We're a UK group of over 100 people formed to encourage people to adopt a veggie or vegan lifestyle and to enjoy ourselves too! Our members come from the South Hampshire, East Dorset and South-East Wiltshire area, which includes Southampton, Romsey, Lymington, New Milton, Ringwood, Salisbury, Fareham, Gosport, Locks Heath, Portsmouth, Petersfield, Hedge End, Waterlooville, Eastleigh and Winchester.
For the benefit of anyone who doesn't live in the UK who has surfed their way onto this web site, the Solent is a geographical area in the South of England centred on the city of Southampton. If you don't live in or near the Solent area, look at Vegetarian Society Local Network to find your nearest local UK veggie/vegan group. If you live outside the UK, go to the International Vegetarian Union (IVU) website and click on the region you are from on the world map.
Our social events include: walks, talks, parties, pubs, picnics, outings and meals at cafés and restaurants. SVV does not subsidise these - all spare cash that we raise is donated to various non-profit-making vegetarian, vegan and animal charities and groups.
Allsorts Psychic Café, 22 Carlton Place, Southampton. 023 80237561. They have soup, a choice of main courses and desserts, including many vegan choices (although choice for vegans is poor Wednesdays). Open Wednesday to Saturday 10.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. Elsewhere in the building during the daytime only they do massages, tarot, aromatherapy, etc. www.allsorts-psychic-cafe.com. 10% discount at Allsorts Psychic Café off daytime food and drink (but not therapies or evening food/drinks) if you're an SVV or Viva! member and spend £5 or more. Allsorts is occasionally open on Friday and Saturday evenings for veggie food and events/workshops, run by a separate organisation - Active Arts Community - see www.activeartists.org.uk.
ADDRESS CHANGE The Art House, 178 Above Bar Street, Southampton, SO14 7DW. 023 8023 8582. www.thearthousesouthampton.co.uk. They used to be in Bedford Place, Southampton, but moved and opened on 12 April 2009 at their new and bigger place. It's an art gallery with a fully vegetarian café serving an imaginative range of internationally inspired vegetarian and vegan food. Open Tuesday-Sunday during the day, and also Friday evenings.
Applebys, 5 Old Hughenden Yard, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 1LT. 01672 515200. This used to be called the Stones in Marlborough but has changed its name (and presumably owners too).
Café Paradiso, 9 Priory Lanes, Northgate, Chichester, East Sussex, PO19 1AR. 01243 532967. Fairly limited choice for vegans.
The Greenhouse Kitchen, 59 Marmion Road, Southsea, Portsmouth. PO5 2AX. 023 92815511. www.thegreenhousekitchen.co.uk. Opened in May 2008. Vegetarian Society approved.
The National Trust Circle Restaurant, High St, Avebury (Near Marlborough), Wiltshire, SN8 1RF. 01672 539514. This is at the celebrated stone circle in Avebury. It used to be called the Stones Restaurant which was fully veggie. It closed down around 2000, but opened up again in 2001 as Circle Restaurant, and is now run by the National Trust. We've heard that it has remained fully vegetarian.
The New Vegetarian, 44 Upper St James Street, Newport, Isle of Wight. 01983 533044. Open 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday. All products vegetarian. Also vegan, wheatfree, organic and low fat options. Our thanks to Isle of Wight Vegetarians & Vegans for telling us about this.
The Salad Centre, 667 Christchurch Rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth. 01202 393673. www.thesaladcentre.co.uk.
Wessex Tales, 20 Ashley Rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth. 01202 309869. www.geocities.com/vegetarian_restaurant. A wholefood vegan restaurant owned by dedicated vegans who are members of Bournemouth Vegetarians & Vegans. Meals are 50 to 100% organic. It's opposite the Bus Terminal and Sovereign Centre Car Park. Open Tuesday to Thursday 11.30 a.m. till 3 p.m. and Friday to Saturday 11.30 a.m. till 2.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. till 10 p.m. It opened in Autumn 2000. Several Solent Vegetarians & Vegans members have eaten here and like it a great deal. The place looks very classy inside and outside, the food is mostly organic and very tasty, yet prices are very reasonable.
'The Barn', 112 Lyndhurst Road, Ashurst, Hampshire, SO40 7AU. 023 8029 2531 or 07791 990351. www.veggiebarn.net. An exclusively veggie/vegan guest house in Ashurst (in between Southampton and Lyndhurst). They currently have two rooms (both en suite) but plan on a third as and when demand requires it. Owned by vegetarians and committed to providing high quality environmentally sensitive holiday accommodation for fellow veggies and vegans. They have solar water heating and electricity, and even their website is hosted by a company that runs its web servers from renewable energy sources - see www.ecologicalhosting.com for details.
Brambles Vegan Guest House, 10 Clarence Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight. This closed down in August 2004 but opened up again in April 2005. All rooms are en-suite, non-smoking. 01983 862507. www.bramblesvegan.co.uk.
Seashells B&B 7 Burlington Rd, Swanage, Dorset BH19 1LR. 01929 422794.
Sorry, we're not expert enough to make a list, but we've seen quite a few books on this subject, and can recommend Vegetarian Britain 2006 by Alex Bourke (published Nov 2005). If you are travelling to London try Vegetarian London or Europe - Vegetarian Europe. You can buy all of these from October Books at 243 Portswood Road, Southampton - also available by mail order (see www.octoberbooks.org/veg). Another book covering the UK (cheaper but not as good as Vegetarian Britain) is Vegetarian Visitor by Annemarie Weitzel (also available from October Books). Viva! sell lots of different local guides and also guide for different countries which you can buy from them by mail order. - see www.viva.org.uk. There's also a few internet sites which recommend places to eat out for veggies and vegans. You can help them to grow by emailing them your recommendations and corrections. We recommend www.happycow.net.
Joining means...
A year's membership costs:
£2 for under 18s, unemployed, low waged, students or pensioners
£5 for adults
£6 for family
If we've convinced you, make your cheque/PO payable to 'Solent Vegetarians and Vegans', and post it to Janet Lewis, 12B Farmery Close, Swaythling, Southampton SO18 2JX. We will keep your details on a computer since this makes life a lot easier for us. We promise not to give your details to anyone else and you'll get no junk mail. Got any questions? Phone Janet Lewis 023 8058 4824. Alternatively, email us.
UPDATE...
You can now also join for five years, with a 10% discount. It's less trouble for you since you don't keep having to pay us every year, and it's less admin for us since we only have to process your payment every five years. That's why we offer you the 10% discount. Five year's membership costs:
£9 for under 18s, unemployed, low waged, students or pensioners
£22.50 for adults
£27 for family
Remember to take along your SVV membership card to get the discount!
Ken Golding Picture Framing 023 80736466. Web: www.kengoldingpictureframing.co.uk. photographs-prints-watercolours-maps-certificates-oil paintings- etc. Large selection of frames and mountboards. Personal service and free estimates. Ken refuses to frame anything depicting bloodsports or cruelty. 10% discount (please say you are an SVV member when you order).
Sweet Joe Pye Healthfoods 31 St Thomas Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 9NE. 01590 672931. Owned and run by Angela, a veggie and one of our members. NB: they close at 1 p.m. on Saturdays. 10% discount if you spend more than £10.
Allsorts Psychic Café, 22 Carlton Place, Southampton. Tel: 023 80237561. www.allsorts-psychic-cafe.com. 10% discount at Allsorts Psychic Café off daytime food and drink if you spend £5 or more.
Alternative Soles www.alternativesoles.com. 0191 236 4904. Mail order vegan shoes + a lot of other itemss. 20% discount on orders over £20. Email SVV if you are a member, and we'll give you a code to enter in their website.
Puja Sweet Mart, 57 St Mary's Road, Southampton. 023 8023 3677. They sells both Indian sweets and savouries, e.g. pakoras, samosas, onion bhajis. Most of the savouries and a few of the sweets are vegan. It's owned by Jagdish and Kashmira Chavda who are both vegetarian. One of our members told us "it's fantastic, and very low priced too!" They also cater for Weddings and Parties. Opening hours: Mon: Closed. Tues-Fri: 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sat: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. They have recently increased their range of vegan goodies and have introduced some gluten-free goodies too.
October Books, 243 Portswood Road, Southampton, SO17 2NG. Tel: 023 8058 1030.
Web: www.octoberbooks.org.
October books moved to this new and much larger shop in 2003. They are a neighbourhood co-op aiming to provide literature and information that would not otherwise be available. They now sell 'conventional' books, but have retained their commitment to stocking alternative and challenging publications, at the same if not greater volumes, or under new or condensed categories. They have a wide range (over 100) of journals and magazines (including The Vegan and Vegan Views magazines), animal rights and environmental literature. They also stock a large range of Fair Trade/Traid Craft goodies from biscuits to bogrolls, all suitable for vegetarians and a good portion suitable for vegans! From 2008, they started to sell some organic foods. There is a large community notice board, so please send them materials to put on it. Posters/leaflets for events must mention whether the venue is wheelchair accessible. For those who have shopped till they drop, there is a comfy sofa at the front of the shop, which is conveniently located next to a frequently served bus stop. Open from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. Monday till Saturday. They are also happy to supply book stalls to large or specialised events, or book boxes for smaller events.
Sweet Joe Pye 31 St Thomas Street, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 9NE. 01590 672931.
Owned and run by Angela, a veggie and one of our members. N.B: they close at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
10% discount if you're a member of either SVV, the Vegetarian Society, Viva! or the Vegan
Society and you spend more than £10.
Spice of Life 3 Bemisters Lane, Gosport Hampshire PO12 1HB. 023 9250 1912.
10% discount if you're a member of the Vegetarian Society
The Bran Tub 20 Lavant St, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3EW. 01730 267043.
Salisbury Health Foods 15 Queen St, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1EY. 01722 335965/412519.
10% discount if you're a member of either the
Vegetarian Society or the Vegan Society.
Wilton Wholefoods Salisbury
Not a shop but a market stall every Saturday in Market Square, and one of the owners is vegetarian. Wilton Wholefoods are also wholefood
distributors, (Redlynch, Salisbury, SP5 2HA. 01725 513122) supplying many healthfood shops, and have markets stalls at Newbury and some other towns too. Check out: www.wiltonwholefoods.co.uk.
Naturally healthy Bedford Place, Southampton.
Sunnyfields Organic Farm Jacobs Gutter Lane, Totton, Southampton, SO40 9FX. 023 80871408. www.sunnyfields.co.uk. Very extensive range. Home delivery service available, catalogue with many organic items. They also have a shop at the farm.