Durham announced as the fifth best city in the north of England for vegan students

It may come as a shock to some, but it’s been revealed Durham is officially the fifth best university city in the north of England to be a vegan.

Student accommodation specialists, StuRents, conducted a survey to discover which university city is most accommodating for students following a plant-based diet.

Using the QS World University Rankings, they analysed the top five university cities in the North of England using HappyCow, a website that lists vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants.

For each city, StuRents calculated the number of vegan restaurants, the square mileage, the number of vegan restaurants per square mile, and the average star rating of these vegan restaurants. In line with these findings, the cities were then ranked from one to five. And the results may surprise you!

Table via StuRents

Sheffield comes out on top. Although it doesn’t have the most vegan restaurants, its average star rating (3.70) was the highest.

Newcastle upon Tyne places second with the city boasting 75 vegan restaurants. Moreover, Leeds and Manchester are third and fourth respectively.

Durham lands in fifth place with only 21 vegan restaurants, around 50 less than the other contenders. However, its average star rating of 3.47 suggests Durham may be going for quality over quantity.

StuRents highlights The Nook and Head of Steam as some of the most popular vegan options in the city. Additionally, with Durham being only a 10 minute train ride from Newcastle, the options for vegan students vastly increase.

A statement from Michael Rainsford, co-founder of StuRents, reads: “It’s becoming clear that students today aren’t just looking for a place to live and study, they’re also searching for communities that align with their ethical and dietary preferences. It’s not just all about the prestige of the university anymore.”

According to The Vegan Society, 4.1 per cent of students are now vegan and a further 10 per cent are planning to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. They list reasons for going vegan as concern for animal welfare and the environment, or for the health benefits.

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