Vegan holiday in Rome

By Kari, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012

When acquaintances hear I’m going abroad they will often take a sharp intake of breath – “What will you eat? You’ll find it really hard!” Well, I’ve holidayed in many countries, and not had a problem. A bit of pre-holiday research, a well chosen B&B, or proximity to a metropolis, and in European countries that’s sufficient to have a great, well-catered for holiday (France has loads of places, Spain quite a few - Fuego Blanco near Malaga is a particular favourite).

However I must admit that when Sally suggested Rome, I had my reservations. I had holidayed in Italy as a child and gorged on pizza and ice-cream, but didn’t imagine a vegan would fare so well. Nonetheless, Sally had found an organic vegetarian B&B in the city, Bed and Breakfast Bio, and after a bit of googling found that Rome boasted several vegetarian eateries, many more that were veggie-friendly, and most exciting of all, multiple flavours of soya ice-cream sold in gelateries across the city. 

Well that was it; I was sold. Vegan ice-cream was taking me to Rome!

The B&B was in the suburbs to the north of the city, in a well-proportioned apartment complex surrounded by trees. The rooms were spacious, full of character as well as having mod cons (kettle, TV, fridge) and en-suite toilet and shower facilities. Our hosts provided us with delicious and thoughtful vegan breakfasts – several types of fruit, muesli, bread, various spreads (including almond butter), biscuits, pastries, and fresh homemade vegan crepes filled with a jam of our choice, fruit juice, and a huge choice of teas. The products we encountered at breakfast were sourced from the health food store (or Erboristeria) that the owners run. They took us there on our first day, and we were excited to discover it packed with all vegan products – some familiar brands (e.g. Taifun tofu) and many Italian brands too. 

For reviews of Bed and Breakfast Bio, check out www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187791-d932712-Reviews-Bed_and_Breakfast_Bio-Rome_Lazio.html.

With the famous saying "when in Rome …" in mind, we were determined to enjoy the culinary delights that Italy is most famous for: pizza, pasta and ice-cream. Our first meal out was at a local pizzeria close to our B&B. We ate at many pizza places, perfecting our ordering as we went, and the waiters were never fazed by us ordering pizza with no cheese. We only ever had one waiter look at us strangely and ask if we were on diets!

It was on the very last day of our perfect pizza odyssey that we struck gold! We had just got off the bus at Piazza del Popolo which is behind the northern gate to the city, and saw a little pizzeria called Pizza e Natura. The pizza was cheap at 7 Euros, was on the Rosso side of the menu (these are the pizzas that have tomato/herb sauce topping; ‘Blanco’ ones don’t) and was called Verdure Miste. When the pizza arrived it looked amazing – it was huge and piled high with generous amounts of mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, courgette and aubergine and was utterly delicious. Too much to eat in one sitting!

Our next indulgence was to find the vegan gelati that we had read about online. There are several gelateries around the centre of Rome that stock at least a couple of vegan ice-cream options and some that have a multitude of flavours to choose from. We found at least four that stocked a wide variety of flavours such as vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, walnut, hazelnut, strawberry, coconut, cappuccino and many more!

There are also a number of purely vegetarian restaurants in Rome which of course we had to try. Armed with information from the Happy Cow website, Sally highlighted all the recommended eateries on the city map. We ate at a longstanding upmarket restaurant called La Margutta where vegan options were highlighted on the menu and dishes were marked where they could be made vegan on request. The food was tasty, made with fresh ingredients and was beautifully presented.

We visited another vegetarian restaurant at lunchtime called Bibliothe. There were many vegan options and it was possible to ask for the vegetarian dishes to be made vegan as well. We ordered the set menu for the day which was an aubergine stew with pulses, a beautifully spiced rice and mixed vegetables dish, and a delicious salad with strawberries in it.

Another option for lunch or dinner was a chain of restaurants called L’Insalata Ricca which were dotted all over Rome which although not vegetarian had a lots of vegan salad and pizza options.

All in all, as well as being an amazing city rich in history and culture, Rome had a lot to offer to vegan tourists and we would certainly recommend it as a destination that is surprisingly vegan friendly. I even came home with a lovely new pair of vegan sandals :)

For full Rome listings see www.happycow.net/europe/italy/rome.

French toast recipe

By Caitlin, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2011 & 2012

Vegan French toast is really easy to make (perhaps easier than traditional French toast!).  Rather than messing around with eggs, all you need for vegan French toast is bread, soya milk, sugar, flour and any spices you like (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.). Mix the ingredients together (apart from the bread) and then soak your bread in the mixture and you’re good to go. But if you're up for something a little different, this twist on traditional French toast is delicious and easy to make! 

Chai concentrate makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 7 chai tea bags*
• 3 cups water
• 3/4 cups sugar

Put the water and tea bags in a saucepan on medium high heat, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from the heat, remove the tea bags, add sugar and mix.  Now you have chai tea concentrate. You can mix this with equal parts soya milk to make chai.

*Natco brand chai tea bags can be purchased fairly cheaply in bulk from Asian supermarkets.

Chai French toast

Ingredients:

• Bread, preferably stale (your favourite kind of bread – white or wholemeal – will work)
• 1/2 cup chai concentrate
• 1/2 cup soya milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Vegetable oil or vegan margarine

Heat your oil or margarine in a frying pan on medium heat. Mix the chai concentrate, soya milk, and flour together in a large bowl. Dip the bread in the mixture and then put one or two pieces of dipped bread in the frying pan (depending on how big your frying pan is). Cook until browned slightly on the bottom and then flip over and cook until the other side is browned. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and/or fruit.  

Vegan Holidaying in the UK

By Asa, Vegan Pledge Buddy 2012

I have stayed in many veggie B&Bs in the UK, often to go walking. It is always a treat to stay in veggie B&Bs and get a full breakfast so you hardly have to eat until dinner time! The Vegetarian Guides cover all or most veggie, and even veggie friendly B&Bs so I use that as a starting point. Further ones can be found googling, there are local guides in some areas (e.g. www.vegetariancornwall.co.uk,  www.vegetariandevon.com.)

Unfortunately there are not veggie places everywhere. In a way it is good to stay in non-veggie ones too, to spread the word that there is such a thing as a vegan, and to make people aware that it is actually not that difficult to cater for vegans.

It can be difficult to find places that know what vegan food means. Generally I've found small B&Bs better at catering for vegans than hotel - maybe they're more interested in getting the business!

I try to read their web sites to see if they list "happy to cater for vegans", "caters for vegetarians" or at least "we cater for special diets". But if staying in small places, there may not even be that option. It is good to give them a ring to ask, in most cases I find that they are friendly and open to help, with some guidance of what to arrange for the cooked part of the meal – soya/rice/oat milk for cereal is normally easy for them to find and toast and jam are vegan items anyway (I've never encountered non-vegan bread in a B&B but I guess it is a possibility). 

For the cooked breakfast, Linda McCartney sausages are often a good thing to suggest for breakfast since it is a known brand; Frys and Redwood are quite widely available too, although less common. If they find even that difficult, I suggest alternative things for breakfast, such as porridge, avocado and hummus or a fruit salad. They should be able to manage one of them! 

It can be worth pointing out that most margarines are not vegan, but Pure seems to available even in obscure places. Sometimes I do not worry about that though – I can eat toast without margarine and I can understand if they’d be reluctant to buy a big packet for a one night stay only.

I have a few vegetarian B&B favourites, the Barn in the New Forest being one of them:

www.veggiebarn.net. It’s a two hour train journey from London and is great for a weekend away.

I just came back from Cornwall where I spent a couple of nights at Michael House near Tintagel – also a treat!

www.michael-house.co.uk.

The pictures are from another great veggie B&B in Dorset:

www.theoldmillhousedorset.com.

So why not treat yourself to a veggie B&B weekend this summer to celebrate your new vegan status...?

7-day Meal Plan Part One: Breakfast

Compiled by Clare from fairfoods.org.uk, caterer at the Vegan Pledge 

Clare has compiled a 7-day vegan meal plan to inspire you! Keep a eye on the blog to see the lunch and dinner ideas in the next couple of days :)

7 breakfast ideas

1 - Toast, bagel or crumpet with jam, peanut butter or yeast extract.

2 - Weetabix or oatibix with rice milk, soya milk or almond milk

3 - Full breakfast with Linda McCartney sausages, beans, breakfast potato, grilled tomatoes, toast and mushrooms.

Photo by fairfoods.org.uk

4 - Rice krispies or frosties with rice milk, soya milk or almond milk. 

5 - Scrambled tofu on toast (Fry half a finely chopped onion in a little oil. When lightly brown add half a level teaspoon turmeric and 1 clove crushed garlic. Stir well for 1 minute. Add 350g tofu and stir well, mashing it down. Add 1 tsp soya sauce and if desired, some vegan vegetable bouillon to taste. Serve.)

6 - Flavoured soya yoghurt and fruit with a handful of nuts.

7 - Porridge made with oats and your favourite vegan milk.