London – Vegans.UK

Well, there I was, sweating away at the London Film and Comic Con (you weren’t expecting that were you?) when I realised I needed nourishment. I’d had Pizza Express on the previous day, which is fine and has at least one fully vegan pizza (it is so refreshing not to have to say ‘Can I have this, but without that, and maybe replaced by this other thing instead, blah, blah, blah…’) so I was resigning myself to having another filling, if not overly healthy lunch at the Kensington Olympia. Then, as I emerged from a crush between a life-sized Lego Batman and a sweaty Wonder Woman (don’t ask) an oasis of health greeted my eyes.

Before me lay a health food-style takeaway called Crussh. Their salads looked healthy from afar, but would they be filling? Their sandwiches looked tempting, but would they all have chicken and fish in them? They also had snacks, but would the crisps contain the dreaded milk? Well, I needn’t have worried, because although there was a bit of tuna around and some cheesy crisps, most of their offerings were at least vegetarian and there was a good choice for the hungry vegan.

They called their salads ‘healthpots’ as well they might. There was a red kale, quinoa and french lentil one, a butterbean, cherry tomato and parsley one and a char-grilled cauliflower, pomegranate with tahini dressing one, as well as other healthful options like the superfoods healthpot or the detox healthpot.

vegan sandwich - hurray! — vegan sandwich – hurray!

All very tempting, but I wanted a sandwich. It is so incredibly rare to encounter a vegan sandwich in one of these fast food places that I simply had to experience the novelty. I went for the Veggie 5-a-day sandwich, which had houmous, avocado, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, beansprouts and spinach. I must say it was really tasty. I added some Kettle chips, of which there was a good vegan choice and finished things off with a Nakd bar, yum. But what to drink? I try to avoid cola and such things, but wanted something more exciting than water which I’d been chugging down all day (it really was crowded and hot in there.)

There was a staggering array of fresh made juices, so I decided to splash out on a ‘love juice’ which, despite the dodgy name, was pretty lovely. It was basically just blended fruit although I think their menu on this occasion was an ‘events’ menu and not their run of the mill one. Beware smoothies as it seems milk is in all of them. Beware also their add-ons such as boosters and wheatgrass, as strangely some appear not to be vegan, but there is a fine selection of vegan-friendly juices.

I was very happy with my choice of lunch and even went back later on for a snack as they had plenty of muesli bars, crisps, popcorn and so on to keep me going when I was flagging. It wasn’t cheap, but what sandwich bar is? It was simply nice to encounter somewhere that knows what a vegan is. Everything of their own production was clearly labelled with a ‘Ve’ symbol for ease of choosing and their processed offerings were labelled as you would expect in a shop. All in all a tasty, hassle-free experience. Who could ask for more?

looks healthy, doesn't it? — looks healthy, doesn’t it?

Crussh stores are all over London, so if you’re a local check them out.

For anyone visiting the capital, they will provide an oasis of veganness (is that a word?) and a welcome break from whatever boring meeting, crowded visitor attraction or um, massive space full of Boba Fett impersonators that you might be attending.

The traffic in London was unbelievable. Honking horns, hand gestures and heat dominated our slow progress in the cab. Eventually, dressed to impress, we smoothed down creases as we unfolded ourselves from the car. Greeted by the doorman with a polite ‘Good afternoon’ we ascended the few steps and were ushered into a world of calm.

As soon as we set foot in the foyer of the Ritz, all the noise and chaos of London melted away. The plush carpets, high, elaborately decorated ceilings and courteous staff were just as I hoped they would be. (I suspect expectations are routinely met and indeed exceeded at the Ritz.)

My husband, in-laws and I were shown to an intimate little table at the side of the room (by and immaculately turned-out waiter) just perfect for people watching. The place was filled with ordinary people in their finest clothes, just like us, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and any number of other special occasions. The salon where afternoon tea is served is a truly beautiful space, where natural light spills onto the sumptuously glazed cakes. There were of course many other items in the room, but it was the cakes that caught my attention. Being the only vegan in the group, it is all too rare an experience to be offered sweet treats anywhere when eating out, never mind somewhere as posh as this. After champagne was served, I was assured a selection of vegan sandwiches was on its way and indeed moments later they were presented with a flourish. My sandwiches, like those of my companions, seemed inexhaustible in their supply. A yummy hummus filling, tomato, veg and of course cucumber, were sandwiched between light, fluffy bread (with the crusts cut off, naturally.)

I was suitably impressed by the cakes too. There was a rich fruitcake, an iced sponge and a gloriously glazed wonder of chocolate with a melt-in-the-mouth interior. My two little vegan scones were cute, scrumptious and served with quite the most delicious preserve I’ve ever tasted. All this was to say nothing of the tea. Now I’m not a tea drinker as a rule (the very occasional cup of green tea is normally my limit) but this, blended especially for the Ritz, was something else. It needed no additions and I’m afraid it may have ruined all other tea for me, rendering them bitter and commonplace in comparison. Like wine waiters, the tea waiters would top up your cup when required, employing individual silver teapots, dinky tea strainers and tea strainer holders (which was a new one on me.)

All in all the experience was an incredibly pleasant one. I had e-mailed the dining manager via a handy link on their website a month before, requesting a vegan afternoon tea, and was told by return that it wouldn’t be a problem. Having read mixed reviews of the Ritz London ability to cater for vegans, I wanted to be sure everything would be right, because as any vegan knows, all too often we can be thoughtlessly sidelined. When we visited however, on 25th September 2014, everything went without a hitch. Highly recommended.

Crussh – Kensington Olympia, London

Afternoon Tea at The Ritz London

Vegans.UK Cookies Policy