In a world where a scrumptious lunch is one of the few remaining joys, the prospect of ditching hamburgers for humous might not, in the words of Marie Kondo, ‘spark joy’.
But just as the traditional spring clean of our homes is a ritualistic purge of clutter and dust, an overhaul of what passes our lips for the first month of the year can give us an energy boost, a sense of renewal and give us a sense of ‘doing good’. Some folk are motivated to take part in Veganuary for animal welfare reasons, whilst others are craving light relief from the heaviness of December’s indulgence. Whatever the motivation, flavour is key.
The theme for Veganuary at Peabodys this year was ‘a vegan Peabodys for every mood’. We understand that quinoa won’t always make the cut, so we made sure our coffee shops were laden with vegan sandwiches, homemade soups, hot sausage rolls, and even gourmet dark chocolate brownies.
For virtuous days there were two vegan salads – the classic Peabodys vegan mezze nestled in the fridge with a new vegan caesar salad, chock full of wholesome asparagus and peas, crunchy gem lettuce, ciabatta croutons, vegan crispy bacon, fresh mint, fresh dill, and a creamy plant-based dressing.
The biggest surprise? Sell out days of vegan sausage rolls. We’re now selling more vegan sausage rolls than non-vegan. The coffee shop managers advise us that these earth conscious pastry fiends are also buying non-vegan items – which means we’ve been successful in providing more tasty options for our ‘flexitarian’ customers.
Veganism isn’t a trend, it’s a movement – a very tasty one that Peabodys is happy to be on board with beyond Veganuary. A creative kitchen team and an eye for the freshest produce will enable us to provide nutritious and delicious plant-based food for our most deserving (and discerning) NHS customers.