Animal Aid

Switching from dairy products to cruelty-free alternatives is easier than you might think. The range of dairy substitutes is growing rapidly and there are now vegan versions of milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, custard, margarine and many more food products.

What can I use instead of milk?

Soya milk is now widely available in supermarkets and health food shops and it is offered in most cafés, coffee shops and restaurants. It is also available at all AMT Coffee kiosks at train stations.

There are a variety of different brands available and all taste slightly different. Alpro is the most popular brand. You can buy sweetened, unsweetened, concentrated, organic, long-life, vanilla flavoured and vitamin enriched versions. Alpro also make milkshakes in vanilla, chocolate, banana and strawberry flavours.

Most people find that once they have been using soya milk for a few months, cows’ milk is impossible to go back to, as it begins to taste fatty and sour.

As well as soya milk, you can buy rice milk, oat milk and almond milk from health food shops and some supermarkets. Rice milk has a thinner consistency and sweeter flavour than soya milk and does not really work so well in hot drinks, but it is excellent on its own or with breakfast cereals. Oat and almond milks are really creamy and can be used in the same way as soya milk. Almond milk is particularly delicious in coffee and hot chocolate. Try a range of brands to see which you prefer.

I'll miss cheese too much!

Soya-based cheese alternatives are available from health food shops and some supermarkets. The most popular brand is Cheezly, which melts and is therefore good for cooking with. Vegetarian Parmazano is a powdered parmesan substitute, which tastes remarkably like the real thing. Soya cheeses are available in a number of flavours including Edam, Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella, Cheshire and Blue. Vegan cream cheese is also available in various flavours.

What about yoghurt?

You can buy soya yoghurts from health food shops and some supermarkets. Yofu and Sojasun are natural yoghurts that come in plastic tubs and taste almost exactly the same as dairy yoghurt. Yofu is also available in a range of fruit flavours, which are very popular. You can also buy several different brands of soya yoghurts in smaller portion-sized yoghurt pots, which come in a variety of flavours and can be found alongside the dairy yoghurts in supermarkets.

Is plain chocolate vegan?

Continental plain chocolate is more likely to be vegan. Always check the ingredients, as many brands contain butterfat or milk powder. To be sure, why not order some delicious chocolate bars and truffles from Animal Aid (through the online shop)?

Is margarine vegan?

Most margarines contain lactose or whey, both of which are dairy-derived, and whey may not even be vegetarian. However, the ‘Pure’ range of sunflower and soya margarines is widely available, and most supermarkets now stock their own dairy-free brand as well.

How can I create dairy-free versions of my favourite foods?

Soya milk, tofu, soya cheese, soya yoghurt, coconut milk, ground cashew nuts and yeast flakes can all be used creatively in your favourite recipes in place of milk and cheese.

Custard can be made in the usual way with soya milk or rice milk, or buy a carton of Alpro ready-made custard or Alpro vanilla soya dessert and use as custard.

Cheesecake filling can be made by blending together tofu, soya milk, sugar, vanilla essence and fruit.

Delicious vegan Ice Cream is made by several companies and is hard to distinguish from dairy ice cream. The Swedish Glace brand is particularly good - look out for it in supermarkets and health food shops.

Mild curries like sag aloo can be given a creamy texture by cooking with vegetable ghee and adding soya yoghurt or coconut milk.

Milky soups can be made with soya milk and spicy soups can be given a great flavour and texture with coconut milk.

Milkshakes can be made by blending any milk-alternative with syrup, fruit or soya ice cream. You can also buy Alpro OY drinks in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and banana flavours from supermarkets and health food shops.

You can even buy dairy-free fudge, nougat, coffee-whitener and pizzas!

Giving up Dairy Products - Action Plan

1. Investigate the growing range of dairy alternatives available from shops. Try them to see which brands you like.
2. Try tofu, soya milk and other vegan products in your favourite recipes. Experiment to see what works for you.
3. Invest in some good vegan cookbooks and try some new recipes. You can buy them from Animal Aid (through the online shoponline shop), Viva! and Amazon.co.uk. Many high street bookshops have a vegetarian and vegan cookery section. Waterstones is particularly good.
4. The internet is a brilliant source of advice and recipes.
5. Educate yourself about vegan nutrition. Find out the facts about calcium and osteoporosis, vitamin D and other issues. You can then respond with confidence if concerned friends and relatives accuse you of neglecting your health.
6. Put pressure on your work or college canteen and local catering establishments to provide dairy-free food and drinks for you. Forward them a copy of the Vegan Society's catering pack. Point out that an increasing number of people are going vegan and that many people are allergic to dairy products, so they could tap in to a significant market.
7. Once you have become confident about being vegan, try introducing your friends to dairy-free dishes and discussing the issues with them if they are curious. They might be very receptive.

Useful Factfiles

Hard copies of these are available from Animal Aid for 10p each.

• Factory Farming - Wrecking the Planet
• The Suffering of Farmed Cattle
• BSE Close Up
• Animal Products and Human Health
• The facts about Milk
• Calcium and the Myth about Milk
• Introduction to Vegetarian Nutrition

Useful Books

• Vegan Shopper by The Vegan Society - A pocket guide to vegan products
• Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman
• The Vegan Cookbook by Alan Wakeman and Gordon Baskerville

The books listed above are available from the Animal Aid online shop, along with an illustrated wipe-clean nutrition wall chart.

• Vegan Nutrition by Gill Langley

This book is available from bookshops and from the Vegan Society.

Recipes to try

See our recipe collection for some delicious, easy-to-make, vegan recipes.