39 Reasons to Celebrate

(and Not a Single Chicken Was Harmed)

World Vegan Day has been and gone, but the party doesn't have to stop 

World Vegan Day came and went on 1 November, and we're not ready to put the party hats away. So consider this a belated, slightly over-excited celebration of a milestone: The Yum Pandemic now has 39 vegan recipes, with number 39, a Vegan Indonesian Tempeh Curry, landing very shortly.

Thirty-nine. That's a lot of lentils.

Why we're making a fuss

Vegan food has a reputation problem, and it's mostly a reputation from 1994. You know the one: a sad salad, a bread roll, and a waiter who looks faintly apologetic. Spend ten minutes with our vegan collection and that picture falls apart.

Vegan food has a reputation problem, and it's mostly a reputation from 1994. You know the one: a sad salad, a bread roll, and a waiter who looks faintly apologetic. Spend ten minutes with our vegan collection and that picture falls apart.
There's a Vegan Mushroom & Pak Choi Ramen with enough depth to make you forget about the usual pork debate. There's a Vegan Tofu Pad Thai that proves tofu, given a hot wok and a bit of confidence, can hold its own. There's Vegan Chickpea, Spinach and Peanut Butter Curry (the clue is in the name, and it delivers), a Vegan Sweet Potato, Aubergine & Chickpea Tagine that fills the table, and Ginger Sesame Tempeh Stir Fry, with punchy ginger and sesame flavours and a creamy tahini finish.

And now the Indonesian Tempeh Curry joins the lineup: fragrant, rich and gently spicy, the sort of dish that makes you wonder why you ever thought dinner needed a drumstick to be interesting.

It's not about converting anyone

Let's be clear: nobody here is going to wag a carrot at you.

Plenty of our readers love a proper steak, a sticky rack of ribs, or a slow-cooked lamb shoulder, and we love those recipes too. They're staying right where they are. The Yum Pandemic is a table with room for everyone.

What we're celebrating is simply that vegan cooking has grown up, and that's worth a cheer whatever's on your plate tonight. Some of our best vegan dishes are ones confirmed carnivores have quietly asked for seconds of, then pretended they'd always planned to. We call that a win. (We also call it “Meat-Free Monday with plausible deniability.”)

If you're curious but cautious, a gentle suggestion: try one vegan recipe this week. Just one. If it's brilliant, you've found a new favourite. If it's not, you've lost an evening and gained a story.

One switch, your kind of food

Here's the bit we're properly pleased about. On 4 November we launched our Vegetarian & Vegan Content Filter, and it does exactly what it says.

Switch it on in your subscriber settings and The Yum Pandemic reshapes itself around you. The platform prioritises recipes labelled Vegetarian or Vegan, and meat-related browsing options quietly disappear whenever you sign in. No more scrolling past a wall of roast dinners to find a lentil dhal. No more filtering out the same ingredients every single time you search. Set your preference once and the platform remembers it.

It's available to every subscriber, including free accounts, so there's no paywall between you and a peaceful browsing experience.

A small honest note: the filter hides most meat-related browsing content, but we can't promise a stray mention of bacon will never sneak into a recipe description or a comment. We're thorough, not magicians.

If you eat plant-based for ethical, environmental or health reasons (or simply because you like the food), the idea is simple: spend your time cooking, not hunting.

Your move

1. Log in and open your subscriber settings to turn on the filter. New here? Join for free and set your preferences from day one.
2. Browse the vegan collection: all 39 recipes (soon to include that Indonesian Tempeh Curry).
3. Tell us what you cooked. Leave feedback on a recipe, share a photo, or tell us we've got it wrong. We can take it.

Here's to 39 vegan recipes, one very handy switch, and a world where everyone, whatever they eat, gets a proper dinner.

Happy cooking, from all of us at The Yum Pandemic.