Mimmi Ronning

Despite an abundance of meat in Scotland's larder, Glasgow has earned the title of vegan capital of the UK, and will host vegan festival Vegfest at the SECC on December 5-6. The festival is part of ‘The Only Way is Ethics’, a Glasgow-based initiative including several different events around Glasgow in the week leading up to the festival. The venture is all about promoting a vegan lifestyle - but meat eaters needn't feel alienated. The festival will encourage and inspire people to make those smaller changes too, such as simply eating less meat. The festival will have around 120 stalls with exhibitors showcasing everything from animal charities to vegan cupcakes,a restaurant with an all-vegan menu plus 12 other caterers, a variety of talks on areas including nutrition and lifestyle, a health summit and an activists' summit, vegan cookery demos, information display areas, entertainment, live music and much more.  No matter if you’re a vegan, vegetarian or are simply curious about how you can eat less meat - Vegfest Scotland is sure to be an exciting and inspiring event.  Vegfest Scotland, Saturday December 5 11am-7pm, Sunday December 6 10am-5pm, Hall 3, SECC. Advance tickets: Adults £5 (day)/£8 (weekend), under 16s free. Tickets on the gate: Adults £8, concessions £4, under 16s free. See more things to do in Glasgow from Time Out.

With Christmas approaching, the stress of finding suitable presents for friends and family is no doubt starting to creep up on many people. So this year, why not ditch the generic stores and the big brands this Christmas, and get your loved ones gifts that are handmade locally?  Etsy, the online platform where individuals can sell their hand-crafted products, is bringing its National Christmas Market to Glasgow on December 6. You'll be able to find everything from jewellery and clothes to furniture, art prints and candles, as 60 sellers from around Glasgow set up shop at The Briggait. The line-up includes Claire Barclay Draws with her quirky and colourful jewellery, Glasgow School of Art graduate and textile designer Laura Spring, Peony and Thistle with their retro notebooks and buntings, vintage furniture refurbisher Emily Rose Vintage and colourful soap creators Twa Burds Soaps, plus many more. So don’t stress out this Christmas, and get something truly original for your dear ones. Or maybe just treat yourself - you deserve it after all that Christmas shopping. Etsy Made Local, Sunday December 6, 12-4pm, The Briggait. Free entry. See more things to do in Glasgow from Time Out.

Glasgow is brimming with burger places - there seems to be a new one popping up every day - but it is also considered to be the vegan capital of the UK. Put those two together, and what do you get? Veggie burgers, of course. In the worst cases, veggie burgers are dry and tasteless, but when you get it right, they are hard to beat. Here are a few of the best ones in Glasgow.  Hillhead Bookclub   The West End institution is well-known for caring about their vegetarian guests, and their veggie burger is one of the best options on their well thought-out meat-free menu. What you get is a spicy, flavoursome bean burger - not too soft and not too chewy - with lettuce, tomatoes and melted cheese in a bun topped with plenty of seeds, along with a side of thick potato wedges. It’s very close to a 'classic' burger, but with a spicy twist. BrewDog   BrewDog’s veggie burger is not your ordinary bean burger. It’s a vegetarian haggis patty with a Scottish red pepper salsa, Isle of Arran smoked cheddar and a soft, flavoursome bun. The patty has the typical veggie haggis flavour - peppery, with a hint of allspice and nutmeg - and goes perfectly with the salsa and the cheese. The whole concoction is very Scottish, a bit different, and really tasty. With it you get thin, crispy paprika fries and BrewDog’s own garlic, caper and aioli dip. This burger goes perfectly with one of the group's many beers. Handmade Burger Co   Handmade Burger Co has about a million of different burgers on the menu

Many people’s first view of Glasgow is that it’s an industrial city, and while that’s true in part, there are also plenty of green places if you’re in need of a good dose of nature. Here are a few of the best ones to enjoy in summer.  Pollok Country Park <img id="ad09e1a7-cf5c-7f9c-b614-d7b3d3012bc5" data-caption="" data-credit="" data-width-class="" type="image/png" total="779258" loaded="779258" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102598722/image.jpg" alt="Pollok Country Park" class="photo lazy inline">     Located a 20-minute bus ride from the city centre, Pollok Country Park is perfect for a day trip, or even just for an afternoon. It's Glasgow’s largest park and is home to the stunning Pollok House with its walled gardens. There are also woodland walks, riverside walks, picnic areas, and pastures with Highland cows, which almost gives you the feeling of actually being in the countryside.   Botanic Gardens    &amp;amp;amp;lt;img id="396aadb7-be6d-d0a0-9923-986f03d3809a" data-caption="" data-credit="" data-width-class="" type="image/png" total="705600" loaded="705600" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102598693/image.jpg" alt="Glasgow Botanic Gardens" class="photo lazy inline"&amp;amp;amp;gt;           The pearl of the West End, perfect for an afternoon stroll. Being a garden, it’s significantly more orderly than Mother Nature usually is. With its lush trees and many beautiful flowers, it’s a perfect place to recharge your batteries if you’re nearby and s

The literary capital of Scotland is generally thought to be Edinburgh, but Glasgow has its fair share of brilliant authors, many of whom have penned novels set in the city. Here are ten you should definitely have on your reading list.  Alasdair Gray - 'Lanark'       Alasdair Gray’s most famous novel is a postmodern rendering of 'The Divine Comedy' and a curious mix of social realism and dark fantasy. Half is set in Glasgow, half in the Glaswegian hell of Unthank. Autobiographical in parts, the novel, which is really four books in one, follows the troubled life of Duncan Thaw/Lanark. The two books set in Glasgow feature many well-known places, such as The Art School.  Alexander McArthur - 'No Mean City'A grim and unflinching read, 'No Mean City' was first published in 1935 and is set in the 1920s Glasgow slums. It’s the story of Johnnie Stark aka the ‘Razor King’, a gangster roaming the infamous neighbourhood the Gorbals. Moreover, it’s an insight into working class life in Glasgow at the time, and explores the issues the city’s poorer inhabitants faced. Denise Mina - 'Garnethill'The debut of crime writer Denise Mina and the first novel in a trilogy. When Maureen O’Donnell wakes up one morning, she finds her boyfriend murdered. The police suspect her and her drug dealing brother of the crime, but Maureen is determined to clear her own name and starts her own investigation. Dark and gritty, just as a crime novel set in Glasgow should be.  James Kelman - 'How Late It Was, How L