to experience what it is like to live without restriction.
I am currently in the area to attend Los Angeles Beer Fest and eat what I can. This city is a vegan mecca and plant-eaters are not sidelined or treated as an afterthought. Vegan is front and centre.
One shining example of LA’s love for vegans is the glorious Viva la Vegan supermarket in the Ocean Park Blvd. neighbourhood near Santa Monica.
I was rushing to a meeting yesterday when I realised I was hungry. How could I possibly get through a professional discussion without some form of sustenance?
The only vegan-friendly store standing between me and my meeting was Marks & Spencer, so I popped inside to see what was good for eating on the run.
How’s this for a UK first? You can book a tour of the giant Whole Foods Market store on Kensington High Street and you will be led around the complex for approximately an hour by their in-house Healthy Eating Specialist.
Oh, did I forget to mention that the specialist is a super friendly vegan named Maura? How cool is that?
Maura is in charge of all the cooking demos and food education that take place in the Kensington store. As a vegan, she makes sure plant based eating is front and centre of everything she does.
I recently booked a tour with Maura and was impressed by how she was able to personalise the experience for me. She really explored the vegan options available for me based around my love of quick meals and snacks (and maybe some beer). Maura pointed out products that matched my love of food and she often referred to my ethical choices. I didn’t feel like my health was being questioned and the nutrition information was pitched just right. I was interested in everything she showed me.
That’s not to say that she wouldn’t be able to cater for the health-conscious vegans out there. Maura explained how she loves to talk with store visitors about making the most out of the bulk section, vegan food nutrition, cooking vegan food from scratch and how she can even email you follow up recipes based on ingredients you discuss with her in store.
Maura of Whole Foods Market
It really is a fantastic experience being taken around such a huge supermarket by a vegan food specialist. There is no pushing animal products. Maura is completely relaxed and helpful. The tour is flexible enough to feel inclusive for long term and new vegans alike.
The tour costs nothing and there is no pressure to buy anything at the end.
Maura of course welcomes non-vegans to tour the store with her. It is such a great way for people teetering on the edge of veganism to get a helping hand. This would be a perfect blog post to pass on to those people in your life who you know could be comfortable with vegan food if they just had a little more information.
Maura is definitely the person with that info.
Email Kensington@wholefoodsmarket.com if you are keen on taking the tour with Maura.
Here is a super quick vegan product update for you.
I have just discovered Marks and Spencer sell their own brand of vegan margarine. It is terrific to see the spread (I’m so funny!) of vegan versions of everyday grocery items. More and more high street retailers and large supermarket chains are getting in on the act of making sure they have plant-based versions of high demand items.
Has anyone tried the new M&S spread? What do you think?
I know that Marks and Spencer have for a long time shared a list of products that are suitable for vegans (usually available in a pdf format), but I’ve never noticed them using the ‘v’ word on any actual grocery packaging.
Until now.
Josh sent me the following photo taken to his recent stroll through the M&S Ealing Broadway location. The word vegan can clearly be seen on this houmous packaging.
I am not sure if this is the start of a new trend by the retailer or a one off. The only products I have previously seen marked vegan in store were bottles of wine.
Do you buy anything from Marks & Spencer that carries a vegan label?
