It would be a nice utopia if everyone bought lentils from indie health shops, but most people love a burger and nothing’s going to change soon. So seek out vegan fast food joints that help animals, reduce carbon emissions, are cash-free (bank notes are now made with plastic and animal fat) and serve in compostable packaging (McDonald’s straws may be paper, but the cup lids are still plastic). One petition reached 50,000 signatures to revert to plastic straws, as the paper ones ‘went soggy in McFlurries’. We have a long way to go. Also read where to buy a vegan kebab and vegan fillet of fish.
Most vegan fast food joints sell in compostable packaging, but still bin to stop fast food litter. Do not feed hot dogs to young children or those at risk of choking. Do not feed leftovers to birds, gulls or pets (due to vegan meats, salt etc). Read more on food safety for people & pets.
Most meat fast food joints use factory-farmed meat. The main player boasts its meat is from ‘happy cows’ but its website does not say the meat is free-range, rather it is recognised by Red Tractor (not ranked well by animal welfare organisations). And it also assures that ‘all chicken is from breast meat’ though what that has to do with welfare, is anyone’s guess.
And if you’re vegan or vegetarian, know that your choices are not respected. KFC fries chips in chicken fat (and McDonald’s fries are not always vegan abroad). And Burger King’s plant-based whoppers are cooked on the same broiler grills as meat.
a vegan London diner to help barnyard friends
Unity Diner (London) is a unique diner, as all profits help fund their own Surge Sanctuary, giving loving homes to abused farm animals. All packaging is plastic-free, and uniforms are ethically made from organic cotton.
The menu is extensive and many say these are the best burgers in the city! Located in Spitalfields (nearest tube stations Aldgate East and Liverpool Street), the company took over a meat rib restaurant. The menu includes:
- Truffle shuffle burgers (above) with BeSaucy mayo.
- A wide range of burgers including ‘Christmas steaks’
- ‘Vegan pigs in blankets’ (profits help rescued pigs!)
- Vegan ‘code & chips’ & calamari rings
- A wide range of shakes, desserts & hot drinks
plant-based burgers in compostable packaging
Neat Burger (London) offers plant-based patties made in-house and sold in biodegradable boxes, with sugar-cane bowls and compostable cutlery for other items. This ambitious company has top-name investors including Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo di Caprio. Join their Secret Sauce Society for rewards to redeem against future visits. The range includes the signature Neat Burger (a double patty with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, ‘cheeze’ and neat sauce) alongside:
- Crispy Chik’n sandwich!
- Smash Daddy (with mustard)
- Cheez burger
- NYC Hot Dog
- Salads & wraps
- Brisket-loaded fries
- Crispy cauli wings
- Buffalo nuggets
- A range of plant-based shakes
- Cinnamon-sugar churros
- Homemade lemonade
other good vegan fast food chains
Oowee (London, Bristol, Brighton) also offers home delivery. All Chick’n is handmade using a secret recipe, buns are made to order by a local baker and hero sauces are made each day fresh by chefs. This ambitious company plans to open a branch in every city. The range includes Big Bacon Double Smashburger, The Big VG and Sneaky Cluckers!
Vegan Shack (Manchester, Croydon) offers plant-based versions of meat, chicken and fish burgers along with fries, kebabs, salads, nuggets and shakes. And a vegan shack muffin for breakfast!s (and many vegan cookbook authors are Jewish).
where to buy plant-based filet-of-fish
Filet-of-fish (allegedly Donald Trump’s favourite meal) was first created in the 50s to offer something for Catholics who didn’t eat meat on Fridays. But today Alaskan pollock is so over-fished that one sustainability expert writes that ‘if you’re eating fish but you don’t know what kind it is, it’s almost certainly pollock’. With a US annual value of over $1 billion, the population has halved. London’s Neat Burger offers a filet-no-fish in compostable packaging. Oowee (Bristol, Brighton and London) also offers a plant-based ocean burger.
where to buy takeaway vegan döner kebabs
What the Pitta! is England’s first chain of vegan döner kebab restaurants, inspired by a popular shop in Germany where the founders were so wowed by the taste, they opened a small outlet 2 weeks later in London (there are now branches in Brighton & Manchester, with fans including Irish chefs & superstar footballers). Everything’s sold in biodegradable packaging, and oil repurposed into biofuel. The menu includes:
- Döner kebabs with salad, hummus, vegan tzatziki & peppers
- Paprika spice chips, with sauce of your choice
- Spicy ‘no chicken’ pieces with salad & fries
- Homemade falafel wraps with chilli sauce
- Falafel bowls with salad & creamy hummus
Most meat in kebab houses is Halal (or Kosher if Jewish), in compliance with religious law. But welfare scientists at Compassion in World Farming say animals do suffer without stunning, and want it banned. The good news is that you can be vegan (if you’re Muslim or Jewish) like Prince Khaled bin alwaleed is invests in plant-based businesses. The law is also a mess, with CIWF saying that many meats sold as Halal are stunned (so not compliant anyway) yet many supermarkets sell non-stunned meat (and don’t label it, so people unwittingly buy it, when they don’t want it).
why do fast food chains have so much power?
Arizona’s Sedona desert has some of the most stunning nature and wildlife on earth. So when McDonald’s inevitably decided to build a restaurant there, it was allowed. And then had the audcity to add the world’s only ‘green arches’ instead of yellow to ‘show they were stewards of the planet’ How about not getting your beef from rainforests, or investing in free-range meats?
Even Vatican City now takes 30,000 Euros from renting out a building to house a chain of McDonald’s. Perhaps those in power should visit Catholic Concern for Animals, to learn why Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi would not approve).
The decision caused outrage among some cardinals, not just for animal welfare reasons but due to the ugly shop blighting one of the most beautiful cities (Vatican City is its own country) in the world. Yet some customers are now nuns, which makes you wonder really what religion is all about.
Of course McDonald’s have handed out free cheeseburgers to homeless people, to try to win people round. It would be better places leaving the Catholic church to address its responsibility of having homeless people on its doorstep, when it’s one of the richest organisations in the world.
recipes to make your own vegan fast food
Vegan Fakeaway is a wonderful book by Yorkshire cook Katy Beskow, with whole chapters of easy meals for American, Chinese, Indian, Italian and Middle Eastern Food. Most take 15 minutes to cook (quicker than ordering) and feed up to four people. The book also contains tips on freezing and ditching single-use plastic.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends).
Recipes include:
- Singapore noodles
- Sesame spring rolls
- Sicilian-style pizza
- Chilli burritos
- All-in-one Biriyani
- Spring rolls
- Falafel flatbreads
Katy Beskow learned to cook while living in London training in physiotherapy, inspired by colourful fruit markets. Returning to rural Yorkshire, she cooks from a small (yet perfectly functioning) kitchen and is the author of several best-selling vegan cookbooks.
