Meat Free in Manchester

Meat Free in Manchester was a Saturday event held by the Vegetarian Society as part of National Vegetarian Week, May 2011. I’m going ahead with posting this belated review in case this is an annual event, and I sincerely hope that is the case.
Although the stalls and vans only half-​covered Albert Square, the offerings are unique and therefore well worth incorporating into your Saturday town trip. A lot of emphasis is placed on making this a family-​friendly event with colouring stations, face-​painting and interactive games for children. The draws for the rest of us include free information on various aspects of vegetarianism/​veganism, gorgeous free recipe cards, a fully-​fledged cookery theatre, a chance to test your (vegetarian?) fitness levels by riding the most miles in a minute on an exercise bike, waiter/​chef mime and comedy acts, and a couple of high-​quality street food vans.
I sampled food from one of the vans, Manchester-​based Tibetan Kitchen. Keep up-​to-​date with their banquets, cookery classes and musical festival participation on their Facebook page —
Their signature dish is Tibetan steamed dumplings (momo) with chili sauce — so I tried those with stir-​fried vegetables and rice, and also a mango lassi (see photos). If you are a foodie on the lookout for a new ‘from scratch’ ethnic dish to try, momo are a must as they have a unique taste and texture, in a good way. The stir-​fried veggie and rice were good enough, and all the better for being woked in small batches in front of you. Their mango lassi was a good example. Due to the intervening months since the event, I am hazy on prices. It is not dirt-​cheap food or huge portions, but still a fair price based on them using the good stuff including wooden cutlery and eco-​friendly paper cartons. On their Facebook, I’m seeing banquets and classes advertised in Whalley Range/​Chorlton — their chefs will show you how to make momo at home yourself, how cool is that!
The other food van was even busier and, due to being satiated, I never got close enough for a good look. Check their website for more information on Nottingham-​based Veggies vegan catering and campaign group —
Food at the Veggies van looked to be ‘British’ vegetarian food, veggie burgers, vegetarian sausage rolls and the like. I would definitely make an effort to try their food next time, especially with such a funky, vegan campaigning vibe!
As there were only two food vans, you might even have more vegetarian food choices at the omnivorous Manchester Food & Drink Festival street food offerings in October. However, the vibe at Meat Free in Manchester is second to none compared to anything I’ve sampled in Manchester city centre, and a credit to the Vegetarian Society headquartered in nearby Altrincham (where they also have a ‘Cordon Vert’ cookery school offering classes to all levels). And some of that free information such as the recipe cards is truly worth having.