Vegan Adventures | Corralejo, Fuerteventura
Just one of the many crackin' pieces of wall art at Baobab, Corralejo, Fuerteventura.
They say 2016 was the Year of the Vegan. They know these things. It was the year a leading British supermarket reported a staggering 1500% increase in vegan sales. The year the mayor of Turin, Italy, announced plans to make it a vegetarian city (calm down meat fans, they’re not banning meat, just encouraging a plant based lifestyle to promote the idea that you can eat well while protecting the Earth and animal rights)... and it was the year that meat sales went down £328 million on the year before (a decline faster than the fall of cigarettes).
I went vegan in January 2016 and was soon pontificating about my amazing new life to anyone who'd listen and many who wouldn't. So I can only presume it’s all thanks to me.
Here I am, being a vegan, drinking a smoothie. Classic.
Come December, our first holiday as vegans was upon us. We’d picked Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. Spain is not famed for veganism and we were expecting a week of nibbling avocados in our hotel room (no bad thing).
But, lo! Corralejo, the vibrant town in which we stayed, has not one, not two, but THREE vegan restaurants to delight thy tastebuds!
We struck gold. Each had a different USP, which is sensible when there are three of you within walking distance of each other in one small town.
H20 Juice Bar & Vegan Cafe
- Calle de la Milagrosa 29, Plaza Patricio Calero, Corralejo - La Oliva, 35660 | Open 9am - 6pm
H20 was bright and breezy, run by a lovely couple who received our enthusiasm graciously. I say ‘our’ enthusiasm - my husband plays it somewhat cooler than moi. I bulldoze in with zero tact, hugging the chef and exclaiming how wonderful it is to have found fellow vegans - because we’re all soulmates aren’t we? We're all comfortable hugging strangers, yeah?
Banana, Peanut Butter and Date smoothie - a date with deliciousness.
H20 having some fun with tofu.
As I peered into the display of salads and cakes with eyes like Roger Rabbit when he sees Jessica, the owner asked if I was vegan. When I declared a happy yes, she nodded wisely and said in her delectable Spanish accent: ‘I get it.’
She gets how hungry I was for vegan goodness after a shabby meal the night before in our hotel. She gets how thrilled I was to be there, supporting her in her business by eating all her cake.
For my husband’s birthday we wanted to drive to the other end of the island and spend the day at Cofete. Fuerteventura is a 20 million year old volcanic eruption and nowhere does this feel so apparent as at Cofete beach. I could try and describe it to you, but instead here’s a quick video of me and him on the beach. Sums up the astonishing beauty of the place better than my shabby words:
The lovely team at H20 gave us a slice of cake to take away and two sparklers, so that Gareth could celebrate ageing with vegan birthday cake - delicious it was too.
We spent our trip rotating between the three equally exquisite dining establishments. It was like Vegan Roulette, where every meal was scrumptious and everyone’s a winner.
Next up, Baobab.
Baobab
- Calle José Segura Torres, 14, 35660 Corralejo, Las Palmas, Spain
It was raining. Rain! On holiday! I tried not to add to the puddles with my tears.
Baobab is run by an Italian family and they won Most Wonderful Decor. The restaurant is a work of art. I asked permission before I started papping every inch of their premises, don’t worry.
Even the tables were a thing of beauty.
Must up my table game.
The food at Baobab was delicious and bursting with flavour and I loved the ambiance - the three owners wore huge smiles and the portions were so generous we actually had to move to a bigger table to fit the entirety of our greedy order.
The only duck you'll find on a table at Baobab.
As stylish with their crockery as they were delicious with their cookery.
I seriously considered permanently eloping to Fuerteventura for this tempeh, pineapple and mango combo.
D Sanchez Bar
-35660 Corralejo, Las Palmas, Spain
Both H20 and Baobab were closed in the evening, which is where D. Sanchez stepped in. A snug burger bar with a surfer’s vibe, an eclectic craft beer collection and a vast create-your-own burger menu.
Because we only visited D Sanchez at night, I only have a few photos. Night time doesn't lend itself to good food photography, you see. My photographer husband taught me that. The burgers were smashing, the lighting was bad. Here's the beer instead:
I again approached our first evening with gusto, while Gareth shirked behind me wishing I didn’t draw such attention to us. I guess these establishments are used to vegans, but these vegans are not used to these establishments - what a treasure trove for our first vegan holiday!
Chalk was available for those inclined to add flare to the wall. I just smudged it with my jumper.
Processed vegan food at its finest.
Crème brûlée - gobbled up.
With options this magnificent, we were two very happy campers. I leave you with another photo taken in Baobab, the most Instagram-able dining establishment I ever set foot in:
