Vegan Market returns to Newcastle for the second time this year - here's what was on offer
The Newcastle Vegan Market in Newcastle city centre
The Vegan Market offered customers a variety of treats when it returned to Newcastle.
Shoppers were able to purchase vegan products from a selection of stalls on Grainger Street near Monument on Sunday. The market, hosted by Vegan Market Co, ran from 10.30am until 5pm.
There were stalls selling vegan clothing, candles and jewellery. One stall was offering Tunisian and Spanish pottery while another was supplying handmade skincare products.
There was a huge variety of vegan food on offer for customers. People could take home some vegan cheese, some pies or some cakes. For those too hungry to wait, there were food vans selling vegan hot dogs, fried chicken and fish and chips.
Charities, such as WWF and Woodland Trust, also set up stalls in the hope of raising awareness and gaining support.
Glazed, which were selling a variety of vegan doughnuts, had sold out by midday. Owner Jonny Payne, 32, from North Shields, North Tyneside, said: “We have been pretty busy. We sold out and we had to restock! We have had a lot of comments about how creative they are in terms of how they look and the flavours.”
Jonny runs a shop on the Coast Road in High Heaton and a unit at the Grainger Market in Newcastle city centre. He said: “We use sustainable ingredients and organic ingredients. I remember when I first started you used to get people who would turn their nose up and say ‘it’s vegan’ but now there’s a lot less.”
Sarah Fryer, 41, and her husband Chris, 40, from Walkergate, Newcastle, run a vegan pie company called Magpye. They were selling a variety of their vegan pies at the market, including Vegan Steak & Ale and Chick’n, Leek & Bacun.
Sarah said: “We’re doing really well, it’s an amazing market.
“We are both vegan and when we went out for food there was not any nice vegan choices. We thought we’ll set out own business up about three years ago. We started off doing pie and mash then selling pies so people can eat them at home.
“We’ve saw a massive change in the amount of people becoming vegan. I think it’s an environmental factor and I think there’s a lot more choice now as well.”
Ash Tate runs Hot Wax, a company which sells vegan candles. The 35-year-old, from Whickham, Gateshead, was selling her products at the market. She said: “Everything is completely vegan, we use soy wax.
“I think people are trying to be more cautious of what’s going on around them. We get a good number of non-vegans buying products as well.”
It is the second time the market has set up in Newcastle. The first event was also held on Grainger Street back in April this year.
Lewis Beresford, Founder of Vegan Market Co, said: “We work hard to find the country’s leading vegan producers, from
street food vendors and bakers to ethical clothing and cosmetic producers.
“We also work with many local businesses and can’t wait to give all of these fantastic producers the platform they deserve and introduce them to the wonderful people of Newcastle!”