Hello! The popular brand Oumph! which recently launched in Tesco is on offer! Until 25th June you can get the Kebab style, the chunk and the pulled for £2 instead of £3.49. This is both in store and online.
For online, just head here: Oumph!
Nice and simple. These might be good to stock up on ready for Summer, such as the pulled being added to a BBQ, or kebab being used for, well, kebabs!
Hope this helps!
Showing posts with label Vegan food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegan food. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 June 2018
Friday, 27 April 2018
VeggieStuff closing down sale
EDIT: The sale has now gone to 50% off everything! However lots is sold out, but I'd say it's still worth a look at in case a favourite is on offer.
Hello! Some sad news, the great VeggieStuff.com are closing down! They were the ones who introduced me to the wonderful Schlagfix and for that I will be eternally grateful.
As part of their closing down, they are having a sale. You can get 20% off everything (plus varying postage depending on what you buy). This is whilst stocks last. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Just head here: VeggieStuff
They sell a whole range of vegan food, including cheeses chocolates, creams, everything! This is the only branch of the brand to close, others such as VeggiePets are staying open.
Hello! Some sad news, the great VeggieStuff.com are closing down! They were the ones who introduced me to the wonderful Schlagfix and for that I will be eternally grateful.
As part of their closing down, they are having a sale. You can get 20% off everything (plus varying postage depending on what you buy). This is whilst stocks last. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Just head here: VeggieStuff
They sell a whole range of vegan food, including cheeses chocolates, creams, everything! This is the only branch of the brand to close, others such as VeggiePets are staying open.
Hope this helps!
Saturday, 10 February 2018
Lidl veggie week 15th Feb!
Hello! Lidl are going to be running a Veggie week again! Yay! This was very popular last time, plus the prices were pretty good! This will run from 15th February (Thursday) until the following Wednesday, however last time they sold out of most things in many stores before the week ended! Below is the spread in their in-store paper to show what will be available.
IT'S NOT ALL VEGAN!! However last time the falafel and soya protein pieces were suitable (the nuggets were not! Also the Quorn is not either) and it's all clearly marked with a vegan logo.
IT'S NOT ALL VEGAN!! However last time the falafel and soya protein pieces were suitable (the nuggets were not! Also the Quorn is not either) and it's all clearly marked with a vegan logo.
 |
| Thank you Emily Curcio (via the 100% Vegan Products UK Facebook group) for the use of your photo!
Hope this helps!
|
Friday, 2 February 2018
Sgaia vegan Mheats offer!
Hello! Due to February being a short month, Sgaia are offering 10% off their products! Just head here: Sgaia Mheats and use the code 'SHORTMONTH' for the discount!
Offer ends 28th February. Delivery is £3.99 for orders up to 2kg, with £1 added for every kg after.
I appreciate the costs aren't exactly money saving, but I'm posting this as the brand is a very popular one, so every little helps, right?? :-)
Hope this helps!
Offer ends 28th February. Delivery is £3.99 for orders up to 2kg, with £1 added for every kg after.
I appreciate the costs aren't exactly money saving, but I'm posting this as the brand is a very popular one, so every little helps, right?? :-)
Hope this helps!
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Ocado vegan offers!
Hello! Ocado have a lot of offers on vegan product at the moment. These include:
- their new vegan 'meat' style packs and 'cheese' at buy 2 save 20%
- Alpro milks at 3 for £4
- Alpro Go On puddings reduced to 70p
- Rebel kitchen mylks 3 packs 2 for £5
- 'Bol' lunch pots 2 for £5
There's a whole heap more to have a look at too! Just head here for everything: Ocado vegan
Don't forget minimum spend is £40 and there may be a delivery charge to include. However also don't forget to check sites such as voucher codes to see if there is an offer that suits you!
Hope this helps!
Monday, 15 January 2018
VBites Veganuary bundle!
Hello! VBites have been offering a delicious Veganuary bundle for just £15.00! In this you get 8 items, including rashers, sausages, burgers, mince, fish style steaks, duck style pieces, a recipe book and a mystery item! I previously haven't posted about this as I felt the postage made it too expensive, but they have now announced FREE DELIVERY until 26th January!! Woohoo! This is on all orders over £15 (which is the minimum spend anyway so that works well).
To purchase a bundle, just head here: Veganuary starter kit
Hope this helps!
To purchase a bundle, just head here: Veganuary starter kit
Hope this helps!
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
Veggiestuff Schlagfix Half Price Offer!
Hello! I've got a pretty big deal to tell you about!
For the next 21 days (So until the end of the month basically!) the popular webstore Veggie Stuff are offering half price on ALL Schlagfix creams! All of them! So this includes the spray cream, small whipping creams and large whipping creams. Just head here to see the range: Schlagfix creams See below to learn of my love for this product. There is postage to consider, which appears to range between £3.85-£5.99 depending on what's in your basket, however if you are planning to stock up I feel this is worth it.
Schlagfix is the cream I recommend to everyone and am trying hard to get it into more store via Coffee and Cheese vegan distributors. I have tried Soyatoo and it just doesn't cut it for me. I use the spray can of Schlagfix on items such as hot chocolates, or fruit (with aquafaba meringues!) and I use the unsweetened whipping cream (and sweeten it myself) for things such as banoffee pies, trifles, scones with jam and cream. It's very versatile and for this price it's a bargain! Even with postage it's a good offer I think. I will say, if you have trouble with the spray cream, dip the can in hot water for a few minutes and it should spray nicely.
Hope this helps!
For the next 21 days (So until the end of the month basically!) the popular webstore Veggie Stuff are offering half price on ALL Schlagfix creams! All of them! So this includes the spray cream, small whipping creams and large whipping creams. Just head here to see the range: Schlagfix creams See below to learn of my love for this product. There is postage to consider, which appears to range between £3.85-£5.99 depending on what's in your basket, however if you are planning to stock up I feel this is worth it.
Schlagfix is the cream I recommend to everyone and am trying hard to get it into more store via Coffee and Cheese vegan distributors. I have tried Soyatoo and it just doesn't cut it for me. I use the spray can of Schlagfix on items such as hot chocolates, or fruit (with aquafaba meringues!) and I use the unsweetened whipping cream (and sweeten it myself) for things such as banoffee pies, trifles, scones with jam and cream. It's very versatile and for this price it's a bargain! Even with postage it's a good offer I think. I will say, if you have trouble with the spray cream, dip the can in hot water for a few minutes and it should spray nicely.
Hope this helps!
Tuesday, 2 January 2018
Restaurant offers!
Hello! With it now being January, you'll likely see a fair few restaurant offers. Here's some of them! Don't forget about Tesco vouchers for restaurants including Ask and Zizzi too!
Zizzi
For both offers, you need a voucher, so head here to get one: https://www.zizzi.co.uk/offers
Tuesday to Thursday and up to 5pm Friday Zizzi are offering 25% off all food for this week (until 5th January). There are a few restaurants that this isn't available in, so I've added the Ts and Cs below for an easy check. This also excludes set menus (however there is a set menu offer which I'll post about next!). What's also quite exciting is that they have released a new 'special' pizza, called 'arcobaleno' which can be made vegan! This features pink beetroot, sunblush tomatoes, spinach and avocado. It's vegetarian, just ask to swap the cheese.
As I mentioned, there is also a set menu, where you can get 3 courses all day every day until 31st January for £15.95. Being a set menu, you can only choose from certain dishes, however vegan options are available for each course! Here's the menu and Ts and Cs for this.
Ask
For this offer, you require a voucher: https://offers.askitalian.co.uk/
Ask are offering 50% off all main courses! This is Sunday to Friday all day (so just not Saturday) until the 7th January 2018. A few branches are not included, so please see below for the terms and conditions.
Las Iguanas
Las Iguanas have a range of offers, including Mexican Monday (2 for 1 Mexican mains!), Taco Tuesday (2 for 1 Taco planks), Nacho Average Wednesday (2 for 1 nachos) and Brill Brazil Thursday (main course and cocktail for £13.95). Very nice!
Hope this helps!
Zizzi
For both offers, you need a voucher, so head here to get one: https://www.zizzi.co.uk/offers
Tuesday to Thursday and up to 5pm Friday Zizzi are offering 25% off all food for this week (until 5th January). There are a few restaurants that this isn't available in, so I've added the Ts and Cs below for an easy check. This also excludes set menus (however there is a set menu offer which I'll post about next!). What's also quite exciting is that they have released a new 'special' pizza, called 'arcobaleno' which can be made vegan! This features pink beetroot, sunblush tomatoes, spinach and avocado. It's vegetarian, just ask to swap the cheese.
As I mentioned, there is also a set menu, where you can get 3 courses all day every day until 31st January for £15.95. Being a set menu, you can only choose from certain dishes, however vegan options are available for each course! Here's the menu and Ts and Cs for this.
Ask
For this offer, you require a voucher: https://offers.askitalian.co.uk/
Ask are offering 50% off all main courses! This is Sunday to Friday all day (so just not Saturday) until the 7th January 2018. A few branches are not included, so please see below for the terms and conditions.
Las Iguanas
Las Iguanas have a range of offers, including Mexican Monday (2 for 1 Mexican mains!), Taco Tuesday (2 for 1 Taco planks), Nacho Average Wednesday (2 for 1 nachos) and Brill Brazil Thursday (main course and cocktail for £13.95). Very nice!
Hope this helps!
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Vx Black Friday offers!
Hello! Vx London have an offer for you if you live in London or if you shop online!
In their London shop, you can get 20% off purchases over £20 by printing this coupon: https://www.vx-london.com/black-friday-coupon and taking it to the shop. This is valid Friday-Sunday.
If you shop with them online, head to https://www.secretsocietyofvegans.com/ and use the code BLK2017 for 24% off! This does not work for items already in the sale. Don't forget to consider postage costs with your order. This site sells a lot of harder to find items, so is well worth a look!
Hope this helps!
In their London shop, you can get 20% off purchases over £20 by printing this coupon: https://www.vx-london.com/black-friday-coupon and taking it to the shop. This is valid Friday-Sunday.
If you shop with them online, head to https://www.secretsocietyofvegans.com/ and use the code BLK2017 for 24% off! This does not work for items already in the sale. Don't forget to consider postage costs with your order. This site sells a lot of harder to find items, so is well worth a look!
Hope this helps!
Monday, 30 October 2017
VBites reduced!
VBites have some lovely offers and packages (see further down for the winter warmer offer!) in their online store right now! This includes (deep breath in...):
Vegideli beef style strips now 50p
Gourmet burgers now £1.00
Fish style fingers now £1.00
Southern fried chicken style pieces now £1.00
Fish style cakes now £1.00
They all have a short shelf life (but perfectly fine to get them shipped to you still in date!) however they can all be frozen. Wahey!
VBites are also currently offering a lovely sounding 'winter warmer' pack for just £20.00. This includes blue style cheezly, mozzarella style cheezly, lincolnshire style sausages, chicken style pieces, beef style pieces, meat free meatballs, meat free mince, beef style pasties and a gammon style and leek quiche. Very nice!
VBites have a minimum order value of £15.00 and shipping costs range from £5.50 for orders up to £49.99, £3 for orders £50.00 to £99.99 or free for orders over £100. Please do consider this when placing an order! (Also for Saturday delivery it's £10).
Hope this helps!
Vegideli beef style strips now 50p
Gourmet burgers now £1.00
Fish style fingers now £1.00
Southern fried chicken style pieces now £1.00
Fish style cakes now £1.00
They all have a short shelf life (but perfectly fine to get them shipped to you still in date!) however they can all be frozen. Wahey!
VBites are also currently offering a lovely sounding 'winter warmer' pack for just £20.00. This includes blue style cheezly, mozzarella style cheezly, lincolnshire style sausages, chicken style pieces, beef style pieces, meat free meatballs, meat free mince, beef style pasties and a gammon style and leek quiche. Very nice!
VBites have a minimum order value of £15.00 and shipping costs range from £5.50 for orders up to £49.99, £3 for orders £50.00 to £99.99 or free for orders over £100. Please do consider this when placing an order! (Also for Saturday delivery it's £10).
Hope this helps!
Saturday, 9 September 2017
Tesco Oatly offer!
Hello! Quite a quick post today. Tesco currently have an offer on Oatly fresh products, including their oat creme fraiche and custard! The creme fraiche also works well as sour cream, now would be a good time to try it if you haven't yet!
These offers are valid until 26th September and are available in stores and online.
Hope this helps!
Friday, 16 June 2017
Ocado offer!
Hello! Ocado have another awesome offer on Fry's vegan food. Most of the range is in a deal of 5 for £10, making each pack just £2.00 each, not bad at all! This offer is available until 11th July 2017. I've taken a little screenshot to try and show you what's in the offer (sorry you can't read the writing though!). Just head here: https://goo.gl/sw4r8b and shop away!
Depending on what other offers you get, you may need to pay for delivery, plus they have a £40 minimum order, so bare this in mind when you're shopping.
Don't forget, not only is this offer on (and many other vegan products, worth a little look around!), but there are often vouchers for Ocado at places such as https://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/ocado.com so it's always worth a quick check to see what other deals you can use to get an extra bargain! Often these vouchers require a minimum spend to please consider this before you buy
Hope this helps!
Depending on what other offers you get, you may need to pay for delivery, plus they have a £40 minimum order, so bare this in mind when you're shopping.
Don't forget, not only is this offer on (and many other vegan products, worth a little look around!), but there are often vouchers for Ocado at places such as https://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/ocado.com so it's always worth a quick check to see what other deals you can use to get an extra bargain! Often these vouchers require a minimum spend to please consider this before you buy
Hope this helps!
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Alpro Ice Cream Offer!
Hello! A little birdy told me (thank you!) about a particularly good offer on Alpro ice cream that is available at Asda at the moment! All of their ice creams are down to just £2.00, making them cheaper than Swedish Glace. Yum!
Asda don't seem to provide an end date for offers, so now would be a good time to try them or stock up if you've already tasted the deliciousness. Since it says rollback, I would think that the offer will be around for at least another week (don't hold me to that though).
Asda also have a few other vegan offers at the moment, such as on Alpro milks (4 for £4) so it'd be well worth having a look around whilst your buying ice cream!
I very much appreciate people alerting me to offers, so feel free to let me know if your spot any good deals!
Hope this helps!
Asda don't seem to provide an end date for offers, so now would be a good time to try them or stock up if you've already tasted the deliciousness. Since it says rollback, I would think that the offer will be around for at least another week (don't hold me to that though).
Asda also have a few other vegan offers at the moment, such as on Alpro milks (4 for £4) so it'd be well worth having a look around whilst your buying ice cream!
I very much appreciate people alerting me to offers, so feel free to let me know if your spot any good deals!
Hope this helps!
Saturday, 27 May 2017
Vegusto bank holiday offer
Hello! Yummy cheesy people Vegusto have another lovely offer! (I promise I'm not sponsored by them, they do great offers!) This time it is for 25% off for 3 of their award winning products: No Moo aromatic cheese, No Moo sauce and mushroom and No Moo burgers.
Just go here: vegusto.co.uk and enter the code AWARDSOFFER25 at the checkout.
Offer ends Monday 29th May at midnight. Don't forget to factor in postage when considering your purchase!
Hope this helps!
Just go here: vegusto.co.uk and enter the code AWARDSOFFER25 at the checkout.
Offer ends Monday 29th May at midnight. Don't forget to factor in postage when considering your purchase!
Hope this helps!
Saturday, 20 May 2017
VBites online offers
Hello! Vbites currently have a few offers on their site, including some short dated slices for just £1.00 and spicy bean bites for £1.00. These offers are on while stocks last Just go to www.vbitesfoods.com and have a look around!
I have noticed this happens quite a lot on their site for various items (yay!) and the best place to be first to know when offers go on their site is to follow their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/vbitesfoods/) where they up posts such as the one below to alert you to new offers on their site!
It is worth noting there is a minimum order spend of £15 and delivery charges based on how much you spend, however since the offers are usually great (often £1.00), if your favourite or hard to find products is available it may be worth stocking up on a good offer!
Please make sure you're happy with the final cost of your order :-)
Hope this helps!
I have noticed this happens quite a lot on their site for various items (yay!) and the best place to be first to know when offers go on their site is to follow their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/vbitesfoods/) where they up posts such as the one below to alert you to new offers on their site!
It is worth noting there is a minimum order spend of £15 and delivery charges based on how much you spend, however since the offers are usually great (often £1.00), if your favourite or hard to find products is available it may be worth stocking up on a good offer!
Please make sure you're happy with the final cost of your order :-)
Hope this helps!
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Asda vegan Quorn offer!
Hello! Quite a short, simple post, Asda currently have an offer on Vegan Quorn, as well as Cauldron's vegan sausages and burgers! The offer is 2 for £6.00, however they don't provide an end date that I can find.
Online, fishless fingers and Cauldron burgers are unavailable, but I believe these are also on the offer!
Hope this helps!
Online, fishless fingers and Cauldron burgers are unavailable, but I believe these are also on the offer!
Hope this helps!
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
Center Parcs as a Money Saving Vegan
Hello! I love Center Parcs and have read a few questions about all sorts of aspects in the past, particularly since going vegan. So I thought I would put everything I could possibly offer about going in a blog. I hope you find it helpful! I'll split it up into sections so you can scroll to the bits you want to read. The sections are:
When (and where) to book
Taking dogs
What to do
Eating out
The Parc Market (plus TREATS)
Just to confirm, I feel Center Parcs can be a brilliant holiday and would recommend everyone try a stay at least once! This is also in no way endorsed by Center Parcs, I just feel like it may be useful to everyone, vegans, money savers and all others interested.
When to book
Center Parcs pricing changes significantly over the year, so a good tip to save money is to go at a time when it is cheaper, if you are able to be flexible. I've been through all seasons so I can confirm that your holiday should be great no matter what time of year you go. Having a rough look it appears some of the cheapest holidays are in January, late September/early October and most of November. If you don't mind which part of the parc (park?) you want to stay in, you don't pay any more than what you see, but bear in mind if you do choose your villa location, you will pay an extra fee, with the price depending on how close to the main plaza areas you want to be (outer areas are cheaper to pick).
Top tips!
If you've also recently come back from a holiday there, I highly recommend using the Come Back Soon offer that Center Parcs have, where if you book within 30 days of coming back, you get £25 of vouchers for your next stay, plus free cancellation insurance and cheapest price guarantee, however with the guarantee you have to check if the price changes and notify them, they don't automatically tell you. But if you're able to book in advance like this, the vouchers alone are worth it! (Free pancakes, anyone?)
I'll just add a little section on where to book based on what you're looking to do and how well you deal with hills! Longleat is the one with the most hills, however they also have a land train which you can take all days except Mondays and Fridays before 6pm. They go to stops every 20 minutes and always take you nicely close to main areas, as well as helping avoid the hills! If you're ok at walking but feel you may need rests, I'd suggest Longleat is a nice place to go. Dogs are not allowed on the land train (except guide dogs). Elveden however is quite flat, which is perfect for people who want to walk everywhere or cycle a lot!
The newest site, Woburn, has a free shuttle service to and from Flitwick station. So if you don't plan on driving, Woburn may be the Center Parcs for you! It's a great service which takes you to the hotel within Center Parcs. You check in there and they will even take your bags to your lodge for you (very nice!)
Taking dogs
To me, taking my dog makes the holiday! My dog loves going and has the best time being in the forest. Dogs cost £65 for 1 dog and £89 for 2 (maximum of 2 dogs allowed) and you have to choose specific dog villas, which book up quickly, so I'd suggest booking early if you do want to take your furry friend. Whilst this may feel expensive, if your only alternative is a kennel whilst you go on holiday, it ultimately will probably save you money to take them with you!
You can leave them in the villas when you go out (eg for a meal) and they give you a sign to put in your window so people like maintenance/house keeping know there is a dog in the villa if you require their assistance (and also to not go in unless you answer the door!).
They have set spend areas for dogs, where you can let them have a nice free run around as it's all fenced (however tiny dogs or those who love to jump things may be able to escape). Dogs must stay on their leads when visiting everywhere else though, however flexi-leads are fine so they can still wander and sniff until their hearts are content! The village vans (to me) are respectful of the fact people are walking with a dog and do slow down when passing you, or wait for you to move somewhere safe at the side.
What to do
They have a lot of fun activities which you pay for, however none of these are vital to have a lovely, relaxing time! There is plenty to do at no cost at all.
Swimming is always free and are full of fun things such as rapids, slides and a wave machine. Also walking and exploring the forest is a lovely way to spend your time.
If you have a dog, I like to go to each spend area on the map as a walk, as this lets you see a lot of the site but with little goals so you don't get too lost and walk for hours (unless you want to walk for hours!).
Also if you go to Longleat for the first time, taking the whole land train route is a nice way to see where everything is and to have a little look around.
Every year Center Parcs also have a Winter Wonderland over Christmas, which usually starts sometime around November. This includes beautiful christmas lights and displays, as well as fireworks twice a week, once for the midweek break and once for the weekend break. The fireworks are free (and amazing)!
The wildlife alone fills up most of my time. See below at the beautiful creatures I was lucky enough to see!
Top tips!
If you have bikes and can take them with you, do! Hiring them can be expensive (particularly if you have a bigger family) and you can lock your bikes up outside your villa when you're not using them. Also take bags to cover your seats when your not using them in case it rains, no one wants a soggy bottom!
If you like swimming, make sure you take your own towels. You can't take the ones provided in the villa and to hire them is £2 a towel. Also, some of the sites have free swim wear dryers (such as woburn) but others charge 20p to use them (like Longleat). The towel dryer in your villa drys costumes delightfully!
Take some pound coins for lockers (except Woburn). They're free, just you need a pound to lock them.
Eating out
You absolutely do not need to eat out whilst at Center Parcs. Your villa has a fully equipped kitchen (however check my top tips below about this). If you plan to cook, I'd suggest you make a little meal plan before you go and take all your food with you, rather than buying it from the Parc Market, as it is more expensive than supermarkets. However Center Parcs do offer a WONDERFUL range of vegan food in most of their restaurants.
Center Parcs have a few of their own places which offer vegan menus. These include the sports bar (check my top tips about this place), Hucks and the Pancake House (YES! VEGAN PANCAKES!). See below some of the food available from these places.
They also have Bella Italia at a lot of their sites, which offers and vegan menu, plus Las Iguanas at Longleat (for now, I hope it'll come to more of them!). Las Iguanas have told me multiple times that their various fries are vegan, however they are fried with dairy, just to let you know.
Dexters Kitchen fries are also vegan (they have a may contain dairy warning but they are fine themselves), they are fried in separate fryers to any meat or dairy too!
Top tips!
So far as I've experienced, everywhere is happy to provide free tap water with your meals. I prefer this anyway most of the time, however it also saves a lot of money in the long run!
If you plan on cooking in your villa, I suggest (mainly as a vegan) you take your own knives, chopping board and frying pan. Also you'll notice they provide you with 3 dishwasher tabs for 4 nights, which always makes me suspicious as to how clean things are, so I suggest you take your own tabs and put everything you want to use for the week in for a wash before you use it, just to know it's nice and clean.
Both the Sports Cafe and Dining In fry their chips with meat/fish. Whilst Dining In don't mark their chips as vegetarian, Sports Cafe do, which is why I want to put this little warning in here.
Bella Italia (at least at Longleat) will let you take away their vegan pudding so you can cook it at home! You so you have an indulgent pudding wherever you like! (Please excuse the reflection!)
I have noticed that a lot of places that aren't entirely vegan end up removing the saucy parts to make food vegan. For example, the Las Iguanas vegan taco plank is just a veggie one without the sour cream. Often the restaurants at Center Parcs are very accommodating, so feel free to ask to swap the sour cream for guacamole instead! (Or salsa, whatever you fancy). If you see something you'd like added to your dish on the vegan menu, I'd say it's always worth asking.
I'd also suggest you take a bottle of vegan mayo (I like to take the squeezy bottle of chippa) and/or a can of Schlagfix to everywhere I eat, so I can make all the food extra delicious! For example, I like the chocolate and banana pancake at the Pancake House, however it comes with sorbet, so I ask for no sorbet, but a pot of uncooked chocolate chips, then add my own cream and top with the chips. YUM! See below for an example of this.
Also if you order too much, most places will let you take it home in a container (such as Hucks did!) so you can have a midnight snack too!
Parc Market
To save money, I wouldn't suggest relying on the Parc Market too much, however if there is something you fancy or are missing, I've taken some pics to show what is (unexpectedly to me!) available there for vegans. They also have more expected items such as hummus, bread, nibbles like this.
Also the TREATS shop sells (really quite expensive) moo free and millions!
Top tips!
As with all shops now, they charge for carrier bags. So make sure you pack some suitable shopping bags just in case you need them.
Also, if everything goes a bit wrong and you rely on the Parc Market for all or most of your food, they will delivery your shopping for free if it comes to over £40.00.
I hope this post has been useful, coming from a vegan and a money saving human.
When (and where) to book
Taking dogs
What to do
Eating out
The Parc Market (plus TREATS)
Just to confirm, I feel Center Parcs can be a brilliant holiday and would recommend everyone try a stay at least once! This is also in no way endorsed by Center Parcs, I just feel like it may be useful to everyone, vegans, money savers and all others interested.
When to book
Center Parcs pricing changes significantly over the year, so a good tip to save money is to go at a time when it is cheaper, if you are able to be flexible. I've been through all seasons so I can confirm that your holiday should be great no matter what time of year you go. Having a rough look it appears some of the cheapest holidays are in January, late September/early October and most of November. If you don't mind which part of the parc (park?) you want to stay in, you don't pay any more than what you see, but bear in mind if you do choose your villa location, you will pay an extra fee, with the price depending on how close to the main plaza areas you want to be (outer areas are cheaper to pick).
Top tips!
If you've also recently come back from a holiday there, I highly recommend using the Come Back Soon offer that Center Parcs have, where if you book within 30 days of coming back, you get £25 of vouchers for your next stay, plus free cancellation insurance and cheapest price guarantee, however with the guarantee you have to check if the price changes and notify them, they don't automatically tell you. But if you're able to book in advance like this, the vouchers alone are worth it! (Free pancakes, anyone?)
I'll just add a little section on where to book based on what you're looking to do and how well you deal with hills! Longleat is the one with the most hills, however they also have a land train which you can take all days except Mondays and Fridays before 6pm. They go to stops every 20 minutes and always take you nicely close to main areas, as well as helping avoid the hills! If you're ok at walking but feel you may need rests, I'd suggest Longleat is a nice place to go. Dogs are not allowed on the land train (except guide dogs). Elveden however is quite flat, which is perfect for people who want to walk everywhere or cycle a lot!
The newest site, Woburn, has a free shuttle service to and from Flitwick station. So if you don't plan on driving, Woburn may be the Center Parcs for you! It's a great service which takes you to the hotel within Center Parcs. You check in there and they will even take your bags to your lodge for you (very nice!)
Taking dogs
To me, taking my dog makes the holiday! My dog loves going and has the best time being in the forest. Dogs cost £65 for 1 dog and £89 for 2 (maximum of 2 dogs allowed) and you have to choose specific dog villas, which book up quickly, so I'd suggest booking early if you do want to take your furry friend. Whilst this may feel expensive, if your only alternative is a kennel whilst you go on holiday, it ultimately will probably save you money to take them with you!
You can leave them in the villas when you go out (eg for a meal) and they give you a sign to put in your window so people like maintenance/house keeping know there is a dog in the villa if you require their assistance (and also to not go in unless you answer the door!).
They have set spend areas for dogs, where you can let them have a nice free run around as it's all fenced (however tiny dogs or those who love to jump things may be able to escape). Dogs must stay on their leads when visiting everywhere else though, however flexi-leads are fine so they can still wander and sniff until their hearts are content! The village vans (to me) are respectful of the fact people are walking with a dog and do slow down when passing you, or wait for you to move somewhere safe at the side.
What to do
They have a lot of fun activities which you pay for, however none of these are vital to have a lovely, relaxing time! There is plenty to do at no cost at all.
Swimming is always free and are full of fun things such as rapids, slides and a wave machine. Also walking and exploring the forest is a lovely way to spend your time.
If you have a dog, I like to go to each spend area on the map as a walk, as this lets you see a lot of the site but with little goals so you don't get too lost and walk for hours (unless you want to walk for hours!).
Also if you go to Longleat for the first time, taking the whole land train route is a nice way to see where everything is and to have a little look around.
Every year Center Parcs also have a Winter Wonderland over Christmas, which usually starts sometime around November. This includes beautiful christmas lights and displays, as well as fireworks twice a week, once for the midweek break and once for the weekend break. The fireworks are free (and amazing)!
The wildlife alone fills up most of my time. See below at the beautiful creatures I was lucky enough to see!
Top tips!
If you have bikes and can take them with you, do! Hiring them can be expensive (particularly if you have a bigger family) and you can lock your bikes up outside your villa when you're not using them. Also take bags to cover your seats when your not using them in case it rains, no one wants a soggy bottom!
If you like swimming, make sure you take your own towels. You can't take the ones provided in the villa and to hire them is £2 a towel. Also, some of the sites have free swim wear dryers (such as woburn) but others charge 20p to use them (like Longleat). The towel dryer in your villa drys costumes delightfully!
Take some pound coins for lockers (except Woburn). They're free, just you need a pound to lock them.
Eating out
You absolutely do not need to eat out whilst at Center Parcs. Your villa has a fully equipped kitchen (however check my top tips below about this). If you plan to cook, I'd suggest you make a little meal plan before you go and take all your food with you, rather than buying it from the Parc Market, as it is more expensive than supermarkets. However Center Parcs do offer a WONDERFUL range of vegan food in most of their restaurants.
Center Parcs have a few of their own places which offer vegan menus. These include the sports bar (check my top tips about this place), Hucks and the Pancake House (YES! VEGAN PANCAKES!). See below some of the food available from these places.
They also have Bella Italia at a lot of their sites, which offers and vegan menu, plus Las Iguanas at Longleat (for now, I hope it'll come to more of them!). Las Iguanas have told me multiple times that their various fries are vegan, however they are fried with dairy, just to let you know.
Dexters Kitchen fries are also vegan (they have a may contain dairy warning but they are fine themselves), they are fried in separate fryers to any meat or dairy too!
Top tips!
So far as I've experienced, everywhere is happy to provide free tap water with your meals. I prefer this anyway most of the time, however it also saves a lot of money in the long run!
If you plan on cooking in your villa, I suggest (mainly as a vegan) you take your own knives, chopping board and frying pan. Also you'll notice they provide you with 3 dishwasher tabs for 4 nights, which always makes me suspicious as to how clean things are, so I suggest you take your own tabs and put everything you want to use for the week in for a wash before you use it, just to know it's nice and clean.
Both the Sports Cafe and Dining In fry their chips with meat/fish. Whilst Dining In don't mark their chips as vegetarian, Sports Cafe do, which is why I want to put this little warning in here.
Bella Italia (at least at Longleat) will let you take away their vegan pudding so you can cook it at home! You so you have an indulgent pudding wherever you like! (Please excuse the reflection!)
I have noticed that a lot of places that aren't entirely vegan end up removing the saucy parts to make food vegan. For example, the Las Iguanas vegan taco plank is just a veggie one without the sour cream. Often the restaurants at Center Parcs are very accommodating, so feel free to ask to swap the sour cream for guacamole instead! (Or salsa, whatever you fancy). If you see something you'd like added to your dish on the vegan menu, I'd say it's always worth asking.
I'd also suggest you take a bottle of vegan mayo (I like to take the squeezy bottle of chippa) and/or a can of Schlagfix to everywhere I eat, so I can make all the food extra delicious! For example, I like the chocolate and banana pancake at the Pancake House, however it comes with sorbet, so I ask for no sorbet, but a pot of uncooked chocolate chips, then add my own cream and top with the chips. YUM! See below for an example of this.
Also if you order too much, most places will let you take it home in a container (such as Hucks did!) so you can have a midnight snack too!
Parc Market
To save money, I wouldn't suggest relying on the Parc Market too much, however if there is something you fancy or are missing, I've taken some pics to show what is (unexpectedly to me!) available there for vegans. They also have more expected items such as hummus, bread, nibbles like this.
plus biscoff spread!
Not all of these are vegan, but lots were, just check the packs.
Also the TREATS shop sells (really quite expensive) moo free and millions!
Top tips!
As with all shops now, they charge for carrier bags. So make sure you pack some suitable shopping bags just in case you need them.
Also, if everything goes a bit wrong and you rely on the Parc Market for all or most of your food, they will delivery your shopping for free if it comes to over £40.00.
I hope this post has been useful, coming from a vegan and a money saving human.
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