Voting has closed and you’ve had your say. The winners for the inaugural aduki awards are below. We at aduki would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who participated, the awards were a great success and we plan to do it all again next year!

Best veg restaurant

Green Gourmet

A Sydney stalwart, Green Gourmet offers Chinese vegetable, tofu and mock meat dishes; all 100 per cent vegan. The restaurant is a family run business, aiming to produce food that is nutritious for the body and the development of a balanced mind. Owner Colin Fung also runs a vegan grocery store next to the Newtown restaurant that sells a range of packaged goods as well as tofu ice cream.

Australia

Melbourne

Best vegan beer
Coopers Pale Ale
Coopers has long been known as ‘the vegan beer’. It has a special place for many vegans thanks to its affordability, availability and great taste. Being a family run company, rather than a faceless multinational, also helps the suds to go down a little smoother. Many a Coopers-lover will argue their point of Pale (green) vs Sparkling (red), but in this instance, green reigns supreme!

Best vegan wine

Brown Brothers Cienna & Cabernet 

Steeped in tradition, Brown Brothers has a rich family history of wine making dating back to 1857. The Victorian winery offers a huge range of wines and its Cienna & Cabernet is one of its vegan options. A light wine with a vibrant ruby red colour and aromas of fresh raspberries and red currants, the Cienna & Cabernet is soft and juicy with a refreshing finish.

Best mock meat dish or product

Regular Vegan Burger (Lord of the Fries)

Since opening the first shop front less than three years ago, Lord of the Fries has become a Melbourne institution. Late night, drunken burgers are a favourite among city-dwelling hipsters; vegan or not. The classic, regular vegan burger offers a TVP patty, cheezly, lettuce, pickles, onions and sauce on a white bread bun. What started out as a mobile food van has developed into two shops serving up meat-free burgers to Melbourne.

Best soy/non-dairy product

Cheezly

Since arriving in Australia thanks to the folks at Vegan Perfection, Redwood’s ‘Cheezly’ has been a massive hit with Aussie vegans. The UK product line offers a range of soy cheese varieties including supermelting edam, supermelting mozzarella, mature white cheddar, and garlic and herb cheddar. All of the ‘cheezes’ are gluten-free, casein-free and lactose-free and produced in a dedicated vegan factory.

Best vegan dessert dish or product
Turtle Mountain Soy Ice Cream
Imported from the vegan heartland, Oregon, USA, Turtle Mountain’s range of dairy-free desserts was created with vegans and allergy sufferers in mind. This truly gourmet soy ice cream comes in a massive range of divine flavours. In addition to Australia and the US, the products can be found in Canada, UK, Japan, Virgin Islands, and Korea. 

Favourite Aussie vegan business
The Cruelty Free Shop
Jessica who runs The Cruelty Free Shop is one of the darlings of the Australian vegan community. A tireless campaigner for animals and veganism, and a lovely lady to boot, it’s no surprise we got a lot of emails singing her praises. The online vegan store offers shoppers a range of goodies from cookbooks to condoms and cream cheese to nail polish; all vegan and all cruelty-free.

Best Aussie veg website/blog
Viva La Vegan
Leigh-Chantelle who runs Viva La Vegan also publishes vegan recipe calendars by the same name. The aim of her Viva La Vegan site is to provide a social networking opportunity for vegans. It provides a platform for members to meet likeminded people, share recipes, stories and ideas. Currently receiving a facelift, the site will soon offer podcasts and videocasts also.