Vegan Valentine’s Day Gifts
Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day quickly approaches… but what do you get for those pesky vegans who palm off traditional chocolate? Here’s a list of ideas for valentines gifts that are sure to whisk the ethically concerned off their feet.
- Vegan Chocolate
Yes, it exists. No, it’s not disgusting. There’s actually a lot of vegan chocolate on the market. Cadbury’s Bourneville bars are ‘accidentally vegan’, as are most dark chocolates (but always check the label)! If you’re looking for something a little more special for the big day, there’s also some novelty products on the market too. Not everyone likes dark chocolate, and Plamil foods make an alternative to milk chocolate shaped like hearts http://www.plamilfoods.co.uk/no-added-sugar-chocolate/no-added-sugar-alternative-to-milk-chocolate-hearts?cPath= or even teddy bears http://www.plamilfoods.co.uk/no-added-sugar-chocolate/no-added-sugar-alternative-to-milk-chocolate-bears?cPath= if you want something even sweeter for your sweetheart. Or maybe if you’re looking to spice things up a little you could try the Chilli Chocolate Sweethearts from Hotel Chocolat http://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/chilli-sweethearts.html which are perfectly vegan friendly.
2. Vegan Sweets
Childhood favourites Love Hearts sweets are also accidentally vegan and come ready made with romantic messages. If you’re feeling extra romantic, though, you can order specially personalised packs of Love Hearts with your own messages written on them http://shop.lovehearts.com/love-hearts-weddings/personalised-love-hearts/30-personalised-love-hearts . Or, you could buy a giant jar of Millions (in strawberry flavour of course so that they’re pretty and pink for Valentine’s Day) https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1b3/Millions-full-jar-of-strawberry-millions-2-27kg/B002YBJN7Y/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1485988266&sr=8-22-spons&keywords=millions+tub&psc=1 What could be sweeter than that?
3. Vegan Cosmetics
Unfortunately, lots of cosmetics on the market are tested on animals. But don’t let the stereotype of the stinky vegan fool you, we like smellies just as much as the next guy! Lush stocks lots of Valentine’s Day specials including the Cupid bath bomb, or even the ready gift wrapped Happy Valentine’s Day set of 4 bath bombs and bubble bars https://uk.lush.com/products/gifts/happy-valentines-day. Lush also has a line of perfumes called Gorilla Perfume with a range of scents both in liquid and in solid form and of course they’re completely gender neutral so go for it! https://uk.lush.com/products/gorilla-perfume For those of us who are inclined towards face painting, you can get the now-reduced Lime Crime True Love Velvetines Trio which includes 3 lipsticks in pink and red tones available on love-makeup https://www.love-makeup.co.uk/lime-crime-true-love-velvetines-trio-p-6679.html
4. Vegan Alcohol
Vegans like to get giddy just like everyone else, but there are some bevvies out there that we are best avoiding. Some drinks contain egg whites, bizarrely, or others are filtered through a process which uses fish guts – yuck. Here’s some ideas for alcohol gifts that are guilt and yuck-free. Absolut Vodka is vegan and is available in raspberry flavour to keep those sweet, lovey-dovey vibes flowing. There is now also a vegan alternative to Bailey’s liquor by Besos de Oro and there is currently a Valentine’s offer of 1 bottle of the liquor with some vegan chocolate all for £20 including delivery! http://besosdeoro.com/product/vegan-valentine/ Or if you’re feeling extra celebratory this year, try Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial Rose available on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008U7SWXC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=AXXY42YEPJGH&coliid=IJPWJK7JNF7MY
5. A Donation
Ok, hear me out, hear me out… I know this isn’t for everybody. But some people really dislike Valentine’s Day since it has a money-grabbing, heart-breaking reputation. If this sounds like your lover then perhaps a donation to an ethical charity in their name would be the most thoughtful gift. You can help pay for drought survival kits or even some time off for parents of disabled kids here https://www.goodgifts.org/ amongst many other great things. Or maybe you could sponsor a dog at Dog’s Trust https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/sponsor-a-large-dog/ For something more local, try the Donkey Sanctuary which has a centre in Leeds as they are always happy to receive help with their donkey-assisted therapy with special needs children https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/visit-us/leeds?gclid=CJXk56_979ECFSsz0wodP5IBHw
Whatever you do, whatever you make, whatever you buy… remember, it’s the thought that counts, right? Definitely not. It’s the chocolate that counts. Definitely the vegan chocolate.