The Gazette tried the new foot-long vegan sausage roll from Morrisons

From basingstokegazette.co.uk/news

With many supermarkets making a more conscious to cater to people with vegan and plant-based diets, one store has gone supersized.
Less than a year after Greggs launched its first Vegan sausage roll, Morrisons last week unveiled its giant version.
The store is now offering customer a foot-long vegan treat for just £1.

As such the Gazette wanted to see what this supersized pastry was like and what people in the town’s Worting Road store.
A member of staff who was working on the stores quick over section said: “They have been selling really well, I think it is part excitement they are here and part curiosity.”

The Morrisons snack is twice the length of a standard sausage roll and weighs almost four times at much and contains soya mince, wrapped in a golden dairy-free pastry casing. The Gazette asked shoppers what their opinion on the monster sized snack.
Mark Haulage, from Brookvale, said: “I know that a lot of people are going vegan now, but I’m not sure I could stomach a whole foot-long sausage roll, even one that had meat in it.

“But I’m sure there has already been plenty of people who have got one just for the novelty.”
Another shopper added: “It is great that there are now so many vegan alternatives for people, but I have to be honest looking at it on the shelf it doesn’t look the most appetising thing to eat.”

To put the taste of the new plant-based snack to the test, the Gazette team blind taste tested the vegan sausage roll up against a traditional meat one.
With most of the staff being able to taste the difference, they still really enjoyed the taste of the vegan alternative.
Head of News at the Gazette, Katie French said: "I could tell immediately which was which. The cylinder sausage running through the middle was a bit of a giveaway.
"While I'm not a vegan, I actually preferred it to the meaty one! The pastry was lighter, and the filling had a nice herby taste."

Multimedia account manager, at the Gazette, Vikki Hallewell, added: “The vegan one tasted like Paxo stuffing.
“It was nice, but just had a more herby taste than the meat one.”

https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/18024657.gazette-tried-new-foot-long-vegan-sausage-roll-morrisons/

You can now get a vegan 'pork' pie in time for Christmas - would you try it?

From newspostleader.co.uk

Morrisons has become the first British supermarket to announce a vegan pork pie. Cue shouts of, "Well it's not a pork pie then, is it?"

The grocer described the dish as "a distant memory for vegans and vegetarians because of its combination of pork, jelly, and butter pastry".

In lieu of traditional ingredients, Morrisons has instead combined soya and pea protein to form the plant-based version.

Vegan pork pies

Past soya and peas, Morrisons has flatly declined to release any additional information on what, exactly, has gone into its vegan pies. The supermarket said the launch has been heavily guarded and the full list of ingredients will be made available on packs when the pies hit stores.

For now, then, we can only speculate that the company's food development team has attempted to replicate the salty, generous flavour of densely pressed pork with various herbs and spices.

The pies will be sold at meat counters (Photo: Morrisons)

The jelly, meanwhile, is plant-based, but beyond that, we've no idea. The pastry is probably not dissimilar to that used in Morrisons' vegan 'Corn-ish Pasties', where vegetable oil takes the place of butter.

"It replicates the pork pie through its meaty taste, crumbly pastry texture, and classic appearance," Morrisons said.

Morrisons will launch its new pies "just in time for Christmas" on 9 December, and apparently the recipe is known by just six people, hence all the secrecy.

Secret recipe

The pies will be baked in store at Morrisons' pie shop counters and will sell for £1.75, or two for £3.

They follow last week's mince pie and Wensleydale Christmas sandwich, again a product of Morrisons' inventive food development team.

https://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/read-this/you-can-now-get-vegan-pork-pie-time-christmas-would-you-try-it-919438

How to Make the Best Vegan Lasagne

From livekindly.co

How do you make the best vegan lasagne? Everything you need to know, from making dairy-free ricotta cheese and recipes to try.

With interchanging layers of noodles, melty cheese, bechamel, and tomato sauce, lasagne is one of the world’s most perfect foods. You can customize it with vegetables or meaty crumbles and it’s a reliable meal for potlucks and make-ahead weeknight dinners. No worries — this traditionally non-vegan tray of pure comfort is easy to make vegan.

                                              What to know about vegan lasagne. | Engine2

A Brief History of Lasagne

Lasagne is one of Italy’s oldest dishes. According to Italy Magazine, making pasta — boiling a simple mixture of flour and water — dates back to the Middle Ages. These flat, wide noodles, called lagana, were one of the most popular ways to eat pasta. Lasagne was an indulgent dish, even centuries ago. Italian friar Salimbene di Adam described one of his colleagues eating lasagne in 1284: “I’ve never seen anyone stuffing himself on lasagna with cheese so pleasurably and so fully as him.”

It wasn’t until the 1880s in Naples that tomato became integral to lasagne recipes. And it didn’t become the multi-layered feast that it is today until Francesco Zambrini from Bologna introduced it in the 19th century.

As ancient as lasagne is, the modern version was popularized by Italian-American immigrants. Every family had its own special way of serving lasagne, customizing it with sausage, family recipes for tomato sauce, ground beef, and vegetables. Today’s lasagne features layers of flat pasta made with eggs, ragù sauce, and béchamel baked until the top is crispy. But, again — every family has their own way of doing things. It’s part of the beauty of lasagne.

What Is Ricotta Cheese?

Ricotta is a light, spongey, tangy cheese that gets between layers of savoury sauce and lasagne noodles. According to Bon Appétit, ricotta is a whey cheese. In traditional cheese making, milk is separated into curds — the solid part — and whey, the liquid left behind. Leftover whey is repurposed to make ricotta by heating it up with a splash of whole milk and vinegar or citrus juice. The small number of curds left behind to coagulate and once big enough, are strained through a cheesecloth. The soft, crumbly cheese left is ricotta.

                                                               Ricotta: a lasagne staple.

Ricotta is used in manicotti, lasagne, baked ziti, stuffed shells, as a spread, and on pizza. The cream filling in cannoli is usually made from ricotta. Although ricotta is made with dairy, it’s easy to make a vegan version using nuts or tofu.

Best Vegan Cheese for Lasagne

So, what’s the best dairy-free cheese for lasagne? Most lasagne recipes include ricotta, mozzarella, and a sprinkling of parmesan. There are store-bought versions available for all three. Try Tofutti or Kite Hill for vegan ricotta. You can also make your own from tofu or cashews. This recipe from Veggies Don’t Bite uses cauliflower, cashews, and almonds.

For mozzarella, try Daiya, Miyoko’s Creamery, or Follow Your Heart. Cashews — blended up with dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, and tapioca starch — make for a stretchy dairy-free mozzarella. Greek brand Violife makes a vegan parmesan block that grates like the real thing. Go Veggie makes vegan parm that comes in a shaker. You can also use nutritional yeast or make your own, like this cashew-based recipe. Hemp seeds are good for a nut-free version, like in this hemp parmesan recipe.

Want to kick it up a notch further? Try adding vegan meat crumbles. Brands that make them include Gardein, Beyond Meat, Boca, and MorningStar Farms. You could also use textured vegetable protein (TVP), an old school plant-based protein that’s cheap and has a meaty texture. When gathering ingredients to make your own vegan lasagne, look for egg-free noodles. You can get them from brands like Whole Foods 365, Banza, Explore Cuisine, San Giorgio, and Tinkyada.

Best Vegan Lasagne Recipes

Looking to make your own vegan lasagne? Look no further. Here are seven recipes to try. Follow this link...

https://www.livekindly.co/how-make-best-vegan-lasagne/

The 18 everyday foods and drink you didn't realise were vegan

From bristolpost.co.uk

It's easier thank you think to go vegan

Many like the idea of eating vegan, but are put off by the idea of reconstructing their diets from scratch. It’s not always easy to tell what’s vegan and what’s not, and it’s harder to tell with some items than others since we don’t really expect them to be.

So we've put together a list of 20 foods you may not have known were vegan.

Oreos

Oreos are traditionally made from 11 key ingredients, and none of them are animal-derived. Other vegan-friendly biscuits include Hobnobs, Fox’s party rings, ginger nuts and Bourbons.

Southern fried chicken Pot Noodle

Yes, you read that right. Several flavours of Pot Noodle are vegan, using soya pieces instead of meat and relying on plant-based herbs and spices for the flavouring. Tough call between this one and Beef and Tomato as to which flavour we’d least expect to be vegan.

BBQ Pringles

Several of Pringles’ products are vegan, but perhaps the most surprising of them is their BBQ flavour. Their Texas BBQ Sauce is also vegan, giving you double the flavour without adding any animal ingredients.

Ben and Jerry’s

The ice cream giants’ vegan range has gone down well since it launched three years ago.
Promising ‘Ben & Jerry’s euphoria in every bite’, each of the five flavours uses almond milk instead of dairy milk.

Skittles

The list of vegan sweets is actually pretty long, featuring Starbursts, Flying Saucers, Love Hearts and Jelly Tots. Many of us have loved Skittles since we were kids, so the news that they’re suitable for vegans is good to hear. Who knew tasting the rainbow could be so ethical?

Marmite

Alright, so not everyone’s keen on Marmite, but we were surprised to learn it contains no animal ingredients. It’s made largely from yeast extract, which is a good source of vitamin B12 – something all vegans need.

Branston pickle

Similar to Marmite, Branston pickle is another sandwich filler that you might not have realised was plant-based.
It contains a variety of diced vegetables including swede, carrots, onions and cauliflower pickled in a sauce made from vinegar, tomato, apple and spices.

Just make sure you’re having it with vegan cheese…

Maple syrup

Most of us are more used to buying imitation maple syrup, since it’s a lot cheaper than the real thing, but even this is usually plant-based. It’s made from high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes and flavours, none of which come from animals.

Weetabix

Much of Weetabix’s range is suitable for vegans, including Weetabix original as well as the banana flavour, chocolate, golden syrup and organic variants.
Bear in mind that some of them are made in factories which handle dairy products, however.

Co-op jam and custard doughnuts

These were named as Vegan Food UK’s Best Accidentally Vegan Food of 2018, and it’s not hard to see why, except that custard is usually made from milk or cream cooked with egg yolk.
We’re not complaining though, as they taste as good as any other doughnuts out there!

Bisto gravy

                                                            (Image: Publicity Picture)

Following on from Co-op's doughnuts at number two in Vegan Food UK’s list, is Bisto. You get all the powerful flavour that you’d expect from Bisto without any animal ingredients. What’s not to enjoy?

Cadbury hot chocolate

Consisting only of sugar, cocoa powder, sodium carbonate and flavourings, this timeless treat can be enjoyed by all – including vegans, as long as you’re using a plant-based milk.

Doritos’

Of the flavours on Doritos’ line, two of the most popular – Chili Heatwave and Lightly Salted – are free from animal ingredients. They’re not the only crisps out there that are vegan, but they’ve got to be among the tastiest.

Mr Kipling’s

The renowned bakers recently launched an entire plant-based range, but you might not have known that two of their long-running favourites ‒ Treacle Tarts and Apple and Blackcurrant Pies ‒ are both suitable for vegans. Exceedingly good, eh?

Warburton’s crumpets

Many of Warburton’s products are vegan, including these time-honoured favourites. As with Weetabix though, they’re made in bakeries which also handle dairy, eggs and honey.

Belvita soft bakes

                                                                       (Image: FSA)

Many of Belvita’s products are vegan, and some of their soft bakes – the red berries, golden grains and choco-hazelnut flavours – do not contain any animal ingredients.

Greggs’ Belgian buns

Though Greggs’ trialled making these buns with egg and dairy at one point, they have traditionally been entirely plant-based, making them ideal for any would-be vegans with a sweet tooth.

Thatchers cider

Rounding off our list with a West Country staple – all of Thatchers’ range is vegan, as are a number of other alcoholic drinks.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/18-everyday-foods-drink-you-3488505

Should you go vegan for your health?

From msn.com

With supermarket shelves packed with almond milk, coconut yoghurt and meat alternatives, there has never been a better time to be vegan.
Many give up meat and dairy to reduce their carbon footprint, while others believe a plant-based diet is good for their health.
But while some say ditching animal products has given them an extra spring in their step, others complain of feeling tired and run down.
This World Vegan Day, Yahoo UK looks at the evidence for - and against - a plant-based diet, and how to do it healthily.

                                                                   © Getty Getty 

The NHS claims vegans can get “most of the nutrients they need from a varied and balanced diet”.
This includes eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, while filling up on beans, lentils and grains.
Without dairy to keep their bones and teeth healthy, vegans have to turn to other sources of calcium, like broccoli, sesame seeds and dried fruit.

Unable to indulge in a rare steak, they also have to get their iron from lentils, watercress and nuts.
It seems with a bit of planning, vegans can have a healthy diet.
But whether cutting out meat and dairy is actually better for you is less clear cut.

Is there scientific evidence vegan diets are healthier?

                                                                    © Getty Getty 

The benefits, and drawbacks, of a vegan diet is a hot area of research.
While the jury is still out, it seems cutting out meat and dairy could do you the world of good.
Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio had a group of children with high cholesterol, and their parents, adopt a vegan diet with no added fat.
After just four weeks, the youngsters’ health improved across nine “wellbeing parameters”.
These included BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and markers of inflammation.
The parents also benefited, but to a lesser extent.
While it sounds positive, these children consumed less vitamin D and B12 than those told to eat according to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, the results show.
The AHA recommends a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, as well as fish twice a week.
Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in meat and dairy.

Vegans therefore rely on fortified cereals, drinks and yeast extract, like Marmite.
It is also worth noting that as well as cutting out meat and dairy, the children also added no fat to their diet.
“Added” fat includes a smear of butter on bread or oils to cook with, as opposed to fat found naturally in meat or fish.
Too much fat, particularly the saturated kind, has repeatedly been linked to weight gain and high cholesterol.

It is therefore difficult to gauge how much of the benefits came from the vegan diet and how much was due to cutting down on fat.
In a separate study, a team from the George Washington University in DC looked at 64 women who were put on a low-fat, vegan diet.
After 14 weeks, they lost up to 12lbs (5.8kg), compared to a maximum 8lb (3.8kg) loss in those who just cut their fat intake.

                                                                          © Getty Getty 

This is despite calorie consumption being the same between both groups of women.
All the women saw their insulin sensitivity - a marker of diabetes risk - improve, with meat and dairy consumption not coming into it.
The “vegan group” were also found to consume less protein, which is essential for growth and repair.

The same scientists later suggested going vegan may improve heart health.
Ninety nine type 2 diabetics were told to follow a low-fat, vegan diet or an AHA approved plan for 22 weeks.
At the end, 43% of the vegans were able to reduce their diabetes medication, compared to 26% in the AHA group.
The vegans also had larger reductions to their blood sugar, weight and cholesterol.

Heart health aside, Dr Winston Craig from Andrews University in Michigan suggested vegans may eat more antioxidant-rich vegetables, cutting their cancer risk.
By eliminating red and processed meat, their risk of bowel cancer also goes down, the professor of nutrition added.
While it all sounds positive, going vegan may take some serious willpower.

Scientists from the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague found the “hunger hormone” ghrelin was significantly lower in people who had recently eaten a hamburger than after a “vegan meal rich in carbohydrates”.
By cutting out oily fish, vegans also tend to have lower levels of healthy fatty acids, which are important for heart, brain and eye health.
Found in salmon and mackerel, vegans rely on supplements or hard-to-find alternatives - like seaweed - for their “good oils”.
Dr Craig also warned vegans typically have around a quarter the vitamin D levels of meat eaters.
The sun is the main source of vitamin D. However, with UV rays being hard to find in the UK, non-vegans often rely on oily fish to up their amount.

Public Health England recommends everyone take 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.
And with iron being easier to absorb from meat than plant-based sources, like seeds, vegans may also be at a higher risk of anaemia.
Dr Craig adds, however, they tend to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. These are rich in vitamin C, which improves iron absorption from plant-based sources.
While there is no definitive answer, it seems that with a little planning and supplements, going vegan could seriously benefit our health.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/nutrition/should-you-go-vegan-for-your-health/ar-AAJG02W?ocid=spartandhp

World Vegan Day: Oxford cafes on the rise of plant-based diets

From oxfordmail.co.uk

RESTAURANTS and other eateries increasingly face losing out on business if they do not provide vegan or vegetarian options, Oxford (UK) cafe workers have said.
To mark World Vegan Day today, the Oxford Mail visited cafes in the city that offer a variety of plant-based dishes.
The Organic Deli Cafe in Friars Entry near Gloucester Green is a health-oriented cafe and wholefoods store that offers a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and also sells everyday dairy-free alternatives to mayonnaise, chocolate and cheese.

          Miranda Smith showcasing the vegan chocolate cake sold at Organic Deli Cafe.                                                                           All pictures: Gergana Krasteva

Sales assistant Miranda Smith said even though the cafe sells meat and dairy dishes, it is considering moving towards primarily plant-based cuisine. She said the business even listens to requests by loyal customers, and recently incorporated the Moving Mountains burger made of pea protein to the menu after it was suggested by a customer ‘desperate’ for a local business to recreate a similar burger he tried elsewhere.

Ms Smith said: “We are known for our plant-based dishes and gluten-free menu, and some customers are even surprised that dairy and egg-free cake can be so delicious.
“It’s a business incentive to provide vegan options because the demand is so high, and restaurants and cafes will lose out if you don’t provide those things.”

She also said that many people who would not previously have considered veganism are now trying to cut their meat and dairy consumption because of the impact it has on the environment.

However Ms Smith, who graduated from a nutrition studies course at Oxford Brookes University a year ago, also admitted that changing dietary habits could be difficult.
She said: “Our food habits are tied to our personal beliefs and culture. It’s hard for people to let go of those things, even if the science contradicts them.”

Ms Smith, who even experimented with raw veganism for a while – eating only uncooked and unprocessed fruit and vegetables – added: “Sometimes it’s hard for me to fully restrict myself to a vegan diet as there are so many temptations out there, but I do eat mostly plant-based.”

Five minutes from the Organic Deli Cafe, there is another establishment that caters for plant-based eaters.
The Art Cafe on New Road offers a range of hearty vegan and vegetarian meals, like jacket potato with marinated tofu, alongside meat and dairy options.
The cafe introduced plant-based options on its menu three years ago, but manager Andreea Baciu said that while vegan dishes and desserts were popular for a while, this year they no longer seemed trendy.
She said the cafe had started selling a variety of plant-based milks like oat, coconut and almond to meet customers’ requests and now the place has regulars who come in specially for the vegan treats, but this only amounted for a few percent of the total sales.

She added: “We do have a few visitors who aren’t even vegetarian but still enjoy the range of vegan options.”

According to the Vegan Society, which turns 75 years old today, the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupled between 2014 and 2019.
In 2019 there were 600,000 vegans, or 1.16 per cent of the population, compared to 150,000 (0.25 per cent) in 2014.
The British Takeaway Campaign, meanwhile, says that orders of vegan takeaways grew 388 per cent between 2016 and 2018 while vegetarian orders rose 137 per cent.

November 1 also marks the start of World Vegan Month, and Oxford will have its own vegan market at the Town Hall on St Aldates this Sunday kicking off at 10.30am.
The market will feature up to 50 stalls and entry will cost £2. See veganmarkets.co.uk

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18008612.world-vegan-day-oxford-cafes-rise-plant-based-diets/

Vegan orders on Deliveroo up 330% in 2 years

From thelondoneconomic.com

The number of sellers catering for vegans has increased substantially in response, growing by 168 per cent in the past year alone

Orders for vegan food on Deliveroo have increased by 330 per cent in the last two years, the online food delivery company has revealed.
The British firm, which counts Wagamama, Greggs and Subway among the outlets it serves, said vegan orders on its platform have surged over the last couple of years.

As demand increases, so too have options made available by restaurants and food delivery brands.
The number of sellers catering for vegans on the platform has grown by 168 per cent in the past year alone.

The surge was underlined by a number of outlets releasing new vegan options at the start of the year for Veganuary.

Greggs released a vegan sausage roll, while KFC announced the launch of a vegan chicken burger across selected restaurants in the UK.

Subway also got in on the act recently, launching a vegan version of its popular Meatball Marinara in certain stores.

Joe Groves, from the food delivery app, said: “Whether flexitarian or full fledged vegan, Deliveroo customers are embracing the growing choices of vegan foods available for delivery.
“No longer resigned to just salads Brits are loving imitation meats, vegan-friendly alternatives and the infamous dirty vegan dishes.”

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/vegan-orders-on-deliveroo-up-330-in-2-years/31/10/