Veganuary kicked off in the most sitcom-worthy way possible. A fairly merry New Year's Eve produced the sort of morning that would have most (myself very much included) yearning for fry-up. Not only did I have to contend with the realisation that if I wanted one, the star players, meet and dairy need not apply, but I had to bury my sorry face into the pillow to detract from the glorious smells of bacon swirling their way up from the kitchen, where someone else was about to have a glorious first breakfast of 2020. Woe was me.
After that sudden jerk into the veganuary world though, it's all been pretty plain sailing. It turns out there are plenty of 'normal options' still available when it comes to breakfast. Here's what I've been starting my day with.
The Totally Do-Able Breakfast Options
Peanut butter on toast
Porridge with oat milk/almond milk/rice milk etc
Most cereals with a milk alternative (NB - interestingly Alpen contains milk powder so that's a no-no, so check the labels on muesli options and pre-prepared porridge mixes)
Avocado on toast (yes, providing the avocado production didn't involve the unnatural use of insects, I know this!)
A Vegan Afternoon Tea
Well wha'd'ya know, a vegan afternoon tea actually exists! The one in question is housed at the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel, and they kindly invited me along to sample it. Boyfriend in tow I went along, and it was blooming marvelous.
To start we were treated to a maple roasted squash and baby spinach tart and a selection of multicoloured sandwiches filled with the likes of tomatoes and smoked aubergine, cucumber and avocado, and a particular favourite, tandoori spiced mushrooms with piquello pepper mousse.
Vegan scones followed with strawberry jam, and then a tray of desserts including a chia pudding, a coconut rice pudding with mango, and a raspberry mousse on matcha shortbread, that was...there are no words. I could have had ten more of those little bad boys. Probably a good thing I didn't.
The setting was stunning and the service impeccable, our hostess Christine was absolutely wonderful. Head there if you're looking for a vegan afternoon tea spot, or simply up for trying something a bit different!
Cooking Up A Vegan Storm
One of the biggest challenges I've found with going vegan is gearing myself up to cook a decent meal, for whatever reason the prospect seems like a whole lot more effort. I decided to enlist the help of a food delivery service to help me get into the swing of things, and open my eyes to what I could actually manage to fling together.
Enter Mindful Chef. This delivery box service has a vegan specific menu that has opened my eyes no end. My first recipe involved a veggie ragu (cooking up a load of courgette, mushrooms and onions with some garlic before simmering it in passata) and serving with a side of mashed butter beans. If you haven't tried mashed butter beans, give them a go. Just pop a can of drained ones in a pan with a little oil and 50ml of water. Cook them until soft, then mash up as you would potato. A bit of salt and pepper later, and you've got yourself a game changer. Mindful Chef...you butter-bean-know-how-bestowing beauties.