Gear

Hi,

This summer I shall be introducing a friend to walking, and camping. The only thing is that he's vegan. So has any one got any good suggestions of suitable food for a vegan lightweight backpacker?

Particularly-
Breakfast: I normally have porrige or museli, but obviously the milk is a problem.
Dessert now I really apprieciate my custard and cake or dried fruit. Any ideas for vegan warm and sweat dehyrdated puds?
(lunch and dinner I think are easier, but bright ideas are always welcome)

Cheers, Jon

Jon - email me (paddy_dillon@hotmail.com) and I'll give you the name, address and telephone number of a guy who's a keen long-distance backpacker and also a council member on the Vegan Society. Unfortunately he doesn't have email.

I'm a vegetarian almost vegan hiker. Breakfast cereals/porridge are fine - you can get non-dairy milk made from rice or soya, it doesn't really taste any different to dairy when mixed in with a cereal. You can get it in all the supermarkets, normally in the UHT milk section. It has the advantage that it keeps better than normal milk if you are out camping. There are plenty of soya based mouse like deserts, look for the Alpro brand, normally stored at room temperature in supermarkets with the tin fruit, dried fruit, flan cases etc. If you get stuck, try looking in your local Holland & Barretts or independent 'health food' shop. Dairy free margarine based upon soya or sunflower oils are readily available from the supermarkets, M&S do a good one. Sandwich fillers are the main difficulty for me, apart from something like humous or a vegan cheese replacement there's not a lot to choose from. If you are serving museli, be aware that some contain skimmed milk or whey powder so wouldn't be suitable - just check the ingredients labels.

Hope this helps, you are welcome to contact me directly if you need more advice.

Jon,

Invest in a dehydrator. The best buy I ever made.

Just tell them to stop being awkward and cook them a full English, the Gordon Ramsey approach!!! :o)

I know it's slightly off topic but doesn't it strike you as rather ironic that a council member of the Vegan Society doesn't use email? ;o)

I would have thought that vegans must be catered for some where, possibly American companies might have a larger range?

My brothers don't use email... and they're big meat-eating chefs!

Although I'm not a vegan, I've been a veggie for about 20 years and most of my diet is vegan.

I also use soya milk and Alpro deserts when backpacking. For making up sandwiches I usually take along a tube of vegan mushroom pate. You can buy them from most health food shops and there are a few different types to choose from. They look like a big tube of toothpaste, so are easy to seal up again.

Paddy I know lots of people don't use email but still that a 'senior' (for want of a better word) vegan doesn't use email just seems, to me, to further that steretypical view of vegans being awkward and inflexible!! ;o)

I personally couldn't imagine anything worse than depriving yourself all the things that are so nice (steak, milkshakes, bacon and egg butties etc...)

It is a pitty but not unforseeable that this forum descended into some cheap jibes against people that choose an alternative, healthier, and less cruel lifestyle.

They are not 'cheap jibes'. Just making an observation around the perceived image of vegans ('awkard' etc...)

Regards the healthier bit that's down to personal opinion! I just know that I like meat, milk and cheese too much to be vegetarian/vegan....

Perhaps if people had to do their own rearing and then slaughtering they'd think differently. Like so much in life these days, someone else is paid to do the 'dirty' work. FYI I was awkward before I became vegetarian.

If everybody reared and slaughtered their own meat then farmers would go out of business!!

Hi Jon,

As a man who can cook and i mean that in every way and someone who has catered for vegans many times i can give you some information about foods to take that are a correct balance of rehydrate and fresh produce that will appertise your friends pallate for days on end. fell free to email me.

Drew

When backpacking we can't be bothered cooking brekka or carrying milk so we take flapjacks, either home made or bought from the petrol station. They are basicaly porridge in a bar. Can't say i'm a Vegan so haven't checked ingredients but am pretty sure they are ok. Did you know Altberg make Vegan boots?!