London: economic capital of the UK, home to millions of locals and a major tourist destination for people from all around the world. This ginormous ancient city has a whole lot on offer for everyone – including, and especially, for vegans.
Vegan Food in London
Whether you’re in town for a day, a week or a whole month, London has plenty of vegan chow to keep your fuel tank topped up to the brim. The city’s at the cutting edge of modern culture, and food is no exception. From the moment you step off your train/plane/bus/bicycle, there’s no shortage of snacks and meals on offer.
As a travelling vegan, it's sometimes hard to get the balance between trying the 'local delicacy' and staying vegan. Not in London. As a Brit, trust me when I say that the pie is the epitome of vegan cuisine. I was in London a couple of weeks ago and Matt showed me Young Vegans which do the best vegan pies ever. I highly recommend the vegan steak and ale pie followed by the mud pie. The staff are also proper friendly.
Next time I go to London I want to try out the Temple of Seitan (yes, pun intended). It's a cult classic vegan outlet in Camden and apparently their fried seitan chicken burgers are dope. Everyone raves about them, but even if they didn't I'd go just for the name lol.
Amidst London’s high streets, markets and hidden gems, there’s a vegan equivalent just waiting to be discovered. Pies. Salads. Pizzas. Takeout. A quick Google search will light up your map with possibilities for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. No problem. Traditional British vegan food you must try in London:
- Pies: Young Vegans
- Haggis: McQueens
- Fish and chips: Sutton and Sons
- Pub food: The Blacksmith and the Toffee Maker
- Full Vegan English breakfast
- Spotted dick
Outside of traditional British food, one of the most British things you can do in Britain is try other culture's food... Like America we're excellent at stealing and loving other culture's food and London, like New York, is one on of the only places on the planet where you can find authentic food from almost every corner of the world.
Indian, Thai, Italian, Japanese, French and Chinese restaurants are obvious favourites, but branch out and try more 'unusual' cuisines like Nepalese, Ethiopian and Lebanese.
Entertainment in London for Vegans
So, that’s food sorted – now, for a few vegan tourist destinations: wildlife may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of an urban centre like London – but hang around late at night and you will probably see wild foxes! London also has a number of gigantic parks where you'll find squirrels and birds that I don't know the name of.
Of course you'll find plenty of animals at reputed London Zoo. As a general rule of thumb, zoos are not vegan (no matter how hard they try, they can't replicate the natural environment properly, and using animals for entertainment is never justified). If you want to see an animal, find it in the wild or watch a nature documentary. So I don't really recommend going there. Saying that, when it comes to zoos around the world, British ones are some of the best in terms of looking after the animals and working to preserve and protect certain species.
Of course you'll find plenty of animals at reputed London Zoo. As a general rule of thumb, zoos are not vegan (no matter how hard they try, they can't replicate the natural environment properly, and using animals for entertainment is never justified). If you want to see an animal, find it in the wild or watch a nature documentary. So I don't really recommend going there. Saying that, when it comes to zoos around the world, British ones are some of the best in terms of looking after the animals and working to preserve and protect certain species.
I also don't really recommend the various dog and cat cafes around the city, because these animals are also used for entertainment which isn't cool (although, again, if you have to visit an animal cafe, it's best to do it in places like the UK where they try to respect the animals as much as possible). If you're dying for a dog or cat cuddle in London, I HIGHLY recommend house sitting in London, you can get your dog/cat dosage, whilst actually helping out the dog/cat (and their humans). It's also free accommodation in notoriously expensive London. Win-win.
Check out The Sheppard Collection of Vegan Art if you’re craving culture, and the open city markets if you want fruit, veg and culture all rolled into one (it's also one of the cheapest ways to get your 5 a day). Also worth your time are the various vegan supermarkets, such as GreenBay and Hetu. One of the things people forget about being vegan is that you can still do most of the things carnists do. Like check out a show. Last time I was in London Matt took me to see the Book of Mormon and it was epic:
Check out The Sheppard Collection of Vegan Art if you’re craving culture, and the open city markets if you want fruit, veg and culture all rolled into one (it's also one of the cheapest ways to get your 5 a day). Also worth your time are the various vegan supermarkets, such as GreenBay and Hetu. One of the things people forget about being vegan is that you can still do most of the things carnists do. Like check out a show. Last time I was in London Matt took me to see the Book of Mormon and it was epic:
In a city as large as London, there’re so many weird and wonderful sights to see. You can be puzzling your way out of a themed escape room one morning and then enjoying a feminist tour of dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum in the evening, all within the space of twelve simple hours (major tourist sights in between). It can almost be an overwhelming place to visit - and being vegan certainly isn't easy at the best of times. If you need clarity, encouragement or insight into your lifestyle choices, perhaps consider psychic readings as a source of peace of mind. Available via phone all across the country, you can get chatting wherever you are; in a hostel, on a train, or parked in front of Buckingham Palace!
Wrap Up: Vegan Guide to London
London has plenty available on almost every street corner, and that’s partly thanks to its multicultural population, diet and history - the reason you might just be visiting in the first place! So, what are you waiting for? Get on out there, book your flight tickets and explore! When you're in London, you can catch a bus or train up and check out the vegan restaurants in Liverpool or why not hop off to neighbouring country Ireland and try being vegan in Ireland. Also, for vegan Potter fans, here's a vlog we made about visiting Platform 9 and 3/4 - enjoy :)
