A question that I get asked A LOT is how to find restaurants that have vegan options when going out for meals with your friends / family. Considering I have recently returned from traveling Australia I thought that talking about some of my favourite vegan restaurants there would help those of you who live in Australia or anyone who is planning on visiting! My top 10 are categorised by city - Sydney, Perth or Melbourne as they're the places I found the best vegan food! If you want to see What I Eat in a Day videos from these three cities plus many more then head over and subscribe to my youtube channel here, and keep a look out over the next few weeks!! Note that none of these are in any order, I love them all equally!

SYDNEY

Sydney was a vegan dream, with Newtown being the place to be! Home to all the vegan restaurants you could ever want, an indie-but-not-quite-yet-pretentious vibe and only 10 minutes from central station, Newtown became my home during my stay and I definitely will be going back in the future! I have 4 of my top 10 restaurants in Sydney, and every single one of them is in Newtown so that really does speak for itself. 



THE BEST VEGAN PIZZA 

1. BASIL & GIGI'S - NEWTOWN

Luckily as soon as I arrived in Sydney, I was invited to a meal with some other vegan girls I knew off of twitter and instagram (social media really is a wonderful thing), and we headed straight to Basil Pizza in Newtown. I had been told by them that this place did the most amazing vegan pizza and so I was so excited to go there! We ordered half and half pizzas of almost every vegan topping (Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Margherita, Potato & Rosemary and Animal Lovers - Ham, Pepperoni & Tofu) however after waiting in anticipation for the pizza to come out we were told that the pizza oven had broken!!! You can imagine how devastated we were! Luckily they managed to salvage 2 of the pizzas, one half Pepperoni / half Hawaiian, and one Margherita (which was eaten so fast I didn't even get a picture). The staff were so lovely and gave us both for free because of the inconvenience, meaning we went on to another restaurant (pictured below) but the pizzas we did have were INCREDIBLE!! I don't know what meat substitutes or cheese they used but they tasted amazing! Definitely one of the best vegan pizzas I have ever tasted and I definitely have to go back one day to try all the toppings! You can view the menu here. 



2. GIGI'S - NEWTOWN

The other vegan pizza restaurant I visited was Gigi's, a renowned pizzeria that turned 100% vegan in September. This restaurant is so popular that there is a constant line out of the door, luckily I only had to wait about 20 minutes to get in when I visited! Unlike Basil Pizza, they don't feel the need to recreate the 'classics' but instead make their own incredible flavours (you can view the menu here). I had the Patate - thin sliced roasted potato, garlic, rosemary and black truffle paste, (pictured below), it was absolutely delicious! If you're looking for pizza for a special occasion then I would highly recommend Gigi's, the sophisticated atmosphere and exquisite flavour combinations are unbeatable. For a lunch date with your friends or a weekend pick-me-up, then Basil pizzeria is the place for you! 

After the unfortunate occurrence at Basil Pizza we all decided to go to an Asian buffet instead called Green Gourmet. Green Gourmet is a 100% vegan buffet that has a wide range of dishes both on the extensive menu or in the buffet! For the buffet, which is what we did, you just load up your plate, weigh it and pay for how much you select! Its delicious, easy and affordable making it the perfect place to visit for lunch or dinner! The selection of food I got from the buffet (pictured above) included the most AMAZING barbecue pork!! Oh man seriously if you are in the area, this is somewhere you HAVE to try! They also have a supermarket next door selling all vegan foods, including cakes, desserts and frozen versions of their food for you to cook at home! You can check their menu out here. 

You can find Green Gourmet at 115 King Street, Newtown NSW

3. SADHANA KITCHEN - NEWTOWN - 100% VEGAN

Now if you have ever looked on the instagram accounts or watched videos from vegans such as Bonny or Earthling Maxi you will have heard of Sadhana Kitchen. Known for its wholesome, instagrammable vegan food it was somewhere I knew I had to go whilst in Sydney! The cafe itself has such a welcoming vibe, and beautiful decor that even without the incredible food it would be the perfect place to lunch with friends or take your non-vegan family. But then you get a glance at the menu... which lead to me taking a good 15 minutes to decide between what I wanted (which was everything). I finally decided on the 'vegan eggs benedict' (pictured above) which consisted of rye bread, mushrooms, COCONUT BACON - which is honestly life changing in itself and avocado topped with homemade hollandaise sauce, it was delicious! I also went for a bright pink smoothie and of course a salted caramel coco whip, because who could resist?! If I ever go back I can't wait to try the raw crepes, pitaya bowl and every slice of raw cake they have! I would seriously recommend this place, its a bit on the pricey side but you definitely get what you pay for! You can check out their website here for more info.

You can find Sadhana Kitchen at 147 Enmore Road, Enmore NSW

4. GELATO BLUE - NEWTOWN

If I could bottle happiness I would have endless bottles full of the very moment I walked into Gelato Blue for the first time. This place is revolutionary! Honestly, picture a vegan dessert heaven and then you have Gelato Blue. They have over 10 vegan ice cream flavors (including Peanut Butter Brownie, Choc Hazelnut Crunch and After Dinner Mint) as well as brownies, cookies, donuts, cakes, just everything you could EVER want! The first time I went I got a warm brownie with peanut butter brownie ice-cream, a waffle cone and chocolate fudge sauce *insert heart eye emoji*, and then the second time I got a popping candy donut, chocolate hazelnut crunch ice cream and coconut ice cream (IT WAS AMAZING). If you are ever in Sydney this place is your first point of call, and your second point of call.. and your last point of call, just seriously go there, you will thank me! You can check them out here, and drool over their instagram here. 

You can find Gelato Blue at 318 King Street, Newtown NSW

Melbourne was actually my favourite place that I visited in Australia, and part of this was due to the fact it was the home to Smith & Deli. Much alike Sydney, Melbourne had its own alternative suburb that was home to an abundance of vegan cafes, called Fitzroy, with Brunswick Street being particularly vegan friendly. I practically lived in Brunswick Street when I was in Melbourne as it had the most amazing atmosphere, people, and of course food!! 

The place of all vegan dreams is Smith & Deli... which I hadn't actually heard of before the vegan meal in Sydney where we all spent about an hour scrolling through their instagram and crying over the fact they sold VEGAN CROISSANTS??!!! Unfortunately I didn't get any croissants when I went to Smith & Deli BUT I did get a tuna and cheese toasted sandwich .... twice. Tuna and cheese toasted sandwiches was my favourite food EVER before I was vegan so as soon as I saw this on the menu I had to get it! And it did not disappoint, it was so delicious that I went back right before my flight and bought another so I could take it on the plane to Perth with me, I know I really am a genius. But for real, Smith & Deli is a 100% vegan deli (and bakery, and shop) that sells anything you could ever want, from meatball sandwiches, to BLTs, to pizza, to donuts and PAVLOVA - vegan pavlova!!! I don't know how they do it but I do know that it is possibly the best thing to ever exist and you have to go there immediately! 

You can find Smith & Deli at 111 Moor St, Fitzroy VIC

I discovered this place on my last day in Melbourne and thanks to a new friend I made at the noodle night market the night before! Once again on Brunswick St, this place is incredible! It has so many vegan options that are both affordable and delicious, such as the vegan nachos with cashew cheese that I had! The best thing about this place though is the communal seating areas! This is perfect if you are traveling as you can chat to the people around you but also great if you are going with your friends or family as there is ample space for everyone and also so much room to make new friends! You can check out their website here if you want to see the menu and find out more information. 

You can find Vegie Bar at 380 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC

7. DOLLY'S SISTER - GEELONG - 100% VEGAN

This place was a saviour for me, for the entire month and a half of traveling before I arrived in the Melbourne area I was CRAVING vegan mac and cheese, and then I found this place in Geelong just before I was about to leave for the airport and IT HAD MAC AND CHEESE! This mac and cheese was honestly the creamiest, cheesiest vegan pasta that I had ever had and it was absolutely incredible! Not only was the food amazing here (I also had chocolate cake for dessert and a smoothie) the atmosphere was just so chilled! Everyone that worked at Dolly's Sister was so welcoming and friendly, and the whole cafe was plastered with vegan activism posters which I found incredibly cool. If you ever find yourself in Geelong I highly recommend this cafe, and you can find out more info here. 

You can find Dolly's Sister Cafe at 221 Moorabool, Geelong VIC

Where do I even get started on Lord of the Fries? With branches in Sydney and Melbourne, I managed to find myself there 5 times over the 2 weeks I spent within those two cities and I have no regrets. Lord of the Fries is definitely vegan junk food, but I don't even care, its glorious!! Lord of the Fries is basically a vegan friendly fast food chain that does burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, 'chicken' nuggets and milkshakes... sounds amazing right?? They have vegan options for everything on the menu which amazed me, as I could order a cheese and bacon burger and a peanut butter milkshake and it would all be vegan and delicious!! The sweet potato fries are incredible, the milkshakes are incredible, the onion rings are incredible and oh my gosh, lets not even mention the BREAKFAST BURGERS !!! I had a vegan breakfast burger loaded with cheese, a breakfast patty, bacon and hash browns and it was honestly the best thing I had ever tasted! If you haven't yet been to Lord of the Fries I definitely recommend it asap!! In the meantime, you can check out the full menu here. 

You can find Lord of the Fries at Flinders St Station in Melbourne and Central Station in Sydney.

I was only in the city of Perth for a few days but this didn't stop me finding the best vegan breakfast options possible! Much alike most Australian cities there was a specific part of the city where all of the vegan cafes resided, in Perth this was Northbridge. Northbridge was filled with cute little cafes, record shops and a ROOFTOP CINEMA (which was such a great experience!) as well as the art gallery, so definitely a place I would recommend visiting!!

I managed to find this cafe via instagram whilst walking to Northbridge from my hotel but I sure am glad I found it! Nestled down an alley, this cute little cafe does the most beautiful vegan food, I mean look at that muesli bowl pictured above! Not only is the decor wonderfully retro and shabby-chic, the people working there are incredibly friendly and create the most welcoming atmosphere! This place is perfect for a brunch date with friends or just to explore by yourself for a moment of peace and good vegan food! You can find out more information via their instagram page here. 

You can find Flora and Fauna Cafe at 4/70 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge WA

10. LITTLE BIRD CAFE - NORTHBRIDGE

Another impromtu find via instagram, Little Bird Cafe creates the most aesthetically pleasing food I have ever seen! From the delicious pancake stacks to the monstrous cakes in every flavour you will not struggle to find something you like here! I had the pancakes topped with an abundance of fruit and cashew cream (pictured above) and not only did it combine the perfect mix of sweet and savoury it kept me full ALL DAY, it was incredible. I also had a slice of the vegan chocolate cake and let me tell you, it was the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. I would honestly endure the 29 hours of travel to Australia all over again just to have one more bite of this cake, it was creamy, rich and so chocolatey I had to eat it over 3 separate seatings but my god it was amazing. If you want to check out their instagram and dream about all their food like I occasionally do you can find it here, and be sure to visit!  

You can find Little Bird Cafe at 100 Lake St, Northbridge WA

So that's it, My Top 10 Vegan Cafes in Australia! I really hope you have enjoyed this post and be sure to check out my youtube channel, PositiveSoph, to see What I Eat in a Day videos featuring all these cafes alongside travel videos and recipe videos!! As always I would love it if you commented below or contacted me on my social media accounts @positivesoph or via my email positivesoph@gmail.com with any feedback you may have!!

Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)

Following my post all about my experience volunteering at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand (you can read it here) I have had quite a few questions regarding the ethics of some of the practices involved. As someone who is dedicated to a vegan lifestyle and aims to ensure I am not participating in anything that may cause animals suffering or harm, I wanted to address some of ethical issues being raised from my last post. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask them in the comments below or email me at positivesoph@gmail.com and I will be happy to answer them as best as I can! 

(DISCLAIMER I have no affiliation with the company or project listed in this post and therefore all opinions are my own) 

THE HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANTS AT THE SANCTUARY

To my knowledge, all of the elephants at the sanctuary had been rescued from the logging industry, the army or the Ivory trade. Even though the use of elephants for logging has been banned for a number of years in Thailand there are still many illegal practices where elephants are exploited and abused for profit. There is also the huge issue of elephant tourism in Thailand, where elephants are forced to perform circus tricks, paraded around cities for profit and used for treks and the famous 'elephant rides' where a box seat is strapped to their backs and tourists can ride through the jungle on them. All of these practices are extremely cruel and can cause both physical and emotional damage to the elephants. As hunting elephants for ivory or for calves (who are worth a LOT of money in Thailand) are also very prominent (even though illegal) practices, its easy to see that a large number of elephants in Thailand are in danger. 

However at the Elephant Sanctuary I visited, and like many more in Thailand, the elephants have been rescued from these cruel and abusive industries to thrive in their natural habitats and live a suffering-free and peaceful life. The mahouts that work closely with these elephants have dedicated their lives to their care and therefore due to being connected to the sanctuary and volunteering programs no longer need to rely on damaging practices as their source of income. Without sanctuaries like these, mahouts are forced to beg on the street or use their elephants for unethical practices so they can afford survive. Speaking to all the mahouts at the sanctuary, it was very clear that they all cared deeply for their elephants, regarding them as part of the family as opposed to a money making exercise or 'pet'. 

HOW ARE THE ELEPHANTS TREATED AT THE SANCTUARY?

The elephants at the sanctuary live with their mahouts who are with them 24/7. The mahout we were staying with even slept right next to where the elephants would sleep to ensure that they were always there if needed. It was clear that the mahouts dedicated every second of their lives to the elephants and cared for them more than you could ever imagine. 

As the elephants we directly cared for at the homestay consisted of a mother, father and baby, precautions had to be made to ensure the baby's safety at all times. This meant that the baby and mother had to be contained at night to ensure the baby did not wander off into the surrounding area whilst the mahout was sleeping, where it could potentially be exposed to risks such as hunting, damaging farmers crops which could lead to being injured by angry farmers or any other potential dangers. As issues such as poaching and illegal trade of elephants are still so current in Thailand, it is safer for the baby elephant to be monitored at all times to ensure its absolute safety. 

The elephants at the sanctuary are NEVER used for work purposes or tourist activities - unlike other sanctuaries in Thailand you cannot visit this sanctuary for a day trip or at all unless you are volunteering for a minimum of one week, to ensure the elephants get comfortable and accustomed to you. The elephants are not used for treks, painting or any other common tourist activities you see in Thailand, they are merely taken care of and provided the best life possible in their natural habitat. 

CHAINS AND BULLHOOKS?

The elephants at the sanctuary are chained for short periods of time but this is ONLY to ensure their safety. The 'enclosure' I mentioned earlier only consists of a few wooden poles (as seen below) and is mainly used for shelter and a feeding area during the day, as it can get extremely hot in this part of Thailand (upwards of 37 degrees celcius even in winter) and they need shade! However due to the shelter being made of only wooden poles, the mother elephant would easily be able to roam out of it if they were not chained, which could cause her to roam out of the mahouts land and into farmers crops where she could unintentionally cause damage making it very dangerous for her. Although I do not agree with elephants being chained, I do understand that in this instance, where poaching and illegal elephant trade is such a dangerous threat, having a method of containing the elephants is somewhat necessary. I would LOVE for the elephants to be able to roam freely on the land 24/7 however due to the current dangers in the local areas and across Thailand this just isn't the safest option. 

However this does not mean they are being treated badly! The chains around their feet are loose enough to stay on without harming the elephant as they do not cut into their skin. The length of the chain connected to the floor of the shelter also does not restrict the elephant greatly as they are able to reach every part of the shelter and never have to strain to reach food or their baby, it is ONLY there to ensure they do not cause harm to themselves or others. Also, the baby is NEVER chained and it is allowed to run freely around the shelter as it pleases (which it loved to do). When taken out of the shelter daily the baby is attached to its mother via a very loose rope to ensure it does not wander off into trouble, this is especially important when they are taken to the river as if the baby wanders off out of it's depth it could drown. 

Even though the mother and baby are kept in the shelter overnight they are not in there all day!! Every day they leave the shelter to bathe, walk around the surrounding rice fields and river areas and interact with the locals and volunteers where they are fed and washed. This also gives the mahouts (and volunteers) a chance to clean out their shelter every day to ensure that their living areas are the best they can be. 

The father elephant however does not spend any time in the shelter but instead roams around the surrounding areas. He is often loosely tethered to a tree as due to his past within the cruel and abusive logging industry he can get aggressive towards humans and also when around the baby. Therefore to ensure all of the elephants' safety he is kept separated from the shelter so that he does not cause harm to himself or the other elephants. However every day he is taken to the surrounding areas to roam freely where he cannot cause harm to anyone or himself, and during the harvest season all of the elephants are taken to the rice fields to roam freely for the day and eat all the leftover rice!! They absolutely loved doing this as they were all running around without a chain in sight, just as it should be!

Hopefully one day elephants in Thailand can roam freely without having to be contained at times, however to ensure their safety in the current state it is necessary for these practices to occur. BUT of course this doesn't mean they are harmed in any way!! Their chains and tethers are constantly checked to ensure they are the highest quality possible and are causing no harm to the animals.

Unfortunately at this sanctuary, bullhooks were present HOWEVER I never saw them being used to injure or strike the elephants! They just seemed to be held by the mahouts and I was informed this was in case a situation occurred where the elephant was put in extreme danger and had to be moved quickly (such as being in the path of a vehicle or if any dangerous humans looking to hurt the elephants were near by. But this does not mean I support the bullhooks being there as they are a very cruel practice often used in sanctuaries around Thailand and often they evoke fear into the elephants. This is an issue that I have taken up with the leader of the project however as the elephants are owned independently by the mahouts I'm not sure how much they can do on this. But do not that the mahouts were NOT hitting or injuring the elephants with them, and the elephants did not show any signs on injury (apart from those they sustained whilst in the logging industries). 

DID YOU RIDE THEM??

Despite what people may think, no I did not ride the elephants whilst at the sanctuary. You may have seen some pictures of me sat atop the elephants' necks (such as the one below) however pictures like these do not portray the entire situation. Elephant rides and treks are EXTREMELY cruel as they involve attaching heavy boxes to the elephants backs where up to 4 people sit and ride for a length of time. This is extremely damaging to the elephants as their spines cannot handle the weight of the box let alone 4 people, causing them to have spinal issues that are extremely painful. Another issue with this practice is the elephants are subjected to this abuse for a long period of time, with treks lasting up to half an hour, and being ridden multiple times a DAY! This all combined is very damaging to the elephants and is in no way ethical. Not to mention the fact that many elephants have to be 'broken in' for this practice to happen, involving being beaten and abused as babies so that they can withstand humans riding them, a cruel act that causes lifetime emotional and physical damage. 

So why was what I partook in any different? Firstly I am not trying to justify myself or make myself 'feel better' in any way by saying this, in fact if I ever returned to an elephant sanctuary or visited Thailand again I would not partake in sitting upon the elephants even in the way that we did at the sanctuary as I believe that if everyone refuses to partake in this practice then it will stop being the common thing to do thus reducing elephant rides altogether. However I want to emphasise the fact that the elephants at this sanctuary were NEVER abused or beaten so that humans could sit atop them, they may have been abused during their time in the logging industry, explaining why they are now so domesticated BUT they have never been subjected to cruelty at the sanctuary. 

Secondly there is a significant difference between multiple people riding an elephant in a box seat, and one person sitting  bareback upon an elephant's neck. This is because an elephant's neck is significantly stronger than it's spine and when bareback, can sustain the weight of a person for a small amount of time without experiencing pain or suffering. Which leads me onto the next point, when submerged in water, much alike humans, the weight of someone is greatly decreased and therefore whilst we were sat on the elephants in the river they could not feel our weight at all as we were both submerged.  When on land we were sat on the elephant's necks for a minute or less at any point, as this was ONLY to ensure once we were in the water we could properly wash the whole of the elephants, if we were to enter the water with the elephants on foot it would have been way too deep to wash their backs properly even if swimming (elephants are HUGE remember!) Once we were safely out of the water we immediately got off of the elephants and then WALKED them back to the sanctuary to ensure minimum stress was put onto their necks. This activity occurred twice a week and every elephant was only involved a maximum of 2 times in one week, meaning they were not shared by multiple people therefore reducing the amount of weight they were subjected to per week. 

It was an optional thing to sit on the elephants, and if you did not want to partake then you could watch or stand in the shallow water and help bathe the baby. If I did return then I would not partake in this activity and I do regret partaking in it in the first place however I personally do not believe it was unethical to do so, as the elephants were exposed to little to no stress on their necks and it was to ensure they were properly cleaned. However I really am open to others opinions on this and I would love to hear what you think! 

ARE THE ELEPHANTS USED FOR PROFIT?

Not at all! As mentioned earlier, this is not a tourist day centre like many 'sanctuaries' in Thailand, and all money raised through volunteering goes directly to the upkeep and maintenance of the sanctuary. The mahouts can now make enough income to feed their families without having to resort to using their elephants in unethical practices but by no means are they profiting off it! This is their whole life, and the money made is simply ensuring they can maintain the highest level of care for their elephants, every mahout I spoke to showed great compassion and dedication to ensuring their elephants are safe and comfortable and recovering from their past abusive life. 

WHY DON'T THEY JUST RELEASE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD?

In a perfect world this would be the best solution and I really do hope that one day all elephants can roam freely as they please in their natural habitat. But with the ever increasing threats of poaching, illegal trade and exploitive businesses, it is just not safe to release the elephants into the wild where they could potentially be readmitted into the very industries they were rescued from. Whilst you may not agree that elephants (or any animals for that matter) are to be kept in shelters and under human supervision, it is important that these animals are monitored and kept safe as they are becoming more and more endangered! If they were to be released the danger of being abused or suffering again is very real at this current time and therefore for a lot of rescued elephants, being in sanctuaries is their best option. 

ALL IN ALL, IS IT ETHICAL ?

I personally believe that this sanctuary upholds the values that I would be looking for when considering volunteering options. All in all this place provides a loving, compassionate experience and the animals are not mistreated at all, alike some of the other sanctuaries in Thailand. It is up to you whether you decide to mark this place down as ethical but personally, after experiencing everything first hand and living there for a month I would be happy to revisit and recommend it to others. Remember, you cannot always tell everything by a picture and always ask for full details before you make any judgements! There is often a lot more going on than you may first perceive. 

For full details about the sanctuary and the project in general you can click here, and if you have any further questions please leave them in the comments below or email me at positivesoph@gmail.com!

Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)

One of the most common things I get asked about travelling (and one of the things I had to put most thought into whilst travelling) was how did I go about finding vegan food in countries that didn't speak English? Luckily it was surprisingly easy for me to sustain a vegan lifestyle whilst on my gap year travels, and therefore I have some tips for you guys regarding how you can do it too!

1. RESEARCH THE LOCAL CUISINE 

This is an essential step if you are travelling to somewhere that has a very different local cuisine to where you live and/or if you do not know the language and therefore wouldn't be able to understand ingredients lists on products or menu descriptions. For example, in Australia I didn't have to worry about this because there was no language barrier and the food there is pretty similar to what I eat at home, however in Thailand it was a different story. However, in most asian countries a large number of traditional dishes are vegetarian and therefore can be easily adapted, do your research on some of the more popular dishes eaten in your chosen country / area and how you can adapt these to be vegan. 

2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK

The project I was on in Thailand (you can read a post all about that here) had 3 meals included in the price from Monday lunchtime - Thursday lunchtime. This was daunting at first as I was apprehensive as to whether they would be able to accommodate vegan however I emailed the project leader before I went to ask about vegan options and she assured me that if I told them when I arrived they would be able to accommodate me. This actually turned out to work in my favour as not only was I the only vegan there, I was the only vegetarian for over half of my stay meaning that they cooked a whole separate meal for me that was almost as much as the meal cooked for the other 13 on the project, second and third portions was inevitable and much appreciated! Even at restaurants or cafes theres no harm in asking if there is a meat & dairy free or vegan option, I used google translate to communicate with people a lot and that worked fine too! In some places people are easier to understand allergy issues, in asian countries you can explain that its a cultural & moral decision which may make it easier for them to understand. Like they say, if you don't ask you don't get!

3. ALWAYS HAVE SNACKS

Even if you think you're going to be able to find places to eat it is always worth bringing snacks just in case! This is especially important when traveling on planes as even though I picked the vegan option for every flight I got so hungry on the 14 hour flight from Singapore to England and they had no vegan snack options! There was about a 6 hour wait between each meal and I didn't have anything to sustain myself, even on flights where you get a free snack it was always a cheese sandwich - no thank you!! When I was doing domestic flights in Australia I would always grab a boost green smoothie / juice before I got on the plane and some form of falafel wrap, popcorn or granola bar to take with me in case I got hungry. For long haul flights I would take an abundance of snacks with me, if there isn't a vegan option on your flight or you're just a bit skeptical you can always bring sandwiches or a container of pre-cooked rice and veg to sustain you! 

4. HIT UP THE FRUIT MARKETS 

Thailand and many other parts of Asia have the most incredible fresh fruit markets filled with an abundance of perfectly ripe and locally grown fruit that are definitely worth checking out! Mangos, bananas, lychees, watermelon and every other fruit you could imagine are just so much more delicious when locally grown and handpicked! When at the elephant sanctuary we visited the market every week meaning there was a constant supply of fresh fruit to snack on! Appreciate the local fruits as much as you can because I can assure you that when you get home you will dreaming about that mango you ate on the beach that doesn't even come close to the one you can buy in Morissons. 

5. CHECK OUT THE AREA

If you are going to spending a significant amount of time somewhere it might be worth trying to research cafes or restaurants that you can find vegan options at using websites such as www.happycow.net or Foursquare or even searching on TripAdvisor! Speak to locals and other travelers and you'll be sure to find somewhere you can eat at. Whilst I was attending a noodle festival in Melbourne I got talking to another vegan traveller and ended up going out for lunch with her at a vegan cafe she loved that I had would never have found by myself. Even asking on social media or meeting up with other vegans you know off of social media will work wonders, in Sydney I met up with a group of vegan girls that I knew from Instagram and they were able to show me the best vegan places in the neighborhood that I then constantly visited during my stay as well as recommending vegan cafes in other areas of Australia that I could visit later on during my travels. 

6. ALWAYS CHECK & DOUBLE CHECK INGREDIENTS 

Despite whether its a product or brand you have never heard of or a staple product in your diet always check the ingredients just incase they have sneaked in milk powder or some other animal derived ingredient. Often the ingredients will vary in different countries so its always worth checking even if it appears vegan at first glance - for example I bought a brand of soy milk in Thailand assuming it would be vegan but that actually contained lactose (as shown below)!! Always check everything as you never know what they might have sneaked in there and you don't want to accidentally consume milk powder! 

Easter is the perfect time to get baking as many yummy vegan treats as possible, providing you with a constant supply of snacks over the next 2 weeks of holidays and acting as an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you physically can!! I love experimenting with vegan variations of my old favourites, and after finding VEGAN CREME EGGS I knew I had to make something with them!! I bought my creme eggs from www.vegantown.co.uk and I would definitely recommend them! 

CREME EGG BROWNIES

Yields 6-9 Brownies

Ingredients

170g self-raising flour

200g dark vegan chocolate

3 tsp cocoa powder 

180g caster sugar

5 tbsp oil (vegetable / coconut)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

230ml non-dairy milk

3 vegan creme eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a square/rectangle baking tin with greaseproof paper

2. Sieve the cocoa powder and flour into a large bowl, add the sugar and mix

3. Melt the chocolate and add it to the mixture along with the oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla bean paste, mix to combine

4. Spoon the mixture into the tin and then press in the halved cream eggs, bake for 20-25 minutes 

5. Leave to cool before cutting into slices and serving with vegan ice cream or custard. 

6. ENJOY 

DARK CHOCOLATE EASTER NESTS 

Yields 6 Nests 

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate 

4 shredded wheat biscuits 

nakd bar nibbles

strawberries

1. Melt your chocolate and then crumble in the shredded wheat and mix to combine

2. Spoon the mixture into muffin cases and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours 

3. Once hardened, remove from cases and top with sliced strawberries or nakd bar nibbles

4. ENJOY 

LEMON EASTER CUPCAKES 

Yields 15-18 cupcakes

Ingredients

275g self raising flour

200g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

zest & juice of 1 lemon

100ml oil 

170ml water 

vegan butter

icing sugar

lemon juice

1. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix together

2. Add in the zest and juice of the lemon, along with the oil and water

3. Mix all ingredients until well combined and then spoon into cupcake cases

4. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius until golden brown

5. For the icing, combine vegan butter, lemon juice and icing sugar in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency and then pipe onto the cooled cupcakes

6. Top with creme eggs, vegan chocolates and anything else you want!

VEGAN MERINGUE WITH COCONUT CREAM & FRUIT 

Ingredients

Liquid from 1 can of chickpeas (or other legume)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 coconut cream (chilled)

vanilla bean paste

fresh fruit

1. Drain 1 can of chickpeas and add the liquid into a bowl

2. Whisk the liquid for at least 5 minutes, until it has doubled in size, white and fluffy

3. Add the cream of tartar and vanilla paste and whisk again for at least another minute

4. Gradually add the icing sugar whilst continuously whisking, until the mixture is glossy and forms peaks

5. Using a large nozzle, pipe the mixture into nest shapes and then bake at 90 degrees celsius for 2 hours. DO NOT open the oven during this time

6. After 2 hours, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to cool for at least another hour (DO NOT open the oven still)

7. Once completely cooled, take out of the oven and whip up the coconut cream with the vanilla paste until thick, then top the nests with the cream and fresh fruit 

8. ENJOY 

Please remember to check out the video I also did on these Easter Treats here :

If you make any of these Easter treats then please let me know via my instagram or twitter (@positivesoph)! Have a magical Easter weekend and I'll see you back here for more posts next week!

Keep your soul happy! - Sophie :)