I've known a few folk that have found the tricky bit in going vegan is giving up cheese.

Don't worry there's help at hand! There are at least five manufacturers that make cheese substitutes. Three of these are easily available in Devizes, the other two I haven't found yet but I'm assured they are readily available. Let me know if you've tried them and if you found them good. veganwiltshire@fastmail.fm

In no particular order Redwoods Cheezly Vegan hard cheeses with various flavours; lots of different types of Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella. You can cook with these too as they are meltable. Stocked in Devizes Healthy Life and Holland and Barrett.

Bute Island hard cheeses, much the same range in variety as the Redwoods but a harder drier texture- sometimes I like these better than the Redwoods and sometimes I don't. But I'm very glad to have the different options. Also stocked in Devizes Healthy Life.

Tofutti cream cheese, again comes in different flavours, terrific for cooking with- excellent for making savoury sauces or quick and easy cheesecake or tiramisu. Always available in Devizes Healthy Life and Holland and Barrett.

Winner are the lot that make the Swedish Glace vegan ice cream, available at all health food shops and most supermarkets. (If you haven't tried it yet quick! rush out and buy some and try not to eat the whole tub and then go buy some more of a different flavour and eventually when you've tried all the flavours tie your brain up in knots trying to work out which one is best.) Sorry a bit distracted there, but apparently they make a cheese spread which is available in big supermarkets. I haven't found it yet but if its as good as the ice cream then it'll be pretty amazing.

Apparently Asda also do a vegan cheese spread. I haven't got a local Asda so not yet tried this one.

Slightly off subject of cheese but on subject of substitutes Plamil do a terrific vegan mayo- available at Healthy Life and H&B Devizes. Healthy Life also stock vegan cream both pouring (granose)and thick (granovita cremovita). There is a whipped cream (soyatoo squirty spray cream) available from Veganstore that feels incredibly decadent as it comes in an aerosol.

And while going lateral, if you have tried soya milk and weren't too sure on the flavour, don't stop with one manufacturer. The taste varies hugely between them. Keep going til you find one that suits you. Alternatively there's a huge range of nut milks (almond, tiger-nut) or rice milks which all work fine to drink, pour on your cereal or cook with.