Fortify Cafe in Kent went 100% vegan in April
Some people are lucky enough to live in an area where there is at least one vegetarian restaurant serving a wide range of vegan options. There are also a growing number around the UK that are completely vegan (find one near you on Happy Cow). Other ‘omnivorous’ eating-places also cater well for vegans, whether the menu is predominantly English, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, Thai… or whatever. But sometimes there is nothing suitable on the menu.
If you give advance warning, most chefs will welcome the challenge and create a really tasty meal. (After all, it beats the boredom of grilling yet another sirloin steak!). Others will fob you off with an overpriced plate of pasta, or worse still, will say they can’t do anything at all. Making do with salad and chips or the inevitable baked potato is a familiar experience!
Personally, I think that veganism has reached a level of popularity where, rather than be pleased to get anything edible at all (as we were not so long ago), it’s time for ‘zero tolerance’ of unimaginative alternatives. If a restaurant can’t provide a good vegan option, persuade the non-vegans in your party that it’s not worth visiting!
As for puddings, you’ll be lucky to get anything other than a plain fruit salad at most places. And that’s fine now and again. I’ve nothing against fruit salad, but if you’re a sucker for comfort puds, I think we should sometimes be able to demand more when we visit an establishment with any degree of regularity. A vegan crumble, for instance, is easy to make, but there’s so much more that could be on offer.
Many of the big high street chain cafes and restaurant do now carry a vegan option. These include Pret A Manger, Subway, Caffe Nero, Costa Coffee, Giraffe, Starbucks, Wagamama (wide choice), Yo Sushi, Toby Carvery, JD Wetherspoon (chickpea curry and a super-food ‘Freedom Salad’) and PizzaExpress (all its bases are dairy-free, so if you wish, you can even take your vegan cheese with you and they’ll add it on for you).