Hampstead is one of the most beautiful areas of London and the *perfect* place to window-shop for the dream house. Nestled near Hampstead Heath overground station, Silverberry Cafe is a must-visit spot. This is a relaxed cafe that serves great coffee and has a really lovely team. If you go, you definitely have to try their signature vegan banana and blueberry bread – it's a work of art! The perfect balance of vanilla & fruit, with a cake-bread texture. 

They've also got outdoor seating for a weekend brunch if you fancy some fuel before exploring the natural beauty of Hampstead Heath.

WAVE | Hackney & Stoke Newington, North East London

For an exclusively vegan experience, I recommend heading  to WAVE Cafe in Hackney or Stoke Newington. I am very passionate about supporting businesses that commit to making their entire offering vegan-friendly - but these guys are also quite adventurous with their menus.

Cafe Van Gogh | Brixton Road, South London

On Brixton Road, South London, Cafe Van Gogh is a pioneering 100% vegan community cafe and non-profit social enterprise. With a focus on ethical practices, they provide employment opportunities for marginalised groups and use fully compostable packaging for any takeaway options. 

They have various options on all-vegan daytime or evening menus, including Sunday roasts (with vegan Yorkshire puddings!).

Yes, you read that right ladies + gents. VEGAN. MAGNUM. Here. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I am absolutely chuffed to bits about this launch because, prior to going vegan, Magnum ice creams were my favourite! They are so indulgent and tasty... so needless to say I was excited to try these. They've been launched in the original classic Magnum flavour as well as the almond version. Surprise surprise, I've tracked down both + have tried them, ready to review for you today. Good times.

Truth is, being vegan has never been easier because we have so many amazing substitutes and just as many incredible and easy recipes being developed alongside them. I'm not much of a recipe follower, I've been cooking for myself for years (ever since I first went veggie at 15) and my style of cooking is just go with the flow and hope for the best. But naturally it's also nice to get some inspiration from others from time to time.

My Ma doesn't hold back when Easter time rolls around. After a bit of a lag after Christmas decorations come down, the bright Spring decor is a welcome sight. Rabbits, chicks, pastels and the Easter tree you can see above are all involved in this yearly spectacle. She goes just as crazy with Easter eggs - I think my record for the number received in one year is 12... The holiday also involves meeting up with the Italian side of the family and eating a lot of food (- seriously, a lot). So, throwing a spanner in the works with this whole vegan situation, just how did I make it work? Simples.

Let's talk chocolate. I recieved a bar of fancy dark chocolate from my family as well as a Choices Caramel Egg. The latter was a real treat - the egg itself came with three beautiful caramel chocs that tasted a bit like Lindt chocolate truffles (big fan) and the egg was slightly caramelly too. I'd never heard of the brand before but was very pleasantly surprised, and I believe they are available at Tesco and Holland & Barratt amongst other places, so you don't have to make a trip to a specialist store to fulfil your chocolately desires. Dreamy.

Food wise, my aunt kindly catered to my needs and made me a vegan shepard's pie for my Easter lunch with sweet potato crust which blew my mind (the Jamie Oliver recipe can be found here). She even made me a vegan raspberry and pear crumble made with vegan butter for dessert. I felt truly spoilt and left their house very food-happy.

A big detterent from going vegan is often the idea of not being able to enjoy food at big family get-togethers and events. Even though I know that not everybody has the luxury of people making bespoke meals everytime you go to their house, you could always bring the main part of your meal with you! You could offer for it to be your contribution to the food on offer, or just for you individually. There should always be veggies and grains like rice or pasta etc. that you can use to bulk up your plate with at these types of reunions, so that it really shouldn't be a problem. The amount of new vegan substitutes that come about day by day amazes me - I even discovered there's such a thing as an all-vegan cheese shop. I know, mind blowing ey.