The Vegan Chef
The Vegan Chef has become a fast favourite for Joburg vegans. Serving up delicious comfort food, this food stall, restaurant and food supplier now offers their delicious products for home delivery. Order some of their frozen pies, ready-made meals, pre-made pizzas, a Friday Sweet Box or some yummy seitan products for contactless delivery via Mr Delivery, Uber Eats or simply WhatsApp your order to 072 117 8550 for a scheduled delivery.
Contact details: 072 117 8550 | [email protected] | theveganchef.co.za
Spice Journey
Now that Quorn is no longer being distributed in South Africa, you're probably in need of good quality, tasty faux meat. That's where Spice Journey comes in. Spice Journey produces and distributes delicious seitan products, including rib burgers, curry chunks, mince, roasts, chops, steak, sausages and chicken pieces, all vegan of course. You can order yours on their online store at www.spicejourney.co.za.
Contact details: 081 732 3977 | [email protected] | www.spicejourney.co.za
Herbi Vohr
Herbi Vohr has long been a staple in the vegan community for mouthwatering mock meats. Some of the products they offer are biltong, bacon, pulled chicken and pork, deli meats, ribs and the hotly anticipated cabanossi. You can order some of their products by emailing your orders, delivery address and contact number to [email protected]. After proof of payment, they will prepare and ship your order within five working days.
Contact details: 087 808 2139 | [email protected] | herbivohr.wixsite.com
Southern Fried Chickn - Image sourced from The Vegan Chef's Facebook page.
Asher's Farm Sanctuary
Based out in Pretoria, Asher's Farm Sanctuary is a vegan animal welfare organisation offering a loving home to previously abused and neglected farm animals. The sanctuary also has an on-site vegan eatery and shop. As a way to raise funds during lockdown, they started offering deliveries on vegan brands, including Herbi Vohr, Violife, The Vegan Butcherie and De Crocky Kombutcha. Simply contact them to place your order for delivery.
Contact details: 065 120 2664 | [email protected] | www.ashersfarmsanctuary.org
Herbivore
Not to be confused with Herbi Vohr, Herbivore Earthfoods is a relative newbie on the vegan scene. They offer a range of vegan snacks and treats for delivery. Some of our favourite products on offer are the nut mylks, the mushroom biltong and the Lemon Cashew Cheesecake. Unfortunately, Joburgers will have to wait until after lockdown to receive deliveries due to travel restrictions, but these yummy delights are certainly worth the wait.
Contact details: 021 788 2264 | [email protected] | www.herbivore.co.za
Local Grocery Stores
Some of our favourite vegan products come from our local grocery stores. Luckily for us, a few of the most popular stores are now delivering. Here are a few stores delivering vegan food products:
Woolworths: The new Woolies plant-based range has certainly become a staple in our kitchens. If you love their vegan nuggets, stir-fry strips and sliced cold cuts as much as we do, have them delivered to your door for just R50. Find out more here.
Pick n Pay: Thanks to the new Pick n Pay Livewell range, we are now spoiled for choice when it comes to vegan products. Order yourself some tofu, dairy-free milk and other yummy treats for delivery. Find out more here.
Jackson's Real Food Market: Jackson's is a go-to for many vegan Joburg shoppers. Here, vegans can get their fill of dairy-free milk, mock meats and other vegan delights. During lockdown, you can order all your Jackson's favourites and have them delivered via 1Fetch. Find out more here.
Contact details: 011 463 1598 | [email protected] | jacksonsrealfoodmarket.co.za
Image sourced from @greenveganchick via Herbivore's Facebook page.
Do you know of any other vegan food delivery services? Let us know about them in the comments section below!
Kaylee's Eatery
This Bedfordview eatery has become an over night sensation. With their yummy bowls, Beyond Meat burgers, all day breakfasts, open sandwiches and delightful desserts, we are not surprised. But, of course, they make it to this list because of their vegan milkshakes. At the time of writing, Kaylee's had five gourmet shakes on their menu; Oreo, Coffee Shake, Chocolate Brownie, Strawberry and Peanut Butter. All are fantastic in their own right, but we have a soft spot for the classic Strawberry, made with a coconut base and fresh strawberries.
Contact details: Kaylee's Eatery | 011 524 7603 | 147 N Reef Rd, Bedfordview | Facebook
Hudsons The Burger Joint
This 'dude-food' joint offers a variety of tasty food in large portions, from the burgers and pizzas to the tacos and salads. But unlike most other restaurants in their category, they also offer a large range of vegan treats. These includes burgers, pizza, fried wings, tacos, appetisers, ice cream and a vegan milkshake. This Vegan Oreo Shake is a creamy treat that will satisfy even the largest of appetites. We recommend pairing this with the Panko Crumbed Wings, a mouthwatering vegan morsel served with vegan mayo, sriracha and vacon bits.
Contact details: Hudsons The Burger Joint | 011 268 0713 or 011 455 0616 | Locations | http://theburgerjoint.co.za
Asher's Farm Sanctuary
Asher's Farm Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Pretoria East that cares for harmed and abandoned farm animals. They have an onsite café which serves up some of the most tantalising vegan food we've ever had. It is worth making the trip all the way north just for their juicy burgers and tasty milkshakes. Their Deluxe Shakes are available in Cookies 'n Cream, Strawberry Marshmallow, Rum 'n Raisin and Peanut Butter Crunch. It's difficult to choose one, but the Peanut Butter Crunch is a firm favourite.
Contact details: Asher's Farm Sanctuary | 065 120 2664 | Plot 37 Tweedraght, Boschkop, Pretoria East | [email protected] | https://www.ashersfarmsanctuary.org
Free Food
Free Food is a plant-based eatery in Birnam that offers food free from dairy, gluten, wheat and refinded sugar. Their menu features a selection of breakfast options, soups, salads, pizza, wraps, bowls, desserts and drinks. On offer are Iced Mylk drinks, made from almond milk and sweetened with dates and agave. Flavours include Strawberry, Chocolate, Coffee, Chocolate Mint, Vanilla and Chocolate, Chai and Mint Green Tea. The Chocolate Mylk drink comes highly recommended.
Contact details: Free Food | 082 406 4699 | Shop 5 Reithmere, Cnr Delta Road & Corlett Drive, Birnam | [email protected] | https://www.freefood.co.za
Lupa Osteria
This Italian restaurant has a menu entirely dedicated to vegans. On it, you can find an antipasti of Oven Baked Veggie Balls; mains of Penne Puttanesca, the Yogi Bunny Pizza and the Green Burger with vacon, vegan mozzarella, avo, lettuce, pickles and a Beyond Meat burger patty. And for a sweet touch, they have a sinfully luxurious Vegan Oreo Milkshake complete with Hershley's Chocolate Syrup (which, according to Hershley's website, is vegan).
Contact details: Lupa Osteria | 011 622 0131 or 011 465 1640 | Locations | https://www.lupa.co.za
Conscious 108
Conscious 108 doesn't have any vegan milkshakes on their menu. However, they do offer five different types of "Un-Milkshakes". Made from their house-made soya milk ice cream, these Un-Milkshakes are available in Conscious Chocolate, Very Vanilla, Choc Peanut Butter, Vanilla Oreo and Just Berry. The Choc Peanut Butter is a fan favourite, but they're all worth a try, at least once. Pair this with a filling burger or a scrumptious pizza.
Contact details: Conscious 108 | 011 646 7250 | 108 Greenway, Greenside | [email protected] | https://www.conscious108.com
Almond Creamery
Almond Creamery is a refreshing pre-made and bottled drink, similar to Super M and Steri Stumpie. They offer a range of flavoured milks, made from a mixture of almond and macadamia milks. Flavours include Pure Almond Milk, Vanilla, Chai Spice, Chocolate and Coffee. They are all packaged in glass bottles with easily removable labels, and are great for reusing. Although based in Cape Town, this product is available at several locations in Joburg.
Contact details: 061 493 2984 | [email protected] | https://almondcreamery.co.za | Find available stockists here.
What are your favourite vegan milkshakes? Let us know in the comments section below!
What to Expect
The Beyond Meat Burger was designed to "look, cook and satisfy like beef". And it does. Once cooked, these patties look exactly like a perfect medium rare beef burger. Not only does it look the same, but it also tastes the same. This might not be preference to all vegans and vegetarians. But for those starting out or who really miss that meaty taste, this is the ultimate vegan burger. The only difference between the Beyond Burger and the real thing, is that the Beyond is ever so slightly softer and more tender - the way a meat burger should be, but rarely is. For those keen to try out this burger for themselves, here are a few places now offering it.
Hudsons The Burger Joint
This burger joint has become a fast favourite among vegans for the fantastic burger choices. Their Beyond Meat offering, The Houdini, comes with mounds of vegan mozzarella, vegan bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mustard. You can also substitute any of the other patties with a Beyond Meat Burger for just R35.
Woolworths Cafe
This grocery store cafe have also started crafting their own Beyond Meat creations. Served on a brioche bun with cheese and mayo, this burger is definitely not vegan. However, it is still a good choice for vegetarians and meat eaters wanting to try out the Beyond Burger.
Kaylee's Eatery
Kaylee's Eatery offers two Beyond Meat options. The regular burger comes with fresh lettuce, crisp red onion slices and juicy tomatoes loaded onto a soft bun. The Beyond Cheese Burger features those same ingredients finished off with velvety vegan cheese.
The Fussy Vegan
The Fussy Vegan is well known for having what is possibly the best Rib Burger in Joburg. But they also have a pretty good Beyond Meat Burger. Available in both gluten and gluten-free options, these burgers come with a perfectly cooked patty, melted cheese, fresh tomato and a crown of lettuce.
Food Lover's Market Café
Food Lover's Market Café serves up the Beyond Meat Burger at two of their branches, Stoneridge Shopping Centre in Edenvale and Sunward Park Lifestyle Centre in Boksburg. The burger patty comes on a fresh white bun with a crunch of lettuce, finely sliced tomato, vinegar-infused pickles, a bite of onion and creamy mayonnaise, served with a side salad or spiced golden chips.
Asher's Farm Sanctuary
The onsite eatery at this sanctuary offers a great burger. Served on a crusty bun, piled with lettuce, tomato, onion, optional vegan cheese, tangy sauce and the infamous patty. What makes this burger worth the drive to Pretoria is the grilled pickles. These add a deliciously acidic note to the rest of the rich burger.
Jackson's Real Food Market
Jackson's serves up their take of the ultimate vegan burger on a vegan bun with cheese, gherkins, red onion, lettuce, rocket, tomato and mayo, with a side of chips fried in olive oil. We recommend finishing this off with a dirty vegan chai latte made with your choice of soya, almond, coconut or macadamia milk.
Have you tried the Beyond Meat Burger? Let us know in the comments section below!
*Images sourced from Beyond Meat's Facebook page.
Arriving here, some may feel a bit lost, out of place or have horror scenes playing in their mind. With the remote and quiet surroundings, this can be expected. However, once you're on the property, you'll made to feel like a welcomed guest.
After the pleasant drive from Joburg to Pretoria, we arrived at the sanctuary worried we were at the wrong place. Although well-marked, it is eerily quiet. Having arrived for the tour early, we ordered drinks at the vegan eatery, while exploring the on-site store. Drinks included a luscious hot chocolate topped with the most delicious whipped cream and a hazelnut latte crowned with melting vegan marshmallows. They were a treat, even to an omnivore palate.
The tour, which runs from 10:00 - 11:00 and 11:30 - 12:30 on Saturdays and Sundays, is completely free. The hour-long tour starts with the floppy-eared, curly-tailed pigs. There are currently three of them housed at the sanctuary, lovingly named Babe, Willow and Alfie. The tour discusses their stories in-depth, including how they got to the sanctuary, their path to health and their current lives. All while visitors get to watch as the pigs terrorise the poor ground keepers, demanding some love.
The tour then followed onto the rabbits and chickens, then to the majestic horses and the naughty goats - Basil, Libi and Beverley. Basil, has to be the personality of the sanctuary with his naughty and demanding antics. But he was able to charm us into falling in love with him at first sight. Beverley has to be the most adorable little kid we have ever seen.
Next, we got to meet the stars of the show. The ladies and the lads are a group of affectionate-hungry donkeys including India, Juliet, Charlie, Delta, Tango, Bravo and Echo. After being rescued from cruel conditions, many of these equines prefer to stay away from human interaction, which the facility supports. However, some of the donkeys have a lot of love, affection and cuddles to offer. Just be careful, a few of them are quite drawn to handbags and may choose to take a bite or steal them.
The sanctuary also has a few rescued cows. We had the honour of meeting their photogenic girl Grace, and their huge and beautiful boy, aptly named Mr T. We were also lucky enough to be afforded the opportunity to play with the cow's flaps, the loose skin under their necks, and to get some soggy kisses. These animals, who were tortured in the farm and animal testing industry, now live full and happy lives thanks to all the hard work from the dedicated team at Asher's.
When the tour, sloppy kisses and Instagram snaps were done, we decided to end the day with a meal and mini shopping spree. Their store and eatery can easily be described as the Pretorian version of The Fussy Vegan, with the hard-to-find vegan items and scrumptious vegan fare. The menu is small but includes a range of coffees and milkshakes, burgers and hot dogs. We decided to try the Turkish Delight Milkshake, the Crumbed Burger and the Beyond Meat Burger, both served with a side salad and chips.
While waiting for our order, we browsed through the selection at their store. The selection includes vegan biltong, chocolate and caramel sauces, Nature and Moi cheese, vegan ice cream, cool drinks, bags, vegan hot chocolate, vegan sweets, vegan chocolate, Asher's Farm Sanctuary shirts and hoodies, black salt, jack fruit and so much more. And all the proceeds from this and the eatery, go towards caring for the animals on the farm.
After making a few purchases and sponsoring our chosen fluff balls (the noble Mr T and the playful Basil), we sat down for our meal. Wow. The Turkish Delight Milkshake, which was vegan, was mouth-watering and delectable. The salt and pepper chips were golden and crisp on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside. And the burgers? The Crumbed Burger was a "chicken" schnitzel on a fresh bun with creamy and tangy sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion slices, cheese and grilled pickles. The Beyond Meat Burger was glorious in size and taste. And for those who haven't tried it yet, it does look and taste exactly like real beef. Or at least the way we remember it tasting.
This was a wonderfully entertaining and informative day out, fulled with vivacious personalities, tasty food and lots of love. We'll definitely be back soon.
If you would like to offer some much need assistance to this organisation, you can do so by volunteering, supporting their cafe and shop or sponsoring an animal. You can also book a free tour here.
Alternatively, contact them on 065 120 2664, email [email protected] or visit their website.
Don't forget to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Pets
Rabbits
Many people adopt rabbits, especially during Easter, without knowing the full consequences. Rabbits can be notoriously difficult to care for, especially for children. They need a lot of care such as food, daily exercise outside their cage and special food. Many people choose to "set them free" and leave them in a park. This is problematic as bunnies are domesticated, not wild, and they also breed, creating a population problem. Berario Bunnies and The Strawberry Foundation catch these rabbits and offer them TLC until they can be re-homed.
How you can help: donate cages, blankets and money; can volunteer to help catch the rabbits; foster and adopt rabbits.
Exotic Animals
Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is based in Germiston. They take in injured hedgehogs and rehabilitate them. They will also offer homes to unwanted hedgies and care from them until they can be homed. The great thing about this rescue centre is that they do not discriminate against other animals. They also offer their services to other exotic animals like birds, reptiles, hamsters, rabbits and rats.
How you can help: donate items on their with list which include: bowls, waterbottles, fleece, newspaper, heating pads, wheels, hay, toys, cages, F10, cleaning products and food for kittens, rats, rabbits, crested gheckos, bearded dragons and hamsters; sponsor an animal; foster an animal and adopt.
Cats and Dogs
We can't leave out cats and dogs. But there are just so many shelters giving love and support to these amazing creatures (thankfully). We couldn't fit it all into this article. Find out more about dog shelters in our Joburg Animal Rescues article. You can also read up on where to adopt pets in our nifty Best Places To Adopt A Pet article.
How you can help: As with all the other organisations on this list, the shelters mentioned in the above articles are always grateful to receive donations in the form of money, blankets, food, bowls and other items on their wishlist. The best way to help any animal charity is to adopt, don't shop.
Farm Animals
Pigs
Many people take in cute little piglets without knowing the needs of such a pet. When they realise the necessities of such animals, they often realise that they are not equipped to handle this. This is where Pigs 'n' Paws steps in. They home many unwanted pet pigs and give them all the care they require. They also take in doggos and pupperinos, because, well, who could turn away a pooch?
How you can help: sponsor a pig; donate building supplies, blankets and food; contribute to vet bills and volunteer.
All Farm Animals
Asher's Farm Sanctuary is based in Pretoria, but it's well worth the visit. They rescue farm animals and offer them forever homes, providing them with food, shelter and lots of love. Their animals aren't up for adoption but visitors are welcome to tour the farm, which is free of charge. They have an on-site store and vegan café (which serves the sought-after Beyond Meat Burger) and the proceeds from these go towards the care of the animals.
How you can help: go on a tour; support their shop and café; volunteer.
Wild Animals
Feral Cats
South Africa has an increasing feral cat population. Not many people or organisations know how to deal with these animals. Feral cats are not tame or stray. They are wild animals, many of which have had hard lives. Therefore, unless they are very young, they can't be homed. This does not make them a burden. They do help control the population of mice, rats, snakes and frogs. The best we can do for them is TNR - trap, neuter and return. This process involves feeding the cats in the same location everyday, the cat is then trapped so that they can be spayed or neutered. Cats can also be treated for any injuries at this stage. Then the cat is released back. Being sterilised will reduce the population over time. Several organisations can help with this such as Feral Care Friends, Feral Cat Assist and The Cat Foundation.
How you can help: provide food, water and warmth for the cats; check your car bonnet and other warm places on cold mornings before driving; donate to feral cat organisations; contact a feral cat organisation to assist with TNR and don't leave poison around for other pests like mice.
Owls
Unfortunately, South Africa has a lot of stigma about owls. As such, people fear them. Owls are also dying out because they get sick when eating poisoned rats, and other pests. Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort offers sanctuary to such owls. They home them and care for them but they never tame them. These owls get as little human contact as possible to remain wild. They take this a step further by preventing owl poisonings. How, you might ask. Well, they provide rat traps to the public, they will then collect the rodents caught in the trap and feed them to their owls. It's a win-win.
How you can help: donate money; donate plastic bottles (which they use to build owl house, bat houses and bee hives); give them your rats; don't leave out poison for pests and sponsor an owl.
Other Wild Life
Friends Of Free Wildlife is a community organisation that cares for injured or otherwise incapacitated wild animals in need of help. They are strong believers in rescuing, rehabilitation and then releasing the animals back into the wild. Animals that they help include wild birds, genets, jackals and bats. They will assist in any way that they can with any wild animal, whether they are on your property or are injured.
How you can help: volunteer your time; get a MySchool card and donate money or supplies. Click here to see their wish list.
