Food for food fairs

Now you've read a guide to free vegan food stalls, you'll be wanting to know what to serve at them.

Those who have done a lot of free food fairs and stalls know what works. So we've picked their brains. The people who invented these events, Realfood, have given us some excellent ideas, and we've added in Vegan Campaigns' experience as well as ideas of our own.

Food ranges

Cluster the offerings in themed food ranges. Realfood have found that the following work well:

• chocolate - a big range so people realise there's nothing to give up
• junk food - pizza, crisps, sausages on sticks, garlic bread
• vegan cheeses - in a range of styles and presentations
• central Asian – mini samosas, pakora, bhajis, popadums
• Chinese - spring rolls, marinated & deep fried tofu, tofu & veg kebabs
• Mexican - a bit spicy is always popular. Eg. tortillas and sauces. Most of the Old El Paso range is suitable for vegans and can be served cold.
• salads - as a theme or some salads in each theme
• traditional British - crackers & quartered sarnies/butties (with as many different fillings/toppings as you can devise), Redwood's (eg chicken in salad or in chunks) & Fry's (eg palone chunks) products, Linda McCartney sausage rolls (chopped small before cooking)
• roasts, pies and flans
• plant milks - little cup samples from a chilled jug or carton, particularly Alpro fresh soya, chocolate milks
• cakes and desserts, such as vegan cheesecake, trifle, jellies, ice cream

What does not work so well:

• flapjacks - too expected and boring
• very wierd food (eg seaweed to English people, yeast extract to Americans)

Guide to making food

Hygiene is really important. Always wash your hands and utensils regularly whilst preparing and serving food. Chill food until ready to serve, and prepare it as soon as possible before serving. Get your person with a food hygiene certificate to oversee this, and have a notice up for everyone to refer to.

If you want an simple and inexpensive way to earn a food hygiene certificate, this option looks very interesting: Food Hygiene Training CD.

Try making things that are simple to prepare in large quantities, divide up small, are tidy to eat, look attractive, and work well with non-vegans.

Display food

It works well to have food, packaging and flyers on display.

• fresh fruit and vegetables and garnishes
• packaged everyday foods that happen to be vegan
• flyers & packaging of main foods and manufacturers on display
• recipes, particularly of items to sample

Specific food suggestions

Redwoods and Frys often donate free food samples to groups to use, so are worth contacting. We have very much appreciated their support.

Attached below are two recipes for home-made food that Vegan Campaigns make for our stalls; they both go down really well. We actually found to our surprise that more people go for the carrot cake than chocolate cake when both are on offer! Cut the cake into small pieces.

Sausage rolls made with packet sos-mix (add some fried onion and herbs) and Jus-roll puff pastry are also popular. Most pastry items go down well. We always focus on food that is easy to pick up.

We also give out free vegan food samples on a tray. Go out and offer the samples to people, this really helps in getting people over. Make sure that everyone who takes a food sample either from the stall or the tray is offered a leaflet. Why Vegan by the Vegan Society is a good one to offer.

Recipes

Here are some sample recipes that others such as Vegan Campaigns have had great success with.

Red Pepper and Courgette Quiche

pastry

• 10oz/250g plain wholemeal flour
• 5ozs/125g margarine

filling

• 2 medium onions
• 1 large courgette
• 1 large red pepper
• 450g/1lb tofu, cubed
• 1.5 dssp tomato puree
• 1 level tsp salt
• generous pinch black pepper and ginger
• 1 level dssp mixed herbs
• 1 pack of vegan cheese
• enough soya milk to make a paste

preparation

1. First make the pastry by rubbing the margarine into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough water to make a dough which is soft, but not sticky.
2. Roll out and cut out circles using a 2.75 inch cutter. Place into bun tins and bake for 10 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 to set the pastry.
3. Now make the filling: chop the onions fairly fine; and chop the courgettes and red pepper. Fry the onions for a few minutes.
4. Add the courgettes and red pepper, fry until they begin to soften.
5. Cube the tofu and add tofu, herbs, condiments, tomato puree and fry a bit longer.
6. Take off the heat and add the cheese and enough soya milk to make a paste.
7. Cook a bit longer, then place into quiche dish and bake for 30-50 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

variation: rasher and mushroom quiche

Omit the courgette and red pepper. Use 200g/7oz of mushrooms (sliced) and half a packet of Redwoods cheatin bacon. Add the mushrooms when you would have added the courgette and red pepper. Add the cheatin bacon at the same time as the tomato puree.

Carrot Cake

cake

• 3 carrots, grated (approx. 8oz worth)
• 6 oz sultanas or raisins
• 6 oz SR white flour and 4oz SR wholemeal flour
• 6 oz sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp ginger
• 8 floz vegetable oil
• 7 floz water
• pinch of salt and dash of vinegar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

icing

• 6oz vegan margarine
• 4oz icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

preparation

1. To make the cake, stir all the dry cake ingredients together and then mix the wet ones in.
2. Bake at gas mark 5 (190C) for 45 mins, then reduce oven to gas mark 3 (160C) and cook for another 30 minutes. Cool in tin.
3. To make the icing mash the margarine and vanilla essence into the sugar with a fork.
4. Ice the cake. Optional: top with very roughly chopped nuts (e.g. cashews or walnuts).

Cake recipe from The Cake Scoffer by Ronny Worsey.

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Audit

Story posted by on 2006-05-17 19:17:54.

Story last updated by on 2006-05-17 20:06:07.

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