Cheese can be a nice touch to many dishes. Do not fear there are options out there. Some better than others so it's worth trying some and finding your favourite. My personal favourite is violife. The original flavour is like a light chedder and melts quite nicely on pasta dishes or a pizza and can add a little something extra to your burger or sandwich. It can be found in health food stores, Holland and Barretts and larger supermarket stores generally stock it. Check out this website for other suggestions of cheese available in the UK
There are many options for replacing eggs:
See this poster for even more suggestions
Swedish Glace is the most widely available and surprisingly delicious and creamy. I have some non-vegan friends who choose to buy this ice-cream it is so good. Tesco Free FromStrawberry and vanilla cones. Asda stock an almond and salted caramel non-dairy ice cream Booja Booja stock 6 delicious flavours although I've only seen these in health food stores. Ben and Jerry's have come out with 4 vegan flavours. These are unfortunately only available in the US at the moment but I am very excited about the day they make it over here. If you are feeling adventurous you could also try making your own.
Pure do a range of dairy free butters which are widely available. You can find spreads from olives, soya or sunflower oil. Vitalife and other free from brands are often available in most supermarkets or health food stores. When cooking or baking, butter can also be replaced with cooking oil.
There are many options available for replacing milk, Alpro have a wide range from Soya milk (unsweetened or sweetened), Almond, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Rice, or Oat Milk KoKo now have an exciting range of milk alternatives based coconut milk. Most stores and healthfood shops will have their own brands of milk alternatives too.
Alpro have both plain yoghurt replacements and fruit flavoured yoghurts. I can honestly tell you I couldn't tell the difference between these yoghurts and dairy brands. They also have dessert yoghurts in chocolate and vanilla/custard. KoKo have a range of yoghurts, which are slightly harder to find but I can highly recommend this lemon treat, which is like a melty lemon cheesecake.
Alpro do a single cream replacement which is widely available. A plain yoghurt replacement can often also work.
You might be surprised at what alcoholic drinks are not even vegetarian. This is something you just begin to learn, for example Kopparberg use gelatin in the filtration process. Barnivore is a vegan alcohol directory which is really useful for checking your beers, wines, and liquors on.
Sometimes you may not want to cook a fresh meal and just want a quick microwave or oven option. You are safe. There are options. All major supermarkets will have a vegetarian section in their freezers where you will find veggie burgers or bean burgers. Linda McCartney has a great range of sausages, pies, and sausage rolls. Quorn is even starting to make their products vegan. (They are currently using egg as a binding agent but are starting to change that) Bol Do delicious microwave meals, with several vegan choices such as Sri Lankan Samba Dahl or Mexican Sweet Potato Chilli.
Health food stores will have soya protein mince which just needs to soak in water until rehydrated before adding to your sauce or recipe. Holland and Barretts also have a wide range of meat alternatives such as Chorizo or Kebab meat as part of the Cheatin' or VegiDeli Range. They also have Mock Duck or a range or Pate.
Dark Chocolate is often Vegan. If you have a sweeter tooth Bournville is a good option. There are dairy-free Milk chocolate alternatives such as Choices which can be found in Holland and Barretts and some supermarkets. They have some options aimed for children as well. moo free have a wide range of flavours. Oreo cookies are famously vegan and Jus Rol do some bake-at-home pastries that are vegan including these Pain au Chocolat! The more you begin to look for dairy free chocolate the more you will find. Some chocolate bars use soya lecithin in place of milk and may surprise you. This is Peta's top pick.
Going out for meals can be frustrating as it's the only time you might feel restricted. There are some things that can make it easier though:
Do pack some food to bring with you, just in case
Shoes can be made from leather, with glues derived from animal bones or even with dyes derived from animals. It can be hard to know but there are companies exclusively selling vegan shoes, such as Vegetarian Shoes, Beyond Skin, or Ethical Wares.
Dance shoes are often made with a leather or suede sole to reduce friction. It can be difficult to find a pair of affordable vegan dance shoes but these use recycled PVC to form hard ridges along the bottom to reduce friction for easier pivots and remain flexible.
This guide to running shoes from Peta shows which companies make vegan running shoes, or check out their list for men or women.
Materials to avoid are leather, wool, silk, suede, and down. There are exclusively vegan stores but you can buy vegan clothing in most stores if you just check the labels. Faux fur and imitation leather will cost only a fraction of the price too.
The following can provide extra information, blogs, and other highlights: Vegan Society, Peta
