Vegan ice cream wars go on and on

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It has been a difficult battle and at times I have felt like I can’t go on. The vegan ice cream wars are starting to take a serious toll on me (mostly my waistline), but for the sake of public interest and immense greed I will continue. If only for my dear readers.

Triano cone - as Lisa and Bart said, "Meh".

This is the part that gets confusing. Tofutti is a well-established brand, churning out masses of dairy-free products that are exported all over the planet. I have often enjoyed their vegan ice creams, dessert sandwiches, cheese imitations and even a mini, frozen, vegan cheese pizza. I don’t believe they are the healthiest food choices, but they satisfy in a cholesterol-free and cruelty-free way.

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I like my potatoes creamy

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Potato is a food I enjoy mostly any which way. Roasted, fried, mashed… you cook it, I’ll devour it. With this established, you will understand it was with great excitement I set about creating a mouth-watering potato breakfast swimming in vegan cream and cheese.

Alpro long-life vegan cream

Alpro products are everywhere in the UK. You can’t go into a major store without running into their yogurt, custard, pudding and milks. They produce a wide range of dairy substitutes using non-GM soy beans grown on land that is investigated to not have been deforested or reclaimed. Best of all, the entire Alpro range is suitable for a vegan diet. I had recently been craving creamy potatoes, leading me to search out the Alpro long-life, dairy free soy cream. This cream is housed in a handy and neat resealable carton. But I won’t pretend I needed to reseal it. All of the cream was used in one sitting.

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You’d better run egg

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As an atheist I don’t partake in rituals, rites or celebrations based on religious beliefs. But I’m certainly not going to let a little non-belief get in my way of a vegan Easter egg.

Gromit the cat saunters by my vegan egg

Whilst trolling around Sainsbury’s supermarket on Cromwell Road in London for a snack, I stumbled upon a delectable-looking treat in the section reserved for food allergies and specialist diets. The freefrom Easter egg stood tall on the top shelf and beckoned me with its yellow wrapping, shiny bow and cheeky swing tag advertising its vegan status. I was so taken by the snappy appearance of this seasonal snack that I was on the verge of offering to buy it a drink. Gift-wrapped, vegan chocolate doesn’t fall into my FGV lap everyday, so I barely hesitated as I swooped it up and deposited it into my shopping basket.

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A fair amount of vegan cupcakes

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If vegan cupcakes are a sure way to my heart, I was head over heels in love today during a visit to the Ms Cupcake pop-up shop in Soho, London today.

Vegan Bear selling in Soho

Ms Cupcake is a fabulous vegan cupcake company I have written about previously and they create the best small cakes I have ever eaten. Since my visit to their Greenwich Market stall, I’ve suffered through countless sleepless nights as I’ve plotted, schemed and dreamed of a way back to their sweet treats. Well, my pleas were heard apparently. Ms Cupcake have a pop-up store situated in Soho, London this week and it is set to return again for two days next week in the same location. Positioned in a fair trade gift store called Fair Share, the Ms Cupcake table is brimming with six specially-created fair trade flavours that have to be tasted to be believed.

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I guess this sound is soothing

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If you visit this blog often, you could be forgiven for thinking my days are stuffed solid with cruelty-free food and alcoholic beverages. It is true I like to overeat and I do enjoy a tipple, but I also make a lot of room in my FGV world for music. If a band or singer I appreciate is also known for promoting the welfare of non-human animals, all of my worlds collide.

Adalita and PETA against fur

Many of the entertainers I admire care for non-humans. My life-long main obsession, Morrissey, has raised the profile of vegetarianism to untold heights. Thanks to Meat is Murder, I believe he is as well known for his animal-friendly politics as he is for his contributions to music. Nellie McKay has integrated her love and respect for all creatures into complex, quirky and irresistible pop classics. The card sleeve for her 2008 release Pretty Little Head was even produced with the aid of soy ink.  And then there is Adalita.

Adalita Srsen is a phenomenally- charismatic and talented singer/songwriter who has emerged from Magic Dirt, one of the greatest alternative bands in Australian history, to forge a stomping solo career. After

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Cruelty-free curry

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Leeds city centre isn’t exactly drowning in vegan food choices, but there is a special eatery that has  been keeping our lot nutritiously-fed for over 20 years.

My meal at Hansa's in Leeds

Hansa’s Gujarati Vegetarian Restaurant is every bit as much an institution as it is a success story. Hansa Dabhi is an accomplished chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, travel guide and business person. She has been at the forefront of quality dining in West Yorkshire for more than two decades and her North Street location employs an all-female staff. Hansa has made many appearances in support of her first cookbook and has been rigorously promoting her second.  Charities supported by Hansa and her customers include Saraswati Vidayala, an organisation committed to constructing schools in India. As you can gather from this paragraph, Hansa is a busy human… and I haven’t even described her food yet.

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Pocket bread, flavor sauce and crunch patties

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Australia may have lost its only Maoz outlet when the Perth store shut up shop, but at least I’m still able to delight in their crunchy falafel goodness here in London.

Falafel and Belgian fries from Maoz in London

Maoz Vegetarian is a chain of falafel bars that originated when their first store front opened in Amsterdam during 1991. Since then, the company has franchised locations all around the world. They serve delicious falafel, salad and tahini masterpieces in cities as widespread and diverse as Madrid, Hoboken, Paris, Rotterdam and Berkeley. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough falafel lovers in Western Australia to keep the doors of the Perth outlet open. I believe a Maoz in Germany might have also fallen by the wayside. But luckily for fine food connoisseurs, 15 Maoz locations are still left standing for our eating pleasure.

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Horses in my dreams

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Non-human animals are mistreated in countless ways all over the planet and sometimes even off the planet. The suffering is immense. One of the most exploited creatures would have to be the horse. Whipped to run. Saddled and harnessed. Left to exposure. Often underfed. Horses, donkeys and ponies are seen as machines to race or work and are routinely disposed of when their usefulness has been sapped dry.

Bobby almost lost a shoe to Peanut the donkey

Horses in the Leeds area do however harbour slight hope for a life outside of suffering. Hope Pastures is a sanctuary for horses and ponies that is situated a few miles out of Leeds city centre. Run by a few paid staff and many caring and dedicated volunteers, the sanctuary caters for horses deemed redundant or left for certain death. I visited Hope Pastures yesterday with Bobby and Stuart. We were overwhelmed by the beautiful animals and the compassionate humans working to give them a happy and safe life.

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Cheesy beefy bagel glory

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Is there a more pleasing bread product than a bagel? You can’t go wrong with something chewy, doughy and simple that can be held in one hand.

During my first visit to New York City many years ago, I was staggered by the huge range of bagels on offer. No matter the neighbourhood, there were stores and bakeries everywhere I turned baking and selling bagels. Unfortunately for FGV me, many establishments weren’t forward about their ingredients and I wasn’t familiar with bagels enough to know what was vegan or why they might not be animal-product free. Growing up in suburban Australia meant I existed in a bagel-free zone during my formative years. My bagel-curious nature is only now being satisfied thanks to a fabulous company here in the UK.

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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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