What could possibly be more fun at this time of year than toasting marshmallows on a roaring fire? Unfortunately, if you're vegetarian it's an experience you may have to consign to memories, as marshmallows are one of those products that almost invariably contain animal-derived gelatine. Bye bye to bonding over a bonfire...
I had all but given up on ever eating a marshmallow again, toasted or otherwise, when I found out that such a thing as vegan marshmallows existed. The good news is that they are certainly out there; the bad news that they are very difficult to source. I spoke to the UK's only retailer of vegan marshmallows at Veganstore.co.uk to find our why.
I spoke to Lisa Ruskin of The Vegan Store who describes the gelatine-free marshmallows as the 'holy grail of vegan manfacturing'. She started looking for a manufacturer in 2004 but there are very few factories that now have the specialise equipment to make vegan marshmallows.
All over the internet, bulletin boards are full of veggies and vegans asking when they can join in the marshmallow toasting fun with their omnivorous friends (many of whom seem oblivious to what gelatine actually is, and are themselves a bit taken aback when they find out it comes from animals' hooves and ligaments). Why are they having no joy?
Lisa told me that once she'd finally found a manufacturer in South America, she had the vegan marshmallows on her site for 3 years. But there were problems with the production as the recipe was very sticky as it didn't contain the usual gelatine. This meant the machines were a mess and needed lengthy cleaning maintanance. And no more meat-free marshmallows...
Since then, the factory involved has been working on reformulating the recipe which they hope to re-introduce to The Vegan Store in about March 2009. But there's no guarantee as yet that these won't go the same way as the last batch. Will us vegans and veggies simply have to accept this is one of those sacrifices we make in our commitment to the cause? Happily not, as you can still purchase a marshmallow making kit, which allows you to make the same sticky mess in the comfort of your own home. I'm told it tastes as good as the real thing though! Try a pack for just £3.99
I have to give my rival Lisa Ruskin credit for tenacity. She gave an interview years ago saying that there were various vegan requests and she had to store them all up in an organised way and follow the most likely leads. This one seems to have paid-off in attracting attention, if not in marshmallow market share but that may follow...