Vegan friendly shops in Colchester.

Lush-(Trinity Square) Soap, shampoo, shower gel, make-up, face products (vegan products labelled)
Sante -(Trinity street)-Natural remedies and homeopathy, toiletries  mineral make up. All vegetarian, some vegan. Knowledgeable staff .
Natural foods-(Eld Lane) -Colchester's independent health food shop.  Frozen and refrigerated vegan food, plus store cupboard essentials and sweet treats.  Vegan skin care, toiletries, vitamins, cleaning products and more. Knowledgeable staff.
Holland And Barrett (Priory walk)-Frozen and refrigerated vegan food, plus store cupboard essentials and sweet treats.  Vitamins, supplements etc.
Co-op- (Stanway, Prettygate, Shrub End, West Bergholt, Mile End, Mersea Road, Rowhedge, Harwich Road, Greenstead)-Vegan labelled toiletries and cleaning products (Buav approved)
Superdrug (High street and Priory Walk- Buav approved own brand toiletries (vegan items labelled), make up range "B"- labelled vegan and Buav approved,  Barry M make up (some of which is vegan), GOSH make up, some of which is vegan (For full low-down on vegan make up, check out crueltyfreeface.com), Naked skin and hair care, some of which is vegan.
Marks and Spencer (High Street) Own brand toiletries and make-up are Buav approved. Email to find out if specific products are vegan. Also sell Tara Smith vegan and Buav approved hair care.

Playhouse (Pub)

4 Saint John's Street  Colchester, Essex CO2 7AA

01206 571 003

The Playhouse is operated by pub chain “Wetherspoon”.

Wetherspoon helpfully have a “plan your menu” section on their website, where you can choose to just view the vegan items. [take note other restaurants!!]

The items listed were:

Portion of chips

 Sides:

 Side salad without creamy dressing

Children's:

Happy Monkey strawberry & banana smoothie

Curry Club:

Sweet potato, chickpea & spinach curry with extra poppadums

An award-winning dish, in a coconut sauce, with yellow basmati rice, mango chutney and poppadums. This meal is suitable for vegans if ordered without Naan.

Large onion bhajis

Vegetable samosas

Extra poppadums & mango chutney

Bombay potatoes

Confusingly jacket potato and beans (without butter) doesn't show up on this list, but it does show up if you select "vegetarian"+ "egg free" + "dairy free"... as does"Organic Tomato and Basil Soup" and "Hummus and Roast Vegetable Flatbread".

Looking through their menu I noticed a lot of  vegetarian things that could easily be made vegan, if  Weatherspoon so chose-such as: Mexican bean burger, vegetable burger, vegetarian sausage with chips and beans, superfood salad/pasta, Vegetarian roast(Portobello Mushroom, Chickpea & Pumpkin Seed Roast served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy), Five-bean chilli (uses Quorn mince), Vegetarian breakfast (Two fried eggs, three vegetarian sausages, baked beans and chips).

I think some polite email suggestions are in order!

Cafe at number 21

Cafe at number 21, Trinity street, Colchester

Cafe at number 21 (next to Timbers on Trinity Street) opened in June 2012 with the aim of catering for for vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and omnivorous diets.  

It is now under new ownership, and  after chatting with the current owner I learnt that their current vegan options are:

-Aubergine bake
-Roast vegetable salad
-Usually at least one vegan soup.

They are open to suggestions, so the menu may change.
Soya milk is available for teas and coffees.

Cafe at 21 has nice a bright interior and pleasant garden at the back.

This cafe previously sold vegan cupcakes by local  business "ps...it's vegan!" 
Vegan cakes can now instead be be brought from "Caffe Sala" or  "The Minories Garden Cafe", or privately ordered from "ps...it's vegan!" by visiting their website here.

Mirchi Rasoi-Indian Takeaway

Mirchi Rasoi

71 North Station Road

CO1 1RQ Colchester

Delivery times:

Monday- closed

Tuesday 18:30 - 23:00

Wednesday 18:30 - 23:00

Thursday 18:30 - 23:00

Friday 18:30 - 23:00

Saturday 18:30 - 23:00

Sunday-closed

Read reviews here

A friend recently informed me of this Indian takeaway restaurant, which marks which items are vegan on the menu (yay! If only every  one would!)

Listed below are the things I found..

“Vegetarian Dishes”

MUMBAY ALOO £ 2.90

Medium, Vegan

GOBHI BHAJI £ 2.90

Mild, Vegan

CHANNA MASALA £ 2.90

Medium, Vegan

PINDI CHOLE £ 2.90

Hot, Vegan

TARKA DAL £ 2.90

Mild, Vegan

SABZI BHAJI £ 2.90

Vegan

BHINDI BHAJI £ 2.90

Mild, Vegan

SAAG ALOO £ 2.90

Medium, Vegan

"Rice and bread"

MUSHROOM RICE £ 2.90

Vegan

CHAPATI £ 1.30

Vegan

TANDOORI ROTI £ 1.70

Vegan

PURI £1.30

Vegan

(Plain rice isn’t marked vegan, but I assume it would be?)

You can order online at Just.eat  http://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-mirchi-rasoi/menu

Free delivery when spending £25 and over.

(although after reading the reviews it seems the delivery service is  bit hit and miss!)

Nandos

11-13 Head Street

Colchester

CO1 1NX

http://www.nandos.co.uk/

Ok..so you're thinking "Ugh! A chicken restaurant?! A chicken restaurant??!?! Why write a post about that!?"

 Well, I figured some people may end up in a Nando's with omni friends (as I have before...) and also practically  every other restaurant that I've written about on here serves chicken/meat too..(just not in such a glaringly obvious in-your-face way...).

Nando's do actually answer the question of vegan food on their website..http://www.nandos.co.uk/faq/there-anything-your-menu-suitable-vegans 

"If you’re vegan or vegetarian we offer a veggie pitta, but vegans need to specify “no mayonnaise” as mayo is a standard ingredient containing egg. You can have any baste as these are free of meat, egg and dairy products.

Please note that Nando’s are not vegetarian restaurants [really? I wouldn't have guessed..] and do not imply in any literature that we are. However we do take specific steps to segregate our vegetarian product from chicken products as follows: 

• A separate area of the grill is defined for the exclusive cooking of vegetarian and bean burgers.
• Separate utensils are always used with vegetable products.
• Separate bottles of the Nando’s bastes are used exclusively for basting the vegetarian products.

Full ingredient listings are available in all of our restaurants if you wish to explore further! Ask to see the “Food & Menu Specifications” booklet."

Unfortunately the said "Food and menu specification" booklet doesn't seem to be available online, so it is just a matter of asking in the restaurant....!

Zizzi

Zizzi

12 Headgate

CO3 3BTT: 01206 576816

http://www.zizzi.co.uk/

Zizzi have a helpful allergen menu here http://www.zizzi.co.uk/assets/pdf/special_diets.pdf and even better-they have a copy that you can read in the restaurant too!

Below is a list of items that are marked vegan on the PDF, and also those that can be veganised ...

“Before you start”

Mixed olives

Goddess Olives

Dough sticks with garlic aioli- contains milk and egg: to make vegan substitute garlic butter and garlic aioli for olive oil

“Antipasti”

Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Italian bread basket-Dough sticks contain milk- "to make vegan serve without dough sticks" (this is the advice of the allergy pdf.. I'm aware it seems a bit contradictory, as above it says that the dough sticks can be made vegan if using olive oil in place of garlic butter!)

“Pasta”

Zizzi'z use vegan pasta-except the gluten free pasta, which contains egg

Pasta with pomodoro sauce is vegan-ask for it without the buffalo mozzarella

“Risotto”-all contain milk and egg

“Calzone and Pizza"

-Pizza dough and pizza sauce are vegan, so ask for the cheese to be left off.  Possible veggie pizzas to veganise are-

Skinny Rustica-Primavera  :Slices of aubergine, artichoke, peppers, olives, tomato sauce, mozzarella and goats’ cheese.-Contains milk from mozzarella and goats cheese-ask for pizza without these cheeses

Calzone-Clarissa-Aubergine, peppers, olives, pine nuts and our tomato sauce, topped off with mozzarella and goats’ cheese.-Contains milk from mozzarella and goats cheese-ask for pizza without these cheeses

Funghi-Mushrooms, mozzarella and thyme.-contains milk from mozzarella-ask for no cheese.

“Salads and sides”

Tuscan potatoes

Fine Green beans

Mixed salad

Super food insalata-“Chunky slices of butternut squash and ribbons of courgette. Lentils, broad beans and mint. We muddle goats’ cheese through the mix, add salad leaves drizzled with white balsamic vinegar and put dough on the side.”-Contains milk from goats cheese, and from garlic butter on dough sticks. I assume it would be vegan without goats cheese and dough sticks…

“Dessert”

Sorbetti (strawberry, lemon and

blood orange)

Items that looked like they may be ok, but aren’t!

Courgette fries:contain milk and egg

As ever, all information on this site is intended as a guide. Menus and ingredients may change, so always mention that you are vegan at time of ordering.

If you spot any out of date information/broken links on this site, please email me to let me know!

Albatta-Middle Eastern Restaurant

18A Sir Isaac's Walk  Town Centre, Colchester CO1 1JJ

01206 618 121

 Facebook page

email....albatta2011@live.com

Read reviews on of Albatta here

I emailed Albatta the middle Eastern restaurant, (on Sir Isaac's walk) asking if these items on their menu were suitable for a vegan diet....(see photo below for details on individual items)

Lentil soup
Hommous and Pitta
Moutabal babaghanouj
Falafel
Foul Moudames pita
Spicy Potato
Stuffed vine leaves
Spinach Fatayer

Fries vegetables
Tabouleh
Fattoush salad
Hommous and tomato sandwich
Moutabal babahanoush sandwich
Falafel sandwich

 They said that they are ALL suitable for vegans! And they also added in their email...

"we can prepare okra with plain rice, rice with vegetables and we can make Moroccan couscous with vegetable only without chicken or meat broth...
But for these special orders,can you please inform me of how many of you intend to visit albatta and when ...
As the special chef is always there on Friday,Saturday,Sunday..."

Nice to see lots of options, suggestions of additional meals, and a helpful reply! :)