VEGANUARY

How to Dine Out as a Vegan

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A vegan lifestyle doesn't mean sacrificing the joy of dining out, but it’s not without its challenges. There is an increasing number of restaurants offering vegan options so with a little preparation and some know-how, eating out as a vegan can be an exciting adventure.

Our guide will help you discover the best vegan experiences anywhere you go and includes a special section on eating out as a vegan in our vibrant home town, Leeds.

 Research and Plan Ahead

Before heading out to a restaurant, take some time to research vegan-friendly eateries in your area. Use online platforms, apps like Happy Cow, and social media to find reviews and recommendations from fellow vegans. Whilst in many areas, there are few dedicated vegan restaurants, lots of eateries have great vegan options. When browsing online menus, look out for the vegan symbol, Ve or other coding to help your choices.  

 Communicate with the Staff

Don't be afraid to communicate your dietary preferences with the restaurant staff. Most chefs and servers are accommodating and willing to customise dishes to suit your needs. Politely ask about ingredient substitutions, and ensure the kitchen is aware of your dietary requirements to avoid any accidental non-vegan additions.

Explore Ethnic Cuisines

Ethnic cuisines often offer a variety of plant-based options. Asian, Mediterranean, and Mexican cuisines, for example, frequently incorporate flavourful vegan dishes. Enjoy the richness of vegetable curries, noodle soups, falafel wraps, or tofu stir-fries as you explore diverse culinary traditions.

Scan the Menu Creatively

Even if a restaurant doesn't have a designated vegan section on the menu, don't despair. Scan the menu for potential vegan options or dishes that can be easily modified. Many places offer customizable salads, pasta dishes, or vegetable-based mains that can be adapted to meet your preferences.

Embrace Appetisers and Sides

Sometimes, the appetiser and side sections of the menu can be a goldmine for vegan choices. From crispy vegetable spring rolls to tasty hummus platters, these options can be just as satisfying as main courses. Mix and match a selection of appetisers for a diverse and delightful meal.

Be Dessert Savvy

Dessert is not off-limits for vegans! Many restaurants now offer vegan desserts or can adapt existing ones. Look for fruit sorbets, dairy-free chocolate options, or naturally vegan treats like fruit salads. Indulging in a sweet ending to your meal can be the perfect way to cap off a satisfying dining experience.

Stay Informed About Hidden Ingredients

While a dish may seem vegan on the surface, it's essential to be aware of hidden ingredients. Some items might contain dairy, eggs, or other animal products, so be sure to clarify with the staff if you have any doubts. Being vigilant about ingredients ensures that your meal aligns with your ethical choices.

Eating out as a vegan has never been more accessible and enjoyable. By researching, communicating with restaurant staff, and exploring creative options, you can navigate menus with confidence and savour a diverse range of delicious plant-based meals. So, embrace the adventure, try new flavours, and show the world that vegan dining is not only possible but incredibly delightful.

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

How to ….Dine Out In Leeds

Our home town, Leeds, is a brilliant place to eat out as a vegan. Whether you’re a local trying Veganuary or you’re planning a visit to our thriving Yorkshire city, our vegan dining guide can help you!

Photo by Paul Rigel on Unsplash

-Bundobust-

6 Mill Hill, Leeds LS1 5DQ, UK

https://bundobust.com/locations/leeds/

With a vibrant atmosphere, Bundobust is a gem that brings together Indian street food and craft beer.

  

-Cantina at The Old Red Bus Station-

104 Vicar Ln, Leeds LS2 7NL, UK

https://theoldredbusstation.com/cantina-brings-a-new-take-on-vegan-food-in-leeds-city-centre

The Old Red Bus Station Cantina is not to be missed.  Boasts a dedicated vegan menu it features mouthwatering plant-powered pies, burgers, and creative dishes.

 

-Humpit Hummus-

Leeds University

https://humpit-hummus.com/

Humpit Hummus, known for its delectable hummus bowls and falafel, offers a satisfying and wholesome vegan experience and a range of delicious vegan desserts.

-Kuala Lumpur Cafe -

2-4 Bennett Road, Headingley, LS6 3HN

https://www.klcafeleeds.co.uk/

 

Boasting loads of awards this Malaysian gem is not to be missed. Most dishes can be made vegan so your choice is huge!

 

-Pho-

Trinity Kitchen,  11-13 Great George St, Leeds LS1 3AL, UK

https://www.phocafe.co.uk/locations/leeds/

Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant, offers a separate vegan menu with an array of delectable options, fragrant noodle soups to tasty stir-fried dishes.

 

-Ecco Pizzeria-

93-97 Otley Rd, Leeds LS6 3PS, UK

Ecco Pizzeria has a dedicated vegan menu featuring a variety of plant-based pizzas.

-​The Ivy Asia-

Vicar Lane, Leeds, LS2 7AU

https://theivyasia.com/restaurants/the-ivy-asia-leeds/

For a treat, Ivy Asia’s vegan tasting menu is a spectacular feast of high end creative Asian vegan dishes.

  Eating out offers in Leeds

There is no shortage of dining offers to tempt us into Leeds this January. Whilst not exclusively vegan, these venues include some tasty plant-based dishes on their menus.

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

-The Alchemist-

Level 1, Trinity Leeds, Leeds, LS1 6HW  and Yorkshire House, Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5SH

https://thealchemist.uk.com/cities/leeds/ 

40% off your food bill in January, excluding Fridays after 5pm and Saturdays.


-Revolution de Cuba-

64-68 Call Lane LS1 6DT

https://www.revoluciondecuba.com/offers/ 

50% off your food bill from 2nd - 25th January. Head to the above page to get your voucher. Ts&Cs apply.

-Blue Pavillion-

90 Merrion Street, Leeds, LS2 8LW

Blue Pavillion (bluepavilion.co.uk)

Classy East Asian Restaurant offering 30% off their a la carte and set menus Sun-Thu in January. Book online at least 24h in advance to qualify.

 

-Jamrock-

31, Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DR

https://www.welcometojamrock.co.uk/

Jamrock, is offering 50% off  its real Caribbean cuisine Wed- Fri. Book and choose a main and side or dessert to get this deal.

-Gusto-

10 Greek Street, Leeds LS1 5RU and 151 Otley Rd, Cookridge, Leeds LS16 6HN

Gusto Gold Rewards | Gusto (gustorestaurants.uk.com)
Gusto is offering 50% off your food bill, (Mon- Thu and until 4:45pm Fri) until during January. You need to sign up to their free Gold Rewards scheme and book your table through the app or on the website using the email you signed up with.

-Tattu-

29, East Parade, Minerva House LS1 5PS

https://tattu.co.uk/bookings/leeds/ 

Exciting chinese restaurant Tattu is offering 30% off food* until 31st January (Sunday to Thursday and 12pm to 4:45pm on Fridays. To get the deal, book online using code TATTU30.


-Chaophraya-

20A, Blayds Court, Swinegate, Leeds LS1 4AG

https://chaophraya.co.uk/thai-restaurant/leeds

 Upscale Thai restaurant Chaophraya is offering 30% off your a la carte food bill until 31st Jan (Sunday - Thursday all day. Friday 12pm - 5pm) .

To get the deal, sign up to their newsletter for your unique code and book online.

 All year round offers

-Little Tokyo-

https://littletokyoleeds.co.uk/promotion-seasonal/

24 Central Road, Leeds, LS1 6DE

Offers a great lunch deal: £9.99-11.99 for two courses or a Bento box, 12 – 4pm Mon-Fri

-Kuala Lumpur Cafe-

https://www.klcafeleeds.co.uk/

2-4 Bennett Road, Headingley, LS6 3HN

Students and NHS workers – 10% off

Wednesday students 20% off

-Tharavadu-

https://www.tharavadurestaurants.com/qrmenu/index.html

Offers a great lunch deals including a vegan and gluten free thali £8.95


We hope you enjoy dining out vegan this January!

 

How to do Veganuary

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It is January! A new start to a new year and an opportunity to do something amazing for your health, for animals and for the planet! Of course, we are talking about Veganuary, the challenge to try a plant-based diet for a whole month.

 

In 2022, the Veganuary movement inspired and supported 620000 people across the world to try vegan eating. A massive 98% of people who did Veganuary last year would recommend it!

 

Making such a big change to the way you eat can seem daunting so we’ve put together our tips for doing Veganuary.

1. “Veganise” your favourite recipes  

There are thousands of vegan recipes to explore (more about those later), but substituting vegan products for meat and dairy ingredients in your favourite recipes is a great way to get started and can make the switch to vegan easier.

 

There are now loads of excellent plant-based protein sources available from supermarkets and health-food shops. We like switching out beef for plant-based mince in spaghetti bolognaise, chilli con carne and tacos. Add dairy free cheese on top. Switch the chicken for fake chicken in curries or fajitas. Try vegan kebab ‘meat’. Or be even healthier and choose vegetables, lentils, jackfruit, banana blossom or tofu.

2. Fake meats, cheese and vegan milk substitutes 

There is now a vast choice of vegan substitutes in supermarkets, restaurants and cafes. Some are new but don’t forget lentils and beans!

 

Why not try some of these:

Soy Protein

Tempeh

Tofu

Jackfruit

Pea protein

Mycoprotein like Quorn

Lentils

Seitan

Beans

 

Visit https://cleangreensimple.com/article/best-vegan-meat-substitutes/ for more info about them.

You can get a variety of cheeses like; mozzarella, cheddar, feta, great style, hallumoi. Flavoured cheeses like:; smoked, cranberry, onion, chives or spicy. There is also spreadable cheese, squeezy cheese, cheese sauce and cheese flakes which are called engevita.

There is a variety of milk like oat, almond, rice, soya, coconut, hemp, pea, potato, and cashew milk.

You can also get squirty cream, double cream, condensed milk, yoghurts, ice cream even honey substitutes like agave nectar.

 

 3. Discover vegan recipes

It has never been easier to find vegan recipes. There are some great books on vegan eating and a vast number of vegan recipes online. Searching the internet for recipes is a quick and easy way to find ideas and get inspired.

 

If you like to watch cooking videos, try YouTube, follow people making vegan food on Instagram, or tic tok, and save the recipes for free.

 

Add recipes you find online to your online bookmark to help you find and organise your favourite recipes.

 Here are some links to get you started;

 

Sign up to Veganuary you get recipes emailed to you:

 

https://veganuary.com/

 

BBC food have got 87 easy vegan recipes on their blog:

 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/easy-vegan-recipes/amp

 

Love and lemons 85 vegan recipes:

 

https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-recipes/

 

70 vegan recipes from good house keeping:

 

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/healthy/g807/vegan-recipes/

4. Make your own substitutes

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to save some money, you can make your own meat substitutes. Have fun and adapt the flavours to suit your own tastes!

 

For vegan meat recipes:

https://chooseveg.com/blog/10-badass-recipes-for-making-your-own-vegan/

For vegan milks like oat milk, rice or coconut milk:

https://simpleveganblog.com/9-easy-plant-milk-recipes/ 

To make homemade flavoured cheeses from cashews and cheese sauces:

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/vegan-recipes/23-best-ever-vegan-cheese-recipes/ 

5. Shopping for Vegan Food

Now you have checked out your favourite recipes you can write a list of essentials you need to cook. 

 Starting out vegan shopping can be confusing but the supermarkets make it very simple to purchase vegan products and there is a great range during veganuary. There are usually sections in supermarkets for vegan food in the chilled fridges, dry cupboard essentials and frozen aisles of the supermarket. Most vegan food is clearly marked as ‘plant-based’ or ‘vegan’. 

It is possible to get caught out if the product you’re buying doesn’t clearly say it’s plant-based or vegan so do make sure you check the ingredients on the labels when shopping. Check the list of ingredients to make sure there aren’t any allergens in bold that say “Milk” or “Egg”. 

 

Here is a list of foods and ingredients to avoid on a vegan diet:

 

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/features/food-ingredients-avoid-vegan-diet/ 

 6. Tips for eating out

Do your research. Checking the menu out online relieves the anxiety of not knowing if you can eat there and can save you a wasted trip (and hanger!). Most restaurants state clearly on their menus what items are vegan or what can be made vegan. If they don’t you can always ring the restaurant to ask and see if they can amend some dishes for you. 

 You can now order Vegan milk substitutes in cafes, with vegan cakes. There are Vegan options in fast food and restaurants. Vegan wines and beers in bars and restaurants are usually labelled vegan on menus. So there are lots of places for a vegan to eat out and be social!

7. Food supplements 

It’s a good idea to take a range of supplements in general to support your health. Vitamins like b12, omega 3, multivitamins are great to take all the time and in Britain and other northern areas, we also need vitamin D. These supplements help keep a balanced diet and help you get the nutrients you need. 

 

Here is a great link for information on vegan nutrition:

 

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/6-vitamins-vegans-supplements-whole-foods-plant-based-diet/

 

Get healthy bacteria in your diet by taking acidophilus probiotics or live vegan yoghurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, and tofu.

8. Protein and healthy fats 

Make sure you are eating enough protein. Most grains and legumes are full  of protein &fake meats are a good source. Make sure with every meal you get some healthy fats and protein like nuts or nut spread or tofu or tempeh on a salad or Buddha bowl.

 

Below is a link to healthy vegan fats and proteins, also some high protein recipes:

 

https://veganuary.com/protein-fat-vegan-diet/

 8. Enjoy and share your journey 

 

Don’t take Veganuary too seriously and don’t get disheartened if you make any mistakes; it’s totally normal! Just have fun experimenting and trying new things.

 

Take some images of your favourite vegan dishes, ingredients and baked goods or the meals you have when you’re out at restaurants and share on social media tagging #veganuary. This will help others know where they can eat as well. 

 Share recipes between friends and your tips and hacks for certain dishes. 

 

It’s a great idea to note whether you’re seeing any health improvements such as improved weight, energy and sleep. This can help spur you on to continue.

 

Good luck on trying out Veganuary and we hope it inspires you to keep being vegan, or cut down on your meat and dairy consumption. 

 

By adopting a vegan lifestyle, you’re saving animals, preventing animal suffering, protecting the environment and lowering your carbon footprint by 73%.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html