London vegan news, reviews & events
Slowly, but surely, UK supermarket chains are waking up to the demands and needs of vegan shoppers.
Tesco is the latest company to add a previously difficult to find vegan product to their online shopping website. One of the most revolutionary vegan cheeses to ever hit the UK is now available to order online via Tesco.com.
Are you ready for photographic evidence of another one of my thorough supermarket expeditions?
A few nights back, Josh and I visited the mammoth Tesco Extra in Colney Hatch (North London) and returned home with some fun and tasty vegan products.
See proof below.
Here is some news worth celebrating.
The Financial Times (yes, the FT!) has reported the UK is about to see the launch of a vegan mayonnaise brand that has exploded in popularity across North America. To add to the excitement, the brand will be exclusively launched in Tesco stores, making it widely available to shoppers all over the country.
Don’t put a jar of chocolate biscuit spread in front of a vegan, tell them it’s vegan and then tell them it isn’t vegan. We will cut you.
Ever since I posted this story about a supposedly vegan bourbon biscuit spread sold by Tesco, my social media has been blowing up with folks telling me they had been informed by the chain that it contained non-vegan ingredients. I decided to dedicate a couple of hours of my life to finding out the truth.
Here is what I was told via a phone message left by a Tesco customer service operator:
MAJOR UPDATE
People have been emailing me like crazy today saying they have been told by Tesco that this product has milk proteins as an ingredient even though it doesn’t say so on the label.
I have been on the phone with Tesco for a long time just now only to be assured by the customer service person there is NO milk protein as an added ingredient.
Of course I explained the mixed messages we are getting and my service person has told me they will look into it in fine detail and get back to me ASAP, but that might not be until Monday. In the meantime I suggest anyone who doesn’t want to eat a product that purposively contains dairy milk stays away from this item.
I’ll report back as soon as I can.
I don’t know what to say. I am overwhelmed by this vegan news out of London. Hold on to your jaunty hats, kids.
Last night I received a text message from Angela of The Third Estate with a very special grainy photo attached.
There are no words.
The spread of vegan food through our mainstream supermarkets marches on with the launch of frozen soya mince by the enormous Tesco chain.
Tesco has usually played second fiddle to its competitors when it comes to labelling for compassionate shoppers, however they do appear to be making an effort of late. This effort can be seen in the showcase of vegan-suitable products taking place in limited stores, as well as this newest frozen meat substitute.
Check out the photos of the frozen vegan mince below.
I have seen a few mentions online of hard-to-find vegan products making their way into Tesco stores, so of course my priority was to get into a participating store and eat everything.
I succeeded.
Select Tesco stores around the country are taking part in a promotion billed as the Lifestyle Food Fair. I have to admit it is quite a slick gimmick capitalising on the huge surge in popularity of specialty food expos sweeping the UK. The promotion features attention-grabbing banners in store with colour coded shelving to help you locate what you after. (Hint: anything on a blue shelf in the Lifestyle Food Fair aisle is vegan-friendly)
Wanna see the haul I came away with from the Slough branch? Don’t freak out.
This post is one of the shortest in the history of my blog.
I simply wanted you to know about this Christmas-themed product at Tesco. I was too scared to try them, so I am hoping someone can post a review below. They honestly look vile.
Apparently they are only available until December 23rd so get in quick (if you can stomach them) and let me know your opinion below.
Horsemeat fever has taken over the UK as major retailer Tesco became embroiled in a scandal concerning their beef burgers.
If you feel like being disgusted on multiple levels, check out some of the news stories and exposés surrounding this topic. It is truly disgusting. Horses and pigs rendered into powder before being added to beef burgers. Revelations that beef burgers only need to contain slightly less than 50% beef to be legally named a beef burger. Approximately ten thousand live horses are shipped out of the UK every year once they are at the end of their working lives, destined to be chopped, pulverised and rendered into ‘food’.
The horror goes on and on and on.
Thankfully for people who choose to opt out of this death and despair cycle, vegan companies such as The Redwood Wholefood Company are here to make sure tasty treats are never off the menu just because someone rejects horrific cruelty.
My life got a whole lot tastier a few days ago when I picked up the new frozen beef style pasties by Redwood from a local retailer. I must admit, lately I have been a bit skeptical of the consistency of Redwood products. For every four products I adore, there seems to be a straggler that comes along that doesn’t do them any favours. I won’t name names as I’m not here today to criticise. It’s a big food love in.
However, the beef style pasties are vegan food perfection. Crunchy, flaky pastry gives way to a stunning filling consisting of beef style chunks, herbs, gravy, swede and potato. I was delirious with joy. I haven’t had a pastie in a very long time and certainly can’t recall ever experiencing one as tasty as the Redwood variety.