Author: Clare

Cruelty free cook, crafty lady, obsessive reader, animal babysitter, and mistress of lego

Good Vibes Falmouth, More Awesome Cornish Vegan Food

On By ClareIn Cornwall, Falmouth2 Comments

Unlike our usual trips, which turn into a mad dash to try every vegan option in the local area, we didn’t eat out all that much on our recent visit to Cornwall. Kate covered the Copper Spoon in Marazion in her post which leaves Good Vibes in Falmouth for me.

As we hadn’t been to Falmouth for over a decade I googled for a dog friendly cafe with vegan options before we set off and Good Vibes appeared. Thank goodness I had because the weather was foul. Blowing a gale, showers on and off. It didn’t take much to persuade us inside. Anything with a roof and four walls would have done right then. The place was very welcoming with its brightly painted walls, funky furniture and, of course, the coffee machine. The staff happily confirmed that Watson was allowed inside and in we went.

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At this point it stopped raining. We barely noticed because we’d started to read the menu. Even if the sky broke into unseasonal sunshine we were going to stay. How can you resist Almond Butter, Chocolate, and Chia Seeds on Toast (Kate’s Choice) or a Vegan Breakfast that includes avocado, hummus and home made baked beans (my choice)? You can’t. Silence descended as our food arrived. Kate was especially uncommunicative, trying to eat her masterpiece of toast. My Dad had the home made baked beans on his meaty plate and we both praised them. So delicious. Then there was the hummus, and the avocado and the oil drizzled toast, and well just everything. We practically rolled back to the car and promised to go back next time we were in Falmouth.

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Good Vibes on Facebook

Visiting Visto Lounge

On By ClareIn TorquayLeave a comment

Visto Lounge – part of the Lounges chain – has been a staple of vegan eating in Torquay since it first opened. There is a full vegan menu available including brunch, tapas, larger dishes and some deserts, though I’m told the chocolate torte is often sold out. Why has it taken so long for me to try it for the blog then? Well mostly because the menu doesn’t appeal to the other half. Most of the vegan options involve sweet potato, falafel, avocado and/or black beans in different combinations. Which gives you a good selection of options unless you don’t like any of those things.

So I went alone. The location is one of the best in town, with a view of Torre Abbey sands available from the huge windows or the outside seating. It’s also dog friendly, perfect for when my Dad comes to visit with his Doggo. The decor inside combines industrial elements with well worn, mismatched Cafe furniture. It looks great but the high ceilings make it super loud. Fun, but not a great place for an in depth chat or a romantic dinner.

I ordered the Sweet Potato Falafel Burger (two out of the four!) which came with vegan slaw and fries. The fries came in a mug even though there were clearly more fries than space in the mug. Just put it on the plate guys. That’s not my only complaint about the chips. I found them incredibly greasy, and left feeling a little queasy. The rest of the food was great. Which made the chips even more disappointing. The burger was just right. The sweet potato falafel patty tasted great especially with the added crunch from the gherkin and lettuce. The beetroot hummus pulls everything together. It’s probably one of the best burgers in town.

I’m definitely going to go back to Visto Lounge but with realistic expectations. The menu isn’t as diverse as it looks and the quality of the food is hit and miss. What will keep me going back though is the location, and the place being dog friendly.

Sampling Linda McCartney’s Christmas Offering: Vegetarian Beef Roast With Red Wine & Shallot Glaze

On By ClareIn productsLeave a comment

Christmas is coming and the pestering has started. We’re asked almost every other day what we’ll be having for Christmas dinner. We’re going to my in-laws this year. That means spuds and vegetables are taken care of and we just need to provide a meat substitute. So it’s time to get sampling.

This week we’ve tried the Vegetarian Beef Roast that’s new to the Linda McCartney range this year. It comes in it’s own roasting thin so it can easily slide in the already full Christmas Oven. When it’s done you turn it out and out plops your beefy roast, glazed and ready to be carved. I was pleased to be able to get the slices nice and thin, like roast beef.

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Beefy?

So what of the taste? Fairly beefy, though it still has a beady texture. If you looked at the picture and think it looks like a loaf shaped version of the sausages then you would be right. I wasn’t a fan of the glaze, I found the red wine overwhelming, but you can’t really taste it unless you are nibbling along the bottom edge.

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Roast Dinner

It’s edible, and it’s not unpleasant but it didn’t exactly blow me away. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t the worlds greatest fan of beef in the first place. I wouldn’t mind eating this again and unlike a lot of the other Christmas roast options it’s easy to find in regular supermarkets but it’s not going to win a spot on out Christmas plate.

The White Rabbit Pizza Co. Smokin’ Vegan

On By ClareIn productsLeave a comment

When we hear about a vegan product being launched in the UK we just sort of assume it will take a while to filter down here to Devon. So I heard about these pizzas long before I got to try one. The White Rabbit Pizza Co. makes gluten free pizzas, two of which are vegan. One of them has made it onto the shelves of our local Sainsbury’s.


Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way. This is not a low cost vegan option. When I got mine it cost £5 which is about the same as a chilled Pizza Express pizza. It’s the same sort of size too. As it’s vegan, gluten free and organic it’s going to cost a bit more to make but that does mean I can’t afford it all that often. 


Let’s talk taste, then. I was pleased with the amount of toppings. Pepper and olives will always make me happy. The cheese didn’t taste all that smokey to me, disappointing because I love smokey cheese, but it is nice and creamy. As for the base, well you have to remember that it’s gluten free. It’s not a chewy, bready base. It’s rather cracker like but it is tasty. 

All in all it’s a solid weeknight meal option.