I was recently tasked with finding a gift for a vegan friend – something different to the ‘usual’ flowers I order her. Once I started researching, I was amazed at how many options I had – there genuinely seems to be a vegan alternative for almost everything now. It’s so good to see. Lost for choice, the following five gifts made my short list. And I’d like to share them with you.
Candyroo: Vegan Pick & Mix Candy, Fudge and Chocolates
You can’t go wrong when gifting candy and chocolate … but until recently most jelly sweets were made with gelatin, derived from animals, and so were not vegetarian or vegan friendly. That has all changed now fortunately, and I was amazed at the range of (vegan) pick and mix favourites available online at the family-run sweetshop Candyroo. Fizzy, sour, chewy, sugary … you can pick your favourites, or opt for their Ultimate Vegan Top Pick Mix in either a 500g or 1000g bag, or a 500ml jar or 735g bottle.
It’s not just candy of course … do you like fudge? Well I certainly recommend Candyroo’s Vegan All For Me Pouch if you do. This 500g bag of mixed fudge in chocolate, chocolate orange and vanilla flavours really hits the spot when you have a sweet tooth!
If you are looking for something decadent, then I recommend these Caramel Filled Choc Drops from NOMO (NO Missing Out). These golden-wrapped tears of smooth gooey, chocolatey delight are amazingly dairy, gluten, egg and nut free … you’d never believe it!
So, as you can see, Candyroo has a rather splendid selection of confectionary for vegans. There’s more … As a business they have partnered with Ecologi, working to help the planet in a variety of ways, including:
- Working towards becoming carbon neutral
- Planting a tree with every sale received, with a plan to plant 100,000 trees by 2025 and offset 100 tonnes of CO2
- Candyroo have implemented a Cycle to Work Scheme – great for the environment, and staff fitness!
- All packing and shipping products are 100% recyclable
- Rather than bin excess sugar, it is given to beekeepers for syrup in the honey-making process
A great forward-thinking business, selling extremely addictive sweeties … you can’t go wrong!
Letter Box Hamper: Vegan Friendly Letter Box Hamper
Sometimes you just want to send a little gift to someone. To let them know you are thinking of them. Something lovely that isn’t a grand gesture, but which may feel like one to the recipient. That’s where letterbox gifts come in. During lockdown we wrote about some letterbox gifts available at that time, and today I’m introducing another one! Letter Box Hamper is a company focused on providing little boxes of luxury British produce for all events and occasions.
Here we are focusing on their Vegan friendly letter box hamper. The box may be small, but it is packed with wonderful treats. This particular box contains a bag of Cambrook’s hickory smoked and roasted almonds, Wholey Moley chocolate & orange cookie, Ollie’s Olives (juicy green olives with garlic and basil), Jealous Tangy Worms candy (apple & lemon, strawberry & orange flavours), and a bar of Enjoy Organic Dark Chocolate filled with a vegan salted caramel. What a lovely selection of UK products – a real treat!
Letter Box Hamper is also taking sustainability seriously. They have removed all plastics from their hamper packaging; the boxes are made from premium card and they are wrapped in traditional parcel paper (both easily recycled). They do not use any filler or excess packaging.
They focus on reducing packaging waste, and cut down food miles by using local, British, food and drinks. Letter Box Hampers have switched to a green energy supplier to ensure all their office energy comes from renewable sources. Oh, and they use electric bicycles for collection and delivery of light orders on local routes!
VEGAN Happy: Ethical Clothing and Accessories
VEGAN Happy Clothing is a brand I’m full of affection for. This time last year I came to rely on their ever-so-soft skull caps when I lost my hair during chemotherapy. My skin was so sensitive, yet these lightweight hats allowed me to leave the house with a head covering in place – nothing else worked. But VEGAN Happy is so much more than beanie hats, of which I have many! My current favourite is this vintage rucksack … it travels everywhere with me (Iceland last October, Wales in December, Sicily in April … and shopping most weekends). It is strong, simple, light and comfortable to wear.
Looking at their current range of accessories, I’m loving the Portfolio Briefcase, and the Classic Holdall. Planning ahead for my summer tropical tour of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, this Lightweight Bucket Hat will be a must-purchase before I fly, along with a few pieces from their brilliant modern clothing range.
All VEGAN Happy clothes are ethically sourced, many are PETA Approved, organic, Fair Wear or Fair Trade, and printed or embroidered with vegan inks and thread. They are working hard towards bringing the manufacturing to the UK, which could happen very soon too!
Virgin Wines: Vegan Mixed Wine Duo in Gift Box
If in doubt, send wine. Well, that’s what I tell people who might be wondering what to get me for a birthday present etc! I don’t actually drink all that often – when I do it is a real treat, and I really enjoy it. So receiving a duo of vegan wines – one red, one white – in a lovely wooden gift box, is something I know I’ll look forward to enjoying.
This Vegan Mixed Wine Duo set includes Just The Juice Vermentino 2020, from Sicily, Italy. Citrus fruits, herbal hints, with a slightly salty flavour from the island’s sea breezes. At its best now until the end of 2023. The red wine is El Nubbaron Carmenere 2021 from Valle Central, Chile. This full and fruity red is at its best now until the end of 2025.
With Virgin Wines being part of the huge global business that is Virgin, they too have acted to be as environmentally responsible as they can, for the sake of our planet. For instance, the glass used for bottling Virgin Wines is infinitely recyclable; and they ship most of their wines in tanks to reduce the environmental impact during shipping (they bottle in the UK). Single-use plastics is avoided within their product packaging, and recycling is actively encouraged throughout the business. All packaging materials including all cardboard from supplier packaging, the plastic film used to secure imports, and office paperwork, is recycled. Wooden pallets get repaired and reused.
Their transit packaging is manufactured from 100% FSC certified paper, is 100% recyclable, 100% bio-degradable and has up to 88% recycled content. They are a member of The Soil Association, a charity that looks to transform the way we eat, farm and care for our natural world. Their Norwich office uses a renewable energy supplier, and they use the environmental policies of potential suppliers in selecting who they will work with in the production and distribution of their products.
Buyagift: Two Course Vegan Meal with Wine at a Stem and Glory Restaurant Experience Voucher
Maybe you want to send a gift to a friend that gives them something to look forward to? A nice meal is always appreciated when the time is right – dressing up and taking someone as your plus-1 to spend some quality time with. With more and more vegan restaurants opening, why not consider a buyagift experience voucher?
This one is a Vegan two course meal with wine, for two, at a Stem and Glory Restaurant (award-winning venues in London and Cambridge). You can choose to dine for brunch, lunch or dinner. Mains could include spicy bao burgers, green curry with cauliflower rice and a Vegan Full English! Followed with a dessert and accompanied with wine, what a lovely experience this would be.
Of course buyagift offer so much more than meal experiences. Helicopter flights, hot air balloon rides, Supercar driving track days, Afternoon teas, spa days, short breaks away – there really is something for everybody.
Buyagift is a carbon-neutral company. They offset their carbon by investing in forestry and renewable energy projects, such as Darkwoods Forest Conservation (US), Delhi Electrical Rail Systems (Asia), Renewable Energy Projects (global), North Doddington reforestation (UK), and Cool Earth Rainforest Protection (global).
So, which is your favourite Vegan gift?
Disclaimer
These items were sent to us to photograph and review. Our words are our own, and we haven’t been influenced in any way.
