There is a small number of ‘luxury’ foods for which there has been no vegan alternative. The list is narrowing all the time, but for me, the great Holy Grail was always croissants! I once spent three hours searching Paris, after rumours that there was a bakery that sold a vegan version. I could have gone to Montmarte or the Louvre, but these could not have compared to the sight of a fresh warm croissant to eat with my coffee! Sadly, I didn’t find any.
However, in the UK, almost all supermarkets sell Jus-Rol croissants (and Jus-Rol Pain Au Chocolat) from their chilled pastry section – a ready-to-bake product, suitable for vegans, that you just pop in the oven for a few minutes. Obviously, they are not a health food, but they’re pretty good on a Sunday morning with strawberry jam, a big pot of fresh coffee and the papers!
Marshmallows enjoy a similar status. Sweet and sticky, they might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s terrific that vegans can now enjoy them atop a cupcake, hidden within a rocky road slice, floating in a mug of hot chocolate, or straight from the packet. You can order them online from Vegan Store, which also sells many other hard-to-find vegan products.