The British Vegan

The British Vegan

... and where to find food

This post is to set out some helpful advice for being vegan in the UK. Tips on where to buy products what to look out for and what we can and can't have on a vegan diet.
A lot of the advice about veganism online is on US websites. Whilst a lot of what is posted on US vegan sites is perfectly valid it is worth keeping in mind that we have a different food culture in the UK.
That's not to disparage or look down on US food culture or veganism, but simply to say that some of the things that we see as "normal" are going to be different. This can range from the names of products to what type of shops we have available and what our supermarkets commonly sell. There do appear to be some broad ideological differences between US and UK veganism, but that's the subject of another blog post and is a much broader issue. I'll be touching on it a little here but largely I will be avoiding any moral, cultural or ethical judgements.

Off-limit foods and strange ingredients

Sugar

Many US recipes will call for some sort of sugar substitute such as palm sugar, unrefined or raw sugar or even agave nectar. Now each of these may be used because they have a distinct taste and property (agave nectar is a thin syrup for example), but the reason these sugar alternatives show up so frequently in American vegan recipes is due to how sugar is made.
One of the methods of refining sugar involves the use of bone char. The use of an animal product in its production means it is not vegan and so substitutes are needed.
In the UK most refined sugar, that includes granulated, brown sugar, demerara, caster and icing sugar as well as golden syrup, is not refined using bone char and so is vegan.
If a recipe calls for some unusual sugar, where a non-vegan recipe would just use ordinary sugar, you don't need to go hunting down a special and possibly expensive product. Feel free to use the sugar you can buy from the local shop.

Cooking Oil and Coconut Oil

Many recipes call for coconut oil as their fat. In some cases, for example baking, this is as an alternative to butter. It can be a good butter substitute due to the temperature at which it melts being similar to butter but it isn't an absolute must. Also, in America, coconut oil is often sold as a liquid, where as here in the UK it is often a solid. One of the reasons coconut oil may be so popular in American blogs could be availability of other non-animal oils and fats. However in the UK there are several brands of non-dairy margarine available including Vitalite and Flora non-dairy which are available in most supermarkets. These work perfectly well in cakes, biscuits and pastry.
A lot of blogs will also specify rapeseed oil for frying. Rapeseed oil is commonly referred to as vegetable oil in the UK. You probably have a bottle in the kitchen already. The standard vegetable or sunflower oil found in any supermarket will work perfectly well.

Of course if you want to try a speciality rapseed or other oil you can, but don't feel you need to.

Liquid Amino Acids

These add a lot of umami or savoury flavour to a dish as well as being an excellent non-animal source of amino acids and B vitamins. They aren't readily available in the UK except for in some health food and specialist shops or online. You may want to purchase a bottle to keep in cupboard for recipes that call for it but, if you don't have any or it isn't available for you you may want to try Marmite.
Marmite is far thicker and stickier than liquid aminos but a small dollop in a stew or sauce will quickly mix in or you can dilute it with a drop of hot water. Your meal won't taste of Marmite so don't worry if you aren't a fan of the taste normally. It just blends in with other flavours.
Being a source of B12 Marmite is a good one to have in your cupboard.

Nutritional Yeast

This is an item I sadly can't find any real alternative for for the savoury slightly cheesy flavour. I'm not sure it is particularly an American thing so much as a Vegan thing. It's not generally available in supermarkets so you have to look in health food shops or online for it. I highly recommend getting a tub or two to sprinkle on top of dishes or mix in as well as for using in recipes. Get the variety fortified with B12 for a good source of the essential vitamin.

Coconut milk and other non-dairy milks

Many recipes will specify a type of milk to use for example coconut soy, almond etc. Read the recipe carefully to ascertain why this type of milk has been specified - there are some instances when a particualr milk type is preferable, but often they are interchangeable.
Coconut milk is often asked for when a recipe needs something with a thick consistency or high fat content. In these cases a tinned coconut milk is usually best (personally I find the cheaper brands work best). These are often found on the shelves near other Asian or Indian food stuffs in your typical supermarket. Cartons of coconut milk often have a lower fat content and are a thinner more pourable consistency (good for tea and on cereal). Keep in mind that brands differ on how coconutty they taste.
Recipes for cakes and other baked goods often call for the milk to be mixed with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. This curdles the milk (producing something similar to buttermilk) and helps produce CO2 which makes your cake or batter raise or light and fluffy. I have found that almond and soy milk are best for this technique. Coconut (from a carton) works but needs more vinegar/lemon juice. Rice milk won't work for this technique. This gives you more flexibility and allows you to use the non-dairy milk you have to hand.

Kosher Salt

This isn't restricted to vegan recipes but still often causes confusion. Though the term kosher specifically refers to things which are in accordance with Jewish regulations in the US "kosher salt" has become the common name for coarse salt. It has no special properties. Yo can use any coarse salt, such as a sea salt or salt flakes.

Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar has become hugely popular in recent years and is a common feature in a number of recipes. A large part of its popularity is to do with its supposed health benefits. The validity of these claims is dubious at best but, due to the large crossover between healthy blogs and vegan blogs it is a common feature in recipes. It may also be more commonly available in the US than in the UK.
Generally, when used in small quantities Apple Cider Vinegar can be substituted with any other non-malt vinegar, though even white malt vinegar will work if that's what you have available. The function is usually to add acidity to a dish or, as described in the section on milks, to help produce CO2. Because such a small amount is used, flavour isn't a big concern.
When flavour does come in to it, for example in a marinade or dressing, then white wine vinegar is a good alternative or even lemon juice. The aim is for a slightly sweet, tangy acidic flavour.

Where to buy ingredients?

Your usual supermarket will be able to cater to a vast portion of your diet, especially if you have access to online shopping or a large supermarket.
It is worth keeping in mind that a product doesn't have to be labelled "vegan" to be vegan. You don't have to be limited to free-from sections in the supermarket. Be sure to check the ingredients for hidden animal products such as whey, lactose, and honey (a common alternative sweetener to sugar). Conveniently, many budget brands and shops own-brand products can be vegan as they don't contain the "real butter" and "real cream" and other ingredients that go in to luxury brands.

Below is a sample list of the vegan suitable things you can buy in a supermarket. Items in bold are of particular interest to a vegan diet as sources of protein or B12.

Fresh fruit and veg
Frozen veg
Brown rice (1)(2)
Tinned chickpeas, beans and pulses
Dried chickpeas, beans and pulses (1)(2)
Tofu (1)(2)
Falafel
Hummus
Peanut butter(1)
Marmite
Non-dairy milk (UHT and chilled)
Soy Sauce (2)
A variety of breakfast cereals
A variety of breads and bread products
Dairy-free butter
Dried fruit (1)
Flours and baking ingredients
Sugar 
Cooking Oil
Pasta
Frozen or refrigerated meat free sausages, patties, burgers and so on
Multivitamins
Some cruelty free toiletries (1)
Non-dairy ice-cream (becoming more common)
Wines and beers (check the labels or check online first)

This is of course, not an exhaustive list but you can see how many options are open to you even in a normal supermarket. Smaller supermarkets and "express" type stores will have a smaller range which can be a limiting factor, but do consider online shopping if you don't have a large store nearby. However, if you are restricted to a smaller shop, you may have some other options available.

(1) You may be able to find these products at better value, in larger quantities or more varieties in a health food shop.
(2) You may be able to find these products at better value, in larger quantities or more varieties in an Asian supermarket.

The Asian or Indian Supermarket

Many larger towns and cities will have at least one, if not multiple Asian supermarket. These are an excellent resource for vegans even if you aren't cooking Chinese, Thai or Korean food. They often have items in bulk which means savings if you can get the larger products home and have the storage.

Tofu (multiple varieties normally available)
Tempeh
Semolina (especially in Indian or Pakistani shops)
Gram flour (chickpea flour) (especially in Indian or Pakistani shops)
Tinned Jackfruit
a variety of dried and fresh mushrooms
Vegetarian miso
Nori and seaweed
Vegetarian fish-sauce
Soy sauce 
Rice
Dried pulses
Tinned ready made seitan such as mock duck, mock pork etc
Coconut milk (tinned)
Mochi (I just really like mochi) 

The specialist health food or whole shop

These shops are often found in city and town centres. You usually wouldn't be able to find a full load of groceries there but you can get many specialist items. The prices can vary a lot with some items being more expensive than your supermarket whilst others are better value.

Pulses and grains (especially less usual grains like bulgar wheat)
Biscuits, cakes, sweets
non-dairy butter/margarine
Non-dairy milk
non-dairy yoghurt
Non-dairy icecream
Vegan cheese
Tofu and tofu products such as sausages
Meat free patties
Seitan (steaks, sausages etc)
Seitan powder / wheat gluten
liquid smoke
Peanut and other nut butters
Nuts and seeds
Vegetarian fish-sauce
Dried fruits
Nutritional yeast
Cruelty free toiletries and household items
Wines and beers

Other places

Of course you aren't restricted to these shops. Nearly anywhere that sells food will have some vegan items. 
Eastern European shops are often good places to find good value pulses, rice and oats, as well as nutritionally dense breads alongside other groceries.
Budget food shops that specialise in stock clearance often have vegan suitable snack bars and non-dairy milk at very good prices.
Your local market. Many towns have an indoor market. There is often a dried goods stall which will sell grains, pulses, nuts and dried fruits by weight and can be excellent value.
Online shopping, other than supermarkets, allows us to access food items that may not be available locally or at a better price. I especially buy nutritional yeast and seitan online.

Nine Worlds Geekfest 2016

So! let's talk about Nine Worlds.

As you may know I was there representing Access:LARP as well as as a regular con goer. I was giving the Access:LARP presentation on the Friday morning, so once that was done, I had the rest of the weekend to relax, go to sessions and enjoy the experience of Nine Worlds.

I think it's safe to say that I enjoyed it. It was a place I felt at home in. As cons go there are a few different ways that they can be done, largely down to what their focus is.

Geek cons like Comic Con have a real focus on the finished product, about showing off cosplay, artwork and games. The expo and trade hall is central, cosplay is high profile and virtually an exhibit itself, and people are there for the icons, the shiny and new and the merchandise. Not that they are without panels and talks but they often seem secondary to what is on display.

Q-Con the Belfast based geek con I've been to is a smaller, homegrown version of Comic Con with a strong emphasis on gaming. It's fun, but it is loud and brash in how it displays its wares. It's not without enjoyment but it doesn't really suit me and my personality. I always came away from it feeling overwhelmed, tired and a little confused as to what had really happened.

I've talked about Thought Bubble before on this blog, so you probably know I am fond of the little Leeds based comic focussed convention. Though Thought Bubble places a lot of emphasis on the traders hall and the expo the atmosphere is more relaxed than the likes of Q-Con and Comic Con. The space is set up so you can meet the people behind the comics and really get in to what you love in a delightfully geeky and niche manner. There is also a lot of love and support for small publishers and indie comics, a move that again changes the tone; we're not looking at the big names here, we're looking at what makes you tick. It's exciting and lively but with a distinctly more knowledge hungry crowd.

And then there was Nine Worlds. At Nine Worlds the sessions, panels and talks take centre stage. There was a small expo hall and a variety of talented and clever cosplay but what people were really there for was the opportunity to discuss, listen share and learn about all things geek from sci-fi to comics, from fan-fic to game worlds, it was all covered. What rooted it all together was a real interest in the how and why of things. How is this done? Why do we do it like this? How can we make it better? Why is it changing? It wasn't all dry academia though, panels were presented with wit love and passion. The sessions and panels were often punctuated with laughter and applause and throughout the event were social events that brought people together in their love of geekiness The Wheedon Sing-along, the Pirate Knitting and of course the Bifrost Cabaret.

Nine Worlds: the inclusive fan culture convention

So let's take a look at the things that stood out, what I liked and where there could be improvement.

As already noted Nine Worlds had an approach and style that was content driven as opposed to exhibit driven. This suited me. There is only so much excitement I can muster for a new artwork or a limited edition figure and I don't spend much time with computer games. I like talking and listening though, after all I write a blog. Whether it was this build or the pushes for inclusivity (which I'll go into more detail of next) it made the place feel welcoming and comfortable to be in, indeed I felt rather at home. I'd found my people.

Nine Worlds makes it very clear on their website that they are inclusive of all comers and will not discriminate against or tolerate discriminations based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or neurodiversity. Stating this so clearly and honestly is itself a big deal. I'd heard, from people who had attended in previous years, that they stick by it too. It's refreshing and welcoming. Even before the con, a brief look at the guests and sessions is enough to tell you that the content will be diverse and will be, in some cases, challenging prejudice head on. Over all topics there are a range of people of different genders, races, ethnicities and sexualities and that diversity isn't confined to sessions specifically dealing with diversity and culture. This is across all content streams. That shouldn't be a pleasant surprise but it was. It's difficult to express how welcome this was. To be in a session and not feel like an outsider was superb because this diversity in the con program was reflected in the attendees. Everybody was represented from old to young, fat and thin, able bodied and disabled, neurodivergent and neurotypical, all shades of skin, different religions, different languages and an array of different genders. It made me happy.

The organisers had also taken this diversity in to consideration with their logistics. The con was spread over several floors and several rooms of a hotel. However, all floors had step free access and all floors had some sort of seating area. They had designated several areas as priority seating and several areas as quiet areas, for those who needed less excitable social spaces. The session rooms had priority seating, wheelchair space and areas for those who prefer sitting on the floor. There were colour overlays for your name badge to show if you were comfortable be talked to or not (though I understand there may have been some issues of clarity with these). People could add stickers saying they had access needs as well as their preferred pronouns (and it wasn't just trans and NB people stating their pronouns, which I always think is a good move). Staff were helpful and informative. There were sign interpreters available for sessions as well as large print hand outs.

Plus, there was a quiet room for those who needed a complete break! It had beanbags and soft things, a little bed area and eye masks, colouring books and pencils. It had low light and was of course, quiet. When my fatigue hit badly on the Friday and again on the Saturday and I was awash with neuro symptoms, I don't think I could have got through the day without being able to have a lie down and switch off in the quiet room.

Xuiting Christing Ni

But what of the actual panels and content I hear you ask?

Overall, they were good. One or two were perhaps not quite what I was expecting but that doesn't mean they were bad. Stand outs to me were the Exploring Chinese Science Fiction panel in which Yen Ooi, Michael Rowley and Xueting Christine Ni talked about the differences between Western and Chinese sci-fi, why it is becoming so popular here, difficulties in translation and the roots and history of Chinese sci-fi. The panellists were knowledgeable: Xueting Ni bringing the perspective of a Chinese author, Yen Ooi an academic who has looked at the subject in depth and Michael Rowley who works for a publisher and offered the context of Chinese sci-fi in a UK market. Very well balanced and thought out and considered answers from all which made me even more interested in the genre.

Building Better Dreams and Nightmares had a full panel of authors: Mark de Jager, Alex Lamb, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Maria Lewis, Angela Slatter, Jamie Sawyer. Between them they dissected why we love old monsters and what goes in to making new monsters and beings for a modern audience. It was particularly entertaining to listen to proponents of new terrors, Alex Lamb and Adrian Tchaikovsky, debate and exchange ideas with fans of reinventing and subverting traditional beasts, Angela Slatter and Maria Lewis. On top of that Maria Lewis gave me some new ideas for how to think about werewolves. I also came away from that talk with a list of books I want to read.

Alex Lamb made another appearance in his talk on Psychohistory. It was one of the most engaging and excitable talks I have ever seen, with Alex getting the whole audience involved and caught up in his passion for the subject. He raced through the material, no small task for the sign interpreter, but through his demos and examples I think I learned something and became even more a fan of statistics and mathematics in world building than previously. My brain did feel a little like it was dribbling out of my ears by the end though.

My last session of the weekend was "Mathematics: The big game behind the little tricks" given by Marta Maria Castti. Now this was one of the sessions that wasn't quite what I expected. I went in expecting something about the exciting way mathematics can be used but what I got instead was a delightful introduction to mathematics and logic for those of us who have in the past struggled with maths and on occasion baulk at sums. I know I've said I like statistics, but in reality I find a lot of maths very difficult and I had a horrendous time of it in school with teachers who wanted to force feed algebra without any context or reason. Marta instead shared with us her love and passion for the subject, took us through some of the history, shared her favourite quotes and then, with even more enthusiasm took us through a logic problem and encouraged us to think mathematically. All this was suffused with the ways maths relates to the world and therefore of course how it relates to the made up worlds we enjoy. I've never found a maths teacher to be so lovely and strangely calming as Marta Casetti was. Honestly, if you have the opportunity to talk to her about mathematics, then you absolutely should.

There were other panels that I attended and enjoyed but I could be here all day writing about them. These are just a selection of what stood out.

I briefly mentioned earlier cosplaying. As a LARPer it is no surprise that I enjoy costumes however, I've never really cosplayed before nor has it been something I've particularly got as a form. I'm not going to lie, whilst I love seeing some of the amazing and stunningly detailed costumes that people make I've always found cosplaying at cons a little off-putting. It almost creates an “us vs them” situation, especially in places with the really big pro cosplays and hoards of photographers. Whilst some people are at a con to see the exhibits, others are there to be seen. They are the exhibits, and it creates a barrier between them and their surroundings. Worse (and this is certainly something that is more in my mind that what is actually going on) there is a fear that those who are not cosplaying are somehow lesser or less important than those in costume. Those in costume are elevated to “special”. So Nine Worlds was interesting for two reasons. First of all, I actually took part and donned a costume. A low key, fairly basic and pretty obscure cosplay sure, but still, I put a wig on. Secondly, the cosplay atmosphere was markedly different than I have experienced elsewhere, even at  the relaxed Thought Bubble. There was a genuine feeling of people cosplaying for the love of cosplaying. Due to being a smaller con that doesn't attract much in the way of photographers or day trippers there was little of the standing for posed photographs. Standing for pics happened of course, but it was always with a measure of friendliness and respect. The cosplayers mingled with the non-cosplayers easily with no boundary or exclusion. Nine Worlds also had a lovely system of giving tokens of appreciation to cosplays we like. All attendees were given five blue tokens they could hand to a cosplay they appreciated over the course of the weekend. Any cosplay that collected 15 tokens could trade them in for a badge. It was a low stress, low impact way of interacting, but actively encouraged interaction. I found it utterly charming.

If you are curious, nobody handed me a token. But Kieron Gillen did recognise me as Klem from the comic Fuse and took my picture to show to the comic's author. That was as good as 15 tokens to me!

me in cosplay as Klem Ristovich

No event is without room for improvement. I am aware that some con-goers who had been to previous Nine Worlds events noted changes to how it was run and particularly the location: this year was a hotel in London's Zone 2 were as previous years had been at a larger venue near Heathrow. I However, can't make those comparisons so am going purely off my own experience.

To start with the venue, I'm not convinced it worked. I'm not sure it was a flop – I actually liked being spread out over different floors and rooms as it avoids the cattle-shed feeling of larger more homogeneous spaces. On the other hand, it was difficult to forget that we were in a hotel and thus sharing the space with non-con-goers. The main social area, near the registration desk, was in and around the bar area and foyer of the hotel. There were always confused hotel guests nearby and I was conscious at least of not making their stay horrendous and simultaneously, not wanting to feel restricted by their presence. The organisers may have intended for the main social space to be elsewhere, but given the layout of the the con, I think this was inevitable.

Also a let down with regard to the hotel was the food. We were assured (as I am sure the con organisers were) that the various catering options within the hotel would be able to provide for all diets and tastes and would be affordable. This was a necessity as the hotel did not allow people to bring in outside food. It also proved not to hold up to testing. The bar food was reasonably priced, but was limited and of course, could only be ordered and eaten in the busy and often full bar (I should not that there was also a more formal restaurant available as well). Vegan, dairy free and gluten free options were limited, not always advertised and again often expensive. There were additional issues with staff not always knowing what was available, so one person may be turned away from the Expo hall cafe because there are no vegan options, while half an hour later somebody manages to wrangle a baked potato and beans out of them. It was frustrating as the busy session timetable and mobility issues meant nipping out to find somewhere else to eat wasn't always possible.

People who needed food due to health reasons were allowed to bring food in, but in reality that means carrying snacks, not bringing in a whole meal. People really did struggle here and it's an area I expect the organisers to be looking at for next year.

Though the focus of this con was the sessions, there was actually and expo/traders hall as well as the Nine Dice Lounge – the board and card games room. The expo felt too small for the space it was in and was a little underwhelming. This may just be because Nine Worlds isn't well known on the traders circuit so there wasn't enough take up, or perhaps the broad scope of what the con covers didn't draw in enough traders. Either way, it felt a little hastily done. I'm glad it wasn't the shiny, polished corporate sales floor of comic con, and I'm glad it wasn't heaving with gamerbois and reps, but a little bit more oomph wouldn't have hurt.

As for the Nine Dice Lounge, well I can't comment. I never made it in there. It just seemed too out of the way and with not enough time between sessions I couldn't make it there. Was it underused? Was it integrated in to the con enough? I'm not sure. Perhaps having some scheduled demos or games would entice people up there, and add an extra dimension to the con.

NB: 26/08 since writing this I have noted several people enjoying the games lounge and seen photographs of people enjoying it. It would seem that any fault there is down to my own lack of attention or ability!

And that's about it. Maybe reorganise the schedule but scheduling is a dark art and there is often only so much that can be done. There really wasn't a lot to complain about from my point of view.

Now I admit, my convention attending pedigree isn't long. I've more or less covered it in my opening paragraphs. However, Nine Worlds would appear to occupy a space all by itself on the geek culture con roster. It's focus is different. It's set up is different. It's atmosphere is different.

The result was something I enjoyed immensely, am eager to get back to and have already jotted down ideas for future sessions.

If you want a con that is a but more cerebral, celebrates differences and really wants you to be a part of it, I can't recommend it enough.