When you can't go vegan, but want to make some kind of change: here are a few ideas.

[LaContessaDiPlump]

I know that there are a lot of people out there who aren't ready to take the plunge into plant-based eating, or who simply can't do so due to allergies/intolerances/family preferences/finances etc. If this is you but you'd like to make some changes anyway, then you might find some of the ideas on this thread useful (that's the plan in any case)!

I'll kick it off with honey.

My DH and DC are omni, and they do like honey. The vegan alternatives are maple syrup and agave nectar; both fine in themselves, but I admit that I wince at the thought of all the airmiles/distance travelled to my shelf. Therefore, I like to buy honey from local beekeepers - the ones which are such a small operation that they have one hive in the garden which they tend with obsessive care I like the local aspect, and hopefully it's helping British bees. People selling their own honey can be found on FB using local sites (parent groups are helpful) or maybe ask a gardener friend with an allotment if they have spotted any hives up there.

Further tricks and tips for a not-exactly-vegan lifestyle are welcomed

I ve found that oat and almond milks are great in Red Bush tea - if that helps anyone.

Been vegetarian for a month and having a lot of vegan days. I stumble on cheese on pizza! Tried vegan and it was yuck. So for our weekwnd takeaway I will now be ordering a vege burger! I think entirely avoiding pizza is the way forward.

I had a vegan Bhudda Bowl the other night. Roasted sweet pot/red onion/kale/broccoli/garlic topped with spiced chick peas and a tahini dressing. Officially the most delicious thing ever!

If anyone is struggling with dairy free due to cost, my friend made homemade oat milk and shared the recipe, if anyone is interested she said it cost pennies:

100g rolled oats, soaked in 750mls water for 30 minutes
Drain and rinse oats. Add 750mls fresh water
Blitz in the blender and strain
Makes 600mls oat milk

Doesn't ahimsa only do "raw" milk? I wouldn't feel safe drinking that.

I would much rather have a conscious omni diet than a thoughtless vegan one if it comes to total impact.

My diet is as local as it can be, I do buy online from small suppliers that provide things we can't grow locally, but I think I have a much better diet 'environmentally' than people who just decide to be vege or vegan, and then buy any old shit in the supermarket that fits their new fad.

I have many friends who are sheep farmers, the areas where sheep are farmed aren't suitable for crops or anything else, they're generally upland, you may get a few nutrient poor plants from them if you eschew eating animals.

But sheep very efficiently process plants we can't eat.

For those who can't give up dairy, you could try the calf-at-foot dairy? They allow the cows to keep their calves until they wean naturally and they just share the milk with the calves. I think there are only two in this country but they deliver milk all over the UK so I'm going to start buying from them, I feel like just going organic isn't much of a change unless it's from a properly small local farm, so much organic is mass-produced nowadays

This is great, I had no idea about these farms.

A great thread, I hope that it doesn't attract the twats who need to defend eating meat by critisizing those who are trying to make small changes.

I get milk delivered from a local dairy, it is a calf at foot.

Rice milk in tea was the only one that made it taste even close to normal. Trick is to put it in BEFORE the water as after just doesn't make much difference. I like it so much I still have it in my tea even though I could now have dairy (also had to give up because of a BF baby with a dairy intolerance).

Made a lot of cashew cheese and cashew cheese cheesecakes. Mac and cheese with butternut squash and nutritional yeast for cheesiness was also ok.

We have some good vegan bakers near us so got some great vegan quiches, cakes and pizzas and still happily eat them now. Yummy!

Mac and cheese with butternut and nutritional yeast is not Mac and cheese.

I'm not saying it's horrible, but don't pretend it's something it's not.

I find that potatoes roasted in coconut oil are absolutely divine. It sounds odd but... nom nom nom.

Im also curring down meat. I dont eat pig and, while we rarely choose to eat eggs, if baking i buy from the local farmer who has a few hens running around the place.

Love ideas for meals though

I have just started having almond milk in tea and really like it. It's the sweetened stuff as the unsweetened tasted absolutely grim, but even that has less sugar than milk. I'm dipping my toe into cutting down on dairy, but I'm not missing milk at all. Maybe I need to try oat milk as well.

I find oat milk the nicest substitute for dairy milk, I really like it.

I'm still having dairy yoghurt as not found a decent substitute. I like coconut yoghurt but it's ridiculously expensive and I find it a bit sickly in larger quantities.

Coconut milk is good in coffee... or drink herbal tea?

I just tried Oatly Barista. Obviously I've been vegan for nearly 3 years and so my tastebuds have changed, but OMG it tastes like double cream to me

We have been cutting down on meat recently and would like to cut out more but we just can't give up cheese!

DS (20) is lactose intolerant (but binges now and again) so we tried all the milks and I didn't like any of them. DH likes oat/soya/almond but I struggled with all of them. We even tried the Hemp milk - it tasted like cardboard . DS was using the Lactofree milk and cheese which was OK but they are not vegan. Might try the oat and coconut ones again.

To be honest, for us a lot of it comes down to cost. We live rurally so should be able to eat much more ethically but with 3 children still at home it just isn't economically viable. We do grow our own veg and fruit though so that helps.

I am trying to reduce my dairy consumption, but would go for calf at foot stuff if it was nearer. I like my coffee black anyway, and have switched to dark chocolate (I eat a lot of chocolate) and coconut yoghurts- I would agree they can be a bit sickly, but I find the Coconut Collaborative ones pleasant. I am going to stop having cheese as an extra on meals next. All very gradual, which is about all I'm up to I reckon.

I've been vegetarian for years. I've shifted over to soya milk this week and bought some vegan cheese today.

Flush have you tried the vegan pizzas at Zizzi's? The replacement cheese (coconut) is not bad at all!

Oatly creme fraiche is awesome. Definitely hard to guess it's different!

I agree spotty, delicious. Tesco have a really good range.

Great thread LaContessa - thanks for starting it. I've only had a quick look through it but - SleepWhatSleep1 you mentioned dairy would be a problem. A vegan friend recommended -
this vegan cheese sauce. Also this site.

I'm tempted to lead a more vegan lifestyle by the stories of friends - even committed carnivores - who have come off statins and high bp meds through changing to a vegan diet.

This is a great article.

In LOVE this thread. Been slowing going dairy free since Christmas. We have our own chickens so that's okay, we know they are free range and healthy before we eat them or eggs.

Changed milk, and yoghurt and butter to alpro or whichever is in the shops.

Buy organic meat and have meat only 3 times a week now.

But we are stuck at cheese! We Love cheese and I miss it so much so keep failing. It's the Brie and Stilton and stuff I miss. The calf and foot dairy sounds amazing. Will check it out and hope they do cheese. Thank you

Recipes to make a few different vegan "cheeses" and also recipes to use them in
www.veganricha.com/category/cheese