In the heart of Soho, not far from the Trocadero and right next to the famous Zilli Fish th place stands out like a sore thumb but makes a welcome break from the usual shops and restaurants.

Vegan Routes offers both take away and eat-in options though I’d recommend the latter sincethe staff are genuine and friendly and you get to soak up the Soho atmosphere watching people passing by (often with quizzical expressions). Food-wise I had a green tea, a chickpea stew and a smoothies to finish and they were all excellent, I shall definitely return!

My favourite is a fried egg sandwich, on toasted white bread, buttered, with ketchup, made with two medium-cooked eggs. All the breakfasts are classic British fare, served very quickly and capably by friendly staff. The only downside is that it’s take-away only but most people are taking their brekkie onto the office anyway.

From what I gather, there are a few if them dotted around but the one I frequent is just down the road from Bank Tube at 56-57 Cornhill, EC3V 3PD.

Note: I’m posting from the iPhone now but I’ll stick a map up later.

What item(s) do you have to prevent yourself from buying at the grocery store?
Submitted by Places Unknown.

Meat, because I’m a vegetarian!  That said, I do have to worry about manufacturers sneaking animal products into everyday items like Mars, Snickers, Twix or Milky Way bars.  It can be difficult as a veggie working all that stuff out at first but you get used to it and everyone sets their own moral compass (do they eat fish, wear leather etc.).

On a side note, if any veggies stumble on this and want an alternative to leather shoes then I’d heartily recommend Vegetarian Shoes, they’re based in Brighton on the South coast of England and make great quality leather free footwear for men and women (not one person I’ve met has spotted that my shoes are not leather).  They’re also really friendly and helpful, I once had an 11th hour requirement for shoes to attend a wedding and they arranged to have a pair of smart shoes couriered overnight so that I could look smart and still keep my conscience clean!

If anyone out there is a new veggie or is thinking about it, feel free to get in touch – it can be daunting at first and it’s always good to have someone to ask.

There’s a whole load of old news I want to post about before I get swallowed up by the torrent of new news so I’ll go through that in a separate ‘catch-up’ post sometime soon but for now I’ll leave you with some helpful advice: Cadbury’s Creme Eggs don’t melt properly.  I just tried to make cakes out of Special K and Creme Eggs and oddly the fondant stuff seems to foul up the chocolate so I’ve got a big pile of mess in the fridge trying to set.

From now on I’m going to consult the experts before I try anything like this again – if you’ve not seen them before you HAVE to check out the masterful creations at pimpthatsnack.com, these guys know where it’s at.