American fast food chains only came to England in the late 60s (the first McDonald’s did not open until 1974, in Woolwich). Today most towns are saturated with them: Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway and KFC. Try these simple homemade hot dogs (The Veg Space) made with vegan sausages.
But things are changing. Despite still using ‘cheap meat’, people in the US are now not using them half as much, due to inflation causing rising costs. Despite McDonald’s rolling out a $5 meal, it was rejected by most franchises, due to labour laws meaning profits would be too low for them to pay minimum wages to employees.
The major fast food chains also have animal welfare and environmental concerns. A report by World Animal Protection found that nearly all fast food chains lag way behind on animal welfare scores. KFC has recently said it will be going back on its pledge to use slower-growing chickens (with better welfare) as it can’t find enough chickens?
Greenpeace Australia reports that an area 2400 times the size of Sydney has been bulldozed in 5 years (killing koalas, wallabies, lizards and birds) to satisfy demand for beef (most bought by fast food chains).
It would be nice if everyone made lentil bolognese from scratch. But it’s not going to happen. Millions of people eat fast food, and that’s not changing anytime soon. So learn to make your own favourites. It’s simple, tasty, affordable and kinder to animals, with no plastic packaging or having to buy petrol to reach the drive-through!
The foodie town of Tavistock (Devon) became the first in England, where due to local eateries being so good, the McDonald’s branch had no customers, so had to close down. One local said ‘we feed our children properly here, so there was no need’.
What About Vegan Fast Food Restaurants?
There are a few, but unless you live in a city, you likely won’t find any. Actually a few have recently closed, due to high business rates. One still going strong is London’s Unity Diner, which donates all profits (after paying for ingredients and staff) to its own farm sanctuary.
Everything is cash-free (bank notes contain animal fat) and sold in compostable packaging. The menu includes ‘double-bacon cheeseburger’, vegan ‘lobster rolls’, triple-cooked chips and apple crumble waffles.
Don’t bother with most ‘vegan’ offerings at standard fast food chains. Although McDonald’s fries are vegan (they aren’t in some branches abroad), KFC fries are cooked in chicken fat. And vegan ‘whoppers’ and other offerings at Burger King are fried on the same broilers as their meat. Which rather defeats the point. When asked why, the response is to ‘give their vegan whoppers the same flame-grilled taste?’
Simple (Vegan) Fast Food Makeovers
If you want to try making your own vegan Big Mac, it’s pretty simple. The secret is in the sauce. Just mix together some vegan mayo with a little mustard, vinegar, garlic powder and paprika.
Cook some Moving Mountaiin or Sgaia burgers, then serve in toasted buns with the sauce, along with shredded lettuce, diced onions, gherkins and slices of vegan cheese. You can repeat the layers for a ‘double Big Mac’.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets. Chips and hot dogs are choking hazards for children. Don’t feed leftovers to pets, garden birds or wildfowl due to salt and other unsafe ingredients.
Plant-Based Alternatives to Fried Chicken
Chickens (related to dinosaurs) are now the most over-bred (25 billion and counting) and abused creatures on earth. VFC was founded by the co-founder of Veganuary with a chef (who he took to visit a chicken farm). This ‘chicken’ is high in protein and tastes as good, you’ll find it in most supermarkets including budget ones (Lidl and Aldi).
Based on the target slaughter weight of a chicken in the UK (and percentage being edible), they estimate one chicken’s life is saved for each 1.5kg they sell. Made from wheat protein in corn coating, you can bake it in the oven or air-fry, or pan-fry. Full instructions on the packets.
Look in stores for Heura Plant-Based Nuggets (made in Barcelona by a young fresh sustainable team). Serve with home-baked fries and ketchup.
Make Your Own Vegan Filet-0-Fish
Filet-O-Fish is made from pollock (the most commonly eaten fish on earth), served in a bun with processed cheese and sauce. Easy to replicate, just use Moving Mountains fish fillet, topped with shredded lettuce, sliced vegan cheese and vegan tartare sauce.
Bake Your Own French Fries
You can turn these vegan fries (Ela Vegan) into vegan chilli cheese fries pretty quickly, simply by adding a few ingredients.
If buying from supermarkets, Strong Roots is the best brand (made only from potatoes and a few drops of vegetable oil). As Proper Chips, but also as skinny fries, crinkle-cut chips, sweet potato and mixed root veggie fries. The company is transitioning to plastic-free packaging (for now, recycle soft plastics at kerbside or supermarket bag bins).
Whizz Up Your Own Mylkshakes
These vegan banana milkshakes (Ela Vegan) are made with frozen bananas (chop them first) to give an ice-cream texture, then blended with plant milk, organic peanut butter and natural vanilla.
To make an easy mylkshake, blend 1 cup of oat milk (or make with oat milk powder) with 2 cups non-dairy ice cream, 1 teaspoon real vanilla and Sweet Freedom Syrup (caramel, gingerbread, raspberry, hazelnut or cinnamon). Pour into a tall glass and top with vegan whip.
If you don’t have one, invest in a few pounds in a good blender with a glass jug, to stop the motor burning out. It’s UK law that the shop you buy from, has to take back your old dusty one in the cupboard, for recycling.
Buy Brian’s Vegan Fast Food Book!
Vegan Fast Food is by American Brian Watson, who loves good food – and animals. His book includes recipes for burgers, hot dogs, ‘chicken’ sandwiches, nuggets, burritos, mylkshakes and vegan cheesecake.
He has a popular blog and a viral video to make a vegan Big Mac (better than the real thing!)
How to Tackle Fast Food Litter
This is pretty easy, just don’t buy from chains that sell disposable litter. A few years ago, there was actually a petition to ‘bring back plastic straws’ after McDonald’s switched to paper ones because ‘they made the McFlurry’s go soggy). And it got 50,000 signatures. You couldn’t make it up. Yet still the fast food chains serve out plastic lids with cups.
One farmer had a great idea, to stop his animals being disturbed by litter. He wants receipts at drive-throughs to include vehicle registration numbers. So if people throw packaging out the window on the way home, they’re hit with a fine in the post – just like for speeding.
Report litter to Fix My Street. Councils have a legal duty (no matter who dropped it) to remove litter on public land. If on private land, they can either serve a Litter Abatement Order that ends up in court, or remove litter themselves, and reclaim the cost.
In February 2023, an almost intact polystyrene wrapper was found dumped in a Worcestershire bush, close to a branch of McDonald’s. Dated to 1996, this shows some councils are not following their own rules.
