visit to London

[Guest guest]

Hello all - I recently returned from a visit to London and I have some vegan friendly tips to share. There was a discussion not long ago about Sheese cheese. Well, it's not easy to find. I checked three Sainsbury stores, a Waitrose store, and several small health food stores and no luck. The only place that had it was the brand new mega Wholefoods. That's right, Wholefoods is now in the UK and it's like no other. They took over a huge department store in Kensington - four floors, one a food court that rivals Harrods. It's quite a sight and I recommend a visit. Plus you can get Sheese, which is delicious! 63-97 Kensignton High Street, W8 5SE, http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/UK/ Whenever I travel I don't care much about fancy meals, I'm just happy to find food I

can eat. But I had an unexpected treat at a vegan restaurant called, 222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant located in West Kensington. It's a small, cozy place in an offbeat neighborhood, which takes a bit of effort to get to but worth it. I had the best wild mushroom risotto - creamy and full of flavor, but not too complex like Millennium can be. As with everything else in London, it's pricey (around $18-$20 for an entree), but the portions are generous (if you can't take leftovers with you, bring a big appetite). I highly recommend this place, it's not to be missed. 222 North End Road, W14 9NU, http://www.222veggievegan.com/ If you're in Covent Garden, Neal's Yard is not too far away. Their fare is more basic, but filling and they have baked goods as well, although, not that great, but in a pinch. If you want to save money, take food to go and eat it right there in the courtyard.

Around the corner on Short's Gardens is a small health food store where you can stock up on nuts, dried fruit, crackers, and other snack foods. (Warning: most of the nuts are imported from China, so you might want to avoid those if you have issues w/China.) Most of the grocery stores, both large and small, as well as Boots stores, have these delicious prepacked vegan sandwiches to go. They are called Bugsey and are made with hummus, shredded carrots, and some kind of lettuce we hadn't heard of, on whole wheat bread. These are great to pick up at the start of the day to have for lunch later while you're on the road. They are just over $4. If anyone is going to London in the near future, I hope these tips are helpful to you. Cheers - Moya

Our first duty to our little brothers and sisters, the animals, is never to do them any harm. Our responsibilities do not end there, however. We are obligated to help them whenever they require it. – Saint Francis