Veganuary Days 12, 13 & 14

So I'm still going strong and we are nearly half way through 'Veganuary' now. A few new products sneaked their way into my diet over the past few days so I'm here to share my thoughts on them. I will start with 'Asda's' new tinned veggie bolognese which had vegan ingredients but afterwards I had wondered if the red wine it contained was vegan or not, apart from that I didn't have a problem.

It didn't exactly have the wow factor but it was edible with some 'free from' pasta. I slightly smothered my pasta bolognese with 'Bellissimo' dairy free, hard sprinkling cheese which I had mixed in and then couldn't taste it at all. 

I have been sneakily snacking on 'Party Rings'. I was so excited when they were announced as veggie. I hadn't had these for a long time and now I want to make the most of them.

Yesterday's dinner consisted of the chicken style nuggets that I love, spaghetti and mash made with 'Smash' (available in 99p stores). The spaghetti was gluten free and vegan but to be honest it wasn't great. I have really taken a dislike to gluten free foods, I try to avoid it but I find that a lot of vegan products are also gluten free too.

I wanted something even quicker and easier this evening so a microwave meal was in order. I purchased this vegan meal from 'Waitrose' and it wasn't too bad.

Yesterday I finally managed to pick up my TVK box ('The Vegan Kind') from the delivery office. It's always a nice surprise and I look forward to receiving it every month.

Veganuary Day 1

Firstly I would like to wish my readers a happy and healthy new year... I hope you're not feeling worse for wear after the celebrations last night. Fortunately for me I gave up alcohol two years ago, mainly for health reasons so that's one less thing I have to worry about during 'Veganuary'. I started my day with two slices of peanut butter on toast made with 'Hovis' white medium bread, 'Pure' sunflower spread and 'Whole Earth' smooth peanut butter washed down with a cup of tea made with almond milk. 'Hovis' are pretty good at stating their bread is vegan but always check the packaging.

I totally skipped lunch as I had been snacking on 'Pringles' (Original flavour) and as you know once you pop you just can't stop. I had dinner a little earlier than usual but I was looking forward to trying a new product, the 'Cheatin' Celebration Roast by 'VBites' which I picked up from 'Holland and Barrett'.

Roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips accompanied the fake meat products drizzled with 'Bisto' gravy (the one in the red pot). I only used half of what was in the box as there was enough for two meals so I put the other half back in the freezer for another day. It wasn't amazing but it was ok and I liked it.

For desert I had some lovely strawberries topped with lashings of 'Alpro' soya, single cream. I would like to try and consume more fruits during 'Veganuary' as I very rarely eat them. I have apples mainly for lunch at work but that's about it so I'm looking forward to the change.

So that's how my first day of Veganuary went. I'm now off to make myself another cup of tea and settle down in front of the T.V before the shock of returning back to work tomorrow really hits me.

Vegan Product of the Week: Lazy Day Foods - Free From Ginger Tiffin

A soft Belgian dark chocolate tiffin with warming stem ginger and ginger biscuit pieces (£2 in Waitrose), ideal for the winter season. It is free from gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, hydrogenated fats and is labelled vegan. You can tell that a lot of care and consideration has gone into making and packaging this product. Allergens are highlighted in bold on the ingredients list and the palm oil used is RSPO certified (ethically sourced). 

'Lazy Day Foods' were founded by food scientists Dr. Sally Beattie and Emer Bustard, both have an interest in food intolerances. Sally herself has several food intolerances and her young son is allergic to dairy. They state on the box that they bake their goods in a dedicated gluten free bakery and they have no gluten, wheat, dairy or eggs on site and they don't use nuts on the premises either.

I love the melty gooeyness of this product but it's something that I would only buy as an occasional treat. I find myself eating these very slowly as they are quite rich but enjoyable none the less. I couldn't gorge myself on these as I would probably feel very sick afterwards. I would like to try out some of the other products in this range especially the cookies if I can find them.

Vegan Product of the Week: Choc Shot Liquid Chocolate by Sweet Freedom

Choc Shot is a multi-purpose chocolate sauce that is low in calories and completely dairy free. It can be drizzled over ice cream, porridge, fruit and spread on toast and squeezed into milk shake. Personally I don't think I would put it on fruit or on toast for that matter as I can imagine that it would be very sweet.

The main reason I bought it was to make hot chocolate as I was fed up with having to mix powder into a paste before adding more milk but still often left with floaty unmixed powdery lumps. You don't get that with Choc Shot but I do like my hot chocolate chocolaty and the 3-4 recommended teaspoons they tell you to use wasn't enough for me so I'll be adding more next time (but sshhh... don't tell anyone).

This sauce has that bitter-sweet after taste that dark chocolate normally has if you like that sort of thing. I'm not usually a fan of dark chocolate but I like this in hot chocolate and I think it's amazing on ice cream.

Choc Shot is 100% natural, GM and Gluten free, low GL (glycaemic load), diabetic friendly (as part of a healthy diet), vegan and contains NO artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives. It can be purchased in Tesco at the price of £3.50 which I found a little pricey but I'm all about the impulse buying... I'm terrible!

SUN Perfume by Lush

This eau de cologne hand-blended with fine essential oils comes in a little 10ml bottle which is perfect for storing in your handbag but at the price of £10 seems a little bit pricey for what it is. Despite the price I was desperate to try out one of their perfumes so I snapped it up. The bigger bottle (which is not really that much bigger) is a whopping £40 and there was no way I could justify spending that amount of money on such a small bottle.

The 10ml bottle is less concentrated than the bigger bottle, therefore you will have to apply more for it to have a greater effect. In theory that does make the bigger bottle better value for money but I still wasn't convinced about the price. I have mixed feeling about this perfume. When I tried it out in the shop I didn't mind the smell but when I started using it at home I took a gradual dislike to it. However after using it for a while it started to grow on me again. It smells exactly like I've just been peeling a strong zesty orange and I think it's the bitter after-smell that I have trouble getting used to.

I would definitely recommend that you try before you buy because each perfume reacts differently to each person. I don't think I will buy this particular perfume again as I prefer sweet, fruity scents and this is far too bitter for my liking. This product is labelled vegan.

Weekly Round-up #1

Welcome to my first weekly round-up post inspired by the lovely Kelly over at 'The Vegan Taff'. This is something that I would like to keep up if possible. After considering the fact that I have got far too much to blog about in individual posts I thought I would put it all together in one big post so you don't miss a thing. It also adds a more personal element to my blog which you don't often get when I'm just posting product reviews. It acts as a type of diary entry and I really like that concept so here I go.

Raw food diet update:
As you may of seen from one of my previous posts 'Making Changes'  I made the decision to try and maintain a half raw food diet by including fruits and vegetables into one of my meals I eat per day. This was easier in theory than it was in practise. I spent at least two hours (or more) preparing the produce to be put into salads to take to work with me for lunch. I got a little bored with chopping, grating and shredding and by the time I had finished I was rather frustrated at the fact that I had just spent all that time in the kitchen when I could have been doing other things.

My time is very valuable to me at the weekends as I work long hours during the week and I'm too tired to do anything of an evening other than watch the odd film or two and chuck something together that is quick and easy for my dinner. Don't get me wrong, I would still like to maintain a healthier diet but I may have to re-asses the way I go about it. However the salads went down a treat and I felt much better for doing it.

Book Purchase:

I bought my first vegan recipe book from Amazon called 'Keep it Vegan' by Aine Carlin and it includes over 100 simple recipes which are ideal for beginners and students and perfect for someone like me who has a short attention span and gets impatient with long-winded recipes.

The book contains an introduction to the author, the health benefits of a vegan diet and a list of store cupboard essentials. It is broken up into 6 chapters, 'Breakfast, Brunch and More,' 'Midday Meals & Simple Suppers,' 'Something Special,' 'Sides and Sauces' and 'Sweet Treats.' I haven't tried out any of the dishes yet but I have been recommended the strawberry vanilla cheesecake and the macaro-no cheese by John Pellegrini (@ei8htyei8ht on twitter).

Holland & Barrett haul:

I originally went in to buy some 'Plamil' egg free mayonnaise as my friend told me that it's the best vegan mayo around, so while I was there I had a nosey in their refrigerator section and gave in to temptation. I hadn't been to Holland and Barrett for a long time so I had forgotten what products they sell. As I am currently trying to replace all my 'Quorn' products with dairy free alternatives I was delighted to have discovered the VBites range so I threw a few things into my basket.

I am excited to try the 'Cheezly,' it looks so much more appealing than the 'Tesco' free-from fake cheese. I also thought I would give 'Free & Easy dairy free cheese flavoured sauce' a try with a pasta dish but I was a little bit disappointed with the bland taste. Stella (@VeganStella on twitter) suggested that next time I should try livening it up a bit with a dollop of English mustard and vegan bouillon powder.

Blog Post fail:

I was all set to write a review of one of 'Treaclemoon's' bath and shower gels, (well I was half way through it) when I realised that they are owned by another company. I noticed on their website they state that they are owned by 'Blue orange Brand Management' which also owns various other brands that aren't cruelty free. I personally try not to buy products from brands that have parent companies that don't have a cruelty free policy.

Even after I had emailed them with concerns over one of their ingredients they proceeded to ensure me that none of their products are tested on animals and do not contain any animal derived ingredients so I was very relieved until I researched their parent company. If you have any views regarding this issue I would love to hear from you. I seem to be constantly fooled by companies that I think are cruelty free but really aren't.

The search for alternative milk continues:

I thought I had found the perfect alternative milk for me in the form of 'Almond Breeze' but @pudding4brains on twitter brought to my attention a very important article written by 'Oh She Glows' about the ingredient Carrageenan in some alternative milk including the one that I use. Now I'm on the look-out for a new brand that both works on cereal and in tea. 

It took me a while to find 'Almond Breeze' after trying out a few different alternatives. I'm not keen on Alpro, plus I don't want to consume too much soya based products as I've heard that they are not good for you. I don't like anything coconut based and the ones that I have already tried are not very nice in tea. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know in the comments.

Hooray for HURRAW

I have noticed that Hurraw lip balm is proving to be very popular lately judging by other beauty/cruelty free blogs, so here I am jumping on the band wagon with my post about these little sticks of amazingness. Hurraw balm contains premium organic, vegan (which means no beeswax) and raw ingredients and come in a luscious array of scents (I was going to say flavours as it's confusing when something smells good enough to eat).

I purchased mine from 'Whole Foods,' Piccadilly, upstairs beside the till which obviously proved to be the best selling point. I have also noticed a few displayed in 'Planet Organic' too but alternatively you can buy them on-line at the official US based website of 'Hurraw' or 'My Pure' if you are looking for a UK retailer.

I have the 'chai spice lip balm' and the 'vanilla bean lip balm.' Both are great products but the chai spice has to be my favourite... I just love the smell. I have to remind myself not to walk around in public with my lips turned up to my nose in the effort to get a whiff of the balm. Not a good look at all.

This balm goes on smoothly and isn't sticky but may have to be reapplied a little more regularly. They should most certainly be on everyone's winter essentials list whether it be for yourself or bought as a stocking filler for a family member, part of a present for a friend or even included in a secret Santa present for a work colleague. Do you think I have given you enough idea's!?!

The balm comes in an oval shaped stick which apparently is less likely to work it's way out of your back jeans pocket but I'll be keeping mine in my coat pocket or handbag. The stick also displays the leaping bunny logo which indicates that the product is cruelty free. more information can be found about the packaging and ingredients HERE.

What ones do you have? I'm interested to know what the night treatment balm is like if anyone has tried it.

Making Changes

I've become increasingly conscious about what food I consume lately after watching various documentary films such as 'Vegecated,' 'Cowspiracy,' and 'Hungry for Change' to name but a few. Over this weekend I have made some drastic changes in the types of food I've been buying and so I carried out a mass shop at Tesco. This is another big step in my transition from vegetarian to vegan. Until now I have been predominantly vegetarian but I'm hoping that I can continue to maintain a mainly vegan diet while I continue to research products and recipes. At the moment if a label doesn't state that a product is vegan then I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Obviously this is something I will learn with time but at the moment it doesn't stop me feeling a little frustrated.

I'm hoping to incorporate raw food in with a regular vegan diet with a little bit of junk food as a treat. My shop mainly consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables, some organic, some not. I have heard that it's best to buy organic produce as they haven't been grown using harmful pesticides... but have you seen the prices? I would love to buy all organic but when you are working on a budget, it's just not possible. The photo below features just a small portion of what I actually bought so I thought I would include my shopping list. It's pretty impressive if I don't say so myself.

1 bag Curly Kale

2 Avocados

3 lemons (organic)

1 bag spinach (organic)

1 bag of mixed leaves

1 bag carrots

1 cucumber (organic)

3 pack of mixed peppers

1 red cabbage

celery

broccoli

1 pack of baby corn

1 pack of asparagus

1 bag frozen sweetcorn

1 bag of mixed seeds

1 bag cashew nuts

1 bag of walnuts

garlic

1 bag of chick peas

1 bag of couscous

1 bag of lentils

1 bag of dairy free pasta

1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil

1 watermelon

1 Galia melon

1 honey dew melon

1 pineapple

1 mango

2 large oranges

2 large pears

1 pack of dates

1 loaf of Hovis wholemeal bread

1 pack of wholemeal noodles

Blue Dragon chow mein sauce

Blue Dragon Kung Po sauce

Blue Dragon Cantonese sauce

I understand that there is going to be a bit of trial and error but what better way to start. I plan to create some great salads to take to work with me as I want to be able to eat one raw meal a day. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the vegan sauces for jazzed up vegetable and noodle dishes. Last night I tried Kale for the fist time by making a curly Kale and avocado salad with mixed seeds, it wasn't too bad but I found it a little tough raw, I still managed to polish off the plate though.

I have also replaced my non vegan breakfast cereal with more exciting vegan options such as Muesli by 'Dorset Cereals,' 'Quaker Oats, Oat So Simple' and 'Shredded Wheat Bitesize.' I really want to make this new diet work so I'm going to try my best to stick to it. The next thing on my list is to buy some recipe books and other informative vegan books so if anyone out there has any recommendations please let me know.

Cruelty Free Shopping - It's not as easy as it seems.

When it comes to toiletries and cosmetics I like mine cruelty free and I assume that as you are here, you do too. I thought I knew everything when it came to cruelty free shopping but I continue to make mistakes in my choices. I have come to realise that when a label states that a product is cruelty free the background of the company may indicate otherwise. 'Superdrug' for example have a complete own brand range that is cruelty free but their parent company has no fixed cut-off date animal testing policy in place and owns other subsidiaries that contribute to environmental destruction on an industrial scale.

Another example is 'The Body Shop' who have been a subsidiary of L'Oreal since 2006 and been fooling everyone with their campaigns to end animal cruelty when L'Oreal continues to profit from animal testing outside Europe. 'Urban Decay' another cruelty free brand is also a subsidiary of L'Oreal. I have no idea what makes a cruelty free company want to merge with another that is going to tarnish their reputation. It's disappointing to say the least, especially when you think you are doing right by animals by steering away from brands that test on them.

My latest mistake being the purchase of the popular brand 'Jason Natural Cosmetics' made me re-asses the way I go about shopping. If I see a certain brand advertised that I like the look of, I will do a little more research into the company's background. Normally they wouldn't display any negative press on their websites so you may have to search else-where. A good place to start is at leapingbunny.org where you can find lists of different brands that don't test on animals and whether or not they have a parent company that may be involved in animal testing in some way. Unfortunately it doesn't state whether companies don't have fixed cut-off date animal testing policies  (like Jason) so that may require a little extra research. I normally type into my browser something like... is such and such cruelty free and more often than not it will provide the information your seeking.

You should also be aware of the product ingredients. Some companies may claim that they don't test on animals when they have animal derived ingredients. Look out for non-vegan ingredients such as 'Glycerin' (which can either be synthetic or derived from plants or animals), 'beeswax,' 'honey,' 'Carmine' (the red pigment produced from some scale insects), 'Casien' (the main protein present in milk), and 'Guanine' (a compound that occurs in guano and fish scales). A list of hidden animal fats can be found HERE.

If all else fails and you are still unsure then contact the company directly. There is so much to learn but at least I know that I am on the right track, I may still make mistakes but at least I will learn from them. I shall use up all my unwanted products and move on to true cruelty free ones. If anyone has any useful information to share regarding this issue then please leave a comment below.

Vegan Product of the Week: Whole Earth Smooth Organic Peanut Butter

Before I started doing some research I had no idea about the range of products on the market suitable for a vegan diet. I didn't think it would be possible to substitute my favourite foods but I was surprised to find out that I can literally buy or make every product or dish that I have previously enjoyed following a vegetarian diet. To make a change from the usual cereal I eat during the week I like to indulge myself at the weekend with toast and spreads. As I searched the isle with the jarred products in Tesco I managed to find a few different spreads suitable for vegans.

I limited my choice to two spreads, one of them being this delicious organic peanut butter by 'Whole Earth.' It tastes and looks no different to regular peanut butter but it contains natural ingredients suitable for vegetarians and vegans. The fact that it's free from any animal derived products makes it even more tastier and guilt free. It contains roasted peanuts (96%), sustainable palm oil (100% RSPO certified) and sea salt and contains naturally occurring sugars. Both the jar and the lid are fully recyclable for those of us that like to do our bit for the environment. All products in the peanut butter range are vegan but others (including the chocolate spreads) may not be so always check the label. I will continue to use this product and I highly recommend it to others. 

October Lush Haul

I get excited every time I plan a trip to my local Lush store. I like Lush because it's a whole different shopping experience. More often than not I get chatting to the very helpful and friendly sales assistants. There's one rule I have when shopping in Lush and that is never dismiss their help as you may just discover your new favourite product through watching one of their demonstrations.

I hadn't planned to venture out at all this weekend but once I had heard that the release of their Christmas range (the fact that it's still October is irrelevant) had hit the shelves I didn't exactly have to drag myself out to go and explore their products. I was due a re-stock anyway.

'Snow Fairy' was the first item to find it's way into my basket. I have never tried this shower gel before but after hearing rave reviews and having to wait an entire year to get my hands on this special edition product I wasn't going to hang around this time. This stuff literally flies off the shelves and I had noticed that there weren't many left but I should imagine, being the most popular Christmas product in the shop they must stock up quite often but I wasn't taking any chances. 

'Snow Fairy' has a sweet bubblegum type smell and has a slight shimmer to it. I bought the medium sized bottle at £7.50 as the larger bottle is a little pricey and I had planned to buy several items, so I refrained myself from getting it. However I did decide to get the 'Magic Wand' bubble bar to go with it which is priced at £5.25 and smells like 'Snow Fairy.' You may think that it's a bit expensive but apparently you can use it multiple times making it better value for money. Just hold it under a running tap for a couple of minutes and you have bubbles.

Hot Toddy was next on my list. I'm a big fan of anything with Cinnamon in it so I knew I would love this. It smells like Christmas in a bottle and I can imagine using this in a nice hot bath on a cold Christmas eve. I didn't want to go too mad so I bought a small bottle priced at £3.95 but I have a feeling I might be returning to buy some more. This product also contains glitter to add that extra Christmas sparkle.

'So White' was the third and final shower gel on my list. This seems to have a more subtle smell compared to the others, more of a pure, fresh scent and I could definitely pick up a slight hint of apples. Having picked this up, I thought I should at least try the 'So White' bath bomb to go with it which has a stronger scent. This is a bigger sized bath bomb priced at £3.50.

Steering away from the Christmas range now, I thought I would purchase some regular products. The block at the front of my photo is the 'Buffy' body butter, I've used this before and love it. It's a body scrub that moisturises when you rub it all over the body. Another great way to get moisturised while still in the bath or shower. This is more suitably used in the evening just before you get into your jim-jams as it leaves a slight greasy film on your body.

'Sakura' (the more colourful bath bomb in the photo) is new to me so I look forward to trying it out. This is a large citricy bath bomb with mimosa and Jasmine (inspired by Japanese cherry blossom) priced at £3.35. Lastly I bought 'Butter Bear' priced at £1.95 which was recommended to me by Lush Customer Care via twitter and smells exactly like the 'Butter Ball' that I love so much but comes in the shape of a cute bear.

This little lot should keep me going for a good while.

Vegan Product of the Week: Pacifica Perfume

Since I stopped shopping at 'The Body Shop' I had been on the hunt for some decent, gorgeous smelling perfume and I found that in 'Pacifica.' After such a short space of time it has fast become my favourite perfume brand. I'm a big fan of sweet smelling perfumes and these smell good enough to eat.

Pacifica perfumes are 100% vegan, cruelty free, free of parabens and propylene glycol. They are usually priced at £19.99 but you may find them on offer at £15.99 on occasions. I purchased mine at 'Planet Organic' but I've noticed some on 'Amazon' and obviously Pacifica's main WEBSITE which is US based. The range of scents also come in the form of body butter, body wash, soap, difusers and soy candles.

The perfume can be layered or worn alone. I layered 'Island Vanilla' with the 'Tahitian Gardenia' and they smelled divine. The only downside is that it tends to fade after a few hours and needs to be topped up but the bottles are the perfect size for your handbag.

Vegan Product of the Week: Vego Chocolate

This item was one of my Vegfest star buys and it could well be one of the best vegan chocolate bars on the market right now. Whilst munching on a sample at their stand I couldn't believe it was actually vegan but considering we were at a vegan event I had to believe it. 'Vego' comes in a whopping 150g bar and is organic, fair trade and gluten free.

Vego contains a generous helping of whole hazelnuts and when combined with the melt in your mouth creamy chocolate it tastes divine. This product seemed to be very popular even with the subscription boxes and I'm not surprised. I'm not sure how many people would be put off by the statement on the back of the bar that reads 'may contain traces of dairy products,' but I assume that is just a precaution as I'm sure they wouldn't be able to label the product as vegan otherwise.

Unfortunately the WEBSITE isn't clear about whether you can purchase them on-line or not but their FACEBOOK page states that you can buy them "everywhere in the UK" examples include WHOLEFOODS (Fresh & Wild), health food store and Planet Organic, so I will be having a look when I next visit. It really must be tried to be believed. Well done Vego... I take my hat off to you.

Vegan Product of the Week: Pukka Tea

I was never particularly into flavoured tea's and for a while I tried my hardest to find one that I liked until I discovered the 'Pukka' range. So many great flavours to choose from. Each stringed tea-bag comes in separate sachets that keep them fresh. The ones that I have pictured here are all Vegan and as far as I know the majority of pukka tea's are. 

You can check out the whole range on their website and when you click on each individual tea it will display it's dietary information. I also have other flavours in the 'Pukka' range and I like them all. Pukka believe in the health and wellbeing of both people and the planet. I highly recommend 'Pukka' to those who have been in the same situation as me.

London Vegfest 2014 Part One

Vegfest is a festival of all things vegetarian, vegan and cruelty-free and takes place annually in large venues around different parts of the country. I found out about it through word of mouth so I made plans to attend this year for the first time. I had heard good things about the many products they had to offer so I went prepared with my ruck sack in tow.

I arrived at London Olympia just before 10am for the 11am opening and realised I was third in the queue. Just half an hour later the queue was down the road and round the corner. Vegfest had grown in popularity and I could see why. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of stalls packed with food products, clothing, cosmetics and information. I was in heaven and I couldn't wait to explore.

I picked up a programme for £1 which gave me listings of everything that was happening. This became my bible for the day. I was also given a voucher to collect some Vegfest freebies which included Chia seeds, Love Beets beetroot juice and two items of my choice, Provamel almond drink and Bourne & Willis red cabbage. I do love a freebie and I'm looking forward to trying them out.

There were lots of free samples on some of the stalls so I took the opportunity to try some of the chocolate available which subsequently led to me purchasing a little (OK, a lot). I also tried some Sheese which was awesome. This was a new product for me as being veggie I hadn't experienced substitute cheese before, but I liked what I tasted. I must have gone around the stalls multiple times and I was still finding more products that I had missed.

Vx, Vegan Boutique

This impressive little vegan boutique literally has everything packed into it and I was interested to see how they utilised their space. Located on Caledonian road, it's a short walk from Kings Cross station. Directly to the right of me on entering the shop were a range of alternative vegan clothing items and shoes.

In front of me on the other side of the shop was a refrigerator full of drinks, next to that were shelves packed with vegan snacks and produce such as egg free mayo and dairy free cream. they also had a small selection of books.

In other refrigerators they had a good range of faux meat and cheese products which I plan to try next time I return with a cool bag. A selection of sweet and savoury take-away food (hot and cold) as well as sandwiches and cakes can be found at the other end of the shop.

The guys in the shop are very friendly and chatty. We must have talked for about 15 minutes at the counter about Vegfest (which I plan on attending this year) and other Vegan events before I finally payed for my goods. Unfortunately they won't have a stall at Vegfest London this year but you can check out their website HERE as they take orders on-line.

A Visit to Ms. Cupcake

I have nothing but good things to say about my visit to Ms. Cupcake, London's first entirely vegan bakery. This gem of a place is located on Coldharbour lane in Brixton, just a five minute walk from Brixton underground station. I took my 15 year old niece along with me to sample some of their top quality wares. On entering the shop we were greeted by a friendly staff team which immediately made us feel at ease. The first thing I noticed were a range of vegan sweet products in front of the food preparation area which I quickly got excited about, especially when I saw the packets of marshmallows. I haven't been able to eat marshmallows since becoming veggie so I knew I had to snap some of these up along with a couple of other items that caught my eye.

When we moved towards the cupcake display counter I knew that deciding on just one cupcake would be an impossible task but I managed it. There were so many amazing looking cupcake's with different coloured icing. It was like looking at a work of art.

I chose the 'apple custard crumble' while my niece opted for the 'red velvet' cupcake and we couldn't have been more pleased with our choices. We also couldn't resist ordering two milkshakes; one chocolate and one Oreo which were bought out to our table when they were ready. My milkshake was very chocolaty, just the way I like it. Unfortunately there was no seating inside the shop due to it's small capacity but luckily it was warm enough to pull up a chair outside.

We must have been there for about an hour having a good old chin wag and watching the world go by before reluctantly leaving. Being my first vegan cupcake experience I was pleasantly surprised at how similar tasting these cupcakes were compared to ones that contain dairy products. I would say that there was no difference in taste what soever, therefore I would happily recommend Ms. Cupcake to those who aren't vegetarian or vegan. I will definitely be back at some point to try out their savoury treats and cookies. Check out the website to find out what else they have to offer.

Vegan Product of the Week: LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Today I am introducing a new feature to my blog. I will be posting 'Vegan Product of the Week' every Friday evening and it will include a product that I find exceptional. All views are my own and based on my personal taste so anything that I find to be exceptional, someone else may not. The first product I want to share with you is the sweet, juicy smelling 'Bubblegum Lip Scrub' from LUSH. It comes in a handy little compact glass jar (ideal for your overnight/make-up bag) and contains some simple ingredients that have a great impact on your lips.

All you have to do is rub it in (I use a circular motion) making sure you cover every inch of your lips. It leaves them smooth and ready to apply your favourite lip balm. I wouldn't recommend you do this before a night out as it makes you look like you've just snogged a stubbly man. Add it to your evening facial care routine. There's no need to rinse, just lick it off as it's also edible (although I tend to rinse a little then lick). This lip scrub is priced at £5.50 and comes in two other flavours. It is made with caster sugar and organic jojoba oil along with a couple of other things so you could probably make your own if you don't want to splash out on LUSH's prices.

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.