El Marchador Tacos, Leeds

El Marchador Tacos is the UK’s first all vegan Tequila bar serving up a wide range of beers, cocktails and Mexican junk food. They have kitchens in both Manchester and Leeds. The first time I visited was back in June when they were based in Chida Cantina in Leeds, which they have now taken over completely, and I was lucky enough to eat there again recently.

I was so exciting when I first visited back in June, and I went a bit overboard on the food front! I got loaded fries, "fish" tacos, and my all time favourite snack, plantain chips! The loaded fries were a great portion size, crispy, and the toppings were delicious! 

The fish taco portion was again HUGE for the price! I was never a big fish eater before I became vegan, but the crispiness of the batter and the incredible fishy taste they gave was delicious. I was too full to eat the plantain chips, but the staff were kind enough to put them in a take away bag and I was able to eat them at work the next day. They were still lovely and crisp and their paprika seasoning was perfect.

My friend and I decided to go there for food again on a Saturday afternoon before a wrestling show in town. The bar is set up with outside seating as well as booths and tables inside, and an open kitchen so you can see your food being made.

This time I decided to order a quesadilla with mojo mushroom. Before becoming vegan, like most vegetarians, I absolutely loved cheese, so I am always drawn to vegan dishes with cheese substitutes. The quesadilla did not disappoint, it was crispy on the outside, with lovely molten cheese on the inside, delicious and filling.

I am so grateful to live and work in a city like Leeds with all these new vegan restaurants popping up. El Marchador Tacos not only does amazing food for incredible prices, but they also have a weekly quiz on a Wednesday night (which I am sadly yet to attend) and also run taco Tuesdays where you can get even cheaper food and drinks!

I already have plans to take a couple of my friends there for food in the near future (vegetarian and omnivore). One last thing to say about El Marchador, I would like to emphasise how absolutely lovely the staff in there were when my friend and I visited. We had a great conversation with the barman about wrestling, and the chef who brought our food over was very personable also. I have visited restaurants in the past where staff have seemed almost burdened to serve you, so the friendliness of the staff when we visited was much appreciated.

Find out more about El Marchador by visiting their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/marchadortacos or their website at https://www.elmarchadortacos.com/

Wanderer Junk Food, Trinity Kitchen, Leeds

Wanderer Junk is an all vegan junk food stall currently based in Trinity kitchen.

The first time I visited was in June 2018 when their menu consisted of vegan fried chicken, sandwiches, mac and cheese, and loaded tater tots.

For my first meal, I got the mucky tater tots which were lovely small hash brown type potato bits topped with cheese sauce, bacon bits, scallions, and crispy onions. The food was lovely and extremely filling.

Only a day later, and I was back at the stall and ordered the loaded mac and cheese (bacon bits, scallions, sour cream, and extra cheese). Again, this was delicious! As all the food is made to order, the pasta was cooked perfectly and the cheese sauce was exquisite!

I went back to trinity kitchen a month later, and, after having a little panic attack when I couldn’t find the stall in the same place it was before, I discovered it had moved location and had a different menu now! The new menu consisted of burgers and hot dogs that I was excited to try out.

I went for the Jersey Shore burger which consists of a burger patty, pepperoni, peppers (jabenero!), onions, cheese and tomato jam. It was incredible! I don’t know what the burger patty is made of, but it is so juicy, and red like meat (if that’s what you’re into!). It was displayed without the bun top on so you can see what’s in it, and was really filling. Also, for £10 I got the burger and a can of vegan Bad Co. Boston Tea Party beer, so it’s amazing value as well as being delicious!

I would definitely recommend Wanderer Junk to anyone fancying some tasty junk food, whether you are vegan or not. Along with their great range of food, they also have lots of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and you can upgrade your meal to include chips.

My one piece of advice would be to leave yourself a reasonable amount of time to order your food! Every time I have been there has been a reasonable queue, and as previously mentioned, the food is made to order, so you often have to wait 10-15 minutes.

Eat Your Greens, Leeds

Eat Your Greens is an omnivorous restaurant in Leeds that specialises in local, sustainable food. They have several vegan menu items as well as meat and vegetarian options, and they do vegan Tuesdays every Tuesday from 5pm, where you can get 2 main vegan meals for £10.

My friend and I went on a Tuesday a couple of weeks ago. The restaurant is very open plan with a bar in the centre of the room and lots of table space. There are huge floor to ceiling windows surrounding half the room so the area is lovely, bright, and breezy. As well as being a sit in restaurant, they also have jars of herbs and spices that you can weigh out in paper bags, and they also sell vegetables and some refrigerated food.

We were quickly seated and given menus, with four vegan options. I picked the cauliflower and tahini, which was actually kohlrabi instead of cauliflower the day we went. We also decided to split a side of bread and pea hummus.

To drink we both went for one of the homemade sodas. The options were elderflower or the aniseed flavoured syzygium soda, which we both ordered. The taste of the soda was amazing, sweet yet not overbearing, and the addition of the metal reusable straw is more proof of the environmentally friendly attitude of the restaurant

There was a bit of a wait for our food, but I think this is because it seems to be a reasonably small team of staff, and the restaurant was quite busy. The food is stunningly presented. I had never eaten kohlrabi before but it was delicious, and the combination of all the different flavours and textures on the plate were great. We got the side of bread and pea hummus because we were both starving, but the portions of the main dishes were a decent size so it was probably unnecessary, it was still very tasty though.

For dessert I had the courgette and elderflower cake. Vegan cake can sometimes be quite dry or stodgy, but this was perfectly light and moist. The added jelly pieces were an interesting mix of sweet elderflower and almost balsamic sour, and the rolls of courgette added a nice change in texture.

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I normally frequent cheaper, more junk food type restaurants, so it was a nice change to go to Eat Your Greens and get some healthy, well presented, delicious food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone tempted by high quality, environmentally oriented food. 

Website: https://www.eatyourgreensleeds.co.uk/ Instagram: @eatyourgreensleeds

TheVeganKind Lifestyle Box - June 2018

TheVeganKind was founded in 2013 as a monthly subscription box in the UK. The monthly boxes would contain not only vegan foods, but also non-edibles that you need for a vegan lifestyle. Since 2013, TVK has grown massively, and a long with their monthly lifestyle boxes, they now have beauty boxes on subscription, and a very well stocked vegan online supermarket.

For Christmas last year, my Mother got me a three month subscription to their lifestyle box, and I was so impressed by the content of the boxes, I decided to continue with my subscription! There's nothing quite as exciting as realising your monthly box has been delivered and ripping into it to see what surprises there are to enjoy this time!

Clarana Bunte Schokolinsen

I've seen this advertised and I've always fancied trying them. They taste just like UK chocolate smarties but are 100% vegan! The bag size was huge, so I initially portioned it up and took some to work as a snack, before scoffing the rest of the bag in one sitting at home with family (I did manage to share some!) These are just another example of how easy it is to get alternatives to sweets that we love!
Website: www.clarana.de Instagram: @clarana.vegan

Beanies Flavour Coffee variety pack

These coffee sachets were a lovely treat in the box, I really enjoyed looking forward to each different coffee in the morning as I settled in at work! I made mine with a bit of boiling water and then topped up with hot plant based milk! My favourites were the cookie dough and the chocolate orange. I would definitely recommend this variety pack if you are interested in trying different flavours of coffee or you already love flavoured coffees.
Website: www.beaniesflavourco.co.uk Instagram: @beaniescoffee

Lucuma Magazine Volume 13

This month's non-edible item was a bit different to the usual stuff - it was a vegan magazine! I really enjoyed reading the interviews and looking at the tasty recipes (although I've not had a chance to attempt any yet!). My favourite article in the magazine was the fashion item where the lucky model got to try on loads of amazing outfits and try out all the great vegan food London has to offer!
Website: www.lucuma.co.uk Instagram: @lucumamagazine

Mello Mild Chilli watermelon seeds

As a lover of all things seedy, I absolutely loved these mild chilli watermelon seeds! They were an ideal sized portion and they were seasoned to perfection. One of the reasons I love this subscription box so much is that it helps you to discover delicious brands like this that you might otherwise be unaware of!
Website: www.mellodrinks.co.uk Instagram: @mellomelonjuice

Clearspring organic wholegrain rice cakes - buckwheat and quinoa with seeds and rice syrup

I was a bit apprehensive about these rice cakes, as rice cakes are often very dry, and I thought the addition of seeds to these might worsen that issue. However, I couldn't have been more wrong! I tried one on it's own and it was great - the addition of seeds and rice syrup really gave it a lovely flavour. I then tried one with peanut butter and it was even better. These are great for a nice little snack, especially as they are only 31 calories per cake!
Website: www.clearspring.co.uk Instagram: @clearspringuk

Clearspring Japanese organic matcha shot

Having never tried matcha before, I decided to try this shot with just boiling water. It was lovely, and a nice alternative to my normal fruit tea that I have first thing in the morning.

Website: www.clearspring.co.uk Instagram: @clearspringuk

JOM Organic Fizzy Caramel Sweets

These sweets were incredible! The smell of caramel hits you as soon as you open the packet, and when you eat them it's an explosion of flavour in your mouth - the contrast between the sweet, buttery caramel flavour and the very sour fizz is intense. The consistency of these sweets is amazing too, which is often very difficult to get in vegan sweets.
Website: www.jomorganic.com Instagram: @jomorganic

Purely wild garlic plantain chips

Last but not least, one of my favourite things in the world, plantain chips! I was actually surprised at my self restraint with these as I managed to eat them over a couple of sittings rather than in one go. If you love garlic, these are the crisps for you, the flavouring was amazing which can often be lacking in crisps. I will definitely be looking out for their chips in the future.
Website: www.welovepurely.com Instagram: @welovepurely

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I was really impressed by this month's TheVeganKind lifestyle box. In the past there have been things I've not really enjoyed, but I liked everything this month and would happily try any of the products again. What's also great about this box is that it's suitable for any age or gender, so everyone in the family can enjoy it!

My favourites were probably the plantain chips from Purely and the sweets from JOM. It's always so annoying to find milk powder in amazing sounding crisps, or gelatine in what feels like 99% of jelly sweets, so it's always great to find vegan alternatives to my childhood favourite things.

You can order a TheVeganKind subscription or one off box at https://www.thevegankind.com/

The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival Leeds

Saturday 16th June, Leeds Town Hall

I'd been thinking about attending this event for a while, and about a week ago, I saw an advert on their Facebook page asking for volunteers so I thought, why not! So at 7:50 on Saturday morning, I turned up at the town hall and met my fellow volunteers who were all lovely! We spent the next three hours (doors were at 10:30am) rushing about helping the stall holders set up, filling up the VIP bags, putting up signs, and other bits. I have volunteered for things in the past, and I would say this was the best experience I have ever had! The volunteers, organisers, and stall holders were all cheery (even during the rain!) and it was just a really positive atmosphere.

The layout of the event was really good. All the hot food was outside the town hall, which was nice as it meant people who didn't want to pay to go to the whole festival could still get some vegan food. The main room in the town hall was full of stalls selling non-edibles, such as clothing, candles, make up, perfume etc. Also on the main floor were a kids play room, another room with stalls, and there were some stalls on one of the corridors also. However, my favourite part of the festival was down in the crypt. This was where all the amazing bakery products were including cupcakes, fudge, cheesecake, and savoury pies! Sadly, I wasn't able to buy everything I saw at the festival, but I'll go through everything I had the pleasure of trying.

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Ananda Foods

The first stall I visited was the first stall you saw as you came into the town hall, Ananda Foods. Ananda specialise in gelatine free, vegetarian and vegan marshmallows, and had a wide array available for purchase! They were also running a 10% discount before midday, so I purchased two round-ups, which are huge vegan wagon wheels. I've had the original flavoured one before and it was delicious, so I got one of them and a salted caramel one.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anandafoods/ 
Instagram: @anandafoods

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No Baloney
I then headed outside to the food stalls as I had eaten some toast for breakfast at 7am and not eaten since then. Before heading outside, I told myself I was going to browse the food stalls and not get the first thing I saw, but I couldn't resist! No Baloney were selling "Bubble n' Squeaky Mash" and "Hot Toasty 'Dog-Bite' Wraps" for £3 each, or a combo of one of each for £5.

I got the combo and the food was incredible! The hot dog wraps were delicious, their home made sauce tasted just like pizza sauce. The bubble and squeak came with mustard, sweet chilli sauce, or their own chilli sauce. It was so tasty and buttery, you wouldn't be able to tell it was vegan. The whole dish was amazing and kept me filled up until my evening meal.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nobaloneyuk/ Instagram: @nobaloneyuk

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Cool Jerk Vegan Pies

Headed down to the crypt next to look at all the bakery items. Before turning vegan, I was vegetarian and obsessed with cheese. Whilst at university in Dundee I became obsessed with macaroni pies, so was ecstatic to find a Scottish vegan pie company!

I bought a macaro-nae-cheese pie which I re-heated and ate the next day. It was as comforting as the pies I used to eat up in Dundee, and I will definitely be trying their products again the next time I'm up in Glasgow visiting my brother.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoolJerkVegan/ Instagram: @cooljerkvegan

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Babbaloos Bakery

Whilst volunteering earlier in the morning, I had the pleasure of helping the two lovely ladies from Babbaloos unload all their delicious cakes. As a thank you, they were kind enough to give me a delicious piece of their peanut butter brownie. I ate it the next day and it was incredible. I thought it might be too rich or stodgy, but it was perfect.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babbaloosbakery/

Instagram: @babaloosbakery

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Wildcraft Bakery

Whilst in the crypt I spotted Wildcraft Bakery had a stall. I was already aware of their incredible vegan and gluten free cake range after trying some of their amazing creme egg cake at Easter time. I wasn't aware however that they did savoury food, so I picked up a samosa which I reheated on Sunday and it was just as delicious as their cakes.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildcraftBakery/ Instagram: @wildcraftbakery

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Harper's Candles

I've been meaning to get another Harper's candle ever since I got one in a vegan kind box a couple of years ago. The two ladies working the stall were so helpful and helped me pick out my candle. I went for Daisy Chain in the end as I fancied a reasonably floral, but not too heavy scent.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harperscandles/ Instagram: @harperscandles

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Overall, I had an amazing day at the festival. All the volunteers, stall holders, and guests I encountered were super friendly, and there was just a really positive atmosphere during the whole day. To anyone considering going vegan, or already vegan and wanting to try new things, these festivals are a great place to go. This one was only £5 for a day ticket or £8 for the weekend (as some stalls were only there for one day), and although I haven't mentioned any above, there were lots of free samples including cake, bagels, cheese, and even Besos de oro (a vegan Bailey's alternative!).

I will definitely be volunteering at the next festival they run in Leeds. There is normally a Winter festival along with the summer one, all details will be available

at http://www.yorkshireveganfestival.com/ when announced. 

The Luxury Diner, Trinity Kitchen, Leeds

  

The Luxury Diner is a street food stall based in the amazing Trinity Kitchen in Leeds. My first experience of them was earlier in the year under their old name Slap & Pickle. I'd been following them on Instagram for a few months and finally got to visit them shortly before their first stint in Trinity Kitchen finished.

I was very excited when I discovered they had re-branded and were returning to Leeds so made my way down to Trinity to try out some of their food. One of the great things about this place is the fact that all their food can be made with locally sourced sustainable meat, vegetarian, or vegan.

For my first visit I had a delicious tofu hot dog with cheese sauce whilst I was on my way to a music festival, and I was so impressed, I went back a few days later for some vegan cheesy chips. I don't know how they make it, or what they put in it, but their vegan cheese sauce is amazing!

About a week later, my friend and I needed to get some food before an all day wrestling show, so we headed to Trinity Kitchen. I'd raved about The Luxury Diner so much that she joined me in getting their special loaded vegan fries; chips, cheese sauce, chilli, tofu hot dog chunks, pickle, sauces, and crushed tortilla chips. The food is all freshly cooked, tastes amazing, and so filling! My friend was really impressed by it too even though she is a meat eater.

As I work in the centre of Leeds, on my lunch break last week I decided to go back and get some more vegan cheesy chips. This time, they had the addition of vegan parmesan which made them even tastier. As well as selling many variations of hot dogs and loaded fries, they also have a good range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and they accept both cash and card.

I cannot rate The Luxury Diner highly enough. On the four occasions I have been, I have been served amazing food, and their service has always been really quick. Also, the owners and the rest of their staff are absolutely lovely. They've always been up for a chat and asked how I'm enjoying the food, and they just seem to all really love working there. 

If you want to find out more about The Luxury Diner, you can find them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theluxurydiner/ or visit them in Trinity Kitchen in Leeds.