Vegan Travel News

January 2020 New Guide: Vegan London Complete

Vegan London complete edition, 800 pages, edited by Alex Bourke, is our biggest so far at 800 pages in full colour. Over 1,000 places to scoff, quaff, shop and drop vegan. Available from UK bookstores, health food stores in London, and mail order from this website.
Front cover (enlarged)
Look inside (pdf 9MB)
Buy Vegan London

Vegan London (800 pages) is now out, with over 1,000 entries.
Further guides will follow for the rest of the UK.

Eating Vegan in Turkey

Turkish channel TV8int, Ajans Britanya show 17-Dec-2015. Interview with Alex Bourke about being vegetarian and vegan in Turkey. Presenter Yasmine Alice.
Watch here (4 minutes, in English and Turkish, Turkish subtitles)

Vegetarian Guides on BBC Radio 4 The Food Programme

The Food Programme: Rethinking Veganism on BBC radio 4 FM, 21 and 22 July 2013.
Presenter Sheila Dillon hears from two influential and meat-loving food writers, Mark Bittman and Alex Renton, who have found themselves looking again at a vegan plant-based diet. She joins in at London Vegan Meetup Potluck, discovers a new chain of German vegan supermarkets and asks if there is a wider shift in attitudes towards veganism underway.
Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides talks about the vegolution with the huge increase in the amount of vegan food in vegetarian restaurants, the rise of vegan restaurants, and the different tribes of modern vegans such as baketevists, gleegans, freegans, fitness freaks, macrobiotics and raw. Part of the fun of veganism is to look at all of them and create your own personal synthesis. Listen again: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037524t

Vegetarian Living issue 1

Read our weekend and holiday destination articles from Vegetarian Living magazine

Amsterdam Barcelona Bath Berlin Berlin2 Brighton Bristol Brussels Budapest Copenhagen North Cornwall South Cornwall Dublin France French Riviera Glasgow Glastonbury Ibiza Lake District (England) Lisbon Liverpool London Museums Los Angeles Malaga Mallorca Manchester Manchester2 Morocco New York Norwich Paris Paris2 Prague Rio Rome San Francisco Shoreditch Ski holidays Venice

National Vegetarian Week, 21-27 May 2012

BBC World Service, 20-May-2012, Newshour with James Marshall, 20.00 GMT (21.00 BST), 0:14:00 to 0:21:00. Alex Bourke discusses vegetarians dating non-vegetarians. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rvbqz

The Independent newspaper, 23 May 2012. Feature on vegetarian holidays, ending with Alex's recommendation for top UK city destination in the Independent travel section

March 2012: New Regional Vegetarian Guide: Scotland

Vegetarian Scotland, edited by Alex Bourke and Ronny Worsey, is the third regional guide taken from the forthcoming Vegetarian Britain 4. Over 300 places to scoff, quaff, shop and drop vegetarian and vegan. Available from UK bookstores, health food stores in Scotland, and mail order from this website.
Front cover (enlarged)
Map of area covered
Look inside (pdf 600kb)
Buy Vegetarian Scotland

Vegetarian Scotland (180 pages) is now out, with over 300 entries.
Further guides will follow for Wales, South-East England, South-West England, and Vegetarian Britain 4 (800 pages).

Tips for mainstream restaurants

How restaurants can profit by attracting vegetarian and vegan diners, cover feature with Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides in Eat Out, the UK's leading catering industry magazine.

UK vegetarian restaurants increase by 50% since 1998

Vegetarians gain more options for fine dining with 50% rise in foodie eateries
interview with Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides in The Guardian, May 2010

New Regional Vegetarian Guides: North and East of England

Vegetarian East of England, edited by Alex Bourke, is the first regional guide taken from the forthcoming Vegetarian Britain 4. Over 300 places to scoff, quaff, shop and drop vegetarian and vegan. Available from UK bookstores and mail order from this website.
Front cover (enlarged)
Map of area covered
Look inside (pdf 250kb, pictures removed to reduce file size)
Buy Vegetarian East of England

Vegetarian North of England (240 pages) is now out, with over 600 entries.
Further guides will follow for Scotland, Wales, South-East England, South-West England, and Vegetarian Britain 4 (800 pages).

Vegetarian Guides on BBC Radio 4 travel show Excess Baggage

Excess Baggage on BBC radio 4, Saturday 24 May 2008, 10.00-10.30a.m. British summer time. John McCarthy interviews Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides and Lyn Hughes (also vegetarian) of Wanderlust magazine about travelling vegetarian. Listen again at bbc.co.uk/radio4/excessbaggage/index_20080524.shtml first 30 seconds then from 16:40 (min:secs) to the end.

Alex Bourke in Real Business magazine, June 2008

Veganism – the new front in the battle to cut carbon?
realbusiness.co.uk/article/890-veganism__the_new_front_in_the_battle_to_cut_carbon
Plus how to avoid sky high bank and accountancy charges.
realbusiness.co.uk/article/882-waste_not_want_not

Guidebooks

Vegetarian Britain edited by Alex Bourke has over 500 pages and 1250 places to stay, eat and shop vegetarian or vegan. Available from all UK bookstores and mail order from this website.
Sample chapters
Buy Vegetarian Britain now
Press Release
Trade orders

International Festivals Calendar

April 2006, Vegetarian Guides launches an online calendar of vegetarian and vegan festivals. Now you can visit a new town or country, enjoy every meal, make new friends, and have a fantastic time! View calendar

UK National Vegetarian Week 2006

Britain still leads Europe as the best place to eat out as a vegetarian, says Vegetarian Guides founder Alex Bourke as he launches the third edition of the best-selling guide to eating and staying vegetarian or vegan in Britain: Vegetarian Britain. The guide has appeared in many newspapers and magazines including The Times travel section (6 May 2006), Daily Express, Observer (28 May), and Alex spoke on BBC radio stations about how easy it is to be vegetarian in Britain.

London Top 10 Vegetarian Restaurants in The Times 18 May 2006 by Alex Bourke
Alex Bourke radio interviews May 2006
Britain still best for veggies

World Vegetarian Congress Brazil November 2004

The International Vegetarian Union World Vegetarian Congress was held in Brazil in Florianopolis.
Vegetarian Guides founder Alex Bourke led workshops in Brazil on publishing a vegetarian guide for your town, veganism for beginners, leadership for vegan activists, showed our film Animal Rights and spoke on The Way of the Vegan. He repeated the workshops a week later in Sao Paolo.
Click here for Alex's presentations

Vegetarian Guides in the media

Vegetarian Guides has been present in specialist and mainstream media since 1998 through its founder Alex Bourke. In order to help spread the message of vegetarian and vegan food and to promote our products, Alex Bourke does radio interviews, writes and contributes to feature articles and appears on television to discuss all areas of vegetarian and vegan living. Here is a list of some of the work we have been doing with the press, radio and TV.

Don't hesitate to get in touch with Alex Bourke if you are interested in featuring us or our materials and knowledge in your publications or programmes.

Press Releases

Britain: Still the best in Europe for veggies

Vegetarian Guides launches new website

Vegetarian Britain

Vegetarian London fourth

Vegetarian Europe


Alex Bourke Radio Interviews

Vegetarian Guides on BBC Radio 4 The Food Programme

The Food Programme: Rethinking Veganism on BBC radio 4 FM, 21 and 22 July 2013.
Presenter Sheila Dillon hears from two influential and meat-loving food writers, Mark Bittman and Alex Renton, who have found themselves looking again at a vegan plant-based diet. She joins in at London Vegan Meetup Potluck, discovers a new chain of German vegan supermarkets and asks if there is a wider shift in attitudes towards veganism underway.
Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides talks about the vegolution with the huge increase in the amount of vegan food in vegetarian restaurants, the rise of vegan restaurants, and the different tribes of modern vegans such as baketevists, gleegans, freegans, fitness freaks, macrobiotics and raw. Part of the fun of veganism is to look at all of them and create your own personal synthesis. Listen again: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b037524t

BBC World Service, 20-May-2012, Newshour with James Marshall, 20.00 GMT (21.00 BST), 0:14:00 to 0:21:00. Alex Bourke discusses vegetarians dating non-vegetarians at the start of National Vegetarian Week. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rvbqz
BBC New Magazine follow up article bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18833471

BBC Radio London 94.9FM, 4-Jun-2011, Sunny and Shay Show 20.00 (till end of show). Alex and vegan MP Kerry McCarthy discuss why vegetarian or vegan, how to do it and eating out in London.

LBC 97.3, 9-Dec-2008, Nick Abbott Show 21.45 (till end of show). Alex and Nick discuss the news that the Swiss Army has banned vegans, health benefits of veganism, the Vegan Pledge, weight control, vegan sports champions, healthy old age, vegan restaurants in London, and dispel some myths about vegans and veganism.

BBC Radio 4, 24-May-2008, Excess Baggage 10.00-10.30a.m. John McCarthy interviews Alex Bourke of Vegetarian Guides and Lyn Hughes (also vegetarian) of Wanderlust magazine about vegetarian travel in the second half of the programme. Listen again at bbc.co.uk/radio4/excessbaggage/index_20080524.shtml first 30 seconds then from 16:40 (min:secs) to the end.

BBC World Service 24-Nov-2006 18.30-19.00, World Have Your Say, 18.30-19.00. Discussion with Alex Bourke of the UK political party Animals Count and Esther Ouwehand, one of two vegetarians from the Party for the Animals just elected to the Dutch parliament. More about Party for the Animals. BBC News feature on public launch of Animals Count with Esther Ouwehand, party leader Jasmijn de Boo and Alex Bourke.

BBC Radio 2, 1-Nov-2006, Chris Evans Show, 17.25 World Vegan Day.

BBC Radio 4, 14-Oct-2006, Farming Today, 06.35-07.00 Alex debates with the Chairman of the Cumberland Sausage Association about the impact of meat-eating on health, animals and the environment.

BBC Radio London 22-June-2006 23.15-23.45 Alex talks with Jumoke Fashola and Nigel Bardsley about the vegan food taste explosion and raw food.

BBC Radio Three Counties 25-May-2006 09.00 Alex explains why vegans do not drink milk.

National Vegetarian Week 2006:

BBC Radio Bristol Tue 16-May-2006 16.00 Alex talks to Sasha Bigwood
BBC Radio Manx Wed 17-May-2006 11.30 Alex with Bob Harrison
BBC Radio Northampton Sat 20-May-2006 10.15
BBC Radio York Mon 22-May-2006 10.00 Alex talks with Tim Dale
BBC Radio Stoke Tue 23-May-2006 16.15
BBC Radio Norfolk week beginning 30 May, Roy Waller show on vegetarianism including an interview with Alex.

BBC Radio Cumbria 18-Apr-2006 13.15, Alex talked with Steve Greeves about how to be veggie.

Vegan Society response to allegation that vegan diet unethical for children Feb 2005:

LBC Radio 23-Feb-2005 Nick Ferrari Show 09.15
BBC Radio Cumbria 22-Feb-2005 12.45
BBC Radio Wales 21-Feb-2005 13.10
BBC Radio 5 21-Feb-2005 11.45

BBC Radio 4 18-Nov-2004 20.00 The Battle for Influence: Animal Rights, Alex defends the right of activists to speak in schools

National Vegetarian Week Launch 19-May-2003:

BBC Radio Peterborough 19-May-2003 08.15 Alex Bourke talks to Tony James
BBC Radio Cambridge 19-May-2003 09.40 Alex Bourke with Trevor Dann and Emma McLean
BBC Radio Jersey 19-May-2003 12.45
BBC Radio Stoke 19-May-2003 14.30 Den Siegerts show

LBC Radio 1-Nov-2003 World Vegan Day, James O'Brien morning show
BBC Bristol 5-Mar-2002 Steve Yabsley show with Susan Osman
BBC London 21-Mar-2002 Lisa I'Anson show (20 minutes)

Alex Bourke Television Interviews

Turkish channel TV8int, Ajans Britanya show 17-Dec-2015. Interview with Alex Bourke about being vegetarian and vegan in Turkey. Presenter Yasmine Alice. Watch here (4 minutes, in English and Turkish, Turkish subtitles)

Islam Channel, Living the Life show 10-Nov-2015. Report from Shoreditch Vegan Festival followed by interview with Alex Bourke about veganism and Vegan Month.

Channel ARTE, TV show Globalmag, daily week beginning 10-Jan-2011 7.30pm. Vegetarian lifestyle in London, reportage with Alex Bourke (dubbed to French). Read more (French)

Channel ARTE, TV show Chic 05-Dec-2006 Vegetarian lifestyle in the UK, reportage in Brighton and interview with Alex Bourke (dubbed to French)

Carlton Late Night London 06-Aug-2001 Victoria Derbyshire, Should angling be banned?

Granada Club Vegetarian 22-Feb-2000, Vegetarian travel guides

ITV Ultimate Questions 21-May-2000 Martyn Lewis, Is meat murder?

Swedish Channel 1, Djurens Krigare, one hour documentary on the British animal rights movement includes several scenes with Alex shopping for vegan food, producing Veggie Guides, commenting on a recent fur farm raid by the ALF, and explaining how activists use the internet. (English with Swedish subtitles. Includes many other British activists and has been shown several times at peak viewing hours.)

Channel 4 Big Breakfast 1-Nov-1999 Johnny Vaughan and Alex Bourke present the Vegan Top 5 for World Vegan Day (5 minutes)

EBN Eco Hebdo 8-Nov-1996 Vegetarians in London reportage, interview with Alex Bourke on business opportunities in vegan food (in French)