London vegan news, reviews & events
In their quest to seemingly become the mainstream supermarket with the most vegan-friendly products in the UK, Sainsbury’s has started selling this ready-made meal.
Check it out.
Yes. Ready-made macaroni and cheese done vegan!
I’ll definitely be giving this a try when I get back to the UK. If you have tasted it, what did you think?
Extra note: these photos were taken by my buddy, Roger. Please take a moment to discover Roger’s website from which he takes orders for awesome pins and badges.
You should all be familiar with the Cauldron brand seen in most mainstream UK supermarkets.
They are probably most familiar to vegans thanks to their tofu and because a lot of their other products are only vegetarian.
However, the brand appears to be exploring more plant-based items with the launch of vegan burgers and sausages now available in Morrisons and Waitrose.
The sausages are billed as featuring mediterranean grilled vegetables, haricot beans and tomato pesto while the burgers are made from cauliflower, aduki beans, spinach and chipotle.
With the runaway success of Quorn vegan items, I expect we will see a few more Cauldron lines that are 100% plant-based rolling out soon (the two brands are owned by the same company).
Have you tried the new Cauldron burgers and sausages? What did you think?
Hey, have you all noticed the shift happening over at Sainsbury’s in regards to promoting vegan food?
Within the space of a week, the UK grocery giant has posted three vegan cooking videos to their Facebook page.
Check them out here:
Wow. Three pretty spectacular vegan recipes shared by one of the biggest retailers on the planet. They have even gotten two leading vegan food personailities to help with the videos (Heart of Cake and CookDaily).
This is a clear indication of how powerful veganism has become in the UK. These companies do not undertake anything without market research and a lot of consideration.
That they are making vegan options a big part of their current advertising campaign says volumes. Times are changing and if they don’t get on board, they are going to miss out and they know it.
In related news, Sainsbury’s have apparently teamed up with a group of scientists to redesign their store layouts to encourage customers to buy less meat.
The following is lifted from a story in The Guardian:
Oxford University scientists will work with Sainsbury’s executives in a programme that will see supermarkets redesigned. Proposals include: placing vegetarian alternatives on the same shelves as meat products; giving vouchers and loyalty points to shoppers who choose vegetarian products; and providing recipes and leaflets that outline how shoppers can eat less meat.
What do you all think of this push on plant-based consumerism by Sainsbury’s?
Love them or hate them, you can’t escape the fact that Quorn is steadily marching forward with expanding its vegan range and this newest addition is causing a lot of stir.
Say hello to Vegan Fishless Fingers.
Fish fingers are close to being a national food in the UK, so I’m certain there will be hundreds of thousands of people happy to see this product readily available all over the country.
I’ve heard of them currently being available via Tesco and Waitrose.
As an aside, I’d be interested to know if this vegan expansion also means a reduction in Quorn‘s vegetarian options. I think the only way I can really celebrate this ‘better late than never’ vegan onslaught from the food giant is knowing that it translates into the non-vegan stuff being phased out.
Are you excited about this new product?
Certain towns and cities in the UK are really flying when it comes to vegan developments and surely Stockport in Greater Manchester is in the top five places to watch in the near future.
I reported on the recent opening of fine dining restaurant The Allotment and now hot on the heels of that announcement comes word of a 100% vegan grocery store opening in the town.
The Herbivore Vegan Store looks to be stocked to the brim with cheeses, meats, pantry items, snacks, chocolate and more. Shoppers will find superstar brands such as Follow Your Heart, Fry’s Family Foods and Vego.
The store has opened just a few days ago so be sure to keep up with developments via the store website, its Facebook page and the Instagram account.
You can see the store location here on Google Maps.
Yay for vegan Stockport!
A reader (who has an Instagram account packed with cute people and cats) got in touch with me yesterday to ask if I had tasted this vegan-friendly pizza base.
I replied that I had not.
I was assured this base is probably the best pizza base you can buy in the UK.
Trouble is, not everyone is going to be able to locate it. This Crosta &Mollica ready to top pizza base with tomato sauce is available (as far as I can tell) only in Waitrose stores or via Ocado online.
Have you tried these bases? What do you think? Have you seen it in any other shops?
Have you seen these two new incredible products from dairy-free enthusiasts Oatly?
Yep, that’s correct. A tub of crème fraîche and a carton of vanilla custard.
I’m not sure if these products are available widely throughout the UK at the moment, but there are reports of them both being sold by Tesco.
Have you seen them out in the wild? How do you rate them?
Here’s a cheeky little post to show you a new vegan product that has me interested.
Check out this new ready-to-eat Moroccan Tagine pot by Dragonfly.
I can’t wait for this to be available all over the UK, but the only place I can currently see it for sale is via Ocado.
Have you tried it? How was it?
Super quick update to share today’s vegan grocery haul video.
Watch to see all the latest plant-based goods I picked up from my local Tesco.
Enjoy!
If you don’t follow me over on my Facebook page, you missed out on the hilarity that is my Sainsbury’s shopping adventure.
Thankfully, the social network now allows for video embedding so you no longer have to suffer in the wilderness.
Check it out:
This was filmed at Sainsbury’s in Chiswick, West London.