Purchases at the Just V Show Scotland 2019

This time last year the 'Beast from the East' swept in and the Just V Show ended up having to be cancelled.  Thankfully that didn't happen this year and I was able to travel down to Glasgow to take a look.  The great thing about this show is that it doesn't just have stalls on vegetarian and vegan products, but a whole section on free from food as well.  This is perfect as, whilst I'm trying to go as plant based as possible, I also need to cut gluten from my diet (though thankfully not the gluten in oats, which I seek to be fine with).  I was mainly there on an information gathering mission, especially on companies I would like to buy from in the future, but I did purchase some products as well.

Shøre Seaweed is probably one of my favourite finds of the day, and I'd never even heard of them before.  They are a food company and all their products are made from seaweed sustainably harvested from the shores of Wick (Scotland).  I got the snack pack that included all of their snack flavours and a reusable bag (what's not to love), and so far I've enjoyed every flavour I've tried.  In the future I plan to bring my own snacks with me to save on waste and money, but this is definitely a product I'm going to keep an eye open for if I need to get something on the go. And it's vegan, gluten free, and full of nutrients (seaweeds amazing - I love seaweed).

I'm coming to the end of my shampoo bar now and I wanted to find other companies that I could buy from in the future.  There were a few and I've kept their details, but I didn't want to buy a whole lot at once so I went for some tester bars from Surya Luna Naturals.  The lovely lady I spoke to knew a lot about the products and what would be good for different skin and hair types.  Based on her advice I brought the Spiced Liquorice Root and Heather Rose.  Depending on how they go I might try their balms and soaps as well.  Based in Aberdeen all their products are made from plant oils and butters, and essential oils.  They are also responsible sourced and cruelty free, as well as using minimum and recyclable packaging.

I guess this is what this show is all about because I hadn't come across Memi Makeup before either. They have lovely looking eye shadows and lipsticks, but let's face it I don't need any of those at the moment.  However, I was needing a new mascara so went for the Volume Edition.  It looks like their Expert Liner has good reviews as well, but maybe next year once I've used up what I have already.  Based in the UK all their products are vegan and cruelty free.

Okay, so this is going to sound strange but Koko's Dairy Free Cheddar is the product I'm most excited about finding.  Ever since watching Jamie Oliver make a vegan lasagne on 'Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast' I've been trying to find it.  Unfortunately you only seem to be able to get it at Waitrose at the moment, nearest of which is no where near me, so when I saw it at the show I had to buy it.  Whilst it apparently melts really well I'm actually going to use it in my sandwiches instead of cheese (though I may make a veggie bake as well) which I will thoroughly enjoy while it lasts.

If you know me at all you'll know what I'm a beer lover, but I can't really drink it that often because of the gluten in it.  Enter Jubel Beer - yay!  UK based it's vegan, gluten free, naturally infused (whatever that means), and most importantly tastes really good.  At the moment you can only get it at Sainsbury's so it'll probably just be a beer I get now and then when I pass one of their stores.  Of course, the glass bottles means they're easy to recycle too. 

The next product is an interesting one and comes from a organisation called Hempen Co-operative.  This is a worker's co-operative which grows hemp in the UK organically to produce a variety of products and whose model is based on sustainability (in all areas) rather than profit.  When I was reading up on finding non drug based help with my many allergies I found some information about CBD being an anti-inflammatory as well as helping to support your immune system.  So when I saw this stall I went over to have a chat and based on the information try provided decided to start with the tea option as this is the mildest form to start off with and get my body used to it.  If it goes well and works I can move on to the full spectrum oil which I can buy online.

I've been using Dove Farm Freee products for quite a while now, mainly to make my own bread, and I really like them.  The recipes are easy to follow and they always give you alternatives in case you don't want to or can't use dairy or eggs, etc.  At the Just V Show they put on a number of cooking shows, such as making gluten free sponge cake and bread (which are the two I went to), and I'm glad I did as the information was pretty useful.  One thing I didn't 100% get before was that when you make the mixture for gluten free bread and rolls it's actually a batter rather than a dough, hence the reason you have to bake it in a pan rather being able to mould it.  I picked up their free recipe and information booklets and decided to buy their FREEE Seeded Bread Mix to try.  I don't think I'll get this mixture regularly, but it'll give me ideas for what I make in the future.

I have lunch boxes etc that I use all the time but I've been looking for a material lunch / snack container for a while to use when I want something less bulky.  When I saw this Re-Wrap-It it seemed perfect.  Easy to use as well as clean, it's also made in Scotland by inmates at Kilmarnock Prison who get to learn a new skill.  There were a lot of good designs but I decided to go for one that would show the dirt less as my work means I can rarely keep anything dirt free.

There was also a goodie bag available which came with some coupons, a packet of kitty treats (no idea what I'm going to do with that), some Fairy non-bio washing liquid (really not something I would normally chose but I'll use it), a fruit Yes! bar (I don't normally like these things but I'll try it), and a Love Beauty and Planet shampoo (which is going straight into my travel bag).  I have noticed Love Beauty and Planet products before but I tend to steer clear as they contain SLS which makes my skin itchy and the packing, whilst mostly recycles, is still plastic.  However, they are vegan and do have some good policies and goals in place, it's just not a product I will probably actively get in the future.

I also picked up some business cards from companies I didn't buy any products from this time around but would be interested in doing so in the future.  These were Organic J (an Aberdeenshire based company making organic, cruelty free, synthetic free products), Lucky Cloud (an Edinburgh based company that makes handmade, vegan, cruelty and SLS etc free products in recyclable packaging), and Carnies Soaperie (another Scottish based company, this time in Kirkintilloch, which produces plant based soaps and body care.  I'm particularly interested in the nettle line). 

So, all in all it was worth the trip and I got a lot more information then I was expecting.  I'm not sure if I'll make this a yearly thing, but it's given me ideas to move forward with.

Mini Film Review: What the Health

'What the Health' is an American based documentary made by the creators of 'Cowspiracy' and follows filmmaker Kip Anderson as he looks at how diet, specifically a vegan diet, can have a positive affect on chronic diseases that many American's face today.  In the film they talk to medical doctors, researchers, and consumer advocates about this.  It also investigates the possible role pharmaceutical companies, agribusiness, and processed meat companies might be having on American health non-profit organizations and the fact they do not only advocate a vegan diet, on the results funding might have on the outcome of research done into the impact of meat and dairy on the health issues we face in the Western world, and the decisions the US Government make when forming policies.  This all leads to large costs in people's health care, as well as keeping them sick.

What I liked about this documentary was it pointing out the possible bias issue that can come about when research is funded by specific organizations.  It is not necessarily the case that if a researcher is funded by the meat industry that they are going to find that meat is great, that's far to simplistic, but it does mean that the results and data do need to be checked and confirmed before we can be certain that the results have not been led.  It is also true that a personal bias can also play a role, such as already believing you can only get calcium from milk means you unconsciously find the results that you can only get calcium from milk.  However, and to be clear, this can also happen the other way.  If someone believes that being vegan is the only way or are funding by a vegan based organization they can also show bias in their results.  In both cases, we must be very aware of these possible biases when we are looking at research and data.

What I didn't like about 'What the Health' is that I got the feeling that they were cherry picking the research that they were showing in the documentary to fit the result they wanted it to show (basically what I warned about in the previous paragraph).  I know that there is research out there that shows different results to what they were talking about and I think it would be refreshing to have a documentary that gave a more rounded look at the issues of diet and health.  When watching any documentary it's always important to remember that the makers have a specific message they are wanting to put across and it's always worth doing more research yourself.

I also a little uncomfortable with the premise that if you changed your diet to a vegan your health issues would all disappear.......very quickly.  Again, this is a little too simplistic and not always the case.  It is true that a healthy plant-based diet can help reduce your chances of getting diseases like cholesterol, diabetes and cancer, and, with cholesterol and diabetes at least, changing to a plant-based diet has been shown to reverse these diseases in a number of people, but not all.  Whilst I do believe, from what I've researched myself, that a healthy, plant-based diet is your best chance of staying healthy it will not stop everything and there are those out there who will still get cancer and heart disease.  It is one of the sad truths of life.

I should probably say now that I am not against a vegan diet or documentaries that show the benefit of a plant base diet can have on the health.  It's what I'm aiming for myself once I have worked out exactly what I'm allergic to (that's a long story and I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's not nuts).  I'm also not against documentaries that question the possible bias of organizations based on the funding they receive, we should all do it.  But I don't think demonising health organisations that seem to be genuinely trying to help people and understand that complete changes in people's diet are rarely stuck to, or cherry picking your studies are a particularly good way to go.  To me the vegan diet is important because it has large environmental benefits, will help us combat global warming, has been shown to have a large number of health benefits for most people (but as with everything, one size doesn't fit all and it would be irresponsible to say it will work for everyone), and that other living creatures are not put through appalling treatment to provide us with a food source we don't necessarily need.  To me those are good enough reasons and we don't need to skew the data to get the point across.

If you would like to watch the movie you can online here.  If you also want to watch someone questioning the movie a little bit more succinctly then I do then it's worth watching Unnatural Vegan's video on it.  

So what do you think of the film?  Did you have questions about what they were saying or did you really like it? Let me know below?

Mini Film Review: Land of Hope and Glory

After watching Earthlings last year I came across a documentary called Land of Hope and Glory, specifically about animal welfare on British farms.  I wanted to give myself a little break before watching it as I still get images flashing through my head from Earthlings.  

Land of Hope and Glory was put together by a guy called Earthling Ed in a response to British people's reaction to Earthlings - mainly that these practices don't happen here.  It looks at land based farming and is broken down into pigs, cows, birds, eggs (a separate issue to chicken farming itself), and sheep.  It looks at the appalling, cramped conditions a large number of these animals are kept in and the behaviours these stressful conditions cause.  It also shows the effects of the induced sped up growth has on their bodies.  It also brings up some disturbing facts like half the antibiotics sold in the UK are used on animals, with 60% of these specifically on pigs.  This is especially bad when you look at the fact that we are having issues with super bugs and there have been links between this and farming practices throughout the world.

As with the other documentaries I've watched on animal welfare in farming, the treatment of the animals is really horrible and all in the name of cheap meat (something we can easily survive without).  I think the worst bit for me was the treatment of them when they are being killed, especially the fact that it isn't done efficiently and that the stunning (as well as killing in some cases) is done infront of other individuals causing mass panic and stress.  No animal deserves to be put through this treatment for any reason, especially if they are dying so you can eat.

Particularly bad was the behaviour of the humans supposed to be looking after their welfare.  While I understand it might not be emotionally healthy to become attached to the animals and that they are working under financial constraints, the callousness and complete lack of empathy shown by these individuals is troubling to say the least.  In fact some were literally just violent.  These animals deserve far better treatment and some of those human individuals need some psychological help.

Going vegan is definitely the most effective way of ensuring this type of treatment is stopped (and no a life in those conditions is definitely not better than no life at all), but even just having meat as a luxurious, irregular treat to spend money on would ensure that these conditions were stopped.  It is unbelievable that in a country that claims to be full of animal lovers we are happy for these conditions to carry on.  And it's not that people just don't know, it's that we choice to be ignorant so that we don't have to face the consequences of knowing.

You can watch this documentary for free either on YouTube or on the Land of Hope and Glory website.

Reduced Waste Period - the Mooncup

Okay, so I get that this might be a sensitive subject for some people, but as a woman I have to accept that every month I will receive that little gift we are so lucky to have.  These have rarely been easy rides for me but the thing that bothered me the most was the amount of waste I was producing each time my period appeared.  I had made the transition to organic cotton pads and tampons a while ago (my favourite brand is Natracare organic), but while that reduced the amount of pesticide going into the environment it hasn't actually reduce the amount of waste my period sends to landfill or end up in the sea.  So I started looking at alternative reusable products and, after researching a few including reusable material pads, I decided to give Mooncup a go.

The cup is made up of a medical grade silicone, is latex free and contains no dyes or bleach.  It is also cruelty free and vegan.  It does normally have a long neck (which you can see in the first picture), but I've cut it down for comfort.  It does take a little while to get used to using it, they recommend around 3 months, but once you get used to inserting and removing it properly, it's very comfortable and reliable.  Mooncup recommends that you empty your cup every 4 to 8 hours, but I've found that it can last longer then that with out any trouble.  Which is useful as it can be almost 10 hours between being able to get to a proper toilet.

This half fold seems to be the method most people use and the one advised on the website, but even though I've tried it multiple times it just doesn't seem to work for me.

So I go for the push in the middle technique.  I've worn the Mooncup for a few years now, but did have a break for a few years (I'm not entirely sure why).  When I decided to start wearing it again I decided I should go for the larger size A, as recommended on the Mooncup website for someone over 30.  This is the first time I've ever had any real problem with the cup.  It was uncomfortable to wear and I was very aware of exactly where it was in my body.  It also leaked regularly, especially when I was volunteering outside.  As I knew I was going to be getting a manual job I decided to contact the company to see if I could get any advice from them.  I have to say Mooncup has amazing customer service.  They recommended some techniques to help with the comfort and leaking, but when these didn't work they then sent me the smaller size B.  They also gave me a follow up email to check that everything was okay.  

Since getting this smaller size I've had no problems at all and have gone back to having a relatively comfortable period, despite digging ditches and rolling stones.  

It comes with a little bag to store when not in use and a couple of leaflets to let you know about the cup and how to use it, but no other packaging other then the recyclable cardboard box it comes in.  To top it all, the cup is pretty easy to look after and store.  I know for some people using the cup might seem a bit unpleasant, but it's good to remember that it is only your blood and your not bothered about changing a plaster.  You will also get used to it, along with inserting and removing the cup quickly.  Best of all, the waste I produce during my period is practically zero.

If you're looking for a more sustainable alternative to pads and tampons I would definitely recommend looking at the Mooncup.

Transitioning to Veganism

If you've been kind enough to be ready my blog over the last few months you'll know that I'm meant to be removing dairey products from my diet because of the problems milk can cause when you have PCOS.  You'll also know that I've been watching documentaries like Cowspiracy and Food Inc as well as educating myself on the food industry and the negative impact animal agriculture has on the environment.  And with the most recent information on fighting climate change and habitat loss indicating that making changes to your diet, especially removing animal products from it, is one of the leading ways in which we can do our bit it seems logical to me to start transitioning my diet from a vegetarian one to a vegan.  I've been thinking about this for a while, but for some reason the momentum to do it has really begun now.

I've already been taking steps, without necessarily noticing it, in that direction, but these have all been the easy ones.  One of these has been increasing the amount a fresh vegetables I get over buying processed food which is likely to contain an animal product.  This has been very easy as vegetable are yummy so why wouldn't you want to eat as many as is humanly possible.  I've also been swapping products to vegan alternatives such as plant based milks and the cheeky Quorn vegan products which I add to my suppers.  I've also added some ingredients that are important for everyone to have in a healthy diet, but are especially important when it comes to vegans.  I already love marmite, but nutrional yeast has been a great addition to ensure that I'm getting all my needed B vitamins.  It doesn't taste of cheese (I don't know why people say that), but it is pretty yummy and good to add to a range of things.

There have been some things I have found suprisingly easy to start removing from my diet.  Firstly milk.  Milk used to play a big part in my diet, in fact I craved it when I got home at night and would down a big glass of it.  But since removing it I haven't missed it at all.  It's not just that I've found an alternative that I really like, it's that the cravings have completely gone.  I'm not even particularly keen on the taste anymore and happy reach for water instead.  Then there's cheese, another item I thought I loved dearly.  I still have this in my diet now and then, but this has usually been when someone else has been picking the meal or when there is no other option on the menu (I'm going to find better ways of getting round this).  It was something that I enjoyed selecting at the supermarket and eating on a weekly basis, but now that I don't eat it weeks at a time I find I don't miss it at all.  Lastly there are eggs.  Who doesn't love a boiled or fried egg, or even eggy bread (oh eggy bread).  It used to be my weekend treat but I realised the other day that I hvedn't had any of those for a few months now and didn't even noticed.  I was like I just stopped choicing it as an options.  I know eggs are little power houses of goodness, but they obviously weren't as important to my body as I thought they were and I haven't even noticed not having them.

So where am I struggling? The answer to this is going to be boringly obvious.  To begin with there's chocolate.  I don't eat this anywhere nearly as regularly as I used to, but I still eat this enough. I don't even really enjoy it when I eat it, I think it's just the sugar rush I get over anything else.  On the good side I have found alternatives I can eat when I want something chocolately and I really just been to get off my arse and let go of the milky goo.  Then, of course, there's ice cream.  Now this is really my addition and I just can't seem to say no.  It's my end of the week treat and I find myself eating an entire tub of this, but it's full of the dairy I'm supposed to be giving up, is highly processed, and high in that additive sugar.  As far as I can see there is no non-dairy alternatives that have the same creamy texture, but that's fine as I'm supposed to be removing sugar from my diet anyway.  It's time to stop making excuses and just give the stuff up.

One habitat that I do keep forgetting is to check the labels of the products I'm buying.  It's usually when I'm hungry and doing the random grab anything you can find from the shelf, but there are other times where I've been guilty of assuming something won't contain any animal products and then finding that it does once I've got it home. I need to make a mental note that when I pick up any food items I check the ingredients first before I buy, even if my stomach is shouting at me.

One extra added motivator for me is that on weeks when I have managed to have a complete vegan diet I've had far more energy and felt much more alert.  It might not be the case for everyone but I believe that a vegan diet might be the right diet for my body.  It helps that when I am completely vegan I tend to eat much more fresh vegetables and less processed foods and I don't think it's going to be too difficult to make the final steps I need. I just need to give up those sugary additions I shouldn't be eating any way, so that'll be 'hello' to the little sugar monster running around in my brain for a few weeks.

Do you have any tips on being vegan?  Are there any products that you would really recommend to people wanting to take this diet?  Please let me know, it would be very helpful.

August The Vegan Kind subscription box

Ok, so my first day of going sugar free may have got ever so slightly sabotaged by this lovely box appear on my doorstep on Monday.  However, I did want to wait a whole month before getting this post out, so I sat and had a quick naughty nibble of everything.

As usual, when you open the box the first thing you come to is the leaflet with all the details about the products, the guest recipe provider (this time Sharon from Bit if the Good Stuff), and the charity they are support.  The charity is One Kind, a Scotland based charity that works to end cruelty to animals in Scotland and they get 10p per box.

I really like the look of these Bit of the Good Stuff Summer Rolls.  They look something similar to the sushi like rolls I do, but I've never tried rice paper and I'm very keen on the peanut sauce - looks like I have a few ingredients to add to my shopping list this weekend.

I've been on a savoury kick recently so it wasn't surprising that the Hippeas Pepper Power was the first thing I decided to try.  I love that they are made out of chickpeas and I especially like how satisfyingly crunchy these are.  One thing I will say is the pepper is very strong.

I always get a little excited when I see chewy sweets I can actually eat and the Candy Kittens Sweet Pineapple Vegan Sweets didn't disappoint.  They had the satisfying chewy texture, but, while I did get some pineapple flavour, they tasted more like lemons then pineapple to me.  Not that I'm disappointed about that, I love the taste of lemons. I'm going sugar free at the moment, but this would be great to satisfy your sugar tooth if you're not.

I would pick this up on the name alone.  I would say the Squirrel Sisters Coconut Raw Energy Bar is perfect for people who like protein bars or are doing something active, like trekking, and need a small but energy packed snack.  The flavour was also pretty good, I just wasn't too keen on the texture.

I really liked these Landgarten Organic Dark Choco Balls.  They were just the right amount of bitterness and sweetness and I love dark chocolate.  So does my partner, it turns out, who scoffed the rest of the packet.

I was definitely interested in these Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg as I am actually searching for an alternative to eggs at the moment.  I do love the packaging, so old school egg box, but I don't love the actual product.  I tired making the scrambled egg recipe they had on the box and, while it did smell like eggs, the texture and taste weren't like eggs or particularly nice.  It's not something I would go for in the future, but I think would work if you were needing to replace an egg in the recipe where it is not the main item or for binding.  I will try it in these ways and see.  Looking at their website I have noticed that they have vegan cheese so I am intrigued.

The Vegan Kind always do great no food items in their box.  So far I've used and loved everyone of them, so I'm very hopeful about this Native Unearthed Deodorant as I've been having difficulty finding a more natural deodorant.  Firstly I have sensitive skin so anything with bicarb or corn starch in feels like I've been going at my skin with sandpaper and this doesn't contain either.  I also sweat a lot and finding a natural product just sweats off my body, so it'll be interesting to see how this does.  So am looking forward to giving it a go, once I've used up my other deodorants, and will report back.

The last items was a coupon code for Friction Free Shaving, which is basically a subscription that sends you a new razor every week to help stop you overusing yours and damaging your skin.  I'm not suing razors for hair removal at the moment, but my partner still shaves regularly, on old blades, and his face really shows it sometimes.  I might see if I can tempt him with this.

I think this may be the last The Vegan Kind Box I get, not because I don't like this subscription box as I think that it's a great way of seeing what vegan food you can eat, but because I want to eat less processed food in general.  If you're starting off as a vegan and you want to see what food (and other products) you can use then this is a great way of doing it.

Click here to read my blogs on the April, May, June, and July The Vegan Kind boxes.

July The Vegan Box subscription

So it's that time of the month again, vegan box time.  Another interesting selection of vegan choices, some I was more excited about than others.

As usual there is the information sheet with information about the products in the box, details about the guest blogger, Hannah Victoria, who has produced this month's recipe and information about the charity they are supporting.  This time it's the Hessilhead Rescue Centre which cares for Scotland's sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.   

The recipe this time was Hanna Victoria's 3 Ingredients Peanut Butter Cups.  This seems a really quick and simple recipe that would be delicious and help with the unhealthy chocolate cravings.  I'm not usually a fan of peanut butter, but with the bitter chocolate I think these will actually be quite nice.  I am adding the ingredients to next week's shopping list.

As for last month's Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta, I absolutely loved this, but my partner wasn't so keen.  I am going to make it again though, just with a little less avocado as this was the part he didn't like.

The first product I grabbed were these Goody Good Stuff Cola Breeze Sweets and I have to say that I was ridiculously excited about these.  I haven't had cola bottles since I'd became vegetarian almost ten years ago and, I'm not going to lie, I missed them a little bit.  These tasted exactly how I remember them tasting with the sharp, face scrunching initial flavour and everything.  It almost felt wrong eating them, but it's just as well its such a small bag as I would have even all of them regardless of the size.

I really liked the look of these Oloves Chilli and Garlic Black Olives as I love olives and you don't normally get them in such an easy to carry packaging.  I couldn't actually really taste the chilli and garlic, just the black olives.  But this was fine by me as I love olives in just the flavour they have.  If I'm out somewhere and need a snack I'll definitely be looking out for these.

The Conscious Chocolate Goji and Coconut Mini Bar is clearly the little pocket sibling to the Conscious Chocolate with peppermint essential oil from the May box.  I do like the bitter flavour of Conscious Chocolate, but wasn't hugely keen on the flavour or texture of this one. I do prefer this size though, much better for those of us who have a habit of eating the whole bar.  I will keep looking out for other flavours of this bar though as I like the concept.

I've already tried, and am a fan of, the Yushoi Snapea rice sticks in Slightly Salted.  I had never tried this flavour as I'm not a salt and vinegar fan, but as it was in this bag I thought I would give it a go.  The flavours are much milder than the usual salt and vinegar crisps, but still still not my thing.  However, if you like salt and vinegar you'll love these.  I do like the snack size of these as I can normally only find the larger bags and that's really dangerous. I also like the coupon for 50p off that came in the box - thank you very much. 

This I'm actually drinking right now. The Virtue Ice Tea in Lemon.  I can't quite decide how I feel about it.  I love that it has B vitamins in it and it does taste nice for the most part, but there is a slight flavour that goes through it that I'm not too keen on.  I think it might be the sweetener as I just don't like the taste of these no matter what they're in and I think I'm prefer this without, even if it meant it was a little bit more bitter.  However, this could be something that I could get used to and I might see if I can find this again, maybe in other flavours, to see.  It is a quite refreshing and, lets face it, it has tea in it.

I was actually quite excited about the Angelic Gluten Free Chocolate Coconut & Oat Cake Slices.  For one, it took up half the box and it had three things I love - chocolate, coconut and oats.  Unfortunately, I didn't really like these.  The texture was fine but there was something about the flavour that I just couldn't get around.  I think it was the dates, for which I have a love/ hate relationship with. However I did like the other flavours coming through so I think I'll definitely try other products by this company when I come across them, and I would definitely try them if you are ok with dates.

One of the non-food items was the Fry's Family Foods Plants of Fire BBQ Recipe Book.  This book does, of course, contain recipes for their own products, but looks like it can be adapted to fit items that you normally use.  I'm always happy to get new ideas to keep out meals interesting and, despite loving the internet for recipes, I find using hard copies of recipes easier to use in the kitchen and I can be less protective of them (I'm not a tidy cooker).  I am interested in their products though.  I have been using Quorn for many years and it's been really helpful in helping my partner and me find a happy medium of eating vegetarian for me but still keeping the same textures and types that he is used to as a meat eater.  However, not all their products are vegan and Fry's Family Food are.

The last item is the Harpers Bizarre The Raspberry Kind candle.  This smells lovely, and very strong, when you open the tin and the scent also lingers even if you leave the lid off.  It burns really well and evenly, and the scent does fill the room easily and is pretty true to how actual raspberries smell.  Once burning the scent isn't hugely strong, but reaches a nice level. They also support the Jerry Green Dog Rescue. This is definitely one I'm looking out for and may actually order online.

Click here to read my blogs on the April, May and June The Vegan Kind boxes.

App of the Moment: Vegetarian Society

I have to admit that I didn't find becoming a vegetarian very difficult.  I was already eating a predominantly plant based diet and never thought that meat was particularly amazing.  I'm also one of those people that would happily just cut up a whole load of vegetables, chuck them in a frying pan and just eat them like that.  But when I moved in with my partner last year I had to become a little 'adventurous'.  He was kind enough to agree to eat vegetarian at dinner time, but it did need to be a little bit more varied and like a traditional meal.  To begin with I used (and still do) the Quorn recipe book, which is a great book for converting traditional meat meals into vegetarian ones, but we have been wanting some more variety and for that I've been turning to the Vegetarian Society app.

This app is unbelievably easy to use.  You can click tab on Search to get all of the recipes or if there is a specific ingredients or food type (ie tacos or sushi) then you can type it into the Enter keyword/s box and click on search.  But I'm not usually able to be that exact and tend to do more 'in the ballpark' type searching using the menus by tapping on the 'All' sections beside each title.  Meal type is whether it's a starter, main, soup, etc; Diet is whether you have any dietary requirements such as vegan, gluten free, nut free, etc; Preparation type is based on your cooking abilities and covers simple, moderate, gourmet, and recipes for caterers; Occasions is if it's for a specific occasion such as Christmas or Burns night (we are in Scotland after all); and lastly Cuisines is the usual Indian, Chinese, Italian, American, etc.

As I'm trying to transition into a more vegan diet I use the Diet section most to select all the Vegan recipes the app has.

What you get after your selection or search is a list of all the recipes available on the app for that request.  The best thing about the list provided is the fact that you can also see whether the recipes are vegan, egg free, gluten free, wheat free, nut free, and low in flat.

Once you click on the recipe the first page with give you an Overview about the recipe, how many it will serve, and the preparation time.  You can then tap on the Ingredients and the Method for the recipe.  You can also tap on Save at the bottom of the page which then saves it to your My recipes.  You can get to this directly from the front page next time you open the app.

You can get this app for free from the Vegetarian Society's website (oh and this is not a sponsored post, I just like the app).

Happy eating!

June The Vegan Kind subscription box

So another lovely The Vegan Kind vegan, lifestyle box came to my door again at the beginning of this week and I wasted no time in opening it to see what we had this time.

To begin with is the usual sheet letting you know about the guest recipe contributor is, information about the charity that The Vegan Kind supports (which is Teen VGN's Vegan Summer Camp, and details about the products in box.

The recipe this time is a Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta by Fettle Vegan, run by Amber who produces plant-based recipes.  I love avocado's and I love pesto so this is right up my alley and I've already added it to my list of menus for next week to test out.  The biggest test will be whether or not my partner, Jim, likes it.

The first thing I saw (and the first thing I ripped into before even taking a photo) was the Hoots Cheese and Onion Multigrain Snack.  This was really nice, not too cheesy or strong, and I really liked how crunchy it was.  I also liked the fact that Hoots is now removing animal products from their food.  Jim liked them too and actually took the pack out of my hand.

The next product I tried was the GranoVita Vegetable Pate. I spread it on some toast to try it and while it reminded me of a meat based pate I had at school years ago it wasn't something that I was particularly keen on.  It was salty tasting to me (it has sea salt added to it) and I'm not a fan of salty food, but if you do like slightly salty food then you should try this.

The next product I pulled out was the Good Full Stop Chocolate and Orange Bar which is a chocolate and orange fruit and nut bar.  It definitely tasted of orange chocolates and which quite easy to eat on that front.  The texture was squiggy though, I prefer my snacks to be crunchy.

I actually took the Foods of Athenry Chocolate and Raspberry Cookie with me when Jim and me went to Lunan Bay (East Scotland).  This we really liked.  It's not a chewy as usually cookies are, which we actually thought was a good thing, and the flavours were not too overpowering.  All and all this one was definitely a success and I will definitely be looking out for these when I'm having a cookie monster moment.

This was the last food product I pulled out, and actually the one I was most interested in, was the Smooze Fruit Ice.  I have a real ice-cream addition.  Not chocolate, not cakes, and not biscuits, but ice-cream.  Normally when it kicks in, and I give in, I get a big tub of Cookies and Cream which I finish completely.  What I'm hoping will happen is that this might be able to replace that as a smaller, vegan version of this to help with the cravings so I don't fall of the wagon.  Mango was the perfect one to get as it's a fruit I love and this was a really nice product.  I'm not sure it's exactly the same of the Cookies and Cream, but I think I will be able to use this as a substitute while I deal with this addition.

For me the best part of this box is the non-food products and this one was the Green People Sun Lotion.  I am a fan of Green People and have purchased and enjoyed their products in the past (specifically their sunscreen), so I was really pleased to receive this.  I was also intending on buying some sunscreen on the day I received this box as I'd run out, so this was perfectly timed.  This is a great product, rubs into the skin really well, isn't white, and lasted a long time.  I would recommend this (this size is £13.50 on the Green People website).

Click here to read my blogs on the April and May The Vegan Kind boxes.