Hi there and welcome! My name is Melanie McDonald, a.k.a A Virtual Vegan, but you can call me Mel! I am so happy to see you here. ♡
I am the author, recipe developer, food stylist and photographer of A Virtual Vegan.
Let's Start From The Beginning...
I started A Virtual Vegan on the day I became vegan in 2015.
I had recently moved from Devon in England to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada with my husband and son, and we went to a local farm festival for a "fun" day out.
It turned out to be anything but fun as I realized what was about to happen to the animals there, and this was the catalyst to me turning vegan, quite literally overnight.
A Virtual Vegan was born, and what started as a hobby has grown into a full blown business that reaches millions of people every year, with my work being featured in publications such as Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, BBC, NBC and Food Network amongst others. (View my press page here).
I'm seriously thrilled that AVV has grown to the extent it has, and that I am able to share my recipes with you. After years of doing this, I am still stunned when I see how many of you visit my website and use my cookbook every day. It makes me so happy to see your photos and comments after you try my recipes and I am incredibly grateful for your support.
My Cookbook
Three years after A Virtual Vegan began, I was given the wonderful opportunity to write, develop, photograph, and publish a cookbook. It's called Vegan Comfort Cooking and the response to it has been amazing!
You can find more details about it on my cookbook page. In essence though, it's full of amazingly tasty, stick to your ribs comfort cooking that will leave you and your family feeling totally satisfied.
About My Recipes
Wondering what you'll find here at A Virtual Vegan? The answer is seriously tasty vegan recipes that everyone will love, vegan or not!
It should come as no surprise to hear that I love food. If I'm not eating it I'm thinking about it, and one of my favorite things is spending time either in my kitchen cooking, or around the table with good people and good food, especially when that food is totally delicious and homemade.
I have always loved to cook and experiment in the kitchen, and through A Virtual Vegan I develop and share the vegan recipes that my family and I love to eat. Namely vegan comfort food!
Every recipe is tried-and-tested, and includes step-by-step photos and a video to guide you, all to ensure you get the very best results. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook your own great tasting vegan food from scratch!
Every recipe has a star rating and a review/comment section so you can see how popular it is before you give it a try.
My Top 4 Recipes
Let's connect!
If this is your first time visiting A Virtual Vegan, I highly recommend visiting my recipe index to see which of my recipes takes your fancy.
I also recommend you subscribe to my email newsletter so you never miss any of my recipes:
Then go see what I keep in my vegan pantry and check out my vegan kitchenware essentials, before following me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, I am @avirtualvegan on them all.
Once you've made a recipe, I would love it if you could leave a rating and your feedback in the comments section, which you can find directly under the recipe card. I also love it when you share your remakes on Instagram . Tag @avirtualvegan 😀
If a brand collaboration is something you are interested in then please see my Work With Me page.
For anything else, please feel free to email me on mel@avirtualvegan.com. I love to hear your feedback and suggestions!