Is Brighton England’s Top Vegan-Friendly City?
Brighton is kind of like England’s version of San Francisco – all arts, music and increasingly one of the most vegan-friendly cities in England.
Read our post on food safety for people and pets.
Use a Vegan Loyalty Discount Card
If you live in (or are visiting) Brighton, it’s worth investing £10 or £20 on a vegan loyalty card, as this will give big discounts at some local shops and restaurants. These pay for themselves, in no time:
- VeganCard gives hundreds of discounts at retail or online stores. This digital card offers 10% to 50% off prices, depending on the offers. All for just £12 a year. You also get automatic entry into various competitions, to win goodies!
- Viva! Supporters Discount Club is automatic, if you join this wonderful charity, which educates on plant-based lifestyles and conducts undercover investigations in factory farms. This card gives discounts to over 200 brands both in the UK and worldwide. For from just £1.50 a month.
- VegDining is a membership card that can be used worldwide, ideal for holidaymakers and frequent travellers. It gives discounts to hundreds of restaurants and shops, from London restaurants to New York bakeries.
- Holland & Barrett has its own loyalty card. The chain health store is not so great these days (more supplements than food). It even sells krill supplements, against advice from campaigners who say that the huge market is taking food away from whales and other endangered creatures.
A ‘No Catch’ Fish & Chippy!
The No Catch Co (Brighton) is a traditional chippy, but rather than contribute to the 2.3 trillion catch (and by-catch) each year, everything here is made from plants!
Find high-protein alternatives to battered fish like ‘cod’ or ‘smoked haddock’ with chips, plant-based plant-based prawns & calamari, jumbo battered saveloy sausage & creamy no-cow desserts!
Purezza: A Vegan Pizzeria
Purezza is a lauded vegan pizzeria chain, with branches in Brighton, Camden (London) and Manchester). Everything is made from scratch, even the homemade vegan mozzarella cheese.
Founded by an Italian (obviously!) the chain uses organic ingredients (often locally sourced) and does not use palm oil in any of its food. It also reduces food waste, to minimise anything being sent to landfill.
All takeaway packaging is either cardboard or sugar cane, and it runs on green energy, and even uses reclaimed wood for its decor, and recycled paper bathroom tissue!
The menu includes:
- Caesar Salad
- BBQ Bourbon Pizza
- Margherita
- Four ‘cheeses’
- New York Vegan Cheesecake
Did you know that you can’t recycle the greasy parts of pizza boxes? Just tear off any oily parts and bin (you can recycle the rest). Don’t give leftovers to pets, garden birds or wildfowl (due to choking hazards and other crusty breads).
Roast Dinner at a Vegan Pub!
The Roundhill (Brighton) is a very popular city pub, with a safe inclusive space for all, and weekly rotating menus in line with seasonal ingredients.
Fine Vegan Dining in Brighton City
Botanique Brighton offers vegan fine dining in the city, using fresh organic produce from Pale Green Dot greenhouses ,just outside the city that use no-dig farming practices to protect biodiversity and wildlife, producing incredibly tasty produce.
Fresh mushrooms are also harvested and served within hours! The indoor hydroponic farm supplies fresh herbs. Even the walls and decor are from sustainable materials like hemp and rattan.
Sample items on the menu include goose-friendly ‘faux gras’, American-style pancakes with coconut yoghurt and a creme brulee with pink peppercorns. Or indulge in one of their tasting menus (4 or 9 courses) alongside fine wines.
Vegan Supermarkets Around Town
Lucky Cat (vegan) sandwiches in compostable packaging are sold at many Brighton shops.
Kindly Supermarket brings low-waste shopping to the High Street, letting customers refill grains, spices, and fresh produce without plastic. Set up by a bored techy entrepreneur to do something good after the pandemic, this store has big ambitions.
Harriet’s of Hove: This refill shop on Blatchington Road helps shoppers cut single-use packaging. You’ll find nuts, grains, baking goods, soaps, and eco-friendly gifts. Co-founded by a local couple, he’s a former dentist, who will give you a refill, instead of a filling!
Infinity Foods: Nestled in North Laine, Infinity Foods has been a local staple for decades. It stocks fresh bread, organic vegetables, vegan cheese, zero-waste items, and herbal remedies.
Brighton’s Very Own Vegan Shoe Shop!
Walk to the shops in your Vegetarian Shoes, bought from one of England’s bricks-and-mortars stores. This store has an online shop too, but is one of England’s few on-the-street vegan shoe shops. The founder used to make the shoes himself, but now outsources, but only to ethical shoemakers in England and Europe.
Green Living in Brighton City
- Skylark is a non-profit coffee at the foot of the South Downs, which pays twice Fair Trade rates, then gives other profits to environmental organisations. Avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions.
- Real Junk Food Brighton takes leftover waste from local shops and farmers, then turns them into meals at ‘pay what you feel’ cafes. As a community interest company, money made goes back into paying rent and costs.
- Attend the annual Brighton Vegan Festval to try vegan cheese to decadent desserts, meeting the chefs and artisans.
- Walking Tours: Stroll through the alleys of Brighton with guides who share insider knowledge on vegan eateries, niche markets and pop-up stalls.
Old Tree Soil: Compost Club invites residents to join their organic recycling scheme, converting waste into nutrient-rich compost that feeds local green spaces.
Read our post on making garden compost (keep fresh compost away from pets, as it contains mould). Many mulches (including cocoa) are also unsafe near animal friends.
