This past weekend, Rob and I were in sunny… Liverpool?! Yep – it’s suddenly feeling very much like Spring in the UK.
We got into the station at about 4pm on Thursday. It was still bright, and according to Google Maps it was only two-and-a-half miles to the hotel, so we decided it would be a good idea to walk and save the bus money.
Nearly an hour and a much longer than 2.5 mile walk later, we arrived at the hotel. Apart from being a bit tired, we were very worried that we would have to trek back out again into the city centre to get food, but thankfully when we checked the map again there was a supermarket only a couple of minutes away.
For dinner that night (and Friday and Saturday night as well) I had some cereal with soya milk and the trusty portable sweetener that is The Groovy Food Company’s agave nectar. As an aside: if you’re a vegan looking for a substitute for honey, then I would definitely recommend it.
I also had a pack of Braeburn apples (I used to only like Granny Smith, but I’ve become partial to a Braeburn as of late) and some dates (seriously, how does the date count as a fruit?! It basically tastes like toffee, and I defy anyone who says they don’t like fruit to not like them). Speaking of dates: I also had a couple of Nakd Cocoa Delight bars. If you’ve never had them before, they’re a raw fruit and nut bar available in a plethora of flavours, and I will be sure to feature them on Food Tom Loves at some point.
We don’t normally eat breakfast, but given that we had to get up early anyway and the tournament proper didn’t start until Saturday, we decided we would on Friday. I, of course, had some more cereal, as well as that old accidentally vegan staple – beans on toast. I was initially just going to have the beans cold (yes, I am one of those people that loves cold beans), but then I noticed that there was a microwave I could heat them up in. So hot beans on toast it was!
Rob was limited to just having bananas, but seeing as he’s been trying an 80-10-10 diet recently and absolutely loves bananas, he was more than happy with that.
I also had breakfast on Sunday as I unfortunately didn’t make day 2 of the main tournament, although in hindsight I should’ve entered the Sunday tournament that Rob did, as the day was spent largely killing time until our train home. Over breakfast I got chatting to a couple from Blackburn who were visiting for a football match (or more accurately: they got chatting to me). It’s always interesting seeing peoples’ reaction when you tell them you travel around Europe playing a card game, but in this instance they didn’t seem to think it was that strange.
The worst part of the weekend (and something I will probably include in all Vegan Nerd Diaries from now on) was the complete lack of recycling or compost facilities at the hotel. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised – my mum is constantly telling me about how the hospital where she works has none either – but still, I just can’t fathom how people can put everything in the bin with a clear conscience. I’m sure Liverpool has a recycling collection service, and it would not be difficult or expensive to buy some separate bins for recycling.
Rob and I did our best to keep all our banana skins and other fruit trimmings in the hope of finding somewhere to compost them, but in the end we had no choice but to put them in the bin. I also kept all the cereal boxes, soya milk cartons and bean tins (washed out, of course) to take to the recycling facility on Sunday that I had spotted earlier in the weekend. However, when I got there I found that they didn’t recycle cans or plastic, meaning I had to leave said bean tins (plus a couple of bits of plastic) in the hope that some caring local would know where they could be recycled and take them there.
So that was my weekend in Liverpool. The next instalment will probably be at the start of May for Grand Prix Paris, although I’m very tempted to go to Krakow in April as well.
Did you enjoy this post? Would you like me to talk a bit more about the tournament itself, or should I just be sticking to the food? Let me know in the comments, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter @spiceduk using the hashtag #vegannerddiaries
Tom from spiced! 
Did you see much of the city centre? It’s quite good for vegans- Matta’s International Foods (ethnic and wholefoods) and News from Nowhere alternative book shop and vegan cafe below in Bold Street. Also The Egg veggie restaurant with lots of vegan options in a side street off there. They also host an annual vegan fayre in the town hall. I liked this post; write about what you love to write about and it’ll always be interesting 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed it!
We were either at the convention centre or the hotel pretty much the entire time, so we didn’t see much of the city centre (speaking of which: I need to remember to get some pictures of the city itself next time). I did have a quick look to see if there was anywhere to eat before we went but – as boring and inflexible as this sounds – I kind of like the hotel cereal and fruit tradition we’ve got going! Plus what with Rob’s gluten intolerance it’s near-impossible to find anywhere he can eat out.
Having said that, my mum wants to come with us to Paris, so we will almost certainly go out for a meal if she does. Here’s hoping France caters for vegans!
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