It’s no secret that more people are turning towards a vegan diet. The reasons for this are many, varied and well-documented, and range from animal rights issues and environmental concerns, to personal health commitments.
Since its launch in 2014, Veganuary has gone from strength to strength. Seven years ago, just 3000 people pledged to avoid animal products for the first month of the year. Last year, over 400,000 people around the world signed up to the UK-based movement. From its origins as a niche campaign, nowadays Veganuary sees international fast-food chains and high-street restaurants bolstering their vegan offerings for a month, as supermarkets increase their ranges of ready-meals and meat-substitutes.
All this is a mixed blessing for independent wholefoods shops like Beanies. On the one hand, of course we’re delighted to see so many people being more mindful about the food they eat, where it comes from, and at what cost. But it also means that if you want to buy specialist ingredients like seitan or hemp milk, you no longer need to go to your local specialist supplier. So, what does Veganuary mean for Beanies?
Well, this year, we’ve decided that in addition to the usual offerings (think fish substitutes, special offers on tofu, and a new range of vegan chocolate!) we’re going to be sharing some of our favourite vegan recipes. Each week, we’ll be uploading instructions for one savoury and one sweet dish to the recipes section of our website.
For us, Veganuary is not just a marketing strategy – it’s about sharing our passion for vegan food. Between us, Beanies co-op members and part-time staff have decades of experience of cooking vegan meals – from hearty seasonal stews to indulgent junk food, from fragrant laksas to surprising meat alternatives (keep an eye out for our vegan haggis recipe in time for Burns Night!).
As part of this, we’re also encouraging you to ask us anything you’d like to know about vegan cooking. Unsure how to prepare tempeh, curious about which kind of tofu works best for a spicy scramble, or frustrated that soya milk always curdles in coffee? Come and talk to us! We look forward to sharing our knowledge of, and love for, all things vegan…