Leading contract caterer, Elior UK has tapped into a new trend within one of the most talked about diets: vegan indulgence.
Proving extravagance has a place in the vegan diet, its new vegan menus include the City Bakes Co. ‘100% Vegan’ range of tempting cakes and bakes, the ‘vGood’ fish and chip shop offering and the sizzling Urban Rajah ‘Chilla Series’.
Responding to the growing trend of plant-based diets, the concepts are designed for vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and those who want to try something different.
Mark Crowe, head of menu management at Elior UK, said, “By 2025, vegans and vegetarians will make up 25% of the UK population, but 80% of vegans say they can’t find suitable food options on-the-go.
'What’s more, 39% of Brits describe vegan meals as ‘boring’.1 Our new concepts respond to this clear gap in the market for fun, on-the-go vegan dishes, and challenge peoples’ expectations of vegan food.
“Although the vegan diet is renowned for its health benefits, environmental reasons are a huge factor for consumers too, and people are still looking for ways to indulge while sticking to a vegan diet.
'Rivalling the high street, our new concepts have a wide appeal – with the rise of flexitarianism even non-vegans are keen to discover new alternatives and plant-based flavour combinations.”
The City Bakes Co. 100% Vegan range includes chocolate and pecan brownies, peanut butter and ginger cookies, mini pumpkin and cinnamon sugar doughnuts, zesty spirulina and raspberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies and lemon drizzle loaf cake.
Perfect for universities and B&I, the vGood menu includes vegan ‘fish’ and chips (recreating a flaky fish texture with banana blossom), vegan ‘fried chicken’ (a crispy fried chicken alternative made with seitan) and vegan burgers (using seitan as a rich, moreish meat alternative).
Also serving a slice of winter warming vegan indulgence fit for a Rajah, The Chilla Series consists of chickpea flour chilla pancakes, zingy Bangalorean lemon rice, vegan curries, chaat sides, toppers, chutneys and raita. For an extra level of indulgence, rich cinnamon milk and strawberry chocolate lassi are also on the menu.
Elior’s collections of vegan treats are available across a range of its sites including universities, B&I, concessions and events.