Scotland

[Guest guest]

So, my family won a trip to Scotland. My daughter will be about 20

months when we go... does anyone know the lowdown on vegetarian

options there? I went years ago, but still ate fish then.

 

Also, if anyone has any good resources on travelling with children,

vegetarian eating in Scotland, or fun things to check out, please send

'em this way. (We know we're going to Edinborough, but that's as much

as we've planned so far.)

 

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

If you are vegetarian not vegan you probably will fare ok. We went to

Scotland 4 yrs ago (our honeymoon) but we were in the Western Isles in tiny

villages. Not a lot of vegetarian fare there. Lots of porridge in the

morning though. LOL One day I had mac and cheese for lunch only to be

served it again for dinner (breakfast and dinner were included). I usually

try to avoid dairy. Edinborough should be a bit more metropolitan and

have more choices for you.

 

Jacqueline

 

-

" Catharin Meadors " <bokodasu

" VRG "

Thursday, June 17, 2004 10:50 AM

Scotland

 

 

> So, my family won a trip to Scotland. My daughter will be about 20

> months when we go... does anyone know the lowdown on vegetarian

> options there? I went years ago, but still ate fish then.

>

> Also, if anyone has any good resources on travelling with children,

> vegetarian eating in Scotland, or fun things to check out, please send

> 'em this way. (We know we're going to Edinborough, but that's as much

> as we've planned so far.)

>

> Thanks!

>

>

>

>

> For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

>

> edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Catherine,

 

Vegetarian options are ubiquitous in the UK (they're

way ahead of us), particularly if you are lacto-ovo. I

became vegan while living in England, and found that

Scotland was the same as far as options for eating

out. We ate at pubs and packed picnics a lot. My

favorites:

 

baked " jacket " potato with baked beans (you can get it

with or without cheese and/or butter). These are

everywhere.

 

hummus sandwiches are available in many shops, as are

other vegetarian (mainly not vegan) sandwiches.

 

hummus from a grocery store (Sainsbury's, Tesco, or

Marks and Spencer) with a baguette and pre-packaged

salad

 

Vegetable pasties (from the chain bakeries) are

generally vegan.

 

marinated tofu pieces (Sainsbury's, Tesco, or Holland

and Barrett) eaten out of the package (they're fried,

and very, very tasty)

 

felafels are served at many fast-food (not chain)

restaurants, and felafel patties can also be bought at

the grocery stores pre-prepared if you want to make

your own sandwiches.

 

Generally the nice restaurants almost all have good

veggie options, and some are/can be made vegan. Just

ask. They have more vegetarians per capita.

 

Other than the grocery stores, be sure to go into the

health food stores (the main chain is Holland and

Barrett), which have prepared snacks and meals (many

vegan).

 

Be sure to find some vegan haggis while you are there.

If you can't find it in a restaurant, get the canned

version--it's interesting!

 

Please let me know how it goes. We have our first baby

on the way and plan to travel to the UK when he/she is

15 months.

 

Barbara (sorely missing the UK at the moment)

 

 

--- Catharin Meadors <bokodasu wrote:

> So, my family won a trip to Scotland. My daughter

> will be about 20

> months when we go... does anyone know the lowdown on

> vegetarian

> options there? I went years ago, but still ate fish

> then.

>

> Also, if anyone has any good resources on travelling

> with children,

> vegetarian eating in Scotland, or fun things to

> check out, please send

> 'em this way. (We know we're going to Edinborough,

> but that's as much

> as we've planned so far.)

>

> Thanks!

>

>

 

 

=====

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[Guest guest]

Catharin,

 

Lucky you to be going to Scotland! What a beautiful place. You'll love it.

 

I took my four-year-old son to London in March, by myself (my husband stayed

home with our animals), and we had a great time. There's a world of difference

between a four-year-old and 20-month-old, but I can give you some general

advice.

 

1. First of all, don't be unrealistic about you can do and see in a day. Be

prepared to scale back your plans, to accommodate your child's moods, food

needs, and sleep patterns. Don't overplan.

 

2. Don't expect to see too much of what you and the other adults in your party

want to see. I had lived in London before our son was born and know it well but

had never focused on the children's activities. It was actually fun for me to

learn about and experience what was available for my son. And I left my

favorite museums, theater, shopping, etc. for another trip.

 

3. Rely on take-out shops for meals (there's a good chain in England called

Pret-a-Manger; don't know if it's in Scotland). You can eat in your hotel room

or have a picnic in a park. Don't expect to eat in any gourmet restaurants, and

if you do go to a restaurant for dinner, be sure it's *early*. And remember

that the smoking laws are different in Europe from what we're used to here.

 

4. I have found that it's easier being vegetarian in England than in rural

Massachusetts! There's a huge and enthusiastic vegetarian and animal protection

movement there. I would assume Scotland is similar (just stay away from the

haggis).

 

5. Don't go anywhere without your stroller! My son hadn't used his for a

while, but I took it anyway and was I glad I did. Of course, with a younger

child, you'll depend on yours even more than I did. As hard as it was to drag

it around, my trip would have been very different without it. And don't assume

you can buy a cheap umbrella stroller in the U.K. equivalent of Wal-Mart if you

need it. They don't seem to sell them, at least not that I could find (not to

mention that I don't think there's a Wal-Mart in London!). Plus, the dollar is

so weak against foreign currencies right now that I really thought about every

purchase I made, so it was worth the trouble to take our stroller on the plane

even though it had to be checked as oversize baggage.

 

6. If you buy a " Traveling with Your Children to XXX " book (there are many --

check out Amazon), be sure the book covers the age group of your child. I

bought one that looked good but the author's children were teenagers. Didn't

help me much with my four-year-old.

 

7. Finally, find a good playground and plan to spend a lot of time there. The

playgrounds in London were a lifesaver for me. They were excellent and safe.

We usually ended our day at one, just to give my son time to run around in

circles and tire himself out. And the playgrounds we went to had separate

toddler areas that were great for the little ones.

 

I hope some of this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll pass it along.

 

Terry

 

 

 

 

 

Also, if anyone has any good resources on travelling with children,

vegetarian eating in Scotland, or fun things to check out, please send

'em this way. (We know we're going to Edinborough, but that's as much

as we've planned so far.)

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Terry's post made me think of something....

 

I used to live in England and Scotland, pre-children, so I'm also not

accustomed to thinking about child-centered activities there. But in

London, at least, there are public " creches " where you can go any day

of the week which are a kind of parent-tot haven. I think some might

even let you leave your child for short periods of time. They would be

good resources for child-friendly time (and advice), I would think, if

Edinburgh has them too.

 

And personally, I loved the veggie haggis! But that's in January. I

don't know if you can find it off-season.

 

Liz

[Guest guest]

Quick thanks for the email that let me know about the veg*n south beach

group!

Thank you.

 

As for travel with a little one:

I did a lot of flying alone with my son when he was about 19 and 20

months. We were in the process of buying a home and moving across the

country; he and I had to do most of the leg work while dh wrapped up

things at the old job.

 

Just a couple plane tips:

* try to wear sandals. the floor is not a place you want ds to walk

around in bare feet, and you may need to walk. as for shoes, ds may

want them off during the long flight, and they can be tough to get back

on once his feet swell at 30,000 feet.

 

* bring some new, quiet toys for surprises on the plane (nothing with

pieces to fall on the floor where it is tough to reach under the seat).

my ds loved a new magna doodle (with the little magnet stampers put

away until we arrived). as for things falling under the seat... any

toys you can leash to you or him--anything so you are not trying to

climb under the seat--is a help.

 

* don't forget food on the plane. not just snacks that you bring, but

you can request veggie or vegan meals from most places. my ds loved the

fruit plate (but it led to very wet diapers on the journey).

 

* try to have a drink ready for the trip up and down. snacking,

sucking, swallowing--it all helps pop little ears.

 

* we took red eyes when we could. it doesn't work for everyone, but he

could at least sleep for a big part of the trip east (it did mean an

extra nap or two once we arrived, but I wasn't going for a vacation, so

I was happy for him to sleep a little more. It also helped with jet

lag, because I could put him to bed early.

 

* I know someone else mentioned an umbrella stroller..it made the trip

so much easier. Even if he wouldn't ride in it, I would put all of our

stuff in it and use it to get across the airport when we had to change

planes. this was about 3 yrs ago (pre-9/11), so I don't know if you can

bring bungee cords on the plane now... but I would often bungee cord

his car seat into the stroller, throw a bag on top, and then just have

to deal with getting him and my backpack through the airport. The

umbrella stroller can be gate checked so you have it on any layovers,

and it also makes a good place to nap.

 

That's all I can think of right now. I know there was more, but I've

rambled enough. Hope this helps.

 

-Cindy