Vegetarian for Life

What do you call a cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese. VegfestUK London reviewed

Posted by Kieran on 08/11/19 in VfL News and Events

At the end of October, the V for Life (VfL) team headed to London Olympia to exhibit at VegfestUK London 2019. After a great success at the Brighton event in March, the team was excited to see what the show would bring for the Mature Zone, VfL's designated area of the event.

Following from the success of its vegan cheese party at VegfestUK Brighton, V for Life decided to hold a similar activity at the London show. The last taster session saw a huge queue descend upon the Mature Zone, eager to try the selection of dairy-free cheeses on offer. This time around proved just as popular.


10 vegan cheeses were showcased:

Daiya Medium Cheddar

Tyne Chease Smoked

Tyne Chease Garlic

Tyne Chease Applewood

Tyne Chease Original

Tyne Chease Provencal

I Am Nut OK Nerominded Black Truffle

I Am Nut OK Minerthreat Smoky Charcoal

I Am Nut OK G.O.A.T. Italian Herb

I Am Nut OK Paparica Spanish Paprika


Those taking part were given a score sheet and asked to rate each sample from 1–5 (with 5 being highest). Each cheese was delicious in its own way and scoring wasn’t easy!

After half an hour or so, the scores were collected and the winning cheeses were:


1st place – Tyne Chease Smoked

2nd place – Daiya Medium Cheddar

3rd place – Tyne Chease Original


We were lucky enough to try the cheeses ourselves and would highly recommend them all.

Stockists

  • Tyne Chease is available online.
  • Daiya is available either online or at Sainsbury’s (check with your local superstore for availability).
  • I Am Nut OK is available online.
  • Stockan's Oatcakes are available online

Cheese enthusiasts might also be interested in VfL Roving Chef, Oliver Bragg's recent experience at a vegan nut cheese masterclass. Find out more, including a free recipe, here.


Following on from the cheese tasting session, VegfestUK London attendees were invited to take the weight off their feet and relax after a busy day, at the VfL snack party sponsored by Eat Real and Perk!er.

After a bustling day themselves, the social event gave the VfL team a chance to speak to the event-goers and discuss all things veggie and vegan!

On the final day, the team invited guests to have a tipple and enjoy a vegan beer courtesy of Black Isle Brewery. We all know it can be tricky to decipher ingredients and figure out if certain brands of beer are suitable for vegans but the Black Isle range is completely free from animal ingredients giving attendees peace of mind as they relaxed after a busy weekend at VegfestUK London.

Other highlights in the Mature Zone included live cookery demonstrations from V for Life Roving Chef, Oliver Bragg. Ollie demonstrated easy and tasty sandwich filler ideas, with great textures and flavours including chickpea 'tuna' sarnies and the ultimate vegan smoked ‘salmon’ cream cheese bagel recipe. Ollie also wowed attendees with nutrient packed salads including seasonal ideas, Panzanella, and Japanese style salads and dressings.

V for Life's Amanda Woodvine and Yasmine El-Gabry spoke about the charity's great work –  including the launch of our inquiry into respect for religious and philosophical beliefs while eating in care.

Last but not least, guest speaker Dr Alicja Baczynska gave a highly informative presentation entitled 'How to avoid age-related decline'.

After an extremely successful weekend, V for Life would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to our attendees, speakers, and event sponsors: Daiya, Tyne Chease, I Am Nut OK, Stockan's, Eat Real, Perkier and Black Isle Brewery. We're already looking forward to VegfestUK London 2020, when VegfestUK London will be moving into the Grand Hall of Olympia London on 14/15 November 2020.

Photo: New merchandise available from the V for Life online store


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