Vegan friendly Lancaster

Okay, since the success of my recent post reviewing my favourite 10 vegan friendly places in Manchester, I thought I'd give another city dear to my heart a go, Lancaster. I'm not going to include Morecambe in this as I haven't been there properly since I was a kid. If you have never been to Lancaster before, please go. You will love this big historic hippy city (okay, it's small for a city, but it is very hippy). Visit the Castle and Williamson Park, and the canal, and the Lancaster Museum, and Dalton Square, and of course some of my vegan friendly suggestions here. Again the list changes all the time, and there's places I still haven't tried, and there will be new places set up every now and again. I'd like to dedicate this blog post in memory of Bohemian Wraps, one of the best places to go for vegan lunch in Lancaster which closed down last year. Here's 10 of my favourite vegan friendly places to visit in Lancaster:

10. Pizza Margherita

This place isn't the world's most vegan friendly restaurant, but if you order their vegetarian pizzas without cheese, they're vegan and they do serve vegan ice cream for desert. I haven't been to this place in years, but it still seems to have the same menu. The service is good and the food isn't bad either.

Website: http://www.pizza-margherita.co.uk/

9. The Novel Cafe

This is a really nice coffee shop in the heart of Lancaster that also sells lots of great second hand books. There is a children's area and internet access. They serve soya milk with hot drinks. You can also get fruit juices and other soft drinks. Very reasonable prices. All in all, a great coffee shop.

8. Lush Lancaster

As ever, Lush cosmetics, 100% vegetarian and over 90% vegan offer great vegan cosmetics and toiletries. The last year has seen them fight proposed laws that will force the ingredients of their products to have been tested on animals. Lancaster has had a Lush for around the same amount of time as their campaign against animal testing, around about a year or so. If you fancy a nice relaxing treat, have a try of one of their bath bombs!

Lush Lancaster Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LushLancaster
Lush website: https://www.lush.co.uk/

7. Go Burrito

Go Burrito is a cheap fast food cafe that serves burritos (oh you guessed that did you?). There are plenty of vegan options, and they are all yummy. They also do nachos too. You can sit in or takeaway, or order for delivery. They do catering as well and are soon to open a cafe. Open 11am until very late at night, this is the perfect fast food option on a night out in Lancaster.

Website: http://www.goburrito.co.uk/

6. Health'n'Brew

In a nutshell, this is Lancaster's independent answer to Holland & Barrett (and that's with Lancaster having the largest Holland & Barrett in Lancashire and South Cumbria). Like most independent healthfood and wholefood shops these days, Health'n'Brew stock from Suma, the country's largest workers co-op, a wholesaler which deals in vegetarian products. That fact instantly makes it better and more ethical than Holland & Barrett. I first noticed this place when I first tried a sugar free diet (it didn't last long unfortunately), and noticed that they sold Plamil sugar free chocolate spread, which is great for sugar free. Reasonable prices, and by the looks of it are 100% vegetarian.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourHealthStore
Website: http://www.youronlinehealthstore.co.uk/

5. The Sultan of Lancaster

Situated 2 minutes walk away from Lancaster's famous Dalton Square and Lancaster Town Hall, The Sultan is a great curry house, which offers a little more than what you usually expect at an ordinary curry house. I believe it to be run by Muslims so the entire restaurant is alcohol free and as a teetotaller I love that fact, plus it makes it a bit more children friendly. As you entire, you will notice how beautiful the building is. It looks like it was once a church, or at least a church hall (could some from Lancaster clarify this for me please?). Excellent service, excellent food, good starters, good mains. Plenty of choice for vegans, but they do also serve meat and diary products.

Website: http://www.sultanoflancaster.com/

4. The vegetarian food stall at the Charter Market

Okay so I can't find any photos or website for this as it's just a guy selling vegetarian food twice a week at the Charter Market. He does lovely falafel wrap with good salsa. He also does good vegan potato cakes. You can watch them all be fried for you in from of your eyes. Brilliant. Usually found outside Lancaster library on Wednesdays and Saturdays in a green trailer. He's a really nice guy as well.

Lancaster Charter Market website: http://www.lancaster.gov.uk/community-and-living/markets/charter-market/

3. Dominick's @ The Gregson Centre

There is one reason to go to The Gregson to eat and that is vegan pizza complete with vegan cheese. Amazing stuff. They also sell Lancaster Brewery vegan bottled beer. It's not in the city centre either, just a short walk on the way to Lancaster Cathedral. I like to go here on birthdays as it's one place that's open late into the evening. Lots of people just go there to drink as well. The Gregson Centre has a hall at the back where bands play and other events happen every now and then. Upstairs they have their own cinema, which if you bring enough people and your own DVD you can watch whatever film you like for free there. Next door is Donimick's takeaway where they sell the same food but for takeaway. The main downside is they do serve meat and diary products.

Dominick's website: http://www.dominickatgregson.com/
The Gregson Centre website: http://www.gregson.co.uk/

2. Whale Tale Cafe

The first ever vegetarian cafe I ever visited. My parents used to take me here a lot before I was vegetarian and before I knew that it was a vegetarian cafe. Here you'll find the best vegan breakfasts in Lancaster. They've even won a PETA award for the best vegan breakfast in the UK, although I don't quite agree. It is good though. The Whale Tale salad is easily the best salad I've ever had. Actually it's a selection of different salads, and not just your usual salads either. If it's good weather when you visit this place, I'd advise having your food out in the back in the garden. I usually can't resist a tofu BLT with vegan garlic mayonnaise. Followed by an amazing vegan chocolate cake of course, with vegan ice cream obviously.

Website: http://www.whaletailcafe.co.uk/

1. Single Step Wholefood Co-operative

Down a busy side street full of cafes, charities shops, hairdressers and a pub there is an alleyway. Down the alleyway there is a shop. This is no ordinary shop. This is a non-profit workers co-operative selling ethically sourced wholefood goods. This is the best treasure in Lancaster.

So like Unicorn Grocery and 8th Day featured highly on my top 10 in Manchester, a 100% vegetarian wholefood co-op features highly on my list of vegan friendly places in Lancaster. Nowhere cares more about how our food is sourced and sold to people than independent wholefood shops. Single Step has been around since the mid 1970s, making it one of the oldest surviving co-operatives in the region, if not the country. Single Step own the entire building they sit in, which also includes the Whale Tale Cafe and Lancaster Resource Centre (aka LaRC).

You can buy herbs and spices by weight at Single Step. You can buy lots of fresh bread, fruit and vegetables. You can buy vegan chocolates and sweets, lots of different vegan milks, vegan cheeses (including Vegusto), vegan condiments and oils, vegan fake meats, vegan ice cream, vegan toiletries, etc etc etc. They sell a range of vegan and vegetarian cook books. There are 2 magazine racks full of left-wing & anarchic magazines, animal rights & vegan magazines, permaculture magazines, etc. At the start of the shop there is very large notice board full of notices for all sorts of radical things happening in and around Lancaster. Opposite there is a large display of leaflets advertising lots of local groups and events. Single Step is a special place.

Website: http://singlestep.org.uk/