Monthly Favourites | May

I've been neglecting this blog, it's true but if nothing else I want to try to always get a monthly favourites post up!
So here is Mays -

I'll start with a few beauty products because I have found, compared to food, this is a much harder area to navigate as a vegan!

Noughty hair products:

Anyone that has tried to purchase 100% vegan hair products will know it can be tricky and expensive... especially if you are looking for it to be specifically aimed at curly/dry hair! I did A LOT of research and compared many companies with price, reviews on quality and also availability without paying extortionate postage!
That's when I saw an advert on Facebook for Noughty. It was a curl creme that was 97% natural and 100% vegan.... this was certainly worth a little look. When I checked the prices I was pleasantly surprised as they average £6.99 a bottle (that's for the cremes, shampoos, conditioners and rescue remedies) which compared to other companies was much cheaper!

I ordered some as the postage also was also very reasonable - I have tried the shampoo, the curl creme and leave in conditioner .... and have since bought the normal wash out conditioner....

My hair feels soft, nourished and it has allowed me to leave my hair to dry naturally without ending up looking like Einstein! They do have products aimed at other hair types as well so it isn't limited to curly ladies!



Say Yes To Cotton micellar water:

Time for me to confess to you .... up until recently I was a person that used make up wipes...
Yes I know how terrible that is for the environment and it's awful that it has taken me so long to find an alternative BUT I now have!
I bought this from Holland and Barratt and it is 95% natural and again 100% vegan. The best part though is that it can be used with a sponge or washcloth instead of disposable tissues! I also find that it is good for sensitive skin and not harsh at all!




Alpro Caffe:

Possibly my best discovery this month is this delicious iced coffee from Alpro, it's hazelnut and coffee so tastes a little like ferrero rocher!
If you're not keen on hazelnut they also have a salted caramel option which is just as yummy! Pour it over some ice and you'll be sorted for the rest of summer minus the Costa or Starbucks price tag!!






Nakd blueberry muffin bars:

Considering there's only a small number of ingredients in these little bars they taste EXACTLY like blueberry muffins but are a hella lot healthier! Win!

Nakd have a huge number of bars that I'm sure will suit every taste so go to your local supermarket and peruse the options available!




Wagamamas Vegatsu curry:
Anyone that has spent any time with me will know my undying love for Wagamamas, who do already have an amazing number of vegan dishes.
However they have recently out done themselves! Before becoming vegan I adored the chicken katsu curry and have really missed being able to order it ... NO MORE!
There is now a vegan alternative that uses seitan but still has the same stunning, crispy, golden coating and mildly spicy curry sauce.

Even meat eaters could enjoy this one! I  think I have found my new favourite dish.

Monthly Favourites | March.

March was a crazy busy month so it's been hard to dedicate as much time to the blog as I would like, however I can still share some of the things that have been my favourite through the month!
There are, as usual, specifically vegan products - however there are also a couple more personal things on the list that although they don't quite fit into my vegan theme I still feel I want to share them!

In March I managed to finish my normal toothpaste and decided to try something different .... and 100% vegan! I was worried that as it isn't mint flavoured I'd struggle to get on with it but it's a subtle and rather tasty flavour! This is a toothpaste aimed at sensitive teeth which I have suffered with in the past, I can honestly say this is the only toothpaste I have notice actually making a difference! My teeth are noticably less sensitive, I don't find myself preparing before sipping cold water or eating ice cream now! I bought mine from Holland and Barratt.

For the first time I'm including a book in my monthly favourites because I was in quite a reading slump that has finally ended thanks to this fabulous read. Anyone that enjoys YA, magical, fantasy novels will adore Poison Study as much as I did so I urge you to pick it up.
Health warning though that this is the first in a trilogy so you might end up needing to purchase more because the writing is beautiful, the story is incredible and I JUST NEED ALL THE BOOKS NOW PLEASE.

This month also led me to getting my third tattoo, all my tattoos have been done at the same parlour and two by the same artist. When it comes to getting something permanently put on your body it's vital you do research and are comfortable with the shop you get it done in .... and then stick with it if you get more!
Let me introduce you to Alfonso. When I was in my first year of university my housemate, in a fit of boredom, doodled on my feet... yeah that's kind of uni in a nutshell. One of the doodles was a little giraffe and at the time I thought it would make a cute tattoo, fast forward almost 8 years and I got the real thing! It is now a reminder of not only my housemates but all my friends that support me, raise me up and help me to stand tall. He's also pretty cute.
If you're ever looking to get some ink and are in Bath go to Northgate Tattoo (formerly Broadstreet Studios) they are professional, friendly and so talented it makes me a little sick.

I couldn't write a favourites post without including some food! This month I discovered Smooze ice lollies from Sainsburys. They are coconut and mango flavour which means they taste like frozen mango smoothie and are perfect on a hot sunny day .... which we had one of in the UK before it got cold again....
Even if the nice weather doesn't stick around these are a worthwhile staple for the freezer when you fancy something fresh, healthy and sweet.

Vegan Eats | Bath.

If you go travelling, eating as a vegan can occasionally make life a little awkward, but once you know where to go it doesn't have to be a struggle. I want to start a sort of series on the blog where I will post about places I eat whenever I travel elsewhere.... Let me know what you think and if it would be interesting to share!

I recently spent a weekend in Bath and sampled A LOT of the vegan options there, I'm going to share them so if you ever find yourself in the beautiful city you'll have some suggestions!

The Cosy Club:

I've experienced Cosy Club many times and it has been wonderful every visit, in fact we ate twice there over the two days we stayed!
There are a few options to try on the vegan menu, I opted  for the risotto as this is rarely a dish that can be catered for vegans what with all the cream that's normally used....

This was full of veg and flavour - more tomato based than you might expect from a traditional risotto but it's delicious none the less. Pair it with the scrumptious cocktails they have to offer and your evening is sorted!

On the last morning we returned for brunch, because long weekend breaks are made for brunching. I was very tempted by the avocado toast ... yes I am the basic vegan that loves avo, however this is a common option in many restaurants so instead I tried the vegan breakfast. A full English made vegan, how could I say no?
Instead of sausages or bacon they substitute falafel, I was unsure how this would work in a breakfast as I would normally have falafel for a main meal - they worked so well! The middle eastern flavours were intense but not over powering, they were soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
The one thing I would change is that the toast didn't come with any butter or other topping so was a tad dry.

Franco Manca:

Next we move to the most important of the food groups. Pizza.
Most pizza places cater well for vegans now and are happy to make them without cheese, if you want rustic, back to basic, wholesome pizzas then Franco Manca is the place for you!
The vegan option is a tomato, herb and garlic pizza, you just add any of the extra toppings you want - I had mushrooms, brocolli and roast potato... and in case you were wondering, yes potato is PHENOMENAL on pizza.

Thaikhun:

The last restaurant we visited served Thai food which is one of my favourites! The restaurant itself is fantastic with incredible, cluttered decor that's super colourful and unique, we couldn't help but go in! Nearly all their vegetarian dishes are also vegan so once again there was plenty to choose from!
The dumplings were potentially my favourite dish as they were soft, filling and packed with yummy! The main I had was tofu and cashews with rice, for such a simple plate the amount of different tastes was incredible. It was pretty spicy so watch out if you're not great with heat!

Chapel Arts Cafe:

No food list is complete without somewhere to get tea and cake! Chapel Arts Cafe is a completely vegan cafe with loads of cake options and they also do lunch.
The atmosphere is super chilled and a little eccentric, the perfect place to wind down after a long day walking around the sites of the city. They stay open late and often have live music as well!
This is such a unique establishment that is
tucked out of the way - without knowing it's there you might miss it but I can't stress enough how important it is that you give this place a try!

Taste Test | Egg Alternatives.

I won't be alone in my frustration at missing out on many foods due to the presence of egg, most desserts and sweet treats tend to have egg in even if they are advertised as "dairy free".
I have been craving cakey goodness for a while now and so I decided to research and test some of the recipe options we have as vegans by replacing egg with alternatives.

CREPES
First of all I thought I'd try something simple that I was fairly certain couldn't go wrong .... CREPES.
I found a recipe that replaces the egg with olive oil and works an absolute treat!
I can't stress how yummy these turned out, just like my Mum used to make. They were enjoyed by all including the two non-vegans that I was feeding and I even managed to flip a couple without completely destroying the pancakes.



RECIPE
3 cups flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cups soy milk (or other alternative)
2 tablespoon olive oil

This makes about 6 pancakes..

Just top with anything you like... I went for traditional lemon and sugar but would be tempted by Sweet Freedom chocolate spread next time!



So admittedly this isn't "cakey" but do not fear as the next one is well on it's way to being actual cake (you'll have to read to the end to see the real thing!).

BROWNIES

I read about this hack a long time ago but hadn't quite got round to trying for myself but it intrigued me and now you'll know whether it's worth trying for yourselves. Brownies can easily be made vegan with one simple ingredient, Coke!
Now stay with me here because I was just as unsure as you are at this point but I honestly recommend it as a quick and easy way of enjoying gooey in the middle, crunchy on the outside brownies.

RECIPE
Simply buy a box of brownie mix (making sure there is no milk powder or milk chocolate in it) mix it up with 3/4 a can of coke and cook to instructions!

VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE
Lastly but most terrifying is a cake made using "Orgran No egg, egg replacer" - a powder that is mixed with water to replicate egg. Victoria sponge has always been my go to baked good, it's simple, quick and generally delicious. Everyone loved Vicky sponge right!?
No I was very skeptical about using this product and it has actually been sat in my cupboard for months since I bought it because I was so unconvinced! However for the sake of this post I knew I had to give it a try!
My worries came to reality sadly as the cake didn't rise ... not even a little bit. The poor thing looked very sad when I took it from the oven. Having said that the flavour was still great - it reminded me of shortbread more than cake and I love shortbread so no complaints from me!
I was pleased with the overall outcome even if it more resembled a biscuit than cake, the taste was there and I'm definitely going to experiment further with this reaplacer to try and work out how it works best.
Recipe I used is posted below the photos

RECIPE

• 6oz caster sugar
• 6oz butter (I used vitalite)
• 6oz self-raising flour
• 3 "eggs"
• Dash of soya milk 

1. Mix butter and sugar until creamy
2. Add egg
3. Add flour
4. Add milk to correct consistency 
5. Place into cake tins
6. Bake in oven 180^oC for 25 mins

Butter cream and jam to fill!

Monthly Favourites | February.

A little late with this post which I apologise for.... work has been a little crazy lately. However I have managed to get sat down at my keyboard and am ready to this months bunch of favourites (this month really meaning last month!)

Firstly (as per usual) is a food item. I have always loved onion ring crisps, yes they stink and you'll be burping onion flavour for weeks afterwards but they are just SO good and I was very sad to loose them when becoming vegan.
Normally the ingredients (like a lot of crisps) contain milk powder ..... UNTIL NOW! Thanks to Sainsburys new and improved formula there's no longer any animal products involved and they're completely vegan, HALLELOO!

The second food item I've been obsessed with this month are Sainsbury's Meatless Meatballs ..... or as I like to call them Balls.
Some people are very skeptical of fake meats (rightly so in some cases) but these are soft, moist, filling and taste suspiciously like stuffing, which in my opinion is no bad thing!
If you are looking for an easy and healthy vegan alternative I can't recommend these enough, they were also omnivore improved.

I wanted to share this next item with you because I could not believe just how incredible it was!
Now a thermos might not seem like the most exciting product, but anyone that enjoys a hot beverage on the go knows the struggle of keeping it at a temperature that doesn't make you cringe when you finally get around to drinking it.
Look no further than the Bestek flask, it isn't too pricey and kept my coffee warm for at least 4 hours and it was still tepid 6 hours after I made it!
I found mine on Amazon  for £7.99!

My final and possibly number one favourite for this month is actually a new online coaching programme I have signed up to. I technically joined in January but wanted to try it for a few weeks before rating and sharing it.
The idea is to sign up to the website to get access to hundreds of at home workout programmes which are of different lengths and intensities (they also come with meal plans if you want to fully commit). This doesn't sound like anything new but what makes this one special is the accountability groups you can join to help you stay motivated. You find a coach (I came across mine on Instagram) and they will set you up in a group using the app which allows you to update the workouts you do and communicate with other people on the journey.... the daily notifications to remind you to workout are also pretty encouraging!
I've always struggled to keep up with my fitness, I'm lazy, busy and hate gyms, but this option takes all of that out of the equation - the workouts are 30 minutes on average and can be done anywhere!!
If you are interested please go and speak to Jen because she is wonderful and can talk you through everything you need to do.
Granted I am not a fan of the name Beachbody on Demand - if you have a body then it's a beach body regardless of shape or size - but the actual product is fantastic!

Restaurant Review | Koh Thai.

I love Thai food. I love Tapas. Thai Tapas just made sense.

The chain Koh Thai serves a huge range of Thai tapas in a few cities including Bath, Southampton, Bournemouth, Romsey and many others! We ventured to Southsea to try some of the delicious food they had to offer.
There were quite a few vegan options and we tried them all accept one.....

For the actual Tapas we had crunchy tofu and vegetable tempura which both came with a sweet chilli dip. I definitely enjoyed both dishes and considering they were battered and deep fried neither were overly greasy so you don't feel quite so bad about eating them! The vegetables were so soft, perfectly cooked and the batter was super light and crispy, once dipped in the sauce both the tofu and the tempura were jammed with a super comforting flavour (the broccoli was my personal favourite).
The only vegan tapas option we didn't have was the vegetable spring rolls, firstly because that is a hell a lot of batter/pastry but also I can get spring rolls from many other restaurants/take aways so wanted to try something different!

The other potential dishes for vegans is the stir fry, of which we opted for the cashew (there was garlic, chilli, ginger or Thai basil) with just veg - you can add tofu as well if you want extra protein!
I have no idea what the sauce was that this came in as it is simply described as "house stir fry sauce" but it was sort of a soy sauce base with a definite kick at the end from chilli. Scrumptious without over powering the vegetables.

And finally we also ordered the only vegan curry which was the yellow - this is the most mild you can have so if you like your spice you might be a little disappointed about not being able to have the hotter versions. However this was still full of flavour and I think it was my favourite dish of the night so if you try only one dish I would go for this one.

Oh and we had a portion of coconut rice because clearly we hadn't ordered enough already!

The one and only negative I would say about the restaurant is not about the food at all but the lighting! Now I understand having a chilled and cool ambience but it was so dark I had to hold the candle next to the menu to actually read it!! This is the reason for the rather poor quality photos (Also completely forgot to take pictures before we started digging in..... oops).

We finished the meal off with a cocktail because they have a whole tasty looking menu so would highly recommend you try at least one if you go!

x

Monthly Favourites | January.

Each month I want to share some new products that I discover and love, from beauty products to books. Fashion to electrical. And of course, most importantly .... food.
Read on, but be prepared to want to go out and by ALL THE THINGS.

January can be a bit of a rubbish month, Christmas has gone, the weather is gloomy and we all have to pop our holiday bubble and start back at work. So I think it's the perfect time to treat yourself to a little something!



Lets begin with beauty:
I found this conditioner in Tesco and for someone that has very dry hair it was a miracle! You don't need to use much (which is perfect for me as I normally use what seems like half a bottle each time!), it smells glorious and leaves my hair super soft!
It's not tested on animals and is made from ethically sourced products.



Secondly is yet another beauty product ... sort of. It's deodorant! Now stay with me on this. This deodorant is literally one ingredient and that's it. It's also completely vegan and cruelty free so can't be bad right?

It's called Perspi-Rock and I purchased mine from Amazon for £4.50 (it's now reduced) which for a specialist product I thought was reasonable.


Next onto food!! Yes the bit everyone really wants to get to - I have two delicious new finds to share with you this month.

Number one is a chocolate and no word of a lie it reminds me a lot of Ferrero Rocher. Sadly it's a brand that isn't sold in major super markets in the UK but can be found at health food shops like Holland and Barratt.
I also noticed the package says "mini" I am so, so hopeful that there is a massive version available for purchase. If anyone is aware of this please let me know!




The final food piece for this month is "Deli Slices" from Tofurkey - I've never tried anything by this brand before as it's American so like the chocolate it's not easy to find here but Holland and Barratt came to my rescue again!
I try to avoid too much heavily processed, snack food but this spoke to me and I had to try it and it was AMAZING. It reminds me of the cheap turkey ham you can get but healthier and without any chewy bits. Win!



And to complete this monthly wrap up I need to mention a film that genuinely affected me more than I anticipated, destroyed my soul, made me weep uncontrollably and, well you just need to see this film! Coco, the new Disney film is so freaking beautiful!

 

Photo from http://disney.co.uk/

 

The songs, the story, the characters and the animation are enough to warm the coldest of hearts.... but then it is a Disney film.....
If you haven't seen this film I can't urge you strongly enough to go, just make sure you bring a tissue.... or 80.

There you have it, January in a nutshell. As always please let me know what you think of the posts so I know what sort of things are popular!

x