Weekend In Oxford | Tips for Eating Out as a Vegan

Last weekend I went on a trip to Oxford to visit family. My mum, sister and I flew to Bristol (fun fact: I hate flying) where my dad picked us up to drive to the town of Abingdon. We took a detour on our journey to get food supplies from Tesco for breakfast, lunch and snacks. I also picked up some pasta and sauce just incase I could not get a decent meal whilst we were out at a restaurant (always be prepared). Funnily enough, this pasta did not get eaten the entire time we were there, as the whole weekend I ate just as much as everyone else when we went out for a meal. In this post I am going to share my experience eating at non-vegan restaurants in Oxford, with some additional tips on eating out as a vegan.

The first night we got there we had a table booked at a pub called The Nags Head in Abingdon. This was a last minute arrangement and I did not expect to have a full meal there, so I ate some hobnobs and vegan nutella before going. FYI this is the most amazing combo ever and you have to try it. Unknown to me, my Grandad had notified the restaurant that a vegan would be attending and asked them if they could cater for me. 

When we were sat at our table, the waitress came over to chat to me about what the chef could make and she told me there was a vegan in earlier that night! I am not a fussy eater at all so I had no fear just letting them know I would be happy for them to make me anything, plus chips (incase they decide some leaves on the plate are a substantial meal). I was very wrong. 

They brought me out a plate full of Mediterranean roasted vegetables, olives and potatoes in the most delicious tomato sauce I have ever tasted, with fresh herbs to top it off. It may not sound spectacular but trust me, it was. My dad and sister also had a taste (as I kept raving about how good it was) and they were just as amazed as me. Seriously, what was in that sauce? Unfortunately I do not have a photo to show you but just trust me when I say it was a 10/10 meal.

The next day we headed to Guildford and whilst we were waiting for the rest of our family to arrive, we headed to Giraffe for a drink. My sister got this green smoothie called the Green Canyon which is made up of kale, banana, spinach and apple juice - healthy AF, whilst I decided to stick with water. The coffee's looked tempting but I had already had my caffeine fix that day in the form of a soya latte from Costa (too much caffeine makes me feel AWFUL). I know I could have asked for decaf but I have serious trust issues - Costa have let me down before and I thought I was having a heart attack.

Later that day, we decided to go to Pizza Express with the whole family. My Grandad was worried there wouldn't be anything I could eat but little did he know there is actually a vegan pizza on their menu! For a starter I ordered the Superboost salad which consists of:

Black rice, edamame beans, red quinoa, mung beans, chickpeas, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, kale, rocket, roasted peppers and parsley.

This was probably one of the best salads I have ever had so it's a thumbs up from me! For my main I chose the Pianta pizza which is cheese-less and topped with spinach, mushrooms, pine kernels, artichoke, tomato, chilli flakes, garlic oil, olive oil, rocket and fresh parsley. There are other pizzas which can of course be veganised by choosing a vegetarian one and asking for no cheese, however I do recommend the Pianta if you like all the ingredients listed above! 

For Sunday lunch we went to my Grandad's favourite pub for a roast dinner - The Brewery Tap. We had already notified the chef weeks in advance that I (THE vegan - my second name for the weekend) was going to be coming as well, hoping that they could whip something together. Yet again I had no high hopes, I just wanted to enjoy the company of my family. 

To my surprise the chef had made me a mushroom and celeriac pie, with the addition of pearl barley inside as well. It was another successful meal which I absolutely loved. On the side I was also given broccoli and sauteed leaks (not photographed) to have with the roasted potatoes, carrot and parsnip - deeelicious!

All in all I was extremely lucky to have 3 amazing meals over the whole weekend. Especially when 2 of the restaurants didn't even have a single vegan meal on their menu - which they definitely should as they all tasted so good. Below I have listed some tips which I hope will give you some ideas about eating out as a vegan. It is a lot easier than you think!

Tips for eating vegan at a non-vegan restaurant:

1. Call up in advance. If you are booking a table a few weeks or days in advance then let them know that one (or more) of your guests are vegan. This will ensure the chef has the appropriate ingredients in to make the meal and hopefully they will have had enough time to think of something tasty to make.

2. Let them know if something can be veganised. Last summer I was attending a family meal at a restaurant and we had to pre-order our main meal weeks in advance. I asked for the spinach and chickpea burger on their menu to be veganised (no egg used as a binder and no cheese), which turned out to be really good!

3. If all else fails, make a meal out of sides. Ask for some chips (make sure these are not cooked in animal fat - they usually aren't), salad, vegetables or anything else to tie you over until you get home. If worst comes to worst then you can always grab yourself an orange juice or a gin and tonic.

Most chain restaurants have items on their menu which are vegan or can be veganised. If you are unsure, check on google beforehand or ask the waiter/waitress.

I hope you enjoyed this post and got some helpful tips about eating out as a vegan! I have had a couple of bad experiences eating out at non-vegan restaurants but most of the time people have been very accommodating and I ended up having a fantastic meal. Additionally, if you have good vegan restaurants nearby, why not take your friends there to try the food? They might just be surprised at how good vegan food can be...

Triple Chocolate Cookies | VEGAN BAKING

I have fallen in love with this triple chocolate cookie recipe. Soft on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside, cookies don't get much better than that! This vegan recipe is simple and very quick to make, with all the ingredients being available in your local supermarket. It's the perfect recipe for a rainy Sunday to make you feel better about Monday being right around the corner. 

These cookies remind me of the ones my family used to buy from the bakery section in the supermarket, except they are better! My sister said you would never be able to tell they were vegan (woo!). The best bit about vegan baking is that you can eat the cookie dough remains off the spoon without the fear of raw egg being in the mixture. Personally, I love making giant cookies but you can make smaller ones if you want...

This recipe makes 8 large cookies or 16 small cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 110g Vegan butter (I used the soya Pure butter)
• 200g Light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Ground flaxseeds, mixed with 2tbsp water
• 180g Plain Flour (this recipe works with gluten free flour too - I use Doves Farm)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 130g Dairy free chocolate (I used a mix of milk, white and dark - all purchased from Tesco) chunks, I simply chopped up the chocolate bars

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190 C (or 375 F). Cover a baking tray or two with baking paper. I also put a little bit of coconut oil on the baking paper to give it extra protection from sticking but this is optional.
• First pre-make your flax "egg" by adding the ground flaxseeds and water into a small bowl. Leave for 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, add the vegan butter, sugar and vanilla extract and cream until smooth and fluffy. Then add the flax "egg" and combine the mix together.
• Next add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt to the wet ingredients and combine until it forms a dough.
• If you are using dairy free chocolate bars, chop them into chunks (make sure they aren't TOO big) and fold them into the mixture. 
• At this point if your dough is too sticky, put in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Shape the dough in your hands into balls (the size will depend on how many you want to make) and place on the baking tray (the cookies will expand A LOT so be careful to leave a good amount of space between them). If your mixture is too sticky still, have some flour to hand so you can add some more to the dough and you hands to prevent sticking. 
• Slightly flatten the dough balls with your hands (they will grow in width themselves too).
• If you are making 8 cookies bake for 18-20 minutes and if you are making 16 cookies bake for 10-12 minutes. 
• Once you take them out of the oven leave them to cool and harden slightly. When they are no longer really soft, you can put them on a cooling rack to cool down further. 

These cookies are perfect to share with friends and family, or for making ice cream cookie sandwiches! I really hope that you enjoy this recipe!

Tasty Vegan Breakfast Ideas!

If breakfast is your favourite meal of the day (like me), then you will love these delicious vegan breakfast ideas. You don't need to be vegan to enjoy these recipes. Personally, I think breakfast is the easiest meal to be made vegan! So why not make your breakfasts cruelty free?

A little side note. If you want a super simple, quick breakfast which you won't be tempted to have a 10 minute photo shoot for Instagram, grab yourself some Weetabix, dairy alternative milk (my go-to is soya or rice milk) and a banana. Breakfast complete! However, if you are like me and want to make your breakfast a little more special, try out these recipes below...

TROPICAL BERRY PANCAKES

These pancakes are a perfect summer breakfast. They are basically porridge in another form! With only 3 ingredients (plus toppings) they are really simple and can be on your plate in 10 minutes.

Recipe:

• 1 cup of oats (blended into an oat flour)
• 2/3 cup of plant milk (I used oat milk - which I recommend!)
• 1 spotty banana

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and melt a bit of dairy free butter in a pan to make sure they don't stick! Then add the batter and cook the pancakes.

The toppings I used for these were mixed frozen berries, passion fruit and a banana. Agave nectar or any other syrup would also be a great addition!

CHOCOLATE BERRY PANCAKES

Still want your chocolate kick at breakfast? No problem. These pancakes are really satisfying and are actually really healthy!

Recipe:

• 1 cup of oats (blended into an oat flour) 
• 3/4 cup plant milk (I used rice milk) 
• 1 spotty banana 
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder 

Make the pancakes the same as above!

The toppings I added were mixed frozen berries, flaked almonds, agave nectar and some Alpro almond yoghurt (not photographed).

ALMOND BERRY OATMEAL

If you are like me and still enjoy having oatmeal in the summer, then here is something you will love. Berries are my go-to fruit in the summer but the great thing about frozen fruit is you can have them all year round!

Recipe: 

• 1 cup of oats
• 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds 
• Mixed berries (I used frozen)
• Flaked almonds 
• Agave nectar

In a bowl mix the oats and flaxseeds together. Personally, I just add boiling water from the kettle to soak my oats (just enough to cover them) but you can easily make it in a pan or microwave with your favourite plant milk! I topped mine with mixed frozen berries, flaked almonds and agave nectar.

I also love to add some dairy free yoghurt to my oatmeal to make it more filling. A little tip: adding Alpro almond yoghurt with the flaked almonds and mixed berries reminds me of a bakewell tart! It's my favourite combo right now.

CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE BOWL

This breakfast is easier to make than it looks and it is delicious! I love the combination of the rich chocolaty smoothie with zingy fruit and sweet dates.

Recipe:

• 3 spotty bananas (having at least one frozen banana would work best, however I didn't use any frozen ones and it still worked well)
• 1/2 cup of plant milk (I used rice milk)
• 1/4 cup of oat bran or oats
• 1 tbsp of cacao or cocoa powder

The method for the smoothie base is simple. Just put all of the ingredients above into your blender and BLEND.

Now for the toppings! (The best part). I added frozen raspberries, shredded coconut, chopped dates, passion fruit and cherries. Other tasty additions you may like include: chopped nuts, chia seeds, banana, strawberries or any other fruits you like, chopped up Nakd bars and vegan granola.