Do most people think vegan food is utter shit? It's not!

[Ennuid]

And that we all just eat still eat pasta, salads and that vile tofu (yuk!) they used to make in the 90's?

I've been vegan for 15 years and let me tell you there isn't anything these days that you will miss in terms of taste or texture, the ''fake'' stuff is amazing and just as good, if not better than the real thing (not to mention much healthier). I mean meat, chicken, fish, cheese, melty cheese, ice cream, milk, yogurt, salami, pate, mayo, spreads, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, even eggs... literally anything you can imagine! Ask me anything you'd like to replace and I can come up with at least 2-3 great vegan alternatives.So may EU and US companies make really good stuff and the chinese fake meats are different but equally amazing. Every largish city will have at least a few veggie/vegan restaurants and stores (I have personal experience of Brighton, Edinburgh and Norwich).

The best thing you can do is visit one of the vegan fairs where you can get lots of free samples and see everything in one place. There seems to be a vegan fair just about everywhere in the UK nowadays (quite surreal since 5 years ago there were maybe 5 or so?) , here's a schedule for 2015: [edited by MN to remove possibly spammy address, we're sure MNers are smart enough to Google if needs be] .

There's even a new all vegan supermarket chain spreading all over Europe. Vegan is the new organic, baby!

I love the vegan food I make (as does meat eating DH) however I hate any meat or dairy substitutes.

I have a lot more than 4 teaspoonfuls of marmite a day :) but I do have a low salt version. I don't need to buy or take tablets. I've been vegan for 32 years (and had 3 kids in that time) so I think I'm doing ok. But thanks for your concern.

I don't think I've ever eaten chard. I'm guessing you wouldn't recommend? I can't say it appeals...

I've eaten lots of nice vegan things, although they would be evenn lovelier with a nice steak/bacon/cheese/eggs etc.

I'm a vegetarian (not a vegan) and I can't understand why anybody would want to eat fake meat products.

neither can I King it seems to sort of defeat the object to me.

I'm vegan, I have been for my whole life (30 something years).

'Fake' and alternative meats are crap, they taste awful and are awful.
I have tried every brand all over the world and I think they are all revolting.

I agree that a vegan diet isn't at all bland or boring but living on meat substitutes is boring.

My ds (14) has been vegan for 6 months now and is totally committed. It wasn't easy for him at the beginning but I think it's about how committed you are.

It is a lot harder for me trying to cater for him and a selection of fussy omnivores.

Also he adores all the non dairy milks, but even on offer, they are pretty expensive.

Being vegan can be expensive either on money or time, there is more prep for a veg based diet. And many of the treats are pricey. And of course you can make your own dairy free treats but who has time to do that ALL the time!

nigelslater What about own brand soya milk? Some of them taste fine and are around half the price of Alpro.

I disagree with longer preparation time, although I suppose it depends on how elaborate your meals are. Plenty of the stuff we cook takes around 30-40 minutes. I think vegan baking is actually less time consuming - no faffing around with egg beating.

I like substitute products because they increase the available choice and help with the recreation of familiar recipes. I can't see that they're any worse than meat based processed foods.

The only vegan food I like is chips.

I wouldn't eat unfermented soya products, including soya milk. There are too many health concerns about the oestrogenic compounds which may be particularly bad for children.

In SE Asia unfermented soya is not eaten.

Barvine the chard was ok, it was just overlooked and mixed with "herbs". I absolutely love veg, I could eat it all day but eating food should be a pleasure and not a chore.

After being vegetarian for over 10 years (that's easy) I did "Veganuary" this year and remained on a vegan diet until mid May. Eating out is a nightmare, most places have nothing at all and you get quite annoyed at having to say a peanut butter and salad sandwich or humus with roasted veg would be OK and then getting given pasta with tomato sauce.

I felt I had to give up at the end of May because my family wouldn't eat vegan with me, DH is coeliac and most of the vegan fake meats have gluten in them. They have always been happy to eat vegetarian but were making noises about going back to fish if I pushed too hard. All vegan cheese I have tried is utterly disgusting. I've been to many Vegan fairs over the years and never found a single one that tasted OK.

My present diet is vegetarian but with less dairy and cheese than before. I always use soy milk if I can and have taken cheese out of my packed lunches. I do appreciate the moral basis of veganism, and agree with that but I just cannot lead a happy life and feed my family at the moment without some dairy and the odd egg. I will have another go next January as the Veganuary movement is quite inspiring and hope to be vegan maybe 3 or 4 months of the year, which I suppose is better than nothing.

I love chard- delicious, along with all the other green leaves, DD is the same- we could eat pak choi until it comes out of our ears.

Fascicle. thanks but do you not find the vegan treats start to add up in cost?

I think it takes a while to evolve into a vegan household. I am very impressed by my son's uncompromising compassion for animals, and I cannot find an ethical argument for eating and using animal products, even though I do.

I aim to gradually become a vegetarian and then a vegan after that. It is hard when you're feeding a wide range of people and when your vegan repertoire is unsophisticated!

I've eaten lots of nice vegan things, although they would be evenn lovelier with a nice steak/bacon/cheese/eggs etc.

My DH says this a lot apeman! I'm vegan, he's omni and so are the kids. We prepare lovely vegan meals and he carefully places a lamb chop on top of his. It's funny.

He says living with a vegan is fab because he gets awesome meat AND veg, not just awesome meat and a generic veg option.

Wrt kids and veganism: I got DS1 a book called 'That's why we don't eat animals', which is just as preachy as it sounds. However, it does try to deal with the evils of factory farming and potential environmental impacts of intensive farming in a child-appropriate way. Given that our household is split, I read it to DS1 and focus on how sad the animals must be to have to live in tiny cages (DH does buy the happiest meat/eggs possible).

The best vegan treat is toast and marmite. Or, a trip to the theatre. That's always a good treat. (Seriously - I'm baffled at why people feel the need to eat 'treats'. Food is fuel. Spend your money on something brilliant not something that will be poo in a day or so).

Food is fuel. Spend your money on something brilliant not something that will be poo in a day or so

Others may have a different relationship to food than you do, narvinectralomum.

Having a 14 year old, very sporty very fast growing vegan boy feels like a challenge, he is starving all the time and has to eat a lot.

He has promised to start doing some more of his own cooking too.

When I say 'starving' I mean he is always hungry. I think perhaps a typical omnivore diet is more filling....

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Ladyplumpington - clearly! I have relationships with people. Not food. But FYI I've just eaten a peach and it was lovely so I guess that would count as a treat. I doubt I will eat anything more lovely today. I definitely don't have a relationship with peaches though.

It's good that you clarified that, Narvinectralonum.

I definitely don't think anyone should be vegan if they don't want to be though and I don't want to convert anyone to anything.

Food is fuel. Spend your money on something brilliant not something that will be poo in a day or so

Wow. Food is one of the greatest pleasures in life... I cannot understand this attitude at all. A trip to a theatre will be just be a memory afterwards - no different from a trip to a restaurant with good friends, good food and good wine. You could argue the cerebral aspect of theatre I suppose, but then eating or cooking nice food gives you a culinary education too. If this "food is just fuel" attitude is representative of the vegan point of view then I really feel sorry for you all.

I do get the impression that vegans try way too hard to convince themselves and everyone else that the food they eat is exciting and delicious and not totally lacking in some of the main food groups. The ones I know posting on Facebook "YUM! Look at this delicious NATURAL, colourful and healthy food that Mother Nature has given us!" ...and yes, it looks beautiful, colourful and delicious, but it also usually looks like a side dish to the main course.