These Are The UK’s Most Vegan & Vegetarian-Friendly Cities

We know that the number of people switching to vegetarian or vegan diets is on the rise; one recent study even suggests that there may be as many as 3.5 million vegans in the UK.

At the same time, many other people are seeking to reduce the amount of meat they consume for a combination of dietary reasons and a desire to do their bit to halt climate change. It's been estimated that in western countries such as the UK, beef consumption needs to fall by 90% to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Experts say that beans and pulses are what we should be eating instead.

Thankfully, making tasty vegan meals at home is becoming easier than ever before, and it's also becoming easier to find tasty meat and dairy-free options in restaurants. However, new research has revealed that some cities cater a lot better to vegetarians and vegan diets than others.

According to the research by money comparison site Finder, Brighton is the easiest place to eat out meat-free, with 38 vegetarian or vegan restaurants serving a population of 139,001. That makes one vegetarian or vegan restaurant per 3,658 people.

Perhaps more surprisingly, the small town of Falmouth in Cornwall places second because it has five vegetarian or vegan restaurants serving a population of 31,988. That's one vegetarian or vegan restaurant per 6,398 people.

Though Central London has more vegetarian or vegan restaurants than any other part of the UK – a total of 63 – its large population of 1.52m means that it only places 37th in the rankings.

London may be home to some excellent vegan dining spots, but other parts of the capital place even lower because of their large populations. Trendy East London is 46th on the list, and South-East London places 65th.

Newcastle places fifth, Manchester is in eighth and Edinburgh lies in 17th. Birmingham is a lot further down the list at 94th.

Check out the top 5 below.

At the other end of the scale, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, Bexley, Dudley and Sutton place at the bottom of the list because they have no vegan or vegetarian restaurants at all. You can check how your town or city ranks using Finder's handy search tool.