The Little Book of Cruelty Free

It can be difficult to find cruelty free products if you are new to ethical shopping. As time goes on, the more research you do the easier it gets but until you know where to look it can be a little frustrating. Here's where 'The Little Book of Cruelty Free' can help. It's a pocket sized shopping guide containing all Vegan and Vegetarian friendly brands and companies that you can keep in your handbag or wallet. Go to 'gocrueltyfree.org' to order your free copy. Additionally you can download it.

Planet Organic, Torrington place

'Planet Organic' is a London based chain of stores that sell organically sourced products. Yesterday I visited the Torrington Place store which is meant to be the largest of the 'Planet Organic' stores. This is not a purely Vegan or Vegetarian company and do sell meat and other animal by-products but a large majority of items sold are Vegan and Vegetarian. I had heard about this company a while ago but on reading through the list of stores on 'Vegan London' I decided to arrange a visit.

The nearest tube station is Goodge Street but because of engineering works I had to go to Warren Street and walk down. This didn't take too long though. On entering the store I noticed a seating area to my right where people were able to stay and eat. I had already read that they sold a variety of hot and cold food to eat in or take away which is what I had planned to do after I looked around the store. To my left there was a refrigerated area with a selection of salads, sandwiches, drinks and other snacks. I moved in further and passed a cake stand with pastries, muffins and tarts, of which there was only a couple of Vegan options.

To the right of the cakes was a food counter where they sold the hot and cold food, hot drinks, speciality juices and smoothies. Just further on from that was another refrigerated section containing the meat products which I just completely avoided and on the other side a range of fresh fruits and vegetables were displayed. Once you get past that the store spans out a little more with shelves stocked full of food items such as seeds, nuts, pasta's canned food, biscuits (all the usual), cake baking products and ethical house hold cleaning items. There was also a large range of baby and toddler food and body care products which is handy for all the ethical mums out there.

To the back of the store you can find cruelty-free Cosmetics and make-up (which was incredibly expensive), Shampoo's, deodorants, Vegan perfumes, wax free scented candles, dental care items, hand soup, vitamins and books. I spent ages looking closely at all the different products they had to offer. There was a reasonable selection of Vegan chocolate which took me a while to decide which brand to try. They also sold Vegan Ice cream which I intend to try next time. I managed to pick up a few things which I will feature in other posts to come.

When I was all shopped out I stopped for a spot of dinner at the food counter where a nice friendly girl served me. Firstly you choose the size of your box... small, medium or large then choose your food on a mix and match basis. I chose a medium box at £5.50 with three different dishes, one being a tofu stir-fry (I can't remember what the other two where but they contained chick peas and sweet potato) and they certainly give you your money's worth. I paid at the till and sat down in the seated area provided. There is additional seating further along the store and outside which would be great on a nice warm sunny day. The food was tasty and I would definitely try it again when I return for a second visit.

Before I left, I ordered a Vanilla Chai tea from the 'Pukka' range. I was immediately impressed as this is my favourite range of tea although I hadn't tried this flavour before. It was £1.95 for a regular cup but unfortunately I wasn't so keen on it. The flavour wasn't very strong but this may have been due to my fault as I probably didn't leave it to infuse for long enough. I think a tea like that is best made and consumed in the comfort of your own home where you can relax. If you live in or around London or even if you are travelling from further away drop by 'Planet Organic' and have a look around. You are bound to find something that takes your fancy.

Vegan London

I came across this website when I was searching the internet for vegetarian and vegan products and places where I could buy them. It acts as a directory for all things Veg*n and includes some useful resources. There is a list of Veg*n friendly restaurants, cafe's and shops where you can buy groceries, toiletries and clothes. I shall be trying out some of the places listed during the coming weeks and reporting my finds here on 'The Veggie Blogger' so stay tuned.                                                                                                           If you are living in or around London you may want to check it out for yourself by clicking on the link here 'Vegan London'.

Review: Goody GOOD STUFF - Cola Breeze

More brands like this one are starting to cater for Vegetarians because we need sweets like this too. The iconic cola bottle sweets are now gelatin free and tasting as good as ever. These soft chewy sweets covered in a tangy sugar are incredibly difficult to stop eating after you have opened the packet. I loved them and I think anyone else with a sweet tooth like me would love them too.

Goody GOOD STUFF's Cola Breeze is dairy free, gluten free, fat free and contains all natural flavours. I bought them in my local branch of Waitrose for £1 but if you go on the sweet manufacturers website you can locate a stockist closest to you using their store-finder.

I for one are looking forward to tracking down other packs in this range. Any recommendations?

Review: GOOD THINGS Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser

I've been using this product for about a year now and I love it. It's ideal for use under make-up as it absorbs any excess oils from the skin. It contains natural ingredients, is free-from animal ingredients and harmful parabens and clearly states on the back of the tube that it's suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.

When applying, remember that a little goes a long way and spreads very easily. This moisturiser has a subtle fragrance of berries but isn't very noticeable after application. It dries quickly after, so you don't have to wait around too long before putting your foundation on. I try not to use it on a daily basis as I don't want to dry the oils in my skin out too much but if you have oily skin then it's ideal for more frequent use.

It comes boxed and is sold in Boots priced at £7.99 from what I can remember but it's cheaper at £5.33 on their website. There are other products in this range which I haven't tried. If you have your own opinion of this product or brand then please leave a comment below.