Surviving Veganuary: What Hit The Spot And What Hurt

For some, going vegan is an ethical decision; for others, it is about health. Studies have shown that, on average, vegans have a healthier Body Mass Index and have lower cholesterol levels. What’s more, by going vegan, you can dramatically decrease your greenhouse gas emissions by half.

With this in mond, Belle About Town has spent the last month avoiding dairy and anything associated with animal produce. We’ve ‘done’ Veganuary – and this is what we learnt…

To drink:

Benefit Shakes are the UK’s first fruity almond “milk”– shakes. No more juicing, mixing and mess in the kitchen to get your perfect dairy-free fruit blend, these 250ml bottles of yum come chilled and ready to drink. Made in the UK by Lovely Fodder Ltd, Benefit Shakes are one of the first fruit shakes to combine the idea of a milkshake with natural fruit juices and vitamin enriched almond “milk”. The Blueberry & Acai version is vegan friendly and also counts as one of your five-a-day.

But if you fancy something a bit less fruity and more fizzy, grab a can (yes a can!) of Most Wanted slightly sparkling Pinto Grigio. Getting through Veganuary is hard enough for a first timer so there’s no way we’re combining it with Dry January! But did you know that most wines contain animal products? Luckily for us, not Most Wanted’s delicious Pinot Grigio, it’s keeping us going at the weekends! Co-Op also do a great range of vegan wines, and all are labelled as such so there’s no fretting as to whether your treat fits your new diet.

To eat:

Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen range is fab. Full of flavour and with a good choice of dishes, this line was by far our favourite. The spicy bean burrito has a real kick, is a full meal, and comes in at just under 600 calories. The pesto lasagne wasn’t for us – great flavours but a funny texture – but the stir fried tofu, the jalapeno potato wedges, and the incredibly gooey and gorgeous chocolate brownie, were all winners for our dinners.

The joy that is Quorn has developed from a niche brand into a way of cooking life for many of us. Whether you’re vegan or not, Quorn offers an appealing alternative to meat as it’s so low in fat but still provides plenty of protein. The brand has extended its range of vegan products so you can now get anything from burgers and fillets to fajita strips and fishless fingers. The vegan line certainly lacks a chewiness, the texture is a little too crumbly for our liking, but it is pretty tasty, and great to use as an ingredient in bigger dishes such as casseroles or enchilladas.

Dive into the Mediterranean diet with Odysea’s range of naturally healthy anti-pasti including luxurious Date Molasses – Made using 100% dates to create a velvety, treacle-thick natural sweetener, a delicious aubergine meze which is perfect for spreading on toast, or our favourite – the sautéed button mushrooms which make a perfect snack between meals.

If pizza is your thing then check out the Margherita by free-from range Kirsty’s. Topped with a creamy ‘vegan cheese’, this is the best vegan and free-from pizza we’ve tried. While vegan cheese will never totally fulfil our tastebuds, this pizza uses the best of the bunch, and the spicy tomato sauce couple with a crispy gluten-free base makes it a meal worth having. Not only is the pizza suitable for a wide variety of dietary requirements and allergy sufferers but is a healthier alternative to regular pizza too, coming in at under 660 calories for the whole pizza, which is also low in sugar and saturated fats. Again, buy exclusively from Tescos.

To cook:

Mindful Chef is a health-focused recipe box subscription service which offers a 100% Vegan meal box option. All the recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free and contain no refined carbs. Customers receive a weekly box containing recipe cards, pre-portioned ingredients and fresh produce sourced from small award-winning British farms. Each recipe features just 10 ingredients and takes a maximum of 30 minutes to prepare – perfect for the busy Belle who wants to cook mindful meals. The boxes start from £4.50 per portion.

If you’re a pasta fiend, do try Explore Cuisine’s plant-based range. Their selection of pasta from across the globe integrates beans, peas, lentils and rice to provide you with the basis for nourishing meals that are easy, quick, naturally colourful and most importantly delicious. Explore Cuisine’s range is a healthier alternative to traditional pasta that looks, cooks and keeps the same texture as regular pasta. Crafted from organic beans, chickpeas and lentils, unlike standard wheat pasta, these pastas are gluten-free, high in protein and high in fibre. Perfect for filling you up without the uncomfortable bloated feeling that often follows indulgence.

To go:

High Street chains are getting in on the act with vegan dishes available at favourites such as Pizza Express and Wagamama. Pizza Express offers the vegan Giardiniera, which combines artichokes with asparagus, red onion, garlic oil, black olives and seasoning, on a classic dough and passata base. Not only this, but following feedback from their customers, requesting the Italian-made vegan mozzarella alternative, this cheese is now available to be used across all of their pizzas – making it a great option for those experimenting with veganism.

In London, the Lancaster Hotel’s Island Grill restaurant offers a full vegan menu. Fine dining Japanese restaurant Ginza Onodera offers an incredible vegan sushi roll (pictured right) filled with endives, red pepper, cucumber, sorrels, pickled carrots and avocado, and garnished with Yoshinogawa seaweed and pumpkin and pomegranate seeds. Or head to Gauthier Soho, Ceviche in Old Street, and Lyle’s in Shoreditch for daily offerings of vegan meals that are bursting with flavour and goodness.

Vegan pop up, The Meet is launching as a permanent restaurant in Clapham this month following a hugely successful 3-month residency. Founders Ashley Letchford and Chef Dominic Taylor will continue to bring their unique take on plant-based comfort food and playful vegan cocktails, all in the urban, industrial backdrop of railway arches in Clapham North. Open daily, The Meet serves a selection of small sharing plates, burgers, late night bites as well offering bottomless vegan brunch and Sunday roasts on the weekend. 

Just opened in St James’s is Baby Bao which has already built up a loyal following with vegans in Brighton with their Meat Free Monday menu. They have plenty of vegan bao and sides at their newly opened London site too such as their Mushroom bao with sweet n’ sour, miso mayo, crispy shallots, scallion and pickled carrot.  Chakra Kensington is a recently refurbished Indian restaurant with a dedicated vegan menu featuring highlights such as Chakra Channa, Assam tea-infused chickpea curry cooked with channa masala powder and tomatoes. 

Out of town, try Home Bar and Kitchen in Ickenham which boasts an ever-changing vegan specials board which includes an incredibly tasty wild mushroom tagliatelle and vegan flatbreads, as well as gluten-free options on most meals; Or Buckinghamshire’s Stoke Place which offers fine dining vegan delights including a carrot and cumin puree starter served with chargrilled pointed cabbage and lemon emulsion, a chestnut and sage crushed Butternut, butternut fondant served with crispy kale, oyster mushrooms, roasted pine kernels and butternut puree, and a wild mushroom quinoa complimented with charred broccoli, mushroom powder and roasted shallots. 

To read:

If you’re still stuck for inspiration on where to dine, invest in a copy of Vegan London, the ultimate handbook for hungry Londoners and tourists alike, listing venues, menus and more. Compiled by vegan blogger Serena Lee, you can find anything vegan from bangers ‘n’ mash to banh mi between the pages, and in the capital. With eighty of London’s best vegan and vegan-friendly establishments at your fingertips, you’ll find food and drink for every budget and for any occasion, all done the ethical way.

To use:

If you’re giving Veganuary a real go, you might not have realised that your beauty regime could also be affected. While testing on animals is thankfully not so common with brands any more, many still contain animal-derivative ingredients. If the product is vegan – it will tell you. If it doesn’t it’s unlikely to be!

While more and more brands are joining the organic, vegan movements, not all manage to combine their ethical stance with product quality. However, here is our pick of the ones that do:

• For hair: Argan Oil of Morocco has a whole range of haircare products which contain the finest certified organic Argan Oil, which has been used for centuries by Berber women to naturally nourish, moisturise and restore shine and softness to the hair. And as well as being 100% organic, the range is also 100% vegan. 
• For skin: DAYTOX. Not just a single detox treatment, but a detox skin care range that can easily be slotted into your daily routine, and is 100% vegan. A combination of clinically tested active detoxifying substances, medicinal plants and precious oils stimulate and support cell renewal and give great results. Available from Waitrose, priced between £10 – £29. Belle recommends the Volcanic Mud mask (RRP £20) which can be used either as a daily cleansing foam or a gentle purifying mask. 
• For teeth: White Glo’s Pure and Natural toothpaste is completely vegan and organic. Free from fluoride, harmful chemicals and bleaches that are often incorporated into tooth whitening products, White Glo’s toothpaste formula whitens teeth with natural ingredients. Worryingly there are an estimated one billion plastic toothbrushes contained within landfill sites across the U.S alone. To try and combat this, White Glo’s toothpaste includes a free biodegradable bamboo toothbrush that naturally decomposes as opposed to plastic toothbrushes that take an estimated 400 years. RRP £6 and available from Boots.

For Kids:

Whether or not you believe in bringing up kids on a vegan diet, you can still introduce vegan products to them. Many of the well known sweet brands contain gelatine and chocolate, of course, contains milk, but we have found some ranges of sweets that are 100% vegan and even tastier than their more mainstream counterparts. Free From Fellows make everything from vegan cola bottles to juicy Gummy Bears. You can enjoy traditional Rhubarb and Custards and Pear Drops too, all totally vegan.

And get them their vitamin fix with 100% fruit snacks from Fruit Bowl. The School Bars, Fruit Flakes and cute fruit Peelers are all vegan.

Or if you’re looking for something more savoury, try the new range of Mission wraps which include a carrot wrap and tomato ketchup wrap too. There’s a strawberry one for the sweeter tooth or dessert. Kids love them, and they’re getting a few extra vits in their lunchbox while you’re at it.

When it comes to cleansing – Child’s Farm is renowned as a gentle range for kids’ sensitive skin. They’re one of the very few baby and child ranges to undergo clinical safety tests and controlled user trials so all their products are dermatologist and paediatrician approved as suitable for sensitive skin and safe for people prone to eczema. From shampoo and bubble bath to detangling conditioners, the 100% vegan cosmetic brand has developed into a must-have for parents who want to shop ethically for their kids as well as themselves.

So there you have it – we survived January – well, Veganuary – just, and we honestly can admit to looking, and feeling, a lot healthier. Our skin is clearer and we’ve even shed a few extra pounds. The initial cheese and milk cravings subsided within a week or two, but don’t be fooled that veganising your life is easy. A trip to the Rainforest Cafe in the heart of London proved extremely awkward as the waitress told us : “We don’t offer anything vegan at all. I could do you a few vegetables in a bun, but that might have butter in it…”

Most places are pretty accommodating if you’re brave enough to ask, but many don’t actually understand what is and isn’t allowed, so be prepared to slip up a few times while you’re learning, because businesses are too.

For more advice on taking the plunge and veganising your life, take a look at the Veganuary website, which offers advice for people considering veganism all year round. There is a Facebook support group too, but be prepared for some pretty militant views.

• Did you try Veganuary? What worked for you? And what didn’t?! Comment below or join the conversation on our Facebook page.