The Ordinary Vegan - Waitrose Large Vegetable Samosa

This yummy samosa is available in the kiosk section of Waitrose, is great as a delicious snack on the run and is vegan-friendly too! They cost £1.35 each and can be frozen. The packaging is recyclable and they can be eaten hot or cold.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Birds Eye Rice Fusions

Birds Eye Rice Fusions come is a variety of flavours, many of which are vegan. They are microwave pouches of rice, vegetables and seasoning which can be steamed in a few minutes and eaten as a snack or as a side dish with a meal. They are available in most supermarkets for around £1.75 but are often on offer for £1 or 2 for £2, in the freezer department. They contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are great for a quick meal when you don't have time to cook.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

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...Vive Soy

A couple of weeks ago the lovely people at Vive Soy sent me a mixed crate to sample and review. The range of soy milks is great with Vanilla, Unsweetened, Chocolate, Light, Sweetened and Cappuccino flavours available. The milks are fortified with calcium and vitamins A & D and are suitable for vegans.

I decided to experiment with the different milks so I could recommend the perfect partner for the milk.

Here are my findings:

Vanilla

The Vanilla flavour is a perfect partner to coffee, cereal, smoothies and for baking cupcakes, Victoria sponge and rock cakes. I also used to make custard.

Unsweetened

The unsweetened is great for savoury dishes, such as creamy soups, curries, cheese-style sauces, pie fillings and for brushing on pastry before baking.

Chocolate

The chocolate is delicious straight from the carton in a tall glass with ice, but is also nice with cookies, for baking chocolate cakes and biscuits and in a hot chocolate.

Light

The light is great in tea and coffee, in smoothies and on cereal. Also good in soups and sauces.

Sweetened 

This is perfect in tea and coffee, milkshakes, smoothies and baking any desserts. Also tastes delicious on cereal.

Cappuccino

This is milky iced coffee in a carton. Just pour over ice and drink or add to coffee and walnut cake batter.

If you haven't tried any of the Vive Soy range, then give them a whirl. Hopefully I have given you some inspiration for different ways to use soy milk in your kitchen.

Vive Soy is available in most major supermarkets and health food stores and retails for around £1.25.

What is your favourite soy milk brand and you most inventive way of adding it into your cooking and meals?

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Vox Travels...to Berlin

Berlin is a wonderful city for many reasons, the history, the architecture and the people, but as a vegan, it is a paradise – full of vegan choices at every turn.

Here are some of the highlights:

All over the city there are kebab shops, but unlike the UK versions, all of these serve delicious falafel in pitta with salad. A great vegan-friendly option if you need something fast!

There are a few chains of organic shops and health food stores, such as Viv Stores and LPG, which have a wide variety of vegan products and an entirely vegan chain of food shops called Veganz – these are filled with mock meats, cheeses, store cupboard essentials, sweets and drinks including the American brands such as Tofurky, Gardein and Daiya. There is also a coffee shop attached to Veganz – Goodies which sells amazing cakes, paninis, brownies and more. Nearby there are other vegan boutiques selling shoes and clothes such as Avesu and DearGoods. Nearly every shop sells vegan-friendly Fritz Cola if you fancy a soft drink and we found almond and soy options as well as at least one vegan cake at most coffee shops.

Dr. Pogo is an independent vegan shop selling a wide range of chocolates, sweets, mock meats, cheeses, ready meals, drinks, whole foods, skincare and cleaning products.

You have to try the following restaurants/eateries too:

Sfizy Pizza – An all-vegan pizzeria with over a hundred different pizza options on the menu!

Voner – An all-vegan doner kebab shop!

Asia Gourmet – Choose your noodles, veg, tofu and sauce. Eat in or take away.

Vego Cafe – An all-vegan fast food cafe – think hot dogs, burgers, chips, bratwurst etc.

Delores – A Mexican burrito place with two vegan options.

Cupcake Cafe – Lots of vegan cupcakes, cakes and cookies.

Mio Matto – A gourmet veggie/vegan restaurant.

Goura Pakora – An all-vegetarian eatery with many vegan options.

There are so many more all over Berlin, you would need a month to try them all!

Go and visit because Berlin is a perfect weekend break destination for vegans. Have you been to Berlin? Is there somewhere else we should try or have missed out of this brief guide? Let me know in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

A version of this article has already been published in the TeenVGN MiniMag Summer Edition.

The Ordinary Vegan - Iced Belgian Buns from Waitrose

Update: It has been reported in May 2015 that these are no longer vegan, see comments below for details.

This week's TOV is a yummy cake from Waitrose Essential's range. This pack of two iced buns costs a pound and they are available from the bakery section in Waitrose supermarkets. They have a delicious sultana and lemon filling and are vegan. Yay!

What are your favourite surprising vegan bakery finds at supermarkets? Share with us in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Sausages

A lot of people ask me what sausages I use in my cooking and where I get them from. Sometimes, I pick up vegan gourmet sausages from specialist shops and events, but mainly, I stick to two brands which can both be bought on the high street or at the supermarkets.

The first is Linda McCartney Sausages - the original style are vegan-friendly and say so on the front of the box. Be careful as some of the flavoured varieties contain egg. These sausages are perfect for breakfast and for sausage and mash. They can be cooked from frozen in the oven and can be purchased from all of the major supermarkets as well as Holland & Barrett. They retail for around £2 a box of 5.

The second is Vegetarian's Choice, now these sausages are grill or fry only and are available from Holland & Barrett. They are about half the price of the Linda McCartney sausages at around 99p per box of 5. They are thinner and a different texture to the Linda McCartney brand but these are great for sausage casseroles and stews, as they stay firmer when cooking in liquid. The Linda McCartney sausage tend to act like a sponge in a casserole and go a bit bloated and chewy.

Both of these are staples in my freezer for everyday meals. Which sausages do you use? Let me know in the comments below.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx