Gone are the days that people who opted to be vegans had to stick to eating salads when going out for dinner or lunch. There is now a big increase in options and restaurants where you can enjoy from meat-free to dairy-free and gluten-free meals and snacks. Many may argue that all those new trends are only making a day out a fun killer, however, those, like me, who suffer from food intolerances, not only welcome the variety of options but are also happy that the alternatives are not tasty-free.

'There is no fish in our Fish and Chips'

This month, the first vegan fish and chips restaurant opened its doors in London, the Guardian reported.

Daniel Sutton, the owner of 'Sutton and Sons,' started this venture after an experiment earlier in the year that proved so popular that he decided to open a complete vegan fast food cafe.

The famous 'fish' is made from banana blossom marinated in seaweed and the sea plant samphire, to give it a fishy taste. In spite of serving vegetarian sausages and burgers, the 'fish' is getting all the attention in the cafe.

The popularity had taken the owners by surprise but the profitability is yet to be seen as healthy ingredients are much more extensive than ones used to cook traditional fast food meals.

It bleeds but is not meat

Beyond 'fish,' animal-free meat is now more accessible and easy to find.

Since July this year, for example, consumers in the UK can find 'The Patty' a British burger created in the lab by Moving Mountains Foods.

The plant-based burger is made from coconut oil, wheat, and soy, potatoes, mushrooms and it contains beetroot juice, which makes it 'bleed' like traditional meat. Similar characteristics to the American one, already popular in the US: Beyond Burger.

If in the UK, don't forget to check Moving Mountains Foods' Twitter account as they keep updating the locations where you can the vegan burgers, some of them only for a limited period of time.

A burger to toast on the international vegetarian day

The bleeding vegan burger even proved popular on the International Vegetarian Day on October 1 this year but these burgers are after a bigger share in the market.

If you are wondering why a vegan or vegetarian would like to eat a burger that bleeds, the answer is that the new plant-based burgers are not preaching to the converted. They want to become a healthy option for meat eaters who want to enjoy a hormone and cholesterol-free burger that is also tasty and juicy.

Popularity?

In the US, the plant-based meat Beyond Burger is currently sold in more than 8,000 grocery stores but the demand has been so big that they had to leave its original factory in Missouri for another one three times the size.

It also expects to sell its burgers in 50 countries by the end of this year.

In the British market, a wide range of meat-free burgers options can be found from supermarkets to restaurants. Veg News.com reported October 8, that the Dutch brand Viviera, for example, debuted its newest product, the Veggie Quarter Pounder during the first weekend of October.

Vegan or not, the plant-based burgers are worth a try, I tried mine in Florida last year and I would happily repeat the experience in one of the restaurants in London.
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