3 years now of vegan living, I have learnt a lot along the way, and I am still learning every day. Here are a few tips which may help those wanting to move to the vegan lifestyle or for those who just want a little extra information.

Shop around
I can never find all the things I want in one place. I do the majority of my shop in Lidl/Aldi, then pop to a larger Supermarket like Asda/Tesco for anything that I missed. I then head to a specialist store, such as Holland and Barrett or a local Health Food Store for any unusual vegan items, such as Nutritional Yeast or Fry's frozen range.

Learn to read labels
Understanding food labels is a must! Research non vegan food items, there are often hidden additions which you may not realise are not suitable. Vitamin D sourced from lanolin (sheeps wool) in cereal caught me out for a long time. I normally look for the vegetarian symbol, then look for allergens listed in bold. Eggs and milk have to be listed as an allergen in the ingredients. Then I have a scan through for the hidden ones, honey etc. It may take some time at first but it soon becomes second nature.
Read about animal ingredients here.

Don't become complacent
One of the biggest mistakes is to become complacent, just because an item was vegan last month doesn't mean to say it will always be vegan. It is common practice for companies to change the ingredients list. Look for new advertising such as 'new improved recipe', an indication they may have hidden a new ingredient in there! Jammie Dodgers recently turned non-vegan! *Sad face*. This is also relevant the other way round, just because it is not vegan now doesnt mean it won't always be... oreos recently went vegan, and quorn and now producing a vegan range, hurrah!

Prepare in advance
Going out for meals is often a daunting experience, but it really doesnt have to be. Look up menus in advance to find out what is suitable. If nothing stands out give them a ring. Many restauraunts will gladly appreciate the advanced warning and put something together. Don't turn up on the day and expect them to fulfill demands without pre-warning them.
There are many chain restaurants which already have vegan options on the menu. Some of my favourites are The Lounges,  Toby Carvery and Yo Sushi.
Then there are others which have options that can be slighlty altered on request to make them vegan, like Pizza Express (dough balls with garlic oil instead of butter, pizza with no cheese) and Wagamama (tell them you are vegan and they will bring you the allergen menu with a list of suitable changes).

Join vegan groups on social media
Talking to like minded individuals can really help. There are many groups available on social media, from group discussions, to vegan products, even vegan dating. Most people are friendly and chatty, and willing to offer you as much advice as you want. However, beware of the 'vegan police', those people that want to insult your choice because you are 'not as vegan as they are'. Dont let them put you off!
Some of my favourite facebook groups are:
Vegan Meringues - Hits and Misses
Vegan (Supermarket finds) UK
What Fat Vegans Eat
Vegans UK- Off Topic Chat

More than just food
Being vegan is more than just a diet change, as you venture into this lifestyle you will learn to adapt and change everything around you. Be flexible and open minded to what you may need to change. You will never stop learning. From ensuring the beauty products you buy are not tested on animals, to eliminating silk and wool in your clothing purchases. Its your journey to take and make sure you enjoy it. Dont be pressured into anything - as that will make it more stressful than fun. Take it at your own pace and love every moment of it!

Two years! Can you believe thats how long it has been since I last wrote a post?

Well recently I looked my blog back up again, and it suddely dawned on me that I have a fair amount of spare time again, so why not start it back up? So here I am emerging from extinction!

So, two years is a long time... what has changed?

Work
I was promoted to supervisor of VIP Tours at the Safari - woohoo!! I now manage a small team and all operations involved with the running of the VIP Tours and Safari Bus. I love it! It also means I no longer have to re-apply for my role each season, and I work all year round. This year marked 5 years working at the safari park. 3 years of which have been with the VIP Team. I have never looked back since!


Location
I seem to be venturing further into the West Country. Personal circumstances have meant I have had to relocate from the very edge of Wiltshire, into the very edge of Somerset. It is only a temporary move though - I hope to move back over into Wiltshire after a few months. Living in the West Country has definitely impacted the way I speak. When I now talk about 'being led down' or asking someone 'where are they to?' I know the West Country has got into my system! We won't even discuss the fact that some of my words seemed to have a more pronounced 'arr' to them...eek!


Pets
Lenny - I sadly had to say goodbye to my beautiful bunny Lenny recently. After losing the use of his back end I decided the kindest option would be to let him go to rainbow bridge. He will be forever missed, particularly by his partner in crime, Twiglet.


 

Poppy -  9 months ago I welcomed a new member into the family, Poppy, my crazy over exciteable pooch! She is a husky/staffy/malamute mix, and boy is she a handful! Don't be fooled by those gorgeous good looks, she is a madam! I thought having grown up around Bernese that having my own dog would be easy - boy was I wrong! This over exciteable girl is full of energy! It is harder to walk 1 of her than it is 4 of my mums Bernese! But I woudn't change her for the world. I love her to bits and she makes a great hairy blanket in the evenings!



Im sure a lot more has changed in two years - I could go on! But there is no need to bore you too much!

I love spring time, the prettiest of flowers are in full bloom, the fresh showers in the early morning and of course the endless amount of animal babies... and the safari is no exception!

One of the first of the year was Orlando, a gorgeous little white Bactrian camel. His dad Doug is extremely protective, and often chases away the rhinos!

Fluffy Orlando

You might go gaa gaa over one baby, but what about twins? Two tiny Ring-tailed lemurs! The fifth litter of mum Hasina and dad Julien these two are just adorable! Both boys but no names yet... one keeper suggested Ant and Dec and I love it! Update: Have since been named Sherlock and Watson!

 

Hasina and her twins

What about a baby that is taller than me or you when it is first born? You cant beat the awww factor of a Rothschilde giraffe calf! She has been named Odele after a staff members sister!

Odele and mum Ella (Photo by Longleat)

Then theres the mums that carry their babies with them in a pouch. Check out this Red-Necked Wallaby carrying around her Joey!

Popping out to say hello

These lion cubs weren't born this year and are now 7 months old, but I had to put in this gorgeous piccie of that cheeky face amongst the bluebells.

Mischief in the bluebells

It wont be long before the deer are calving and the first few naughty monkeys are born.... so keep posted for more adorable photos!

I was quite surprised when my mum told me she was looking at adopting a dog, she has always been a keen breeder of Bernese Mountain Dogs, so this was a little out of the blue.

She had spotted a charity known as Love Underdogs who rescued severely mistreated cats and dogs from Romania, many having been abused and left helplessly wandering the streets. A lot are left with serious behavioral problems and medical conditions. Love Underdogs saves these helpless animals and then brings them to the UK, they spend hours working with them, giving them the treatment they need to find a new home.

My mum had spotted Renata, a playful girl that still bared the scars of her past, her mutilated ears. On inquiring about adopting Renata they explained that unfortunately she was under intensive treatment for a condition and was not ready for re-homing. Sadly after a few weeks they decided it wouldn't be fair to re-home Renata with her condition as it would be a permanent on going expense they could not put on someone else.

 Gorgeous Renata (Photo from Love Underdogs)

My mum then said she would be happy to adopt another, as long as she got along with cats and dogs, so they offered my mum Honey, an incredible quiet and shy girl. My mum set up a spot in the corner next to the sofa with a cosy rug and water bowl so Honey could have a 'safe' place to hide and she quickly retreated to her new spot.

My mum told me that Honey was very very nervous, and she couldn't look anyone in the eye. She would back herself right into the corner and hide away. However slowly but surely she seemed to be getting more confident.

Honey hiding in her safe place (Photo by my mum)

I was eager to meet the new family member, so made a visit down to my mums. I slowly came and sat down next to Honey and gave her a warm stroke. She glanced up at me, then as we made eye contact she turned her head away. She was still very shy. I was eager to make friends though and each time I fussed her that small glance lasted a little longer.

Out on a walk she seemed like a different dog. She would charge off ahead, sniffing and smelling the ground, persistently scent marking wherever she went. When called she would look up briefly then carry on her business, she would only return toward you if you turned your back and started walking in the opposite direction. She definitely needed to build her confidence with people. My mum explained that she had already massively improved at this stage, and she couldn't wait for that moment she wagged her tail.

With the Bernese (Photo by my mum)

Just over a week later I visited my mum again, and as I was greeted with the barking of the Bernese another little bark joined in.... Honey! It was only a week ago but I couldn't believe the change in her! She was now emerging from her hiding spot to say a brief hello, and after she watched the Bernese scoff treat from our hand she also wandered over and took a sneaky snack! Her short glances were now much more elongated, and she would sit comfortably while she received a good stroke. She was definitely more confident with the other dogs around, and in their presence would come and sit in the middle of the room. There was a glint in her eye now!

On her walks she now trotted around with her tail in the air and would come running back when you called her name. This was no longer the shy dog that came to live with my mum. Then I saw that special moment, my mum walked into the room and Honey came rushing over to greet her....tail wagging madly!! Her life had been turned around and she was so happy. After a few days she was running over to greet me as well, wagging her tail. It brought a tear to my eye. What a horrendous past this little doggie must have had and now to greet me in this wonderful manner. Just incredible!

 

 Getting confident!

I would love to adopt a dog, and after looking at the Love Underdogs site have fallen in love with both Liana (who could resist those eyes and that heart on her side) and the stunning Jolie. Unfortunately my full time job means it just wouldn't be fair to have a dog as I would be out from 8-5, 5 days a week. I have all my fingers crossed that they both find a loving forever home like Honey has!

I popped into the shop to pick up some peanut butter for my crumpets when I discovered the Lotus Smooth Caramalised Biscuit Spread on the shelf near the chocolate spread. I remember seeing it over on veganoo and decided to give it a go on my crumpets instead.

On getting home I decided to pop it open and dig in the spoon. It looks identical to smooth peanut butter and it glides onto the spoon just the same. Just a small spoonful I thought...biggest mistake!!!! My mouth filled with the delicious caramel buttery smooth heaven! Wow... I delved back in for another spoonful.... absolutely delicious! Before long I had eaten 1/4 of the tub so I quickly popped the lid back on! Oops!

The next morning I was eager to try it on my crumpets, and practically leaped downstairs to taste that caramel goodness again. I smoothed it over my hot crumpets and it did soften slightly, making it gooey and even tastier! It is definitely one for the sweet tooth, and makes a delicious breakfast treat, a prefect alternative to peanut butter or chocolate spread, be careful though its so moreish! I found myself dipping into the jar on multiple occassions!

I was so amazed at how delicious this was I took it into work to show it off, all my colleagues were digging in until the jar was nearly empty, one colleague had to hide the jar from us so we didn't eat it all!

This would also be great in a Soymilk shake, or perhaps in porridge, or even used in a banoffee pie! I highly recommend trying it, you wont be able to put the jar down!

Appearance 9/10
Taste 10/10
Value 9/10