Hi there, and welcome to our little slice of the humble internet pie. We’re glad you’re here.
We're Jess and Dan, the people behind Vegan Punks.
We’re a husband and wife team. And we love creating new vegan recipes. Jess is responsible for photography, styling, writing and editing and Dan looks after all of the technical aspects of running the website.
We’re passionate about proving that vegan food is delicious, easy to make and accessible to all. That’s why we started this blog back in 2017 (in Instagram form). We followed that with a ‘starter’ website and we’re now building it into something bigger. ‘Vegan Punks 2.0’ – if you will.
Two things that we instantly bonded over was the love of good food and punk music. So, naturally it seemed logical to combine the two! Our third passion is travel, but we’ll get to that in due course.
On this website you'll find easy-to-follow, tried and tested vegan recipes, places to travel (without compromising your ethics) and a healthy dose of punk attitude…
Our mission
Fighting the system one plate at a time
We believe that the proof is in the pudding – literally! That’s why we don’t just say to try vegan food, we make it easy for our readers to make new recipes. We talk about ‘fighting the system one plate at a time’ because that’s what we’ve been doing since 2017. That's when we first adopted a fully vegan lifestyle too.
At the time of writing this, it’s a lot easier to find vegan food than ever before. With 1 in 4 new products labelled vegan in the UK, there’s never been a better time to be vegan. In 2019 it was reported that there are 600,000 vegans in the UK – that's quadrupled between 2014 and 2019. Even though it seems like the UK is heading in the right direction, there's still a way to go, both nationally and globally.
If you’re choosing to eat a little bit more plant-based, whether that’s one meal a week, permanently or somewhere in between, you’ve come to the right place.
We’re just fighting for change, one plate at a time, and we invite you to join us.
Saving the environment
The evidence is overwhelming that animal agriculture is furthering the climate crisis. And that’s aside from the cruel and unnecessary atrocities that go on within animal farming.
We both have a background working within the renewable energy sector in the UK – it’s actually where we met! But that’s a story for another time...
Working at Ecotricity, the world’s first renewable (and vegan!) energy company, we learnt about climate change and its cause. The meat and dairy industries, along with burning fossil fuels and the transport that we all use to get around, makes up 80% of carbon footprints.
So, we’re not only interested in saving the environment through the food that we eat. We aim to lower our emissions through the things we buy, minimising the waste we create and how we travel.
We'll often talk about buying clothes from charity shops or kilo sales (vintage clothes is another passion!), useful ways to reuse items that might otherwise be wasted, and reducing plastic, amongst other environmentally friendly topics. We’re certainly not perfect on this front, but we are doing our best.
Doing things differently
This blog is for anyone who wants to step away from the norm. Choosing to eat differently brought us to veganism, because we want to do the right thing for the animals, the planet and even ourselves. But it’s not the only way we do things differently.
We’ve both always felt a little bit ‘different’ whether that’s the clothes we choose to wear, the opinions we hold or the fact that we weren’t in with the ‘cool kids’ at school. But we’re cool with that – now, at least.
In May 2019, we both decided to leave our full time jobs to design our own lives. We became tired with the same old routine – getting up, going to work, going to the gym, cooking and then being too knackered to do anything else but watch TV, before heading to bed and doing it all again the next day, and the next, and the next, and so on…
Running the blog, a side hustle, working full time and trying to maintain a work-life balance became too much to manage. So we did what any punk would (or at least dreams of) – we took back control. It wasn’t easy, and a lot of people didn’t understand what – or how – we’d earn a living, but we’re doing it.
We want to travel more. Experience more, and stress less. We began working for ourselves, from our house, by starting a freelance digital communications agency. The agency is for small-medium environmentally friendly businesses, to align with our ethics. And of course, that’s alongside developing our blog further.
So, we welcome the punks, the vegans, the veggies, the veg-curious, the activists, the misfits, the hippies, the metal heads, the do gooders, the go getters, the underdogs, the part time punks, and anyone else who dares to think – or eat – differently. Choosing to step outside the box isn’t easy but it is rewarding. And we’re uniting on common ground, whatever part of your vegan, veggie or flexitarian journey you’re on, we hope there’s something here for you.
The Vegan Punks story
It took us a little while to go ‘full vegan’. Jess was pescetarian from the age of 15, but didn’t go vegetarian until she was 26. So her vegan journey spanned a number of years to say the least!
Dan went veggie in the same year and we both jumped into veganism head first in 2017, after dabbling with the diet and lifestyle for a couple of years.
When we got married in 2016, our wedding food was vegan, including all meals and, yes even the cake! Everyone at our wedding loved the food, but we didn’t make a point of it being vegan, it was just delicious. And to prove our love for Thai food, the options were Thai green curry with tofu, or Pad Thai, then the evening option was a big vegan burrito. It was so popular some people went back for seconds!
We went on a backpacker honeymoon in April 2017. We actually started our Instagram page from Birmingham airport whilst waiting for our flight to Bangkok. And that was when our love affair with vegan travel began...
We traveled through Thailand, Malaysia and Bali for 6 weeks. We tried all the vegan food we could, and attended as many cookery classes as we could too!
That’s right – we travel for vegan food, and we’re not afraid who knows it!
We love to learn about a culture through its food, and when we return home we recreate the food we’ve tried. We share our recipes with our readers so they can taste the world from the comfort of their own kitchen! At the moment, we’re obsessed with vegan Thai recipes. You’ll notice a lot of recipes from that region on our blog!
All together, we’ve travelled to 34 different countries and have scoured the vegan scene everywhere we’ve been. We make it our mission to try traditional food, fusion food and anywhere that has made its mark on a city’s vegan food scene.
Oh, and if we can get to a punk gig while we’re there, even better!
The recipes
Let’s get one thing straight. We’re not raw food vegans, but we’re not ‘Quorn nuggets and chips’ vegans either. Don’t get us wrong – we love trying new vegan products like 'chicken' kievs, vegan cheeses and even vegan creme eggs! However, we love our veggies just as much as the next ‘healthy’ vegan. It’s all about balance for us.
That’s why you’re just as likely to see us going for a delicious (yet very unhealthy) vegan big mac at VRevs in Manchester, as you are to see us making a whole foods plant based curry with a rainbow of different vegetables. It's all about balance for us.
Our main food philosophies are:
- We create traditional vegan recipes from around the world.
- Our recipes are cost efficient, but sometimes, we’ll suggest spending a little bit more on better quality ingredients. We’d only ever recommend something that we’ve tried and tested.
- Food is fun! Experimenting with flavour and new ingredients is all part of the vegan journey for us.
- We buy organic as much as we can, but we’re not food snobs.
We’re dedicated to creating new vegan recipes from around the world, to make food from any number of different countries accessible everywhere.
We’ve attended multiple cookery classes all over the world in order to learn more about foods of the world. We next hope to go to a vegan cheese making course in Berlin, learn about Sri Lankan cuisine and further learn about Indonesian food, but the list doesn’t stop there!
And if you'd like to learning more about blogging, head to our guide all about food blogging.
If you have any questions, or want to request a recipe that you miss, just hit us up: hello{at}veganpunks.co.uk. We’ll do our best to accommodate!
Vegan travel
When we quit our jobs to design our own lives, we knew we weren’t going to keep still. Even though we love our house in sleepy old Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, we want to see more of the world.
Now that we work remotely, we can work from anywhere with WiFi. And we want to share our experiences with our readers.
We're developing our website to not only include how to make recipes from all over the world, but where to visit when you’re planning a vegan trip of your own.
So far, we’ve worked and traveled through four different countries since May 2019. We love the sense of freedom it’s given us.
The next stage is to sell our house and take the Vegan Punks kitchen on tour. Our plan is to settle in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for a few months and get to know people in the digital nomad community.
This will allow us to satisfy our travel craving, whilst having a base to create and share our recipes from. We'll also be able to get to know other people who are earning a living online and working remotely too.
We’re going to take the slow travel approach. We'll stay in one place for a longer time, and will keep our flights to a minimum. And we invite you to follow along with us on this journey!
About Dan
I wasn't into cooking when I was younger – my passion for it really developed when we started eating plant-based. My eyes were opened to all the interesting foods and flavour combinations out there. I find the whole ‘meat and two veg’ thing very unimaginative, so it's great to explore new flavours.
I've found that the story of finding enjoyment in cooking alongside veganism is a pretty common one. I really hope what we’re doing here, with Vegan Punks, helps other people find that passion, and interest in what they’re putting into their bodies.
Outside of the whole ‘food thing', the most important thing to me is music. There’s never a quiet moment in our house; there has to be music on, and it’s probably going to be punk-rock or melodic hardcore. The only thing better than finding a new album that I just can’t get enough of, is seeing that album performed live!
We spend a lot of time at gigs and festivals, and we’re lucky enough to be close to Bristol, which happens to have an incredible punk scene and is home to my favourite music venue, the Exchange. As we both love the Exchange so much, we actually invested in them when they decided to become community owned, so we’re also technically part-owners!
Aside from that, any time I have left is spent nerding out on games and graphic novels. I love playing a board game with friends, especially co-operative ones. That sense of overcoming the odds with your pals is a good feeling. I have a lot of fond memories playing games like Dungeons & Dragons with various friends, starting all the way back at school. I was also a massive World of Warcraft fiend and spent a large chunk of my late-teens/early-twenties in a room with some of my best friends, getting lost in Azeroth.
Along with all this, I’m indecisive and inherently lazy, which presents an interesting challenge when trying to be as productive as possible!
After quickly dropping out of uni where I was studying forensic computing, I started an IT apprenticeship, before joining the technology team at the world’s first green electricity company. I spent over 11 years there, working my way up through various different technology roles, making some great friends and achieving a lot along the way. They’re now the world’s first vegan energy company and own the world’s first vegan football club too!
A combination of anxiety and enjoying my comfort zone kept me in that job longer than I probably should’ve been, but in 2019 I finally changed all that after deliberating for about a year. Neither of us are particularly comfortable plodding along on the rails that are set out for us (jobs, mortgages, pensions etc.), so we’re derailing and giving something different a go.
If you’ve got this far, thanks for listening to me ramble on! Maybe I’ll see you at a gig or a Forest Green Rovers game some time?
Here are some of my favourite things:
Bands: Iron Chic, Spanish Love Songs, Against Me! (though ask me again in a few months and you’ll probably get a different answer)
Food: Stuffed pasta
Book: Descender (graphic novels count, right?)
Football team: Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Film: The Goonies
About Jess
I’m a vegan foodie at heart, with a passion for all things vintage (particularly pin-up style). You’ll often find me sewing, reading or journaling for flow (this is new for me!), all set to a soundtrack of melodic hardcore, pop punk and anything in between. And when I’m not doing this, I’ll be watching whatever Netflix’s latest gritty documentary is, with obligatory snacks like popcorn, kettle chips or vegan chocolate!
I’ve spent the last six years working in digital communications for ethical businesses. I’ve got a distinction in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and specifically enjoy social media communications, because it’s fun! I have a creative streak that’s shown through my often changing hair colour, I’m weirdly terrified of pigeons and I love gym classes, especially Body Combat.
As my friends will attest, I’m a big fan of no-nonsense, no-bullshit advice and I’ve got no time for negativity. I’m big on learning, motivational speeches from some of my favourite speakers (which include Gary Vee and Louis Blake), and trying new foods.
And without sounding cheesy, I’m a strong believer in following your dreams, because you can “always go and get another shitty job” (quote by Gary Vee) but you’ll never know if your dream could be a reality if you don’t try and work for it. That’s why I’m here and writing this today.
It hasn’t always been easy though – I battled with anorexia and depression from the age of 13 to 21, and these things are always with you once you’ve experienced them. However, it made me stronger and more resolute in my actions today.
I’ve found that a vegan lifestyle has healed my relationship with food – and I’ve noticed in recent years there are a lot of people turning to a vegan lifestyle as part of the healing process from an eating disorder, which I think is positive. I’ve got a sense of clarity through eating this way that I haven’t experienced before.
I’m not too serious though – I believe it’s important to look after your mental health whilst having fun and giving your all to your dreams! And I always start the day with a mug of proper hot strong coffee.
Here are some of my favourite things:
Band: The Flatliners
Food: Thai green curry with veg and tofu
Hair colour: Pastel pink
City: Bangkok
Country I’d most like to live in: Germany
As seen in
Our recipes have been featured in:
Vegan Life Magazine
LIVEKINDLY
One Green Planet
Soon to be featured in Vegan Food and Living
We’ve worked a number of brands over the years too, including:
Hellmanns
Yoo Moo
Hounslow Council
Small Change Big Difference
Ecotricity
We love working with small independent brands too, some of our favourite small brands include:
The Natural Cookery School
Hogless Roast
Tubby Toms
Vausages
Vegan Fairs
And many more that we don't have space to include!
So, follow our vegan food and travel journey, explore new flavours, and find out about new vegan places to visit! If you see us out and about, give us a fist bump, tell us about your favourite vegan food and let's share a selfie.
Big Love,
Jess & Dan