Planning a vegan Easter

Spring is here. It’s time for longer, warmer days and of course, Easter. There are likely to be lots of new people celebrating a vegan Easter this year, which means many more people looking for plant-based recipes, advice and tips.

Celebrating as a vegan isn’t as difficult as you might think. Supermarkets, online stores and most catering suppliers are now havens for plant-based foods and both the ingredients and cooking possibilities are endless.

When we think of Easter we often think of the chocolate. Milk chocolate obviously contains milk and won’t be suitable for vegans. Most dark chocolate will be vegan, but it’s always worth checking the labels because some have added milk powder or whey. This being said, lots of vegan milk chocolate is available, including Easter eggs. They are usually made with rice milk or coconut milk to create the creamy texture and taste. Good brands to check out are Moo Free and NOMO, both of which are available in high street stores and supermarkets. There are also mainstream brands such as Galaxy and Cadbury offering great vegan chocolate choices.

If you are making things from scratch have a look at the recipes on VfL's website, especially our Easter treats publication, which can be downloaded. I’ve been making the hazelnut truffles recently and they are excellent: indulgent, rich and easy to make.

Your catering supplier is highly likely to have a vegan range. Bidfood stocks a huge range of vegan cakes, chocolates, treats and bakes such as its chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies or premium selection of Belgian Chocolate and Raspberry Torte, which comes pre-cut.

Brakes has lots of options to help keep your Easter vegan, for example its ‘La Boulangerie’ Hot Cross Buns, or indulgent Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake – a two-layered vegan chocolate sponge filled and covered with a vegan chocolate icing. For something a little different, try its Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream Mochi – hazelnut ice cream studded with crunchy pieces of caramelised hazelnuts.

If we think about main meals for Easter we usually think about roast dinners with all the trimmings, but there’s no reason this can’t be veganised. Try this one from our website or Rose Elliot’s Pine Nut & Carrot Roast with Mushroom Sauce found in VfL's Easter treats guide. You could pair this with seasonal vegetables and perhaps this wonderful Leek and Cheese Crumble, using both vegan cheese and cream, which will be available from your catering supplier. Your supplier can probably also provide an arrange of pre-made options, for example Bidfood’s excellent ready to heat Vegan Wellington.

If you’re searching for breakfast inspiration take a look at VfL's Veganising classic dishes guide. You'll find a recipe for a full vegan cooked breakfast, and again catering suppliers have so many new options. I’ve recently seen vegan black pudding on the Brakes website, which would be an excellent part of an Easter treat breakfast.

Happy Easter!