London is one of the most affordable cities in the UK to live off a plant-based diet, new analysis of vegan restaurants has revealed.
Off the back of veganuary, the capital ranked seventh on the list of most affordable cities for vegans, according to a European wide study of vegan restaurants.
London scored 27.30 out of 100, compared to Liverpool which topped the list with a score of 68.09.
As per the research, the average vegan restaurant price in London is £27.47 and 16.42% of vegan restaurant meals are priced under £17.09.
And social media creator Philip Zee, who has been a vegan for four years, agreed that London was one of the best places to be vegan.
Zee said: “All the big chains have plenty of vegan options and even entire vegan menus. There are also so many incredible vegan restaurants in London too, the vegan scene here is amazing!
“Most of my close friends aren’t vegan and I have never had issues when eating out with them. We can literally eat wherever and I’ll be good.
“London has the best vegan options and flexibility compared to other UK cities.”
Fellow Londoner Matthew Cox, who has been vegan for two years, added: “I don’t have a great comparison but compared to Buckinghamshire where I’m from originally from, London is better.
“Maybe it’s because there are more people, business owners feel there’s a bigger opportunity to appeal to a wider range of people.”
The cost of living crisis doesn’t seem to have had a large impact on their lifestyles, as both say that while the prices of alternative dairy products may be comparatively higher than non-vegan products, the prices of fruits and vegetables are significantly lower than meats.
Zee said: “No doubt the cost of living crisis has for sure had an effect on many parts of our lifestyle in London, bills, travel, etc. but I don’t think practising veganism is one of them.
“Again, if you rely on expensive meat and dairy alternatives, then yes it can be more difficult due to the situation, but if you make vegetables, legumes, grains, fruits, etc. the base of most of your meals, then it’s less of a hit.”
Cox added: “Spending £30 or so in one go for a couple of month’s worth of stuff is a bit tough to see in the current climate. But otherwise, in the grand scheme of things I imagine, I’m feeling it as much or less than many people.”
