There's never been a better time to be vegan - especially in Manchester.

As the birthplace of the Vegetarian Society, it's no surprise that Manchester has always been a step ahead when it comes to looking after those who have chosen a meat-free lifestyle.

But for the vegans among us, it hasn't always been easy - especially when it came to eating out.

Now all that is changing, and the city is shouting loud and proud about its vegan offerings.

All the food

From slap-up vegan breakfasts, meat and dairy-free supper clubs to Manchester's latest foodie addition Bundobust, the choices for vegans on Manchester's ever growing menus has never been better.

Except for a few meat-only establishments (you know who you are), a lot of restaurants and bars now cater for vegans.

And not just token dishes either. Never again will you have to pick at a limp, dressing-free salad and a sad-looking baked potato (minus the butter, obviously) as your mates tuck into mountains of food. Or have the choice of just one item from the allergy menu.

Now Manchester has a whole bunch of vegan restaurants catering for all tastes.

From award-winning junk food paradise V Rev on Edge Street, serving up meat and dairy-free burgers, hotdogs, nachos, loaded fries and cake shakes, to fine-dining establishment The Allotment in Stockport, where, according to owner Matthew Nutter, you can get aubergine that tastes better than steak - veganism is being put firmly on the map in Manchester.

(Image: Sean Hansford)

Then there's Teatime Collective in Hulme - serving an ever-changing menu of 'steaks', burgers, tacos, and sandwiches in the unique setting of a shipping container; Mod's Cafe at The Thirsty Scholar and The Globe in Glossop dishing out vegan pub grub; The Earth Cafe in the city centre, which has an array of ethical and hearty organic produce on offer; Peacock and Juno an all-vegan bakery on Granby Row also in the city centre and Cowherds - a vegan lunch wagon - which is in the process of relocating.

Further out, Lolo's Vegan and Raw restaurant and cocktail bar has brought some 1920s-style glamour to the vegan scene over in Ramsbottom, serving homemade soups, salads and sandwiches and fancy pies and pasta in the evening. And at Altrincham Market, Gud offers fresh vegan street food to the masses, with an ever-changing menu of specials.

And for those looking after the pennies, Manchester Vegan and Wellbeing Centre has opened in Afflecks, offering healthy vegan food from £3 to £5 - and pizza made from quinoa!

And you can't forget good old Go! Falafel.

Vegan options

On top of that there are loads of vegetarian restaurants that offer vegan options. LOADS.

If it's Indian you're after then Lily's Vegetarian Cafe in Ashton, newbie Bundobust in the city centre, Fallowfield's Sanskruti and Jaipur Palace offer excellent vegan dishes. Cantonese lovers can't go wrong at Lotus vegetarian Kitchen, while Fuel in Withington, Sidney Street Cafe in The Joyce Layland LGBT centre and Eighth Day on Oxford Road all serve up affordable home-made delights.

And of course, there are also the upmarket destinations of choice for many herbivores - Greens in Didsbury and Bistro 1847 in the city centre.

New to the veggie dining scene this year is Malaysian restaurant Secret Diner in Levenshulme - with plenty of vegan options on the menu, including pickle and seitan bao and vegetable rendang rolls. And they do regular supper clubs catering for vegans.

And for lunch on the go, the well-stocked Veggie Deli in Chorlton has a great selection of vegan wraps, calzones, pies, quiches and rolls, as well as lots and lots of delicious cakes.

(Image: Deaf Institute Twitter)

But if you can't persuade your friends to go even one meal without meat, then never fear. There's a whole range of restaurants that offer up plenty of vegan choices - and even whole separate vegan menus - so everybody wins.

From full vegan breakfasts, sandwiches, pies, pizzas and desserts to full dining experiences, the choices are endless.

And Dough, Handmade Burger Co, The Pasta Factory, Lunya, Mowgli, Ning, Banyan Bar and Kitchen, Pie and Ale, Ocean Treasure 235, The Deaf Institute, This & That, Zouk, The Cosy Club, Evelyn's, The Koffee Pot, Bakerie, Odd, Trof, Soup Kitchen, West Corner deli, and Nexus Art Cafe are just a few in the city centre doing just that.

(Image: Mowgli Street Food)

If that wasn't enough, many chain restaurants have also jumped on the vegan bandwagon offering cruelty-free options for some of their dishes, including Carluccios, Changos, Zizzi, Pret, Las Iguanas, Wagamama, Wahaca, Subway, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Bella Italia, Wetherspoons, Greggs and even You Sushi. (Although ingredients can change so check before ordering).

For those with a sweet tooth...

If you've still got room after all that, then are also plenty of places that serve vegan-friendly desserts - from cakes, ice creams and chocolate brownies to pastries and biscuits, you really are spoilt for choice in good old Manchester.

Ice Shack in Withington offers 75 different vegan items - 75! - from ice cream and truffles to cakes and pastries. They also do soyashakes and have soy milk and almond milk available for hot drinks.

Over in Chorlton, Tea Hive has a range of vegan dishes and amazing cakes, while vegan artisan bakers Nicely Kitchen in Sale have doughnuts, shortbread, apple cake, brownies and truffles for sale. They also hold a pop up shop at many food festivals.

But it's the city centre that really delivers.

Based in Arndale Market, Simone's - Manchester's first healthy bakery - serves vegan-friendly cheesecakes, brownies, flapjacks and cupcakes. And hidden gem The Oak Street Cafe, tucked away in Manchester Craft and Design Centre, is well worth searching out. They have a huge selection of fresh cakes and always have vegan and gluten-free options.

Common also serves up a selection of vegan treats - courtesy of Blawd Bakehouse based in the basement, which also supplies Rapha cycle club and coffee house, off King Street, at weekends.

Fig and Sparrow on Granby Row is an all-vegan bakery with all sorts of sweet treats (as well as savoury offerings and party food) and V-Rev also has its own bakery offering plant-based treats to eat in or take away.

Organic bakers Tyler and Hall Bakery produces amazing vegan protein brownies. You can get them at Kettlebell kitchen on Great Ancoats Street, Grano café at MMU, and Village Greens co-op in Prestwich, among others.

And if cake is your thing, then head on down to Ezra and Gill in the Northern Quarter, which has a selection of vegan-friendly sweet treats thanks to Black Cat Cakery (a mostly vegan cake bakers) that also supplies Eighth Day, Z-Arts Café, The Molly House, Wonder Inn, Banyan, and The Spoon Inn in Chorlton, among others.

Foundation Coffee on Lever Street is another of their customers and a must for any cake-lover - with nine vegan sponges and brownies on offer including raspberry and vanilla cake, almond, chocolate and pistachio sponge, and sticky ginger cake, as well as soy milk for that all-important cup of coffee.

Drinking

Speaking of drinks, many alcoholic ones are off limits to vegans, what with all the fish bladder extract and egg white used in the clarification process and the lactose-laden milk stouts and sour beers made with yoghurt cultures.

But yet again, Manchester has risen to the occasion to ensure vegans too can enjoy a good night out.

BrewDog- which has a bar on Peter Street - has its own brewery registered with the Vegan Society, meaning the vast majority of its beers are suitable for vegans, including their famous Punk IPA and 5am Red Ale.

(Image: Brewdog Manchester Facebook)

Marble Brewery is another that is vegan-friendly - meaning the The Marble Beer House in Chorlton and the Marble Arch in the city centre are on the list.

Back in the Northern Quarter, Bakerie does a wide variety of vegan wine, including Genoli Rioja Blanco, Mainklang Gruner Veltliner and Santa Tresa Grillo. And V-Rev Diner - which recently moved to bigger premises on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter - now has a bar selling boozy milkshakes, cocktails, draft lager, ciders and wine - that are all vegan.

(Image: The Thirsty Scholar Facebook)

Over on Oxford Road The Thirsty Scholar - which serves up vegan pub grub - has plenty of vegan beers, ales and wines to choose from.

If it's beer you're after then Beermoth is the place top go, with dozens of vegan-friendly bottles on the shelves of the shop on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter.

And if it's wine you want then head over to Cork of the North on Northenden Road in Sale run by New Order DJ Mark Hough. They have a variety of vegan-friendly wines (and beers) in their bar - and also in the shop, so you can stock up.

Local breweries that produce vegan beer and ales include Blackjack, Cloudwater, Marble, and Runaway so keep an eye out for them at bars around the city.

And if you do overdo it, you can always enjoy the all-day vegan hangover menu every Sunday at The Deaf Institute.

Vegan fairs

Gone are the days where if you went to a food festival you had to lurk about outside eating a falafal wrap before holding your breath and joining your mates at the meat-laden BBQ.

Now, there are special festivals dedicated to all things vegan. Despite it only being February, there has already been two this year in Manchester, including Grubs Extraveganza. But if you missed them, never fear, there's two huge ones to look forward to....(and no doubt loads more coming up).

On April 1 The Northern Vegan Festival will take over four venues when it returns to Manchester. It will bring more than 200 stalls - selling vegan food and drink, medicine, jewellery, and toiletries - as well as cookery demos, film screenings, talks and a pop up street food cafe to Manchester Central.

The festival will have a spin-off vegan beer, wine and cider festival, running at nearby pub The Thirsty Scholar, on New Wakefield Street, from noon until 3am.

And the consumer magazine Vegan Life is also launching its first three-day festival celebrating an animal-friendly lifestyle in Manchester this spring.

Tickets for the event on Saturday, April 1 are £5, although under-14s go free with adults using pre-purchased tickets.

Taking place at EventCity near the Trafford Centre, from Friday May 19 to Sunday May 21, Vegan Life Live will celebrate all aspects of vegan life, from food and drink to charities and cosmetics.

The food line-up includes London-based Mooshies Vegan Burgers, street food from The Indian Lunch Box, and fresh vegan sushi wraps from the Brighton-based Happy Maki. There will also be nut-based cheese, raw chocolate and coconut-based yoghurt to buy and take home.

In addition, the event will feature a mini beer festival stocked with entirely vegan beers, accompanied by live music and a pop-up cinema.

Tickets for Vegan Life Live cost £7.50 for one day, £12.50 for two days and £16 for three days. Concessions are also available for students, pensioners and people on benefits. Tickets are available online at Eventbrite now.

Pop-up events/Vegan takeovers

If there's one thing Manchester does better than anywhere else, it's pop up food events.

And there's plenty of vegan-friendly ones to sink your teeth into.

(Image: The Wonder Inn Facebook)

The Wonder Inn - next to Shudehill Interchange - holds a pop-up vegan restaurant and live music night on the last Thursday of every month by Taste the Love - bringing a banquet of North African and Middle Eastern-inspired small plates, from dips and flat breads, salads, curry, stews to cake from 4pm.

Vegan Mexican Food also hold a street food kitchen every Friday at The Wonder Inn from 5pm until 9.30pm.

And if that wasn't enough, they also have a regular stall at Levenshulme Market.

A new pop-up food market is also coming to Ancoats. Named SCRANcoats, it will feature a different food stall every Thursday at Ancoats General Store - with top Stockport eatery The Allotment already signed up for March 30.

The Deaf Institute has a day dedicated to everything vegan too. They host the Vegan Hangover every Sunday, serving up pancakes, burgers, tortillas and curries on an ever-changing specials board. They also have a vegan kitchen so have a range of daily specials.

Shopping

(Image: Andy Lambert)

Being vegan isn't just about giving up the cheese, eggs, milk and meat. It's also about making ethical purchases when it comes to cleaning products, toiletries, cosmetics and the foods you have in your cupboards.

And again, Manchester is ahead of the curve.

Unicorn is a 100 per cent vegan store, trading in organic and Fairtrade products, on Manchester Road in Chorlton. With a deli counter selling everything from fresh breads, onion bhajis and burritos to curries, soups and cakes, as well as fresh fruit and veg, cereals, spices, dried food, every flavour of tofu you could possibly imagine, tempeh, seitan, sauerkraut, raw chocolate, dairy-free ice cream and almond milk, household goods, beauty products, booze and of course, their famous San Amvrosia hummus. It has everything you could need vegan-wise, more than 2,500 lines in fact, so you'll never have to go anywhere else ever again.

But if you do, Eighth Day Co-op on Oxford Road is another safe bet. It sells a huge range of vegan, organic and Fairtrade products, including meat substitutes, vegan cheeses, milk and cream, and even vegan black pudding, as well as pulses, beans, cereals, pasta, and every food stuff you can think of. They also do ethical household and bodycare products. If that wasn't enough, there's a vegetarian cafe in the basement where you can sample lots of vegan specialities.

Over in Stockport, the new Herbivore Vegan Store is an independent, family run, 100% vegan shop based on Wellington Road South.

Run by vegan Claire Dickinson the shop stocks cooking sauces, cheeses, pastas, dried beans, tinned lentils, herbs and spices, as well as while plant-based milk, cream, custard, chocolate and cheesecake, among others.

McCall's organic market on Church Street on the edge of the Northern Quarter is a haven for vegans. You can stock up on an incredible selection of organic locally-sourced veg, as well as snacks, falafel, winter soups, cream cheese, and even edible flowers. And they have all the dairy-free ingredients to make the best hot chocolate (including soy whipped cream). They also have organic cleaning and beauty products and sell cakes and bread from vegan baker Loafing Around.

Meet up groups

If all your mates are committed carnivores then don't despair. Manchester also has a huge array of vegan meet up groups, social groups and support groups you can join.

From the Manchester Vegan Society, Vegan Manchester and Manchester Vegan Runners to the Manchester Vegetarian and Vegan Group and the Vegetarian and Vegan Society at Manchester University, there is a group out there for everyone.

Whether you just want support, recipe ideas and inspiration - or if you want to talk to like-minded people, meet up with others to visit some of Manchester's epic vegan restaurants, or enjoy nights out and day trips with fellow friendly vegans, there is a group to cater for your needs.

A quick search on Facebook will bring them up.

The Manchester Vegan Society also hold friendly monthly meet-ups at Mods Vegan Cafe at the Thirsty Scholar. Follow them on Twitter for more information.

Cookery classes

If you want to learn how to cook the best vegan food, then you're also in the right place.

The Vegetarian Society has its own cookery school based at Victorian mansion Parkdale in Cheshire, and regularly holds vegan cooking courses.

On Sunday, April 2, you can learn how to cook vegan Indian street food. The beginners' course covers making fresh spice mixes and creating a range of street foods.

They also do courses called The Gluten-free vegan where you will learn how to prepare and cook a range of vegan dishes including cake, pastry, biscuits and bread; Vegan Baking where you will tackle pastry, scones, cakes and cookies without the dairy; Vegan Party Food which includes making filo parcels, nachos, pizza, and kebabs; and The Vegan Toolkit Workshop where you'll be taught how to make cheesy sauces from tofu and soya milk, vegan cream using cashew nuts and learn how to create casseroles, quesadlillas, Thai green curry and cupcakes. For more details on the various courses visit here.

Cracking Good Food also hosts its own cookery classes - including 'vegan fine dining'. On the next course you'll learn how to cook quinoa with stuffed mushroom, wild mushroom arancini, artichoke veloute and pea puree raw chocolate and mint mousse among other dishes. The course lasts four hours and takes place in Chorlton and Didsbury on various dates.

There is also a new 'raw is more' vegan course taking place at Parrs Wood High School on March 25, where you can discover how to make raw Thai noodles, cookie dough balls, raw chocolate brownies and hemp milk.

Fore more details about Cracking Good Food courses visit here.

We're sure there are loads more vegan-friendly pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops and events across Greater Manchester, so if you have a favourite that's been missed, let us know at @CityLifeManc.