London vegan news, reviews & events
fatgayvegan 
I’m going to tell you about a vegan location in London that you probably have never heard of and if you have, you probably have forgotten. I forgot. I used to visit this location back in 2001, but it had since slipped my mind. This little gem of immense community and plant-eating importance should be a weekly destination for every compassionate shopper in the capital.
Vegans and vegan-curious, I give you FareShares.
Following on from the phenomenal sell-out success of last year, my Mexican supper club to celebrate día de los muertos (day of the dead) is back.
Inspired by my love of Mexico and the wonder of día de los muertos celebrations, I am creating a one-off event that you will have a hard time forgetting.
Five courses of mouth watering vegan food will be served as you revel in the surrounds of a decorated room furnished with party supplies sourced from the streets of Mexico City. Sumptuous visuals will be projected to satisfy your senses as Mexican pop music fills the air.
In addition to Mexican-inspired snacks, you will be served:
Esquites (seasoned hot sweetcorn)
Lentil & ‘bacon’ soup
Taquitos (crispy fried tortillas with savoury filling)
Crusted ‘beef’ with hibiscus mole
Mexican rice pudding
The menu was co-created by a dear friend of mine from Mexico, who will be making an appearance at the event. I am busily putting together some fabulous goodie bags for attendees. More on that later!
Every attendee will receive a special goodie bag bursting with vegan treats including: a bottle of Choc Shot by Sweet Freedom, a packet of MozzaRisella rice cheese, a tub of Chocolate Orange Pudology, a decorative sugar skull courtesy of Mestizo Restaurant & Tequila Bar, a 20% discount voucher for Vegan Faces cosmetics, a bag of sweets from Need Sweets and a 10% discount to shop online with Cool Chile Co. All of the goodies will be yours to take home in a heavy duty jute shopping bag courtesy of Whole Foods Market.
Check out the blog post about the goodie bag contents here!
Ingredients on the night will be supplied by the Cool Chile Co. Check out their website for the best range of Mexican ingredients in the UK, including their self-made tortillas.
If you are keen to feast on Mexican-inspired cuisine, you should waste no time in snapping up a ticket from here.
“Here we go again. FGV is complaining about a vegetarian restaurant. Why can’t vegans just take what they get?”
Indian Melody was the scene of one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had in the UK. I thought I was onto a sure thing when I discovered an almost entirely-vegan Indian restaurant in the city of Southampton, but I was rudely awakened to a different reality.
The creation of the Internet has led to some strange and wonderful occurrences in life. But I’m not sure I’ve experienced a more unexpected social media surprise than pop star Darren Hayes sending me a recipe for soup, with personalised tips on how to make it vegan.
My history of interaction with the ex-Savage Garden singer goes way back. There was the time I gave Darren a Stars Wars figurine as a gift. I was much, much younger and hanging out to meet my pop star idols was a favourite past time. Pop-loving me was was beyond thrilled when Darren phoned me at home in Sydney, Australia that night to say thanks for the action toy.
Fast forward a year or two later and I was hanging out after seeing Darren’s band Savage Garden in concert in Manchester, UK. I think it was around the time I was about to turn vegan and Darren was about to turn gay (love and jokes, Darren!).
Darren loved the Madonna t-shirt I was sporting and invited me onto the tour coach for a short chat about pop music and other hot topics. It was a fabulous opportunity for fan boy me to spend some time talking with someone I looked up to musically.
Then we need to fast forward about 15 years for my next Darren Hayes encounter.
It feels like a very long time since we delved into one of the most popular features on this blog. I am deeply sorry it has taken me this long to get back around to celebrating vegan ice cream. I’ll never leave it so long again.
Two new frozen dessert brands sprung up unexpectedly, but I wouldn’t say I fell in love with both of them. Let’s crack on with a new instalment of the vegan ice cream wars. Ding ding!
Welcome to the first ever Fat Gay Vegan monthly news round up!
These posts are designed to give you that little extra dose of vegan gossip from in and around London (and occasionally further abroad). I welcome any tips or leads. The news round up won’t contain reviews as such, instead acting as an information portal.
Of course I would love for you to add your own experiences and views relating to the topics I touch on.
Here’s the news!
inSpiral have relaunched their vegan and raw cakes in jars! I spotted the tiramisu in Whole Foods Market Kensington but I’m sure it won’t be long until you find them dotted all over the UK.
I got quite a shock during a recent stroll down Old Compton Street in Soho. Gone is the all-you-can-eat vegan buffet, now replaced with a German sausage restaurant. The server told me he has to keep turning people way who ask “is everything vegan?”.
I was shopping in the Camden Urban Outfitters a few weeks back and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the Ms. Cupcake book. I caught up with Mellissa Morgan this week and she told me you can actually buy the book in all Urban Outfitters across Europe. Good stuff!
I know Saf is a bit on the pricey for some of you, but there is one deal they offer that has me going back for more. Every Thursday is 2-for-1 on the entire Saf cocktail menu. The photo above shows my recent mango/jalapeño margaritas. This deal is especially good news when you consider London Vegan Drinks takes place in the same building and on the same floor every third Thursday of the month!
The final news item for August is probably my favourite. Cookies & Scream situated in Camden Lock Market are not resting on their delicious laurels. These purveyors of tasty treats have upped the game with this incredible cookie dough shake. Not pictured is the equally impressive salted caramel shake. They aren’t messing about!
Any of these stories of interest to you?
My partner Josh loves to jump onboard now and then to let you know about the food making him smile.
Please give him a warm welcome as he returns to let you know about an amazing vegan breakfast he consumed in Bristol. Could this be the best vegan fry up in the UK? Answers in the comment section, please!
Take it away, Josh.
FGV’s recent post about the vegan brunch at Down To Earth in London reminded me of a trip earlier this year to Cafe Kino in Bristol. This was my third trip to Bristol yet for some reason I had never made it to the cafe before. Passing through on the way from Cardiff to Bath with my sister-in-law and nephew from Australia, we stopped off at Cafe Kino one morning to fill our bellies before a long day of driving.
For those that don’t know about Cafe Kino, it’s a co-operatively run vegan cafe (except for cow milk in the drinks) situated in a picturesque area of Bristol. They’re open every day of the week, selling mostly home-made vegan food.
On the morning of my visit, I of course gravitated towards the vegan fry-up. It arrived quickly at my table with sausages, baked beans, hash browns, fried mushrooms, fried bread, bacon rashers and grilled tomatoes. It. Was. Perfect.
I can’t remember how much I paid but I remember thinking it was very reasonable for the amount of food I received. I wish there was something like this in London!
You can vote for Cafe Kino (and FGV!) in the VegfestUK awards
Follow Cafe Kino on Twitter
Notting Hill Carnival is bursting into action this weekend but I’m not sure I can deal with the sheer number of people that will be swarming the area. Instead, let me give you an insight into some of the vegan finds within this world-famous district by traveling back in time ever so slightly.
A few weeks ago, I made my first ever visit to Portobello Road and I discovered more than a few vegan highlights.
My first treat was a super sweet watermelon juice served cold from a nondescript stall. The fruit chunks were pulverised before my very eyes and the temperature outside was sweltering, hence no photo due to guzzling.
The photos that have survived are included below.
The vegan churros were served piping hot. I know it is an issue but I adore food lifted straight from scalding oil. I dined on scrumptious falafel and was delighted to see the stall promoting the food as 100% vegan. Josh picked up more falafel plus a cold lemonade from Falafel King and he wants me to pass on his recommendation.
If groceries are needed, the compact Portobello Wholefoods is brimming with vegan products including tofu, plant-based meats, bulk grains and snacks. There is also a vegetarian cafe/bakery called The Grain Shop. I didn’t purchase anything, but a quick peek inside revealed a large number of vegan options.
Verdict? Portobello Road Market is a vegan-friendly utopia waiting for you to show up and eat!
If you didn’t know, I run a PR business. I only work supporting vegan companies or products. As a rule, I try not to promote my clients on this blog but if my blogger and PR roles ever intersect I make sure it is very clear.
The reason I have decided to post the following information regarding my client Fry’s Distribution is that I want as many people as possible to be aware of this event where free vegan food will be given away. Yes, my business interest is to help them but my personal interest is to support the spread of veganism.
With that disclosure out of the way, will you be coming along for a free vegan sandwich? I’ll be serving!
ENORMOUS FOOD GIVEAWAY SET FOR BRIXTON
Brixton locals are set for a free dinner next week as leading vegetarian food company Fry’s Distribution undertakes massive food giveaway on Coldharbour Lane.
Join frozen vegan food giants Fry’s Distribution on Thursday August 29th, 2013 from 6:00pm as they cook up and serve hundreds of mouth-watering sandwiches for the people of Brixton.
Pat Drummy of Fry’s spoke of the motivation behind the event:
“At Fry’s, we pride ourselves on reaching out to local communities in order to show them how easy, tasty and healthy meat-free eating can be. Our message is about doing what is best for your family, animals and the planet by reducing the amount of mass produced animal products you consume.”
Pat continues:
“2013 has been an incredible year for our company with record increases in sales due to meat scandals and our entire range has recently been listed with online supermarket Ocado. People are coming around to the idea of not having meat with every meal and we want to show the people of Brixton how it can be done.”
The giveaway is taking place inside the much-loved Ms. Cupcake bakery located at 408 Coldharbour Lane. The owner of the bakery, Mellissa Morgan, spoke of her support for the event:
“I am always looking for inventive and interesting ways to give something back to the Brixton community. When I was approached by Fry’s Distribution about using my shop to host this giveaway, my initial reaction of saying yes was based on what a great thing it will be for the people in the area. As a vegan business owner myself, I also look for opportunities to spread information about kinder and more environmentally friendly food.”
More than 300 sandwiches will be given away on a first come basis and the event will commence at 6:00pm sharp.
Fry’s products can be purchased at Brixton Wholefoods in Atlantic Road.
PLEASE NOTE: since this was written, the owner of the cafe has been convicted of animal cruelty. Read the update here: http://tinyurl.com/qy6qatz
If you ever find yourself waking up in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with a rumbling belly, you won’t have far to travel for a hot vegan breakfast.
Just a quick stroll toward the Holland Park end of the area will reward you with a plant-based meal from Down to Earth on Kensington High Street.
If you know anything about this part of London, you will be aware of how expensive it is to live, drink and eat in Kensington. Down to Earth is no exception. Our vegan fry up was delicious but carried the hefty price tag of £7.50. That might not seem like a huge figure to some readers, but the food on the plate was not piled high.
There was a lot of what appeared to be Taifun vegan sausages, coupled with a bit of pepper and mushroom. This was topped with two slices of house-made ciabatta. My meal was tasty however I felt there was an over-reliance on the sausage. I would like to see the sausage reduced in favour of cooked greens or even some beans to bulk the meal out.
The restaurant doubles as a deli and there is a decent selection of vegan items available, including Vegusto cheese and inSpiral kale chips. The interior is spacious and light. I highly recommend booking and asking for a window seat as Kensington is a hotspot for people watching in London. On the downside, I discovered the hard way that a Sunday morning hangover doesn’t mix very well with the large number of families frequenting the cafe with small children.
The Down to Earth menu contains an impressive selection of vegan options and a huge range of fresh juices, so I am definitely up for making a few more trips. I am especially tempted by their raw and gluten free mains.
Visit Down to Earth online