Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

COW

522 replies

Suzi888 · 29/01/2022 18:01

chooseveg.com/blog/documentary-cow/

Anyone watched this… I can’t bring myself to watch it, but it’ll be coming to cinemas shortly.

What is the best milk substitute you have tried? Specifically when added to tea, I don’t mind the substitutes in cereal but my tea tastes grim without milk.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
Lovemylittlebear · 29/01/2022 19:43

Galaxy does an amazing vegan cookie chocolate bar - it’s a favourite here.

Chicago town do a really nice vegan jackfruit bbq pizza

You can even get reasonable custard alternatives and the squirty cream is like for like.

LaurieFairyCake · 29/01/2022 19:43

All vegan cheese is awful and I've tried every substitute milk going and I loathe all of them in tea

All I've been able to do so far in life is cut down my consumption to one pint a week - basically 3 cups of tea a day Sad

I fundamentally disagree with eating animals now (I've had various points when I've been veggie or pescatarian for extended periods of time but my one pint of milk and occasional eggs are as low as I can go)

I wouldn't be able to watch COW but basically it follows one cow through its life, it's separation from its calf, her milking through to her death - every part of her life is mechanical and mechanised

hennybeans · 29/01/2022 19:47

We switched to oatly barista about 2-3 years ago. It's lovely in tea and coffee, doesn't spilt or curdle. DH and I both prefer it to milk, even taking environmental concerns out of the picture. It's always a disappointment having a tea elsewhere with just milk.

We have tried a lot of other brands because oatly barista is hard to get in our town, none are quite as good, although Califia farms is second best.

twinkletoesimnot · 29/01/2022 19:51

Try Googling calf at foot dairies.

It's a thing.

They get to keep their calves and the farmer just takes the excess milk.

Obviously it is more expensive as farmer probably gets less than half the milk.

Notconfident · 29/01/2022 19:52

Aldi oat milk here, soya milk makes me gag and can't stand the other types either XD

StylishMummy · 29/01/2022 19:53

If anyone had a clue about British farming - you'd see this is vegan sensationalist propaganda Hmm

3luckystars · 29/01/2022 19:54

I use alpro vanilla milk and it is WAY nicer than milk!!

ISmellBurnings · 29/01/2022 19:57

The vegan smoked applewood cheese tastes good but they all have the texture of rubber. No vegan cheese is nice.

And I still maintain none of them taste good in tea.

Scianel · 29/01/2022 19:58

I just watched the trailer. Unless there's a lot worse things shown in the actual film, this seems to be a well-run dairy farm with well-treated animals, am I missing something?

Original poster
Suzi888 · 29/01/2022 20:00

Sigh… I keep forgetting about cheese and chocolateSad and I bloody love pizza! I’ll shopping for my milk, cheese and choc substitutes tomorrow. See if I can get that Jackfruit pizza too. Cake - I can live without! Biscuits- same.

I had a McPlant the other day, it was delicious. Blush I know McDonald’s isn’t very ethical.
DH makes an amazing beyond meat burger, with fried onions, chills etc but I’m happy with a vegetable burger too.

I’ll be giving these suggestions a go- Smile DH drinks green tea - even though he will happily munch on anything that moves - I’ll switch to green tea if need be.

OP posts:
willieversleep · 29/01/2022 20:01

@StylishMummy

If anyone had a clue about British farming - you'd see this is vegan sensationalist propaganda Hmm
Completely this
Stellaris22 · 29/01/2022 20:04

We love oat milk. A big bonus is it gets delivered in reusable glass bottles by the milkman now.

Stellaris22 · 29/01/2022 20:06

We also stopped eating beef for environmental reasons, we aren't vegan at all and considering how awful NFU are for not caring about soil standards I don't find this vegan propaganda.

ilovemybeachhut · 29/01/2022 20:09

@Scianel

I just watched the trailer. Unless there's a lot worse things shown in the actual film, this seems to be a well-run dairy farm with well-treated animals, am I missing something?
Visit a slaughter house then, it'll blow your mind, the screams and smell will never leave you.
Original poster
Suzi888 · 29/01/2022 20:12

@twinkletoesimnot where would you actually buy the product though? 😕 or do you have to travel to the dairy..
@StylishMummy so you think that the cow is quite happy having it’s offspring yanked away and just being linked up to a milking machine day in, day out Hmm. What a crap life. Well maybe the cow is fine with it’s pitiful existence, but I wouldn’t wish it on any sentient being. DH eats meat, so does my DD. Each to their own…but I can’t kid myself that animals are happy being used, often abused, mistreated and slaughtered. I mean maybe I’m wrong but I seriously doubt it

OP posts:
Scianel · 29/01/2022 20:14

ilovemybeachhut I've seen animals being slaughtered, people home slaughter where I grew up.

callingon · 29/01/2022 20:21

Almond milk is really bad for the environment and most cheap soya won’t be rainforest certified. I went into a deep alt-milk hole a while ago and it seems oat milk or hemp milk is the best choice environmentally speaking.

I buy alpro soya as alpro is rainforest ‘friendly’ but tbh I’ve moved to loose leaf tea and find I don’t really want any milk with that.

Original poster
Suzi888 · 29/01/2022 20:22

@twinkletoesimnot Found one, you can’t order milk the waiting list is too long -I may order the cheese- it’s not cheap though! £20 for 125g faints

OP posts:
Marimaur · 29/01/2022 20:23

Oatly Barista in tea!

twinkletoesimnot · 29/01/2022 20:24

We have our own house cow.

We find that the cow has had enough of her calf at around 4-6 months ( they get sore teats and the calves butt them )

I do think there is a happy medium though.
Maybe we should have free range milk like we have free range eggs?

I personally think it's awful that some cows live for only 5 years when their natural life span is into their teens / twenties. Some also never get to graze or live a natural life.

ticktockriojaoclock · 29/01/2022 20:26

I second Aldi oat milk!

Any recommendations for a Greek yoghurt substitute?

loloballlolo · 29/01/2022 20:27

alpro hazelnut is nice and good in coffee. Most oat milks (even supermarket brand) are also really good! you can make a great white sauce using soya, oat or other vegan milk (unsweetened) instead of cows milk (just sub in).

Very easy to make your own oat milk although a bit of a faff and it separates out in the fridge.

Love the almond one in sainsburys in the fancy bottle. Califia farms I think it's called. Expensive tho!

Knockoneofftheshelftowin · 29/01/2022 20:27

I don't have dairy for the same reason, intensive farming and the milk industry. I have Oatily barista and think its lovely. However there is a dairy farm in Suffolk that leave the calves with their mothers for 8 months and sell the leftover milk. It's called Calf at Foot. You will find them online.

I'm not against eating meat, frogs eat flies, birds eat worms etc, but it's the intensity of the farming that puts me off. I do eat it, but it's free range and not often.

loloballlolo · 29/01/2022 20:29

@ticktockriojaoclock - Alpro do a greek version (plain) yoghurt - it's very good.

For cheeses - the soft cheese tend to be very good on the whole, especially the garlic and herb varieties.

Applewood smoked is pretty good. The mexicana also pretty good.

I LOVE oatly creme fraiche style. Great.

The Naturli butter block thing in Sainsbury's is about the best butter substitute.

Swipe left for the next trending thread