By Suzi Dixon

suzi.dixon@newsquest.co.uk

@suzidixon77

FROM pastries and pies to sweets, cakes, chocolates and curries, the variety of vegan treats on offer at a Chippenham fair this weekend was “astonishing”.

Organiser Vee Joaquim said around 900 foodies and families attended. “The event was enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike,” Mrs Joaquim, from Melksham, said. “The wide range of foods on offer proves to those who don’t know much about veganism that we don’t just eat grass - we eat a lot! - and you really are not missing out. You can’t tell the difference.

“The proof of the puddling is quite literally in the eating.”

Mrs Joaquim, 45, is now planning a third event in Chippenham, at the Neeld, for November with the help of fellow organiser Ian Somerville.

“We haven’t decided on an exact date but we want it to be in the run-up to Christmas, to showcase gifts and alternatives to a traditional festive dinner,” she said.

For lunch, Green’s Vegan Catering served up a delicious range of of tagines and curries; the Greek Vegan Deli offered picnic-style pasties and pastries, plus breads, olives and summer salads; Mex It Up sold vegan tex-mex including BBQ shredded jackfruit burgers; while Loving Hut Express showcased specialist ‘phish’ and chips, and vegan nuggets.

Asparagasm, run by food blogger and ex-schoolteacher Lucy Pearson, offer workshops and fine dining events and demonstrated how you can incorporate seasonal and organic produce into a show-stopping all-vegan menu, paired with speciality wines sourced in partnership with Vintage Roots.

And for dessert, Vegan Sweet Tooth had a 12-foot stall packed with inventive goodies, and 280 Bakes, who offered homemade vegan cake ‘on demand’, delivered throughout Bristol, offered a selection of slices and cupcakes.