Who said being a vegan limits what you can eat? With chocolate, cake, pies and more, Poole’s vegan fair has shown Dorset how it can be done.
This weekend was Poole’s very first vegan fair held at the Lighthouse Centre of Arts. With a huge range of exhibitions and stalls signed up and thousands of people interested in the event on Facebook, it was destined to be a great success.
Veganism today is something that is being discussed and debated more and more. When a topic becomes so big, so quickly, it is easy to see how it may just be a trend of the time. However, over 542,000 people in Britain now follow a vegan diet which is triple the amount in 2006. This sharp rise connotes that it is something that is continuously going to grow, and the number of people who turned up to Poole vegan fair reflected the popularity of the lifestyle choice.
At the fair there was a range of exhibitions from food and drink, to cosmetics and clothing. These vegan products were gaining huge amounts of popularity with queues lining up at nearly every stall. Companies which showcased their products included Dark Matters who make delicious rich chocolate brownies, Mr Nice Pie who as you can guess create pies with exotic flavours, Vegan Sweet Tooth London who had a wide range of food products from mushroom and olive pizzas to lavender and blueberry sponge cake. If you wanted a warm lunch there was again plenty to choose from with hot dog and burger stands who were highly in demand for their meat free meals.
But the vegan fair was more than just food. What some people may not realise is that people who are vegan commit not to just a diet change but have to be aware of other things they buy. For women, a lot of cosmetic products use animal testing, especially with lip sticks. Therefore there were local and national brands attending the fair, determined to spread their message and gain new customers. The well-known company Lush Cosmetics, which is based in Poole, had their own stall spreading the word that they do not harm animals.
And when you thought they could not possibly fit anything else into the event, there was also a number of cooking demonstrations and a programme of speakers who wanted to teach people how to help protect the environment. Films were also being shown including the famous documentary Cowspiricy: The Sustainability Secret.
Dorset Vegan, the event organisers, said the event was not just for vegans. On their Facebook they stated; “No matter whether you’re vegan or just dipping your toes into the plant-based world, everyone is welcome!”
To find out more about the event visit the Dorset Vegan website where you can find the full list of exhibitors and also find the latest news and information on being vegan.