IT’S Veganuary if you hadn’t guessed. This annual vegan crusade coincides with Dryanuary (and Tryanuary) and is quite different from Stoptober and Movember. These haven’t got it in for meat and dairy products but increasing numbers of us have and are going plant-based for this month – and for real converts – beyond.
In today’s Manchester with its plethora of vegan-friendly menus it’s not difficult to heed the Veganuary rallying cry: “Choose compassion: Take the Pledge”. For every sentimentalist aghast at animal cruelty there’s a Clean Eats zealot hoping for health benefits. But above all, the ethical issues and environmental concerns are hitting home. More than half of us are willing to include vegan elements in our shopping and eating behaviour, according to research for World Vegan Month 2017. Flexitarianism they call it.
True proof that Veganism is on a roll? Chains are eager to tap into the market – and many of the new menus go beyond tokenism. OK, maybe Wetherspoon’s is pushing it with their mini vegan menu by including Nachos (‘please ask for this dish with no cheese or sour cream’) and the only real commitment comes with a couple of Asian dishes (but omit the naans).
India and South East Asia – Vegans’ Spiritual Home
Indeed Asian veggie restaurants offer some of the best vegan options around Manchester – the likes of Bundobust in the city centre, Lotus Vegetarian Kitchen (Wilmslow Road Chinese keen on ‘mock meats’), Sanskruti (Ladybarn, Gujarati like Bundobust) and Lily’s (South Indian, Ashton-under-Lyne). Ditto most of the Thai chains and Pho, the Corn Exchange Vietnamese, Tampopo and Wagamama. And there’s always the option of cooking at home from Jackie Kearney’s acclaimed vegan cookbooks, heavily influenced by Asia, Vegan Street Food and My Vegan Travels.
Vegan pub food
Not a growth market that we can see, despite Wetherspoon’s efforts! But one hostelry that nails its plant-based colours firmly to the mast is The Globe on Glossop High Street, which trumpets itself as “ ‘the world’s finest vegan pub’ (even the beers brewed on site are vegan). Check out the menu here.
Jerk tofu, anyone?
Only joking, but it is interesting to see Caribbean good time chain Turtle Bay (with branches in Odham Street and Oxford Street) introducing a vegan and vegetarian menu. The inspiration comes from beach shack and street vendors,so look out for the Trini Watermelon Chow, Curried Chickpea with Peppers and Mushroom wrap or the Spinach Aubergine and Sweet Potato Curry. And surely most of their delightful tropical cocktails qualify as vegan?
Vegan Kitchen Takeover at Cottonopolis
This Northern Quarter ToM fave is giving its own Pan-Asian twist to vegan cuisine on Monday, January 15. Chef Joe Grant’s eight course tasting menu includes Beetroot and Wasabi Tacos, Pulled Teriyaki Jackfruit Bao, Grilled Kabocha Pumpkin with Onion Kimchi and Kale and Mochi and Rasperry Donuts with Chocolate Sauce. £30 a head, minimum of two people per booking. Email [email protected]
Grub ExtraVEGANza Part IV – vegan with a difference
Looking further ahead, from January 26-28 groundbreakers GRUB are hosting their fourth Grub ExtraVEGANza, a 100 per cent vegan street food party in their new HQ at the Fairfield Social Club. Once again it will host six of the UK’s finest pop-up traders all going vegan for the weekend – Hip Hop Chip Shop (using substitute ingredients for fish and chips MacDaddies (ditto for their gooey mac & cheese), The Ottomen, Oh Mei Dumpling, Chou Choux French patisserie and jaw dropping bakes from the legendary Bake-O-Rama.
Alomgside will be a totally vegan bar offering wine, cocktails, spirits, soft drinks plus 14 lines of beer from the best local vegan-friendly breweries. There’ll also be a mini produce market. Full details of the event can be found on the Facebook event page here. Fairfield Social Club can be found at Archway 6, Temperance St, M12 6HR.
Grab a Vegan Breakfast (or try the Ungreasy Fry-up)
You don’t have to start your day with bacon and eggs nsd it’s good to know the alternative are out there at some of the city’s coolest bars. At Oxford Road’s defiantly vegan The Thirsty Scholar DJ Martin the Mod (above) serves up a brekkie feast of vegan sausages, double vegan black pudding, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and much, much more.
Meanwhile, Koffee Pot and Trof in the NQ also cater for the dairy-free inner man. The original KP’s reputation was made as the ‘greasy spoon of the stars’ but these days you can swap the Full English for a Vegan Brekkie at the same £8 price featuring Veggie sausages, beans, mushrooms, hash brown, spinach and grilled tomato (veggie black pudding £2 extra). At Trof you get breaded avocado, sweet potato hash with your black pudding, scrambled tofu, mushrooms, slow-roasted tomato and sourdough (£14 but you can see why).
Stablemate the Deaf Institute goes one better on a Sunday with the ‘Vegan Hangover’ – ‘from pancakes to cheesecake, burgers to tortillas, all your favourite things can be found on our vegan specials menu every Sunday from 3pm-10pm.’
What about the pie eaters among us?
ToM has been keen on its gourmet pies lately an most of the major players stray way beyond the meaty norm. Take Pie & Ale on Lever Street in the Northern Quarter. They always have a trio of vegan pies on the menu at £8 a go, the likes of Hoisin Butternut Squash, Ratatouille and Chana Palak (chick pea and spinach in coconut sauce), with vegan-friendly mash and gravy.
Plant-based surprises from the chain eateries
The Corn Exchange, Pho and Mowgli aside, is hardly vegan central but it’s good to note that formulaic Italian Vapiano offers imaginative vegan dishes such as Risotto Zucca Caramellata (above) – creamy rice with a sauce of Hokkaido pumpkin, orange juice, coconut milk and with a hint of vegan white wine, ginger, sesame and lime. Cosy Club, at the other end of the Exchange boasts a surprisingly expansive vegan offering from breakfast onwards. Compare their risotto – a Courgette, Pea and Edamame Bean number with spinach and red pepper, topped with wild rocket, toasted pumpkin seeds and tomato tapenade.
More obvious meat-free champions
Veteran vegetarian restaurants will also cater well for those who have taken the further step. At Greens in West Didsbury go for the chermoula roasted aubergine and tofu katsu curry, while the Earth Cafe in the basement of the NQ Buddhist Centre and Oxford Road’s On The Eighth Day co-op offer trad vegan salads, cakes, stews, big portions, good value. At Earth your can get two mains and two sides for just £7, while caramel-topped blueberry flapjacks and yummy brownies are musts at Eighth Day, whose shop is a a great place to stock up on vegan essentials.
Upmarket veggie 1847 is back in new premises on Chapel Walks with a seasonally changing, inventive menu with ample vegan options such as Beetroot puff pastry stack, beet jus, chard fennel, date, red vein sorrel and Cauliflower trio, date, preserved lemon, cashew dukka, mint, rose harissa.
Junk food favourites that are totally vegan – that’s the selling point of V-Rev Diner, relocated to Edge Street in the Northern Quarter. Named VegFest UK’s Best Restaurant in 2016, it has gone from strength to strength. Fans of bad puns will order (from a range of them) the Jerry Zinger (a seitan-based ‘chkn burger’ with hash browns, hot sauce, cheese salsa and mayo).
Best value vegan? – keeping it simple and savoury in Afflecks
Manchester Vegan Cafe & Wellbeing Centre is an Afflecks offshoot of the Square Circle Theatre. Daytime only, it offers lunch (homemade burgers, jacket sweet potatoes) for a fiver.
Ramsbottom – home of vegan glamour
Yes really. Lolo’s on Market Place is a 1920s-retro styled ‘Vegan Restaurant and Cocktail Bar’ that ticks so many boxes – family-friendly, dog-friendly, sustainable, using organic local produce, renewable electricity, recyclable and biodegradable products. Indeed it was runner-up for Observer Food Monthly ‘Best Ethical Restaurant 2016. It’s also fun, especially in the evenings when the cocktails come out to accompany a more elaborate menu.
Vegan fine dining – yes it does exist
We’ve saved the best till last – Allotment in Stockport. The restaurant’s chef, Matthew Nutter, won Best Chef at the 2017 Manchester Food and Drink Festival for his unique, innovative take on vegan food. Read ToM’s five star review and then go book. A return visit was even better!