vegan UK

New vegan eatery in Cumbria

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Great news!

The Cumbrian town of Whitehaven has a vegan eatery thanks to Louise and Dave.

Check out what Louise had to say about Beans & Greens:

Whitehaven is a lovely little town in West Cumbria. After living in France for 10 years, my husband Dave and I wanted to start up a vegan bistro and a shutdown cafe was available to rent in the centre of town. We have decided to go with a small menu which is totally homemade to provide quality food to our customers. Pizza is one of our favourite things to make (we have plans to build a wood fired pizza oven very soon). From a kale pesto based pizza to an Indian pizza with creamy masala sauce and roasted chickpeas, there’s something for everyone. We have starters such as nachos with our homemade melted vegan cheese and spicy salsa as well as our tasty onion bhajis with sweet chilli sauce. Our desserts include homemade cheesecake with strawberries and vegan ice cream or chocolate chilli cake. Basically we love vegan food, the ethos of ‘being vegan’, and what we can do for the planet if we all work together. We want to show people that vegan food is delicious and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Sounds fabulous!

You can like the Beans & Greens Facebook page and follow them on Instagram.

Click here to see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

The café is dog friendly and is currently open Wednesday through Saturday.

London cafe going vegan

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A little piece of news just arrived and I thought a few of you would like to know.

There is a new, completely-vegan café opening in north London!

Room 29 is currently undergoing a refurbishment and is due to throw open its doors in May in the heart of Holloway.

I am yet to see the menu but some of the teaser posts being shared ahead of the launch look tasty.

You can like the Facebook page of the café online here and RSVP to the Facebook event page for the grand opening.

The message behind Room 29 sounds extremely heartwarming. They want to make a difference for animals and their local community, so I say they are a fabulous addition to London’s vegan scene.

Let’s get behind them!

Moo Free gets a new factory

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One of the best and most successful vegan brands on the planet now has a huge new factory.

World-leading manufacturers of vegan chocolate, Moo Free Chocolates, has opened its second
factory in Holsworthy, Devon.

This new factory is situated opposite their existing factory and increases their production space by more than 130m2. That’s a lot of vegan chocolate being made!

This new space not only allows the company to speed up production and meet ever-increasing demand, but to also explore the development of new products.

I’m so thrilled to see such an incredible vegan brand enjoying success on this scale. Moo Free is now sold in more than 30 countries and is recognised by many people as the best alternative to milk chocolate on the planet.

Not bad considering they only started in 2010!

You can visit the Moo Free website plus follow the superstar brand on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

New vegan dishes at Pho

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I have been singing the vegan options at Pho Restaurants in the UK for a while, so it should come as no surprise that I am blogging about these two new plant-based menu additions.

Check them out below.

And that’s it!

See you tomorrow.

 

Meet the traders

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The wonderful people of WinkBall Interviews have made a small collection of videos so you can meet the traders of Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Check them out below and get all the info on the next market here. It happens every Saturday!

Ten vegan things you should eat in London

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I love doing these little wrap ups.

Every now and then I like to put together a list of food items I believe every respectable vegan should eat in London.

It is becoming tougher and tougher to make these lists due to the rapid pace with which the London vegan scene is expanding. There are so many things I would like to add to this list, but alas I only have ten spaces.

These aren’t in any particular order, so let’s just dive straight in.

  • Rueben on rye at Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner in Camden

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhWUVCRl4MM/

  • Bacon Double Cheeseburger at Temple of Seitan (three locations)

  • Slow cooked Brazilian feijoada at Essential Vegan Café in Shoreditch

  • Fried Chicken Torta by Club Mexicana at The Spread Eagle

  • Seitan Guiness and Mushroom Pie at Cafe Van Gogh in Brixton

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh9PjMxn_1h/

  • Parmigiana Chicken Pie at Young Vegans in Camden

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh50cF9FWb2/

  • Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce & Oreo Pizza at Purezza in Camden

  • Chocolate coated vanilla ice cream & salted caramel at JuiceBaby in Chelsea

  • Mushroom & broccoli frittata at Arancini Borthers (Kentish Town branch)

  • Beer battered tofish at The Brook in Hackney

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg-uh_fFaox/

Hackney Downs is HUGE

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This is a post to say thank you to all the traders and attendees who made this past Saturday at Hackney Downs Vegan Market such a huge success.

The winter months have been tough work for our traders who have been down there week after week. There was only one week where the ice was too treacherous to go ahead.

Our loyal customers have been wonderful and crucial when it comes to keeping the market vibrant. Even on some of the coldest days, people came from all over the city and even further afield to have fun and support independent business.

This past weekend was like a huge celebration with sunshine and warm, dry weather. Our traders who have been shivering through the cold finally got to enjoy a bright day and some had their busiest trading day ever.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is more than just somewhere to get good food.

It is a collaborative approach to community and business, taking into consideration how we all need to be more inclusive and aware of diverse needs. Our market does the following:

  • The pitch fees we pay Hackney Downs Studios help keep their vibrant art and creation spaces affordable for resident artists.
  • Our independent traders have started to find a way to turn their passion into a living, with some using our market as a springboard to go onto bigger and better things such as opening their own shops.
  • The market helps keep money in the local community by giving trading space to local people.
  • We are actively challenging oppression by making spaces available for women traders, non-white traders, traders from LGBTQ+ communities, and disabled traders.

When you attend this market, you are making a difference.

I really can’t thank you all enough for making this ‘vegan-run event for vegans’ such a rewarding community space. Our message is to stop animal suffering and we try to do it while being kind to humans.

We have also organised Queer Vegan Yoga to take place on the first Saturday of the month inside The Well Garden, the onsite yoga studio. This is body positive yoga led by a queer vegan teacher. We have created this for people who feel locked out of yoga classes for any number of reasons. Click here to see the dates and book.

We have some other exciting developments coming up for the market, so stay tuned. RSVPing to the Hackney Downs Vegan Market Facebook event page is a great way to see news or follow me on my FGV Instagram account.

Extra note: Hackney Downs Vegan Market will not be taking place on Saturday July 14, 2018 due to the site being used for our 6th annual London Vegan Beer Fest. This is a ticketed event so if you would love to be a part of our big party, book early bird tickets online now.

Now, let’s enjoy some photos from last weekend!

Another vegan potluck event

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A few weeks ago, a lot of people enjoyed a vegan potluck event in London.

Anna and Amy took over Jaz & Jul’s Chocolate House near Angel for a collaborative food event. A bunch of people shared homemade food and had such a wonderful time, they are doing it all again on May 5, 2018.

This Saturday afternoon food club will run from 4pm until 7pm.

You need to book tickets in order to participate, so click here to book now.

You can also RSVP via the Facebook event.

Share food. Make friends. Get involved!

Build a vegan chocolate factory

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Here is your chance to feel like Willy Wonka.

So Sweet Couture Chocolate is a manufacturer of gorgeous vegan chocolate and they need help to take the next step in their growth by opening a chocolate factory.

The company already has premises in Pembrokeshire, Wales and now needs the help of the vegan community to get everything ready to roll.

So Sweet Couture Chocolate isn’t just asking for your money, they also have a great line up of chocolate rewards for those willing and able to help fund their factory expansion.

Check out these rewards:

  • £15 gets you 3 of their best selling chocolate bars
  • £25 gets you 3 of the TOP SECRET new flavour chocolate bar
  • £35 gets you a chocolate tool kit (because they are building!)
  • £50 gets you a chocolate lover’s hamper
  • £100 gets your name on the factory wall PLUS a special chocolate delivery
  • £250 gets you a chocolate making experience in the factory for two people

The family owned company needs your support with the following:

  • New Doors (the old ones leak)
  • Stainless steel tables
  • New commercial equipment (they even need the kitchen sink)
  • New materials to furnish their on site shop
  • New packaging and chocolate moulds

Buying some of their delicious treats by way of donation is going to help So Sweet Couture Chocolate realise their dreams while staying away from a pesky bank loan.

Click here to donate now and claim your reward!

You can also follow So Sweet on Instagram.

The return of Queer Vegan Yoga

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Queer Vegan Yoga enjoyed a fabulous debut a few weeks ago at The Well Garden located at Hackney Downs Studios, the home of Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Tatum lead an incredible yoga class that was inclusive, friendly, and welcoming to all.

And now it is back!

You can now book your spot for this affordable and progressive yoga class for dates in May, June, July and August 2018.

The dates and times for the next four months are:

This class is for anyone who feels locked out of yoga classes. It is inclusive. It is for members of LGBT+ communities. It is body positive. We have a queer, vegan teacher.

Enjoy exploring yoga AND the best vegan food market on the same day!