French Holiday...

[FusionChefGeoff]

Travelling with friends who are vegan - we're staying in Biarritz down South and they're worried about availability of the following in supermarkets:

Hummus!
Falafels
Tofu
Tempeh
Vegan sausages

Does anyone have any experience? I know they're not very optimistic about eating out much but want to know if they need to bring a supply of the above with them!

I have not been the France recently.

I have travelled there regularly for the last twenty years.

Availability of vegan food is very limited.
Meat substitutes like vegan sausages etc difficult to find.

I wouldn't bother with going to France if I was vegan tbh! They'll probably have stuff in big supermarkets and for eating out look for Middle Eastern restaurants in larger towns

Don't worry they know it's going to be difficult which js why they're bringing their own but I said I'd ask about hummus and falafels at least in supermarkets?!?

Oh and forgot to ask about oat milk any chance in a L'Eclerc??

Can't answer the question but could your friends not make some vegan meals out of things that are likely to be easily available? For example they could make a ratatouille or roasted vegetables with chickpeas or some other kind of beans or pulses. I would have thought that would be a lot nicer in France if you can find some nice fresh produce (I'm vegetarian and would much rather this than try readymade felafel from a French supermarket).

They are very plant based so yes will definitely enjoy lots of salads and veggies but looking for quick fixes to save cooking too much on holiday I think

I lived in the South of France as a vegan 15 years ago, I assume it has improved since then though! I’ve also visited Paris area France in more recent years. They should have no problem with hummus, falafel, tofu, plant based milks and yoghurts, I’m less sure about tempeh and don’t think vegan sausages. I could get plant milk in l’eclerc 15 years ago and I imagine it’s a broader range now! I used to check out the bio section as they had a few bean burger type things and vegan pates.

Hummus loads of, other things depends on the supermarket. If you have a large Carrefour they are pretty good, and you can probably find something:
https://www.carrefour.fr/s?q=V%C3%A9g%C3%A9tarien+

I was in the south recently- Marseille, Cannes and Nimes self catering and found enough to keep us going. Most supermarkets sold falafel or similar and hummus. I saw oat, soy and almond milks in the larger stores.