Bit obsessed with pizza, me, so was delighted to discover that vegan cheese is melting its kind little heart into many a pizzeria, pub, cafe and restaurant around the UK!
Vegan Cooking Blog
| Hello, I’m Jane Easton, Viva!’s Food & Cookery Coordinator – which means I cook, eat (a lot!), write about and review all kinds of delicious vegan food. I work with my lovely vegan partner in crime, Maryanne Hall, to help individuals move towards veganism and to help businesses to provide more inclusive menus. My job description includes doing cookery demos; researching new products and recipes; writing features for Viva!, the Vegan Recipe Club and more – basically, I know a fair bit about vegan food and if I don’t, I’ll try and find out!
Vegans tend to be made, not born. Being mostly Scottish, I grew up on lard. I watched my mum and grandma cooking from scratch – both were good cooks. The 60s saw an explosion of new foods – it was very exciting and my mum had to buy spaghetti in a special shop it was so exotic! I started cooking from about 12 years of age although there were a lot of packet curries and tinned food in the mix. So I borrowed cookbooks from the library. Later on, I discovered the burgeoning wholefood/veggie movement and raided my student friends’ shelves. I tried a fair bit of it out too, living in Glasgow as an impoverished but curious teenager and teaching myself how to make brown rice, dahl and other things that were pretty exotic back in the day. I went fully vegetarian in the late 70s and remained so for a long time. In 2001 I went vegan and never looked back. This blog is where I’ll post my latest food news, obsessions and recipes. And I hope you’ll reply with your questions, comments and ideas!
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Hello! I’m Maryanne and I work alongside the lovely Jane as Viva!’s Food and Cookery Coordinator. I too eat a lot, experiment with new recipes a lot, bring you newsletters, social media and demos! I’ve been vegetarian since I was twelve years old, then later vegan, and since then I’ve made it my mission to create delicious plant-based dishes and treats. My mother was a (self-confessed) terrible cook but I always knew (hoped) there was a world of food outside just waiting to be discovered! After finding inspiration from my veggie background and also from working in Andorra, Greece, France, India and Peru, my cookery career truly began after working as a Chef in Morzine, France. I reluctantly returned to the UK but then found the position of Chef in Green Rocket vegetarian restaurant in Bath. This fantastic experience then led onto me gaining the position of Manager/Chef of Bristol Health Hub. The menu here consisted of vegan, organic and living foods to help improve health. In this time I also undertook raw, fermented food and dessert courses with Anna Middleton and Kate Magic. I now thoroughly enjoy working for Viva!’s Vegan Recipe Club and also at Demuth’s Cookery School. My passion for finding new and delicious vegan delights continues to evolve and I look forward to sharing some of these delicious treats with you… |
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Vegan cheese (sometimes known as 'Gary'!*) gets better all the time. While vegan artisan cheeses are still pretty niche, they are on the cusp of moving into the mainstream. Home-made nut cheeses are pretty easy to make too and very tasty but if that's too much of an effort, there are plenty on offer in the supermarkets and health food shops. Please note, Violife Mediterranean Style Block (ie Halloumi) is coming to the UK soon. Watch this space for our review! We also look forward to North America's big favourite becoming more popular in the UK - watch out for Daiya!
VRC's Top Ten Vegan Cheeses
1. Best on bagels – Violife Creamy cream cheese alternative. We also love Toffuti Better Than Cream Cheese, Garlic and Herb! Have a look at our amazing bagel suggestions :)
2. Best in burgers – Violife Original Slices. Have a look at our bean burger recipe with a Violife slice!
3. Best on crackers – Sheese Wensleydale Style with Cranberries. We also really like Sheese Cheddar Style Caramelised Onion (you can also find a Sainsbury's version of this and the Wensleydale) and Tesco Free From Jalepeno and Chilli Cheese Alternative.
4. Best on jacket potato – Grated Sheese Mild Cheddar Style. We also really like Tesco Free-From Grated Mozzarella and Violife for Pizza, Mozzarella Flavour. Have a look at our jacket potato suggestions!
5. Best on pasta – Violife Prosociano Hard Cheese. We also really like Vegusto No-Moo Piquant and Angel Food Parmesan Alternative. Try our Speedy Sundried Tomato & Asparagus Pasta recipe!
6. Best on pizza – Mozzarisella Classic. We also really like Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds (making their way to the UK soon!), Violife Original and Sheese Greek Style (sounds strange but it melts really well and tastes great!)... there's also a Sainsbury's version of this one. Try our Ultimate Vegan Pizza recipe!
7. Best bit of posh – Nutcrafter Handcrafted Out of The Blue, Blue Cheese Style (but any of their cheeses are incredible!) We also love the whole range of Mouse's Favourite handcrafted, artisan nut-based cheese. Then there is Vegusto - see no.8. It's not quite handcrafted but excellent quality and very popular with people looking for something different from the mainstream cheeses. It's available at some independent health food shops but mainly online.
8. Best in a sandwich – Sheese Smoked Cheddar. (Tesco also sells this under their own Free From label.) We also love Tesco Free-From Mature Cheddar and the whole Vegusto range! Have a look at our Cheese and Pickle Sandwich using Violife Slices.
9. Best on a shepherd's pie – Sheese Greek Style (an unusual choice but melts so well and tastes really nice - also sold by Tesco and Sainsbury's under their own brand). We also really like Veganic Pizza Melty. Try our Shepherd's Pie recipe!
10: Best in a toastie – Violife Organic Slices. We also love Sheese and Tesco Smoked Cheddar! Check out our Mega Melty Pesto Toastie!
All these cheese are lovely but you can't beat a handcrafted nut cheese! Here is our favourite homemade option, a bit more effort but well worth it!! Vegan Recipe Club White Cheddar Cashew Cheese Artisan Style.
*Gary? See here for the story...and how Sainsbury's took this and ran with it so wittily ...
Phew, finally scraped the mud from my Glasto kit! What an amazing week I had...
Viva! was invited as one of the guest chefs/cookery demonstrators by the Veggies outreach programme, Food for a Future. Veggies from Nottingham has been cooking up a vegan storm at...
It's official - the Vegan Society and Vegan Life magazine commissioned an Ipsos Mori poll and discovered that there's been a staggering 360% rise of vegans in the UK during the past decade. Conservative...
We came, we saw, we conquered - well, thanks to an amazing 3,000 or...
Diabetes type 2 levels are rising in an unprecedented manner across the globe, but most especially in the richer countries. There is a big link between diet and all the diseases of affluence - heart disease, many cancers, strokes, obesity - as well as diabetes itself. But it's not inevitable....
As promised... it's on the Recipe Club now! Pulled Not-Pork Vegan Jackfruit with all the trimmings... This went down very well with friends and family, I can tell you!
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Been cooking some new stuff of late. Finally nailed the Aqufaba Mayo - boy, it's good! I also tried out the Pulled Jackfruit recipe from Anneka Svenska - epic...
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Over the Rainbow guest house in West Wales is a haven for all things veggie, vegan, garden and nature! The beautiful 18th century manor house in Ceridigion also hosts special events – from yoga to belly dancing, creative writing to themed suppers… Then there is the opportunity for walks...
These were easy to make and tasted really good - plus they are lower in fat and salt than most bought sausies. You do need a bit of time to do the wrapping and steaming of the sausages but turn on the music, make yourself a cuppa and go for...
Those of you keeping an eye on all things vegan may have come across aquafaba already. If you haven't, it's spreading like a rash! So what is it and why all the excitement?
Basically, that gooey liquid at the bottom of a tin of beans that we used to chuck...
More vegan sausages and burgers in the pipeline! Linda Mac's sausies and Fry's vegan sausages and burgers are both tasty and widely available, and we love Vegusto and Dee's too. Then there's IKEA - they responded to vegan encouragement in a massive...
Just finished the new all singing, all dancing web version of our trusty L-Plate Vegan guide. I won't get into the technicalities but this format makes for a more pleasant and convenenient experience for you,dear reader!
I've added lots of product pix and updated the text a bit. The...
Hadn't made this for a while and in true frugal style I saw that there was just enough at the bottom of a pot of Sojade vegan yog (whichever brand you use make sure it's a live vegan yoghurt)
So I half-remembered the recipe and went for it! Used...
Another springcleaning job on the VRC! We didn't have a dedicated sauce section - now we do. Over sixty sauces, pestos, fruit coulis, gravies, dahls and such have been added so if you are looking for a special sauce, savoury or sweet, life will be easier.
Easiest way to find...
I've given our Articles section a little dust down. This section features old and new hints and tips on everything from budget shopping, breadmaking, buying kitchen equipment and cooking to vegan baking and sprouting! Plus lots more hints and tips inbetween.
So I've added or updated pictures, added more links to take...
30 Day Vegan
It's our new baby, born on 3 February, bless its little pixels. We're so excited about the 30 Day Vegan - after working with the Veganuary team and seeing that take off like a rocket, we wanted to get our own onlilne vegan pledge scheme...
Yes, I'd like to eat only delicious, healthy vegan food for the month of January... If this is true of you, then check out Veganuary!
It holds your virtual hand whilst offering lots of great recipes and meal plans for each day of the month (well, 30 days!) - all completely FREE.
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Those of you who get our e newsletter will know that there's a lemon curd or 'vurd' recipe on there! All vegan, of course.
I've had great fun messing about with piles of lemons and such trying out recipe variants. All were good, some just better than others. This is the...
It's getting chilly after the seemingly endless summer followed by the equally endless golden autumn! So my thoughts (and stomach) are turning towards hearty stews, soups, curries and other winter loveliness (interspersed by my weekly two days on the 5:2 Diet of course). However, I'm still scoffing lots of big...
After a week of feeling substantially lower in energy than I have so far, I am deciding to step up my approach towards the nutrition side of training.
The Bristol Half Marathon is 6 weeks away now, and although everything has been going to plan and I’ve getting out...
We've been in contact with Doctor Tempeh for a couple of years now - I first met Jonathan, the owner, (and yes, he's a real doctor and nutritionist!) at a trade show back in 2012 and after tasting his delicious curried tempeh in a tin, asked him if he'd donate some for Viva!'s Incredible Veggie Roadshow in...
I had great fun making my first ever batch of pepperoni yesterday! It was very easy and cheap to do. Watch the new recipe banner tomorrow for the low-down on how to make it...
Weighed in today and am officially 6.1K lighter - that is 13.44lbs, so almost a stone gone! Despite getting a bit stuck at around the 10lb mark, I regained some lost discipline, hung on in there and seem to have turned a corner. My clothes fit better, I have more energy and...
I've been extremely busy on the L-Plate Vegan Guide (it ended up with a longer gestation than an elephant!) which is very very close to being born... watch this space.
On another note, I have been working on several other projects (hush hush) but took time out to sample the...
Brighton Buns - yes, even the baked goods were vegan, with a whole new world of animal-free Chelsea buns and doughnuts, as you can see from the picture!
Veg Fest isn't all about food of course. There was inspiration everywhere in the form of talks, films, cookery demos, campaign stalls and lots...
I'm usually a bit late with keeping up to date with magazines we order at Viva!. So I've only just seen Cook Vegetarian magazine's special Dairy-free and Vegan Guide insert in their March edition. I was delighted with this 20-page booklet: 82+ recipe ideas, vegan advice, essential buys - all set out as a 28 day meal...
After various family emergencies/dramas (calmed down for the present!) I am escaping tomorrow to do one of the things I love most - a cookery demo plus a chance to help out/chat to wannabe vegans, hooray! The mighty Exeter Friends for Animals is hosting the first of two days this...
Oh dear, I've become slightly obsessed with packet cake mixes! (Do I need to get out more?!) However, there is some sanity underpinning the quest. I've been working hard on the new edition of the L-Plate Vegan Guide for the past few weeks. That has meant - among other things - a...
Yes, like many of you out there, I ate and drank a bit too much over the holiday season. (That is not a self-portrait, incidentally!!) While a healthy vegan diet is the best out there, eating too much of many foods will make a body put on weight - sadly, even vegan...
I got rather excited the other day. A friend gave me a pack of samphire - he didn't have time to cook it and didn't want to waste it. I wasn't going to turn down what was essentially a 'freegan' donation, especially as I'd never cooked it before.
It might sound a bit posh...
Perhaps the dragon title means I'm over-excited about the fast-approaching premiere of the Hobbit movie! (Yes, I am a not-so-closet Tolkien geek). But it's also a useful metaphor about our fear of change, of new directions...
Over the years I've had some interesting conversations with chefs at vegetarian or omni...
Are you looking for nice festive party nibbles or tapas? Well, those nice people from Olives from Spain sent us some amazing recipes and photos. And they are quick too, assembled in 5 minutes - just leave them to marinade for a minimum of 20 minutes or better...
Had a lot of fun doing a school talk for a small group of A Level Food Tech students(last week at Melksham Oak School, a lovely modern community college in Wiltshire. The staff and students were really welcoming, open and friendly. I explained that I was going to focus mainly on vegan...
So what sort of Christmas dinner will you be sitting down to this year? If you are veggie or vegan, you'll have a pretty good idea. But if you've always had the 'traditional' version, perhaps it's time for a change?
OK, so embracing a more animal and planet-friendly festive...
Alan Lee, Bristol vegan activist has done it again - he organised and hosted not one but two Vegucated evenings on the 1st and 6th November at Bristol's Polish Club.
The two events each featured a screening of the excellent Vegucated film of course but there was much more: free food, raffles, a really...
This is a nice little page of vegan and veggie Pinterests for students. I particularly liked the Nutritious Vegan Spectacular and the Vegan Food & Vegan Living but all the vegan sites I checked out look pretty good!...
Wow, I can't believe it's over two weeks ago since the Welsh Veggie Show! We worked very hard to make it the success it was and we're very pleased with the attendance and all the feedback. We were able to offer shedloads of free food samples - all deliciously vegan...
So off we headed to Scotland after the Welsh Veggie Show. Not only was I looking forward to celebrating my birthday back home (and getting a bit of a rest after the Show), I was very excited to visit Edinburgh as it's not a place I know very well (I'm a Glasgow girl originally)....
After Edinburgh, it was Glasgow, also basking in the autumnal sunshine. I particularly love the West End, which is where I used to hang out as a young thing. It's near the University, the big Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a beautiful park and is generally boho and stylish. (The uni can be...
Jane & Piggles headed to Cardiff today for a photocall - to promote Viva!'s Welsh Veggie Show at St David's Hall this coming Saturday. Great fun!
The Show's organising team is on it 24/7 (or at least, that's what it feels like) and we've got stallholders, food donations and all sorts coming...
Yes, the Catering Guide baby has finally arrived, all shiny and beautiful from the printers - the designer has done a cracking job so let's hope you like it as much as we do. We are really pleased, despite its prolonged labour - in true Viva! style, we've had to...
We were pleased to see that Asda now stock a couple of vegan-friendly meals in their Free From range, sold in longlife sachets on the shelf - 3 Bean Stew and Vegetable Curry. These were under £2 so not much more than a sandwich. Good for those of you who don't cook...
And this is the finished product - Spicy Moroccan Soup with green beans...
Sadly, there is no garlic bread picture; we were so hungry that we ate it before I had a chance to take a shot!).
OK, here is what I made from the leftovers of my friend's Bank Holiday lunch! (She used the insides of the tomatoes in one of the best risottos I've ever tasted) ...
- A large bowl of hollowed out tomatoes
- A handful of cooked green beans
- Half a ciabatta loaf.
I made a...
Despite my moans about some restaurants, It's amazing how many caterers are actuallly getting with the programme re providing vegan options. And a lot of that is down to vegan punters pushing the envelope and asking their favourite cafe/restaurant/pub/sandwich shop to deliver the goods! We have several success stories from...
By Francis
6th form college student from Bristol
Most meat eaters will say that without meat on your plate you can’t be getting all the nutrition (protein) that you need. Having been a vegetarian my whole life I find it very easy to prepare vegetarian meals which do provide the...
> Vegetarian (and vegan) student recipes
When a student, you don’t want to cook anything complicated or time consuming. Very often you’re not an experienced cook with the knowledge or skills to make something elaborate. But don’t worry there are many simple recipes and meals which don’t bear...
> Vegetarian (and vegan) student recipes
Don’t have to defrost your food the night before!
Time after time my flat mates would complain after coming back to the flat after a long day of lectures that they had forgotten the night before to take their chicken or...
Guest blog by Rhiannon Bloomfield, a veggie student
> Vegetarian (and vegan) student recipes
Not only being a vegetarian saves animals and you are no longer a contributor to their unnecessary cruelty, it is much cheaper!
When going shopping for food as I student you need to...
Guest blog by Rhiannon Bloomfield, a veggie student
> Vegetarian (and vegan) student recipes
When I started university out of my flat mates I was the only vegetarian. Some may not be as understanding or accepting as others. At first I was asked questions on concerning why I...
I was invited to be part of the team at Sheffield Triratna Buddhist Centre's 'Vegan Feasts' day at the weekend. The two organisers, Kate and Samacitta were passionate and experienced vegans who organised and ran the event beautifully. The idea was to create a non-judgmental environment where people could explore the issues safely -...
It's not difficult to cook vegan food, even for big meat-eaters! This isn't prescriptive - and I try lots of things on my willing victims - but here is what I made a few nights ago for some friends. I made the stew the day before (so the flavours were nicely infused) and roasted the...
Our Helen went to The Daffodil Inn in West Wales - and look at the amazing meal they served her!! Vegan tapas to die for, as you can see from the picture. I spoke to the management today who were very friendly. Give them a bit of advance notice...
Almond milk is just as easy as the Cashew Milk recipe I posted a while back. Just a couple of tips though...
- unhulled almonds are cheaper but more fiddly to use if the skins are scraped off.
- my colleague makes her almond milk without removing the ...
While the debate about faux meat products continues, some vegans have decided the way forward is to create a product that will win over die-hard meat eaters. Like many of you, I come from a family of big meat-eaters and they continue to guzzle animals, despite my efforts to persuade...
One of the objections made by meat-eating environmentalists is that vegans rely too much on imports. While I knew it was more complex than that, it's good to see this article clearing up some of the misconceptions about local or vegetarian.
...
While Helen was busy trying to have her baby, Rhiannon joined me this year at Buddhafield Festival. Despite the difficult weather and endless mud, we had a fantastic time. It was as if these challenges brought out the best in people - there was huge goodwill, both from the heroic efforts from...
I've made a reasonably successful home-made yoghurt before but am working on a new version... watch this space!
In the meantime, Alpro have produced a lovely new pouring yoghurt... highly recommended. Sainsbury and Ocado stock the plain, while other supermarkets stock the vanilla flavour.
...
If you've ever run out of self-raising flour but want to bake and have a bag of plain... there is a simple and cheap way to do it! All you need to add is baking powder - we give quantities below.
Just remember, if the recipe calls for SR...
Monday was an inspiring night! I did a cookery demo for BARC, a local Bristol group who were hosting a 'New Vegan' evening. This involved a delicious free supper (pizza, salads and chocolate cake), a nutritional talk and Q&A session skyped by Vegan Soc's Stephen Walsh plus a table full of resources...
This article may seem obvious to those of you who are quite confident cooks. But it seems as if we are becoming de-skilled as a nation - it's not just a shortage of manual trades like plumbers! Knowing how to cook and to do so frugally is not just fashionable but necessary...
If only other omni chefs were this creative with vegan food!
Before heading for a week's break in Cornwall, I did a 'vegan Cornwall' search and came across the Cormorant Hotel. We weren't expecting much but boy, did they come up with the goods! The restaurant sells typical...
Farily often, we are lucky enough to be sent new vegan products to try out and I was particularly curious when this particular item arrived. I was delighted with what I found!
Angel Food’s Vegan Cheesey Sauce really is a wonder-stuff in a packet.
All you do is...
Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of running a table of food tastings at one of Viva!'s popular talks, Why You Don't Need Dairy, delivered by founder & director Juliet Gellatley, in Cardiff.
There was a good mixture of vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters, so it was important to offer...
A delicous lunch or light supper using curry leftovers! I made a batch of Viva!'s simple pancake recipe and steamed some shredded spring greens. Once the pancakes were cooked I filled them with reheated curry and served them with the greens and a dollop of plain vegan yoghurt on the side. Very good......
For me, a large part of learning to cook vegan, was mastering how to use tofu in its various forms as a replacement to egg, in some of my favourite vegetarian dishes, such as scrambled eggs, quiche and french toast.
The Vegetarian Recipe Club has tried, tested and perfected these recipes over...
Lots of vegan brands are getting into supermarkets (mainly Waitrose so far) including Taifun Tofu and Organica's vegan chocolate range. Things are looking up. But some of the newest and best products haven't yet infiltrated retailer consciousnesss. Supermarkets tend to be the most conservative - hence the over-exposure of Quorn et al...
We love Kino and not just because it's a vegan cafe and our local. Helen and I went there the other day for an early supper before helping with a Viva! event in Kino's basement. Any excuse for a slap-up feed! The cook on that day made the most yummy...
Over the last year or so, Viva! & VVF founder & director, Juliet Gellatley and I, have got together to present talks and cookery demonstrations across the country, to help people improve their mood through what they eat.
All too often, if you go to your GP and complain...
The Viva! team spent a fantastic weekend at Brighton's VegFest. Huge thanks to Tim and the team, who as ever, made it a really successful event. Campaign stalls and talks provided focus and inspiration while merchandise and foodie heaven fed the senses! There seemed to be even more vegan...
We've been adding a few more recipes to our special catering section - Tofu Burgers, amongst other things. Some are new recipes, others are larger batches of old favourites, like this one!
Jane and I were delighted to go for lunch at a local Italian pizza restaurant and takeaway in Bristol this week, to celebrate the fact they had introduced vegan pizza and vegan panino to their menu.
Just to show how enthusiastic and open-minded businesses are becoming - it all...
The Co-op Chocolate Cake mix in a packet is vegan, hooray for them - and us.
But instead of de-veganising it by adding an egg as they suggest, try this. Follow the instructions on the back of the packet then add to the dry mixture:
1 med-large banana,...
It was snowing for the first time here in Bristol this weekend. So after a chilly walk into town, I decided I wanted to make something warming for supper.
A few years ago I used to buy a dumpling mix that was vegetarian - and thought it would be...
Viva! was delighted to hear that Quorn produced a vegan burger for the US market last year, working closely with Compassion Over Killing. Media coverage praised Quorn’s compassionate and ‘socially responsible’ move.
So what about the UK? Well, Quorn has said that it has no immediate plans...
This morning I uploaded my best vegan Toad in the Hole recipe to the Vegetarian Recipe Club. The recipe took much practice, but the end result got me glowing feedback during an audition for ITV's Britain’s Best Dish last year.
I think mastering vegan Toad in the...
Happy New Year everyone - from Helen and Jane at the Vegetarian Recipe Club.
So here's a happy new blog topic from the VRC - I'm expecting my first baby - and have been going through a strange transition with my food & cookery which I thought I’d share...
The Bristol Evening Post did a reallly lovely upbeat feature on my vegan Christmas, mentioned Viva! and the VVF and gave a link to one of our Christmas recipes! A big thanks to Suzanne Savill and the rest of the BEP team for such an even-handed article.
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Christmas-turkey-trimmings/story-14100753-detail/story.html...
Christmas now just a few days away - and I'm really hoping many more people than ever before will be opting for a veggie or vegan Christmas dinner this year.
I've really enjoyed putting together a whole range of new festive recipes for the Vegetarian Recipe Club in the...
I fancied making pancakes the other day, but wanted to include a couple of vegetables in the process. Whilst I'm a fan of our exisiting savoury pancake recipe, I wanted to see how things would turn out if I added shredded spinach into the batter before cooking, instead of...
The lovely people at Vegusto have been kind enough to send us some more of their products to sample and review - so I thought I'd make something for lunch with their marjoram veggie sausages and Veganaise (vegan mayo).
I had brought some homemade bread to work with me,...
Helen Rossiter and I have been working hard to upgrade all the Christmas recipes into a dedicated section so they are easy to find:
www.vegetarianrecipeclub.org.uk/christmas
The result is that we have around 50 lovely dishes, ranging from party nibbles through to starters, main courses, sides and desserts....
I've been writing recipes for Viva! ahd the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation for three years now - and started trying my hand at taking pictures of everything we make, initially in an effort to save us the cost of using a professional photographer. This has now become one of the favourite...
Viva!'s Rose Alexander made two lovely dinners using Vegusto's Veggie Mince and their Classic Burger.
Here's what she had to say:
"I made veggie chilli with the mince, with mixed potato wedges, watercress and rocket salad with homemade aioli. This veggie mince has ended my long love affair of...
Viva!'s campaigns manager, Justin Kerswell, sampled some of Vegusto's No Muh Piquant - Dairy Free Cheese.
"The No Muh Piquant was something of a revelation. I haven't eaten any dairy for almost a decade now and didn't really miss it that much. However, I do use - and enjoy -...
Viva!'s sales and merchandise manager, Katrina Gazley, also happens to be a great cook. She took home Vegusto's Mayonnaise and Dill Cold Cuts and on Friday, and here she shares with us how she got on.
Brompton Salad with Vegusto Mayo
My favourite salads sometimes don't even involve a shred of...
A vegetarian of 20 years - I'm not really one to get excited about mock meat products anymore - I never did like the taste of meat anyway.
Cheese however, is a different matter. Being honest, I did really like it and was still eating it when I first...
!["The meal was so fantastic, my boyfriend proposed" dining at Manna in London](https://www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/blog/helen20at20manna.jpg?itok=1ivY1nyt ""The meal was so fantastic, my boyfriend proposed" dining at Manna in London")
On Tuesday evening of this week (October 4), my boyfriend Gwil and I had the delightful experience of dining at Manna - one of Europe's finest and oldest gourmet vegetarian establishments - for a review for Viva!'s Viva!Life magazine, for which I am the editor.
I cannot...
My very special birthday present was amazing! Beautiful Paris was bathed in golden sunlight; the festival was situated in a modern warehouse-style community venue called La Bellevilloise in the 20th Arondissement and the three floors of stalls, talks, food, bars, cookery demos et al were vibrant and very very busy. There were even a couple of UK...
Last week I was busy making three varieties of Indian Snack for one of my favourite features in Viva!Life magazine - Making Your Own. We've done crossiants and sushi, so I thought samosas, bhajis and pakoras would make a nice topic leading up to the Christmas season when people are...
Well I noticed it had been a while since Jane or I wrote a blog - so I was wondering what I could talk about today. When I have some down-time, I spent a couple of hours adding more recipes to this website (we have hundreds more hidden away that...
I have just returned from a week's holiday in Jane's wonderful cottage in Wales - where my boyfriend and I relished in a week of cooking, eating, watching TV, sleeping, bird watching, playing scrabble and crochetting (me not him!).
We ended up cooking lots of things from Vegan Yum...
Well, it's been a very long gestation but I'm on the big edit of this massive project. The Viva! Cookbook contains a host of new recipes and old favourites as well as some unique special bits (shhh!). The idea is to prove just how delicious and easy it is to cook vegan food. So many...
I'm rather excited about my latest cookery venture - home-made tofu from scratch. The inspiration came from a sister soya -freak at Buddhafield Festival who spilled the -erm- beans and shared her tofu secrets. I was determined to give it a try when I got home; the results were much...
Jane and I had a wonderful time running our Vegan Vihara tent at this year's Buddhafield Festival 2011.
We ran four cookery demos and four talks - and met lots of wonderful people along the way. Many were veggies wanting to go vegan, some were people nearly ready to...
Viva! & VVF Vegan Dome in Beautiful Somerset... Wed 13-Sunday 17 July
After doing some successful workshops last year (and cooking for hundreds in the crew food tent!) we persuaded the lovely Buddhafield Festival organisers to give us more sessions - they not only obliged but have also allocated us our very own Vegan Tent...
When my friend and VRC partner in crime, Jane Easton, said she had a spare bread machine I could have, I was excited. Especially as I'm currently cooking out of the smallest kitchen in the world (fact), without a proper oven!
I was hungry last night, and discovered a...
line-height:normal;background:white">So I celebrated my 30th birthday on Saturday with a wonderful party at Jane's house in the Welsh Valleys.
We spent about 10 hours in total preparing a vegan Middle Eastern style feast for all our friends and colleagues.
Despite my fears that there wouldn't be enough food, 25...
I was delighted to be invited to a big family BBQ on Saturday, where I was to help prepare salads and make a veggie alternative too.
Situated in a small town in rural Wales, by mid morning on Saturday it became apparent I was not going to be able...
It is just starting to dawn on me that in 10 days I will turn 30! and what better way to celebrate this than by joining forces with my friend and food patrner in crime, Jane Easton, to produce a mighty vegan spread of food for our friends.
So...
Helen and I are also participating in a 'Ready Steady Cook' -stylee event at Bristol's Polish Club tonight! We're up against non-vegan chefs from local restaurants and cafes so it should be a lot of fun. Then there is cabaret and a bar, woohoo!
The theme of the event...
It's a busy week here at the Vegetarian Recipe Club. Jane Easton and I are doing 7 cookery demos between us as part of the Bristol VegFest and Fringe Week.
The fun began yesterday at Cafe Kino, a vegan cafe in Stokes Croft, near Viva! HQ. I...
Treating and Reversing Diabetes Type Two With A Clinically Proven Diet!
Do you have diabetes or do you know someone with it? Well, here at the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation we're experiencing a sense of pride and excitement. During the past few months a group of us have...
Here at the VRC we LOVE making our own hummus. It's so quick, easy and cheap and can contain loads less oil than the stuff you buy in the shops.
Here's my basic recipe:
1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini paste
1 clove garlic
2...
The new updated version of Viva!'s Catering Guide has been on the back burner because of other, more pressing, deadlines, but I've been slowly getting to grips with the second edit - now placed securely in my boss's in-tray.
This latest effort is part of our plan for World Vegan Domination (evil cackle)... actually,...
Well this week has proved an interesting challenge.. I've been writing recipes for veggie mums and babies. Although I now have two friends with mini-vegan babies, I'm not a mum myself, so the dishes I have come up with took some research and imagination.
I've been thinking a lot about...
Well I've been well any truely up to my eye balls in cooking this week - making a marathon 92 portions of vegan food - and taking pictures of everything for the Vegetarian Recipe Club website.
So I had to go shopping to gather together a mountain of ingredients. I...
While the UK produces a range of amazing vegan cookbooks and vegan recipe websites, there is also some cutting edge stuff coming over the pond from our American and Canadian vegan friends. Check out the Viva! bookshop http://www.vivashop.org.uk/books for ideas both British and North American.
Oscar Wilde quipped famously...
The research for a vegan tiramisu started in earnest as Helen Rossiter and I first started cooking and photographing recipes for the forthcoming Viva! Cookbook late in 2009. I did a bit of research then cobbled something together of my own. It tasted good but was quite fiddly to make....
It's no secret in the Viva! office that I am now on Weight Watchers. This is what comes of being a vegan with an overly enthusiastic appetite, who spends her life cooking up food which I've been told by many is rather nice...
Mmm, so with Spring officially here...
So here it is! blog number three on this project and I have a loaf of sourdough rye bread! if I'm honest, it's a little hard, but still tastes exactly like the expensive stuff you buy in bread stores, so I'm happy.
Last night I pre-heated my oven to Gas Mark...
So yesterday I added a further cup of rye flour to my sourdough culture - and then a little more water - stirring again into a thick paste. It was starting to smell yeasty now.
Time to mix! I weighed 250g of the starter and put into into a...
Yesterday I made a salad for lunch that, although contained lots of different veg and other bits, was frankly a bit dry and boring. So this morning, I challenged myself to create one with much more zing and flavour, containing even more different vegetables and seasonings.
It includes spinach...
I've decided to cut out wheat for a while, as I think an old intolerance has returned. Many of our bread shops in Bristol sell wonderul Sourdough Rye Bread. However, it's rather expensive at around £2.50 for a medium loaf. So I thought I'd have a go at making my...
Welcome to the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation's new Vegetarian Recipe Club website - including a blog for the very first time. Follow our blog for daily updates and news on the latest in vegan food and cookery, from recipes, to cookery tips, food news, weight loss and health and nutrition....
Happy Pancake Day everyone! and welcome to the new Vegetarian Recipe Club from Viva! and the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation.
The VRC team will be blogging regularly about our latest kitchen antics and vegan cooking adventures. Why not check out some of our earlier entries to get a flavour of what...
Jane Easton and I got busy last week testing and photographing recipes for a forthcoming VVF guide on eating to beat Diabetes. All the recipes were delicious and really easy to make! We managed to work our way through about 12 different dishes during one day (which is good going) - proving just show...
I'm not sure why I'm such a late developer when it comes to bread making. I've tried my hand at making most things, but after a couple of bad experiences a long time ago, I'd put bread making on the back burner so to speak!
Until now. I've recently...
This week I've been putting together three recipes for Yoga Magazine, celebrating an egg-free Easter. When I turned vegan from vegetarian, a major challenge for me was learning to create some of my favourite dairy and egg-based dishes, vegan.
My friend and colleague Jane Easton taught me a lot...
Have been trying out recipes for vegan sour cream - lots easier to buy than the Tofutti stuff and cheaper too. All you need is a good food processor or hand blender and it takes under five minutes! Result... Use it in any Mexican-style dish or anything that traditionally uses...
Each week seems to bring new cooking challenges to my kitchen - and in the depths of winter, nothing is giving me greater pleasure. My new boyfriend lived in Hong Kong for several years, and at the weekend mentioned a dish he used to love, and whether we could make...
As as vegetarian, I used to love nothing more than a couple of hot buttered croissants and a cup of coffee. So here at Viva! and the VVF we were delighted to discover pastry brand Jus Rol are now selling croissant mix in a tub - and it's vegan! As...