Vegetarian and Vegan Travel News

UK veggie restaurant news every month in Vegetarian Living 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 Vegetarian Guide: 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. Reprinted with correction December 2010, 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) will be available here August 2010, with further guides to follow for Scotland, Wales, South-East England, South-West England, and Vegetarian Britain 4 (800 pages).

Vegetarian Guides on BBC Radio 4

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 www.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?
Plus how to avoid sky high bank and accountancy charges.
www.realbusiness.co.uk/search/?search=bourke

Vegetarian Guides at London Vegan Festival England, 19 August 2007

The annual festival of vegan food and products, a great day out.
www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival.
Alex interviewed by the London Paper about the festival 14 August 2007 click here.
See also Vegetarian London Guide

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

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 and vegans and veganism. Listen again to the podcast (last 10 minutes) at www.lbc.co.uk/nick-abbot-3538

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 www.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 Discussion with Esther Ouwehand, one of two vegetarians from the Party for the Animals just elected to the Dutch parliament. Summary More

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 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:

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:

Television Highlights

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)