Veggie World-Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant in Milton Keynes

As a self confirmed foodie whenever we are planning a visit to another city one of my first instincts is to google possible veggie/vegan places we can eat at. Milton Keynes was the destination back in early August and Veggie World seemed to be the ideal choice http://www.veggie-world.com/. I had heard many good things about the place on the vegan forum, and various on-line reviews confirmed their popularity.

Their website gives details about their extensive menu. Many of the dishes are based on mock meats, if you want veggies or tofu though you can have these cooked in various styles too http://www.veggie-world.com/Restaurant/Menu/Main-Course. All of their dishes are vegan except one that I spotted which uses cheese (no.16). My husband also abstains from garlic and onions as part of his religious beliefs so we usually phone ahead to ask if any of the dishes can be adapted for him, I wasn't quiet expecting them to say however that they were all garlic and onion free - finally a full menu that could cater for all of us!

The restaurant is on a busy street with lots of other shops. There is a free car park a short walk away. The lady owner was charming and very helpful. The decor was basic and functional and the place was spotlessly clean.

We had pretty much decided what we were going to eat before we got there. It didn't take very long for our dishes to arrive, they came out as they were prepared rather than altogether and as we were going to share, this was fine. So, here are some pics of what we tucked in to:

Hot and sour veggie soup (no. 19) - full of flavour and very tasty!


Spring rolls - crisp and light and a hit with the kids


They also enjoyed the Butterfly Veggie King Prawns (09) but i wasn't too keen on these not because of the way they were prepared but because of their chewy texture (maybe they reminded me too much of prawns).


The children enjoyed the 'fish' and chips especially my daughter who isn't overly keen on spicy food. They were on a separate menu with other fast food type dishes like burgers and sausages.


She also liked the Veggie Ji Fried Rice (no.72)


The Veggie Chicken Skewer (no.4) came with a tasty peanut sauce

The Sweet & Sour veggie Ribs (no. 63), Veggie Asam Fish (no.55) and Singapore Fried Rice (no.69) were very flavoursome without being overpowered by spices and the portion size was just right.



The menu didn't include desserts, however the waitress did say that they could whip up some fritters with ice cream, i'm not too keen on fried battered fruit so we opted for just the ice cream. Three scoops of vanilla swedish glace came with a chocolate drizzle and some syrup, this was enough for all of us - a refreshing end to a delicious meal.

Before we left we took a look around their little shop at the back of the restuarant where you can buy bottled sauces and frozen mock meats too (these can also be purchased on-line). I picked up the rendag curry sauce which I later used to make a tofu curry at home, as expected it was delicious. I have a feeliing this isn't the last time we will be visiting Veggie World...

Nottingham Visit-Alley Cafe, Riviera & Gallery

My sister lives and works in Nottingham which gives us an excuse to go over several times a year and stay for a few nights. My kids love the sleepover and one of the first things on their 'to do' list is a visit to Alley Cafe http://www.alleycafe.co.uk/


Alley's is in the city centre and so is in an ideal location to combine lunch with shopping. It's a cosy little place with a chilled out quirky vibe and very friendly staff. It can get quiet busy at lunch time so we tend to go after about 2pm for a late lunch and if its a nice day we sit outside. As well as the dishes on their menu there is also a specials board with enticing mains and desserts. Everything is vegetarian with vegan items clearly marked on the menu. Here are a few of our favourite dishes from this summers' visit:

Pitta served with fresh hummus



Tortilla's with vegan cheese and salsa



Crisp, light Ciabatta pizzas topped with sundried tomato, peppers, vegan bacon and vegan cheese. This came with a delicious salad.

Creamy chocolate milk shake made with chocolate sweedish glace and soya milk



Gluten free vegan nutty brownie with vanilla ice cream (pretty sure its sweedish glace)


The pièce de résistance has to be this amazing banoffee cheesecake. We usually order one dessert to share between two but this was so good we had to order an extra one.

We then went on to enjoy the 'beach' (part of the riviera) in the old market square http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5436


Followed by a 'play and learn' session at the http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/ where we created our own 'masterpiece' in honour of Gert and Uwe Tobias.


Before I finish I thought I might also share with you some pieces of art work that my sister has created in her spare time, these lovingly adorn her welcoming home:

Vegan Birthday Gifts-cruelty free, animal friendly

I celebrated my birthday last weekend and also 5 years as a vegan - so double celebrations with lovely Indian snacks and chocolate cake of course.



My lovely family bought me some great vegan gifts which I thought I would share with you. The Figs and Rouge natural rose candle is my favourite, it fills the house with a subtle rose scent and creates a calm environment to work in. Next up is a Figs and Rouge hand cream with organic camellia & chamomile – its rich but absorbs well, has a light citrusy smell and I really like the glam art Nouveau type packaging too. Both items have the vegan society trademark and on-emailing them they said that all their range except the lip balms are vegan. Find out more about Figs and Rouge here http://www.figsandrouge.co.uk/



The Power Berry daily moisture cream from http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/
contains acai, bilberry, goji berry and rosehip. It is a light cream and has a sweet berry scent. The ingredients are mainly organic and some are fair trade. On their website they say that all of their products are BAUV approved, many are vegan but not all. I have emailed them for a list of their vegan products so will post it here when I get a reply.

Figs and Rouge, Neals Yard Remadies (and Beauty without Cruelty) products are all available from Fenwicks in Leicester.

I am really looking forward to using the gift voucher for a massage at the www.keralaayurvedacentre.co.uk/ on Belgrave gate in Leicester. I plan on going for the Abhyanga Snana which is a full body masage by two therapists working in tandem on both sides and using warm oils. Some of their therapies use milk but most seem to use oils, powdered herbs or roasted leaves.

Win Vegan Cupcakes-dairy free & egg free with gluten free & wheat free option

Here is a chance to win some amazing vegan cupcakes. In our April/May competition we are giving away 6 large vegan cupcakes in a choice of three flavours-we have decadent vegan triple chocolate cupcakes, zingy lemony vanilla cupcakes as well as fruity raspberry almond cupcakes. These cupcakes are dairy free and egg free, we also have gluten free and wheat free cupcake options too. All you have to do is visit the competition page on our website and answer a simple question.
www.BlueLotusProducts.co.uk/competition.php

Viva!s Incredible Veggie Show 2009 - A huge success!

Europe's largest vegetarian event was an overwhelming success. The event (on Saturday, April 18) drew crowds from all across the UK. The Show featured over 100 stalls, cookery demos, talks, free food samples, nutritional advice, a kids’ play area and a café. It was a celebration of veggie living, but also reflected how times are changing for the better - with over half of the visitors meat-eaters looking to make the change to a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle.


Heather Mills sampling cakes at the Blue Lotus
stall.

Dairy free Double Orange Choc Chip cupcakes
decorated with stars.


Vegan Date and walnut cupcakes decorated
with blue stars.

Dairy free Lemon drizzle cupcakes decorated with lilak
daises and butterfly, finished with edible glitter

Vegan Chocolate cupcakes decorated with red and
white pointy daises and hearts.


Dairy free Raisin scones and heart shaped cherry
almond scones. Vegan Millionares shortbread.

It was our first time at the show which was held at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London. It was a lovely sunny day, the atmosphere was wonderfully calm and relaxed. The brilliant people at Viva did a great job at organising a very professionally put together event. It was lovely to see so many of you who came over to the Blue Lotus stall to have a taste of the samples and to buy the wide range of cakes and decorated cupcakes we had on offer. The day was very busy but as there were three of us we were able to go and see some of the cookery demos-Rose Elliot making plantain bhajis and Paula Young from the Green Valley Organic Restaurant (at Lancrigg Vegetarian Country House Hotel) making vegan fish and chips. The kids also came with us and they had a great time painting masks in the kids zone. We also managed to pick up some tasty redwoods fishless fingers before we came home.

Vegan Birthday Cakes for Fleur and Zane

Here is a lovely message and photos sent by Angela Taylor of Surry.
"We wanted to send you photos of fleurs fantastic cake which was the prettiest cake we ever saw, and was delicious! we were all blown away especially as she has had 13 yrs of my rubbish attempts at cake making!!also a photo of her brother zanes cake which got scoffed in record time....we love you blue lotus..mwah!!!" angie, fleur, zane and sonny taylor

Savoury Pancake Recipe - gluten free, dairy free, eggless, soya free, vegan, vegetarian

For further information or to place orders please visit:
www.BlueLotusProducts.co.uk T: 0116 2998122

These moorish savoury pancakes are dairy, egg, wheat, gluten and soya. Delicious as a snack to enjoy with a cup of tea, as a starter with cucumber raita or for lunch with perhaps a leafy green salad.

Ingrdients:
150g Chickpea Flour
150ml Cold Water
1 Medium Onion (about 150g)-finely chopped
2 medium Potatoes (about 150g)-grated with water squeezed out
100g Spinach-finely chopped
2 green chillies-finely chopped (optional)
2 tbs fresh corriander-finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp salt
Sunflower Oil

Method:
Stir the water gradually into the chickpea flour to form a thick creamy batter (you may not need all the water). Leave to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients (except the oil) to the batter and stir. Heat 2tbs of oil in a non stick frying pan on high heat. Spoon 2tbs of the mixture in to the frying pan and flatten slightly, repeat until you have about 3 pancakes.Turn the heat down to medium and cook each side for about 2 minutes or until glden brown. Remove on to kichen paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Makes about 9 pancakes in total. Enjoy!

Variation:
This is a very versatile recipe to which you can add your favourite vegetables, herbs and spices. Try leaks or spring onions (instead of the onion) and chives (instead of the fresh corriander) as well as 50g of grated dairy free cheese, pepper to taste (instead of the cumin/corriander powder) and a pinch of nutmeg.

Tips:
Chickpea flour is also known as gram flour or besan. It can be found in indian grocery stores as well as in the indian section of most supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury. Doves Farm Gram flour is available in wholefood shops too. There are several brands of dairy free cheese on the market, Redwoods Cheezly and Bute Island Foods Scheese can be found in wholefood and health food shops. Alpro plain soya yogurt is great for making the dairy free raita.