January Afternoon Sunshine (and an empty shopping centre)

🌳☼🌳 

Spot the dog :)

***

The collapse of the High Street retail trade? 

I was walking over to the main shopping centre in the next town - this is on a dry, bright, not very cold Thursday afternoon, at around 4 pm.  Underneath that church spire, above, you can see that the bus station and the bus are empty (my walk took me past it, on a bridge).

Around half the shops have gone - Argos, Pound Shop, bakers', a nail studio, a furniture shop, a shoe shop and many more.  

Before 2020, you'd see more people than this first thing in the morning, or on a Sunday.

Of course, South Park got it exactly right a few years back, in the episode about Amazon.  When there's a strike at the local depot, the boys try to remember where they used to obtain stuff they wanted before.  It's just a couple of minutes long, and very funny!

'Because they previously worked in a mall, 

they've had no human contact for some time'

Me outside Morrisons!  Still no people.

When you're at home all the time (and have been since March 2020...)

You....

• Develop satisfying projects, like re-writing your 200-book-long TBR list in order of preference, or training your eyebrows into a different shape with artful plucking.

• ...or, you notice the forest where your eyebrows used to be, and decide to stop looking in the mirror/not cut your fringe after all.  

• Experience extreme irritation if the shower gel has been put back in the wrong place (and have arguments with other household members about who committed this crime).

• Consider taking the two-minute walk up to local shop... if you can be bothered to go.  Because it means putting on boots, and a coat, and finding that damn mask, and... on the other hand, it is an outing.

• Consider putting on make-up for the occasion then realise that there is no point because the mask will cover most of it and the eyebrow-hiding fringe will cover the rest.

• Dance to the music the washing machine plays at the end of its cycle.

• Start revving up in anticipation of a new picture on the calendar, from about the 26th of each month.

• Have still not read all those books you thought you would have time for.

Are super-chatty to the Asda delivery man, 

to the extent that he has to say, 'Well, I'd better let you get on."

• Have a purse full of notes that have been there for at least six months.  Sometimes you look inside, see coins, and say, "Well, darn it, I wonder what those little bitty things are for?"

• Consider rearranging your bookshelves in colours of the rainbow.

• Get excited about your new tea towels arriving from M&S.

• Order more things you don't really need because it's so lovely to get packages.

• Discover what your real hair colour is.

• Looks at your lipsticks with a tearful nostalgia.  That's the trouble with those damn masks... oh, Mac Ripened and Kinda Sexy, how I miss you!

• Develop peculiar preferences for domestic objects; for instance, a favourite butter knife.  I have a favourite spoon for transferring the coffee from cannister to cup, and am pleased when I find it in the drawer, rather than still unwashed from the last cup.  On the other hand, I do have a back-up second best.  Now, let me tell you about my favourite spoon for transferring small amount of Flora Plant Butter from butter dish to vegetables in colander.  Only when it's spring greens, carrots and asparagus, mind... 

• Are convinced it's Sunday, even though the calendar tells you it's Thursday.  What if you've been forgetting to tear the pages off, though?  How would you know?

• Have long ago stopped listening to the current lockdown rules, and just assume you can't go anywhere or do anything.

• Get excited about a trip to Waitrose, and try on different scarf/jacket/earring combinations.

• Look at your high heels and wonder how you ever wore them.  More to the point, why.

• Feel like the characters on The Walking Dead or whichever series you are currently watching are actually your friends.

• ... and PayPal has become an online friend.

• Develop little routines that must be adhered to.  I am only one step away from having a checklist of things that must be done before bed, order of business for the morning before I start writing, etc.

• Have already bought all suitable items from the 'loungewear' section of M&S Online, and eagerly await the spring collection

• Notice that the week-per-view diary, which used to include lunches with girlfriends/reminders to book trains/hotels/all manner of appointments, etc., now reflects how Alexei Sayle described a leaflet that came through his door entitled 'What's On In Stoke Newington': 'A big sheet of paper with 'fuck all' written on it.'

• (....no, scrap that, I just saw a diary entry for Thursday!  Oh...it says 'wash towels'.)

Thank you to my sister, Julia, for her contributions!

(Please note: I realise that there are far more serious issues connected with the prolonged lockdown.  This is just a bit of fun, to lighten up a dull Monday morning... or is it Wednesday?)  

My Favourite Supermarket Vegan Food

I became an almost-vegan about three and a half years ago.  I stopped eating meat and most animal products overnight, which was very difficult at first—I ate little more than bread, hummus, vegetables and potatoes for the first week.  My problem is that I'm not interested in cooking.  Breakfast is usually fruit with yogurt, muesli or toast, lunch is anything I can put together in five minutes, and dinner is something I can bung in the oven and eat with a ton of vegetables.

About six months after I made the change, veganism became the in thing, and supermarket vegan offerings went from a few meagre shelves that looked as if they were embarrassed to be there, to vast ranges of stuff that actually appeared edible.  Guess what?  Some of it is!  

I've tried so many different items, and arrived at those I do like via a lot of trial, error and chucking away.  The following is by no means a comprehensive list - this is just personal taste, based on the stuff that I buy over and over again.  I hope it will be of use to any other newly converted, cooking-shy vegan!

A few items are soya free, too.

You might be interested in this book, Finally A Vegan by Stephanie Jane, which gives loads of information in a very readable fashion.

 

Alpro Single Soya

Non-dairy single cream - I use it in my coffee every day.  Even nicer if you whisk it with an egg whisk once it's poured in.

 

Asda Free From Single Soya

I didn't think much at first but then I discovered that if you give it a good shake before use it comes out nice and thick, nearly as good as the alpro stuff.

Alpro Soya Strawberry pretend milk

Comes in a pack of three small individual cartons.  It's nice on its own, but I use it on muesli.  Even better if you add a bit of the cream alternative!

 

Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend

Just discovered, from Sainsbury's - great on cereal and nice on its own too :)

Tesco free from Jalapeno and Chilli Cheese

This was my favourite for a long time - love it!  I've tried the other flavours in the range, though, and think they're all horrible.  Like, chuck-them-straight-in-the-bin horrible.

 

Violife Epic Mature Cheddar

My current favourite - great on its own or in sandwiches.  Good texture.

 

Violife Just Like Feta

I adored this when I first tried it, couldn't leave it alone, but then I went off it.  However, I'm still including it in this list, because my change in favour might have because I went OTT with it!

Violife Cheese Slices

They're pretty much like Edam - that sort of texture and taste.  Good on the meat-type vegan burgers (see below), or in sandwiches.

***PS - just discovered the 'mature cheddar flavour' ones, which are much nicer!***

Note: I can't vouch for any of these cheeses cooking-wise - I've only used them 'raw'.

 

Linda McCartney Vegetable 1/4 lb Burgers

My favourite from Day One.  I have one for dinner with vegetables about four times a week (told you I wasn't interested in cooking!).  Best if you put a bit of soy sauce on them; I recommend Morrisons' Tamarin Soy Sauce, which is the best I've tried.

 

Linda McCartney Meatballs

These are nice, but need a bit of soy sauce.  I have them with salad for lunch sometimes.  Also work with a tomato type sauce and pasta/spaghetti (cook them on their own first).  About a hundred times better than the Birds Eye frozen vegan meatballs, which I threw away as soon as I tried one.  Literally, off the dinner plate, and the whole bag gone.  My feelings were echoed by many on the Asda website.

Linda McCartney Rosemary and Onion Sausages 

These are much better than the plain ones, which are too cereal-ish and tasteless, and I don't like the other flavours, either.  My sister makes a fabulous sausage casserole with them (basically, fried onions, tinned chopped tomatoes, potatoes and carrots, with lemon juice and basil). 

 

Richmond meat-free sausages

Someone recommended these to me, and I much prefer them to the Linda McCartney ones.

Morrisons Mushroom Wellington

These are gorgeous.  Again, best cut open, with a bit of soy sauce on the mushroomy bit.  And lots of broccoli and asparagus!

 

Sainsbury's Love Your Veg vegan burger

These are the vegetable type of burger rather than the meat alternative type, but unlike most of them, which tend towards the mushy and tasteless, these are more substantial and quite heavily spiced.

 

Morrisons V Taste Vegetable Korma

The best of their ready meals, I think.  I went off most of the others pretty quickly.  Downside is that it's pretty fattening, over nearly 600 calories, and it's quite small.  

 

Morrisons V Taste Butternut Squash Curry

Butternut Squash is, of course, completely tasteless, and is just 'some stuff' until you put other ingredients with it.  The first time I tried this I thought it was WAY too bland, but a spoonful of mango chutney makes all the difference.  It's a bit stodgy, but quite nice.

Sainsbury's Love Your Veg Very Veggie Curry

Great with peas :)

Meatless Farm Co Mince

By far the best mince alternative I've found.  Makes a great bolognese sauce with the Lloyd Grosman tomato and sweet red pepper sauce; much nicer than the tomato and basil.

 

Goodfellas Falafel Pizza

The best vegan pizza I've tried.  Not fabulous (I haven't had one for some time), and best if you stick some more stuff on it, but it's okay.  I tried putting some of the Violife grated cheese on it, which made it a bit more like pizza!

 

Morrisons V Taste Chicken Pieces

Much nicer than the Quorn ones.  Drier and actually taste nice on their own.  I've had them with those packets of Bird's Eye Steam and Serve rice and vegetable that you put in the microwave for 3 minutes.

 

Like Meat - Like Chicken

I've eaten these with those Birds Eye rice and vegetable things too - again, requires soy sauce!  They need to be fried, and for longer than it says.  The instructions say 6 minutes, I did them for 10.  I haven't tried anything else in the range.

 

Marks & Spencer Plant Kitchen Nutty Wholefood Salad

I've found the M&S vegan range very disappointing - it all looks a lot nicer than it is.  This is good, though; it's also more fattening than it looks!

 

Eat Real Cheezie Straws

Love these!  The rest of the range - veggie straws, hummus chips, etc - are all a bit bland, apart from the quinoa puffs which are WAY too hot, but these are great.

 

Flora Dairy Free Spread

By far the best of all the dairy free spreads I've tried.  I wouldn't buy it at first because of the palm oil thing, but it now claims to use only that which is responsibly sourced.  There is a buttery one which I find a bit sickly; I get the light one which tastes about the same as the original, and is not so fattening

....and just discovered this.... glorious!  Flora Plant Butter. 

 

Soreen Lunchbox Loaves

Less than 100 calories each, come in original flavour, apple, banana and strawberry, and they're GORGEOUS!  Five in a pack.
 

Alpro Pistachio Mousse.

 ~Glorious.  Truly glorious. ~

Coconut Collaborative Choc pots

These are tiny but very rich, and great for when you've got that chocolate craving thing, as they're only 100 calories each!  The banoffee ones are about the same, but the salted caramel are over 120 cals each, and they're TINY.  Of course, the salted caramel ones are the best, but that's just the way it goes!

Asda Free From Strawberry Yogurt

Great taste and texture.  The lemon one is nice too, but this is the best.

I don't think this one (below) is available anymore - haven't been able to get it from Morrisons for ages.

Koko Peach and Passionfruit Yogurt

One of the best - much better than the alpro ones.  I have some over a bowl of blueberries, grapes, strawberries and mango most days, either for breakfast or as 'afters'.

I do like the alpro mango one, though - it's only available in larger pots.

Andros Yogurt

This is nice - just the peach one, the strawberry one tastes too plasticky.  Got it from Morrisons.

Alpro Greek Style Yogurt

I'm pretty underwhelmed by the ordinary alpro yogurts, but these ones are much nicer - good thick white stuff and fruit underneath!

Sainsbury's Strawberry Mousse

Gorgeous!  I could eat this until it came out of my ears, and it's only 111 calories a pot.

 

Morrisons Salted Caramel Crunch

I think this is much nicer than any of the other vegan ice cream I've tried, including a couple of the Ben & Jerry's ones.  I've only got it a couple of times because it's hard to resist once you've got it in the freezer!

 

Nakd Bars 

Good old stand-by, for me.  I only have the Blueberry Muffin (my favourite) and the Berry Delight ones.  I actually get them from Amazon, not the supermarket, because they're much cheaper.

 

Finally - my sister says this is the best spread she's found.  You can get it from Sainsburys.

I will add more if I come across anything else that's particularly nice :)