Vegan cheese/chocolate/ice-cream?

Rayan

Hi all,

I've been a vegetarian about 6 months now but find myself slowly becoming vegan too. I've already switched to margarine and soya milk. But just looking for recommendations for those 3 in the title and what supermarkets to buy them in. Thanks!

sweet-rasmus

vegan cheese - they really are nothing like actual cheese. For cream cheese Tofutti is a very good replacement and I now seem to be able to buy it in Dunnes as well as most health food stores. Otherwise you'll see Scheese for cheese on toast http://www.buteisland.com/ but it really is quite different to normal cheese. Again, this is available in most health food stores. You'll have to shop around as there are a few types of vegan cheese and see what suits your taste buds.

Vegan chocolate... This depends on your stance on milk protein traces. Most companies use the same production line for milk chocolate and dark choclate, yet it is cleaned as well as possible beforehand. I would suggest Divine Dark Chocolate (available in fair trade oxfam (cheapest), large Dunnes). Dark chocolate from the Free From Celtic Choclates range is good too (available with the health food in large Dunnes). For cooking the Amazonian 70% cocoa Tesco brand seems fine. Read up on Green and Blacks here: http://www.greenandblacks.com/uk/news-and-events/news/milk-allergen-information.html Avoid Bournville as that has butter fat in it. Always read the label

Ice-cream. HB did have a soya ice-cream out last year but I haven't been able to find it in the shops recently (if anyone has seen it, let me know). see http://www.loveicecream.com/ie_en/products/default.aspx?brand=HB_Soya&subbrand=HB_Soya&product=120 Most healthfood stores with freezers (not all have them) will have some suitable ice-cream. I bought some delicious ones from Nourish on Wicklow St in Dublin City centre (expensive, but delicious; can't remember the name). Sweedish Glace are a brand which you find in most health food stores; I'd say the chocolate tastes a bit odd, and the rasberry has an interesting flavour, but I'd recommend sticking with vanilla. see http://www.swedishglace.com/ And I also recommend these Tofutti cones: http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/331306_Tofutti_Rock_n_Roll_Cones___4x110ml.html

Remember to expect high prices! You may find that prices vary hugely between stores sto keep your eyes peeled. If you'd like specific shop recommendations you had better tell us whereabouts you are.

darc

Lidl / Aldi do excellent dark chocolate & sorbets - most of which is vegan, very tasty and ver well priced.

Vegan cheese is a non runner - utterly disgusting.

Kelkin do a vegan mayonaise.

Rayan

Thanks very much sweet-rasmus and darc, i'll definitely be giving some of those suggestions a try.

I am in Dublin by the way!

sweet-rasmus

I was in Nourish yesterday and took note of the delicious ice cream that I couldn't remember the name of before: Booja Booja.

louphoria

Hi Rayan, everyone,

If you're feeling adventurous in the kitchen you could do as I'm intending to do and try out the tofu-icecream recipe mentioned at the top right hand side of the Post Punk Kitchen's home page (ppk.com)

I've also tried some of Jo Stepaniacs 'uncheese recipes' and found them easy to make and pleasant. This being the first time I've written anything here I'm not sure what the story is with links, but if you put her name into Amazon.co.uk you'll see the book I'm talking about. I bought Vegan Vittles and find it extremely useful and inspring


oh, btw, I've noticed some of you talking about sosmix here before, sorry if you've already noticed/talked about this elsewhere, but anyone who has access to Asda should make a beeline for their beans and pulses isle and check out their sausage mix - it's bizarrely sausagey and vegan, though not labelled as such, but then they don't seem to label any of their stuff vegan.

sweet-rasmus

welcome to boards louphoria! you will get to know how things are done best here, but we try to keep on topic in each thread. to make a new thread, just hit 'new thread' at the top left of the forum page. I know a few people who would be very excited to hear that about sosmix and Asda - I'd reccomend you make a new thread about it

louphoria

read and noted sweet-rasmus, will do

damselnat

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

Ice-cream. HB did have a soya ice-cream out last year but I haven't been able to find it in the shops recently (if anyone has seen it, let me know).

It's in Tesco! At least, I'm pretty sure it is, don't get it too often (no room in my shared freezer more than anything:() but when I have done it was always from Tesco, it's quite nice, got a lovely sort of texture to it, and half the price of the stuff you get in Nourish.

On the cheese, I wouldn't be a massive eater of that either, but I have used the Cheezly mozarella in the past, I thought it was fine, didn't taste exactly like the cheese, but it sufficed for me anyway!

Vegan chocolate should be easy enough to find, in health food shops etc, there's the Celtic stuff as well in supermarkets, but personally I wouldn't rate it too highly, there's nicer stuff out there. Alternatively, there's Carob as well, I absolutely adore the stuff, prefer it to chocolate at this stage, much stronger taste to it though so if you prefer milk chocolate you might not be too impressed!

sweet-rasmus

Which Tesco do you shop in? 'Cause I haven't seen it in Dun Laoghaire.

You see, I ate carob as a kid, as I was given it instead of chocolate. And I have to say I didn't enjoy the taste myself. I have avoided it since, but perhaps the recipe has changed...

darc

a lot of dark chocolate is vegan - you needn't kill you taste buds on that one.

Lindt, Frys chocolate orange, after eights, green & blacks etc etc.

Jellies - Jelly tots are vegan
Jelly Bellys (the american ones) are vegetarian

louphoria

oh thank you, thank you for the Fry's advice! I thought all my favourite choccie bars were gone! Y I P P I E E E E !

sweet-rasmus

Bourbon Creams, Digestives, Original Hobnobs and Fruit Shortcakes are your vegan biscuits, by the way. Always read the label though, it varies depending on the brand. I think that Tesco and Dunnes ones are grand, but eyes open for milk powder in ingredient list.

damselnat

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

Which Tesco do you shop in? 'Cause I haven't seen it in Dun Laoghaire.

.

Dundrum would be my prime Tesco, theydefinitely have it there, somewhere near the Ben and Jerry's, I've got it in Merrion before, and I'm pretty sure they had it in Tesco in Jervis last time I was there! The only shame is there's only two flavours! I prefer the chocolate one myself but a bit of choice wouldn't harm anyone would it?!

sweet-rasmus

ah I'm glad it's still around!

biZrb

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

Bourbon Creams, Digestives, Original Hobnobs and Fruit Shortcakes are your vegan biscuits, by the way. Always read the label though, it varies depending on the brand. I think that Tesco and Dunnes ones are grand, but eyes open for milk powder in ingredient list.

And Fig Rolls are vegan too, but strangely not Fig Roll Bars.

I was looking at Jersey Creams the other day, and they don't seem to have any dairy ingredients so I wonder are they vegan too?

sweet-rasmus

Ah, I forgot about Fig Rolls. Me and Fig Rolls don't much get along Not exciting enough.

Jersey creams, I would have imagined had milk powder. Interesting... What brand were you looking at? I must browse the biscuit isle harder next time I pass

biZrb

Yeah I know Fig Rolls are a bit boring but they go great with a cup of tea. Sometimes its nice to have a plain type of biscuit. Which reminds me Lincon biscuits seem vegan too.

Thoses Jeresy Creams are the Bolands variety, light blue packet. The creme stuff is butter flavour but there is no whey powder listed in the ingedients, so I think they're ok.

sweet-rasmus

Ok, I had a look at the Bolands variety in Tesco today:
the Raspberry creams have whey powder.
the Jersey creams have 'Flavouring', but only list: "contains wheat and Barley", so should be ok.
the Orange creams have nothing suspicious. Yey!

**Celebrate!**