Vegan Vox Reviews...The London Tea Company

A few weeks ago the lovely people behind The London Tea Company sent me a huge box of teas to try out and to review for my blog.

This is an ethical tea company which has a fully certified Fair Trade policy which covers the entire range. They have quirky modern packaging, bright colours and a huge range of teas from classics to the more unusual.

As well as the Fair Trade certification, they have robust environmental policies including reducing water usage and carbon footprint and are certified by Viva and The Vegetarian Society. They use no GMO products or by products and even distribute short dated stock to food banks and homeless charities. This is a brand which really wears its heart on its sleeve, which we love at Vegan Vox Blog!

The teas themselves are flavourful and there really is a tea for every mood. They have black teas, green teas, white teas, herbal teas and Rooibos teas. 

These were our favourites, the London Breakfast is a classic breakfast tea, perfect with almond milk. For a refreshing summery tea, try chilled Peach & Rhubarb over ice.

Mr Vox particularly enjoyed this Sencha Green Tea, which he enjoyed with a twist of lemon. Other favourites are the fragrant Vanilla Chai and fruity Lemon & Ginger.

If you haven't tried The London Tea Company products yet, you can purchase directly from their website here. The London Breakfast is currently on sale too.

A huge thanks to The London Tea Company for sending lovely samples and for being a refreshingly (pun intended) ethical company who genuinely care about their tea, their workers, the environment and their brand.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

I was not paid to review this product, however I did receive free samples. All views and opinions are my own.

The Ordinary Vegan - Sainsbury's Raspberry Jelly

It is always rare in a mainstream supermarket to find a gelatine-free jelly, and then when you occasionally do, they colour them with animal products making them unsuitable for vegans - boo!

Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find this jelly is Sainsbury's which contains real fruit and no animal products and is labelled as vegan - yay! Be warned they are high in sugar though.

These jellies can be found for sale in the kiosk area of the store by the take away sandwiches, newspapers and cigarettes. They are currently on offer 2 for £2 and they are so refreshing in this summer heat.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Vox Reviews...Laura's Larder App

I was approached recently by the lovely people from CAT (The Centre for Alternative Technology) in Wales regarding testing out a brand new food app called Laura's Larder. The purpose of this app is to make us more aware of the impact of what we choose to eat on the environment. Even vegan diets high in processed foods and imported goods can have a significant carbon impact. 

You use the app by inputting your meals for a week, portion sizes, country of origin etc. Once you have completed a week, you can go to the stats section, where it will show you the environmental impact in terms of emissions for your diet. The app will then show the you highest impact foods you eat and suggest how you can reduce your impact. The app also analyses the health impact of your diet and warns you if you are low in essential dietary requirements or where you should cut down.

This is a great app to sit down with children and show them the impact of food choices on the environment. It would work well in a classroom or home environment and is very family friendly and educational whilst remaining fun and interactive as well.

The app is available via the CAT website now at www.cat.org.uk 

So go and try it out and find out what impact your diet is having on our planet.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

NB. I volunteered to test out this app and was not paid for this article.

Vegan recipe of the Week - Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

This is a hearty sandwich - famous in the US - made vegan by Vegan Vox!

Serves 2.

You will need:

2 Ciabatta Rolls

2 Seitan Steaks

6 Onion Rings - I buy vegan ones from a local Chinese supermarket

6 Jalapenos

Veganic Pizza Cheese

Spicy BBQ Sauce

Vegan Mayo (optional)

Salad (to serve)

Method:

Slice open your rolls and warm in the oven for a few minutes until soft.

Add the cheese and BBQ sauce to the rolls.

Cook the onion rings and seitan steaks in a griddle pan and slice the steaks into strips.

Add the onion rings and steak strips to the top and bottom of your rolls. Add the jalapenos and mayo (if using).

Place the sandwich into a panini press and grill for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

Meanwhile, prepare your salad.

Serve your sandwiches with the side salad.

Eat and Enjoy!

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

If you enjoyed this recipe, click here to see my other recipes.

The Ordinary Vegan - McCoy's Ultimate

These new sharing bag size crisps from McCoy's are for sale in Tesco at the moment for £1.99. They were recently on offer for 2 for £2 and they come in three flavours - all of which are vegan-friendly:

Sizzling BBQ Chicken

Chargrilled Steak & Peri Peri

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

I tried the BBQ Chicken and the Steak flavours and they were both delicious, full of flavour, really crunchy and great for parties and BBQs.

They may market themselves as "Man Crisps" but this vegan girl is quite a fan!

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week- Shortbread

I love shortbread, it is so easy to make and you can use it as a base for lots of variations.

Here is my recipe:

125g Hard Stork in the foil packet
60g Caster Sugar
180g Plain Flour
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 170C fan/190C conventional.

Cream together the sugar, vanilla and margarine until smooth, then sieve the flour into the creamed mixture, add the salt and work together until in forms a soft dough.

Roll the dough out until it is around 1/2 inch thick and cut into fingers, circles, stars, hearts or whatever you like. Sprinkle with caster sugar and prick with a fork.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Bake in the oven for around 16-18 minutes until golden brown and then transfer onto a cooling rack.

Variations on the recipe include adding dark chocolate chips into the dough before rolling, adding chopped cherries or raisins to the dough before rolling or after baking drizzle with lemon or vanilla glace icing.

Eat and Enjoy!

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Morrisons Bacon Rashers Crisps

Today's TOV is from Morrisons, delicious bacon flavoured "Frazzle" style crisps in a large sharing bag for £1 - currently on offer for 70p! Yummy and salty, perfect for sharing during a film and all vegan!

What are your favourite supermarket crisps? Share in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVX