Britain's Most Vegan-Friendly Cities

Britain's Vegetarian Hotspots

Veganism isn’t just having a moment; it’s fast becoming a way of life for a growing number of British people. No longer carrying the stereotype of a barefoot hippie, it’s now a mainstream lifestyle choice. In fact, our research found that 6.5 million UK adults identify as vegetarian and vegan, and businesses are racing to keep up with demand.

Veganism aside, we all know the benefits of eating less meat. Not only is the environmental impact of intensive meat farming huge; from a health point of view, eating meat has been linked to heart disease, obesity and cancer. Not to mention the fact that a lot of us just don’t want to eat animals.

With that in mind, where in Britain are people most enthusiastically embracing the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle? Nisbets surveyed 1,000 British adults to find out.

Britain's Most Vegan-Friendly Cities

1. Norwich

2. Edinburgh

3. Glasgow

4. Newcastle

5. Bristol

6. Manchester

7. Liverpool

8. Cardiff

9. Southampton

10. Nottingham

Bohemian Brighton and Hove claim the top spot for searches relating to vegan and veggie eateries, according to Google Trends data, closely followed by Bristol, Norwich, Cardiff and Edinburgh for vegan restaurants and Bristol, Oxford and Nottingham for vegetarian. Surprisingly London trails behind, at number 11.

And while 100% of Edinburgh residents surveyed stated they would never go completely meat-free, research by The Body Shop shows the city has seen the most increased amount of Google searches for vegan restaurants – a +2186% increase in three years.

Lucky Brighton and Hove residents can take advantage of a plethora of vegetarian eateries, including acclaimed restaurants like Food for Friends and Terre a Terre, where meat-free cuisine is considered an art form. Not only that, The Body Shop research shows that the city offers six vegan events per 100,000 people, for example, Vegfest UK, compared to three in Edinburgh and Manchester and just one in London. Brighton and Hove residents really are spoilt for choice.

Manchester residents also love to sample their city’s vegetarian delights, with 40% of them regularly paying a visit to one of the many vegan and vegetarian restaurants at least once a week. Bristol residents aren’t far behind when it comes to patronising their hometown’s green eateries (20%).

However, in Southampton, while 20% of residents identify as vegan or vegetarian, the remaining 80% admit to never visiting vegetarian restaurants.

Demographic

Interestingly, it’s the youngest age group (18-24-year-olds) and the oldest (65+) who are most likely to follow a reduced or meat-free diet – with both at around 18%.

Those in the 55-64 year-old age bracket had the largest number of carnivores, with just 10% identifying as vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian.

Whether due to lack of technical cooking skills, or a result of having a higher disposable income, just one in five 25-34 year-olds eat at an exclusively vegan or vegetarian eatery at least once a week. We found this statistic to be exactly the same for those people aged between 18 and 24.

Conversely, just 2% of 65 year-olds we asked said that they eat at a vegan or vegetarian restaurant at least once a week.

Flexitarianism

The research suggests that the most popular way the British are embracing the vegetarian revolution is by following a flexitarian diet. Flexitarians focus on plant-based foods such as fruit and vegetables, lentils, beans, nuts and seeds, but still eat meat - just not as often. 2.7 million adults in the UK choose to eat this way, with over one in ten over 65-year-old Brits favouring it too.

Overall, it appears that a combined diet, consisting of meat, fish and vegetables is the most popular diet, with 71% of the British population stating that they eat this way.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the research is that 7 million British adults stated that they exclusively follow a meat only diet. And more than half admitted that they’d never visit an exclusively vegan or vegetarian restaurant.

Britain's Favourite Dishes

5.8 million British adults visit vegan or veggie food outlets at least once a week. So, what are people eating when they sit down for a vegetarian or vegan meal? Whether they’re serving up a veggie meal at home or visiting a restaurant, the old classic of vegetarian lasagne is still a firm favourite - vegetarian pasta is the number one vegetarian dish of the nation. More modern dishes on the list include vegetarian curry, vegan macaroni cheese and tofu scramble.

So, what does this increased consumer appetite for vegetarian and vegan food mean for businesses?

Catering companies, for example, should try to fit in with the ethos of eating green. Whether that’s by providing biodegradable, recyclable or compostable cups and takeaway food boxes, or plates and cutlery made from renewable materials such as sugarcane, we all have our part to play in saving the planet.

Article: Which classic pub food came out on top of Britains' favourites? Read our article on Brits' Favourite Pub Grub to find out more.