Haus of FGV

Announcing FGV nude calendar for 2017

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Have you ever been presented with an opportunity that is both terrifying AND exciting?

I am THRILLED to announce I have started production on the FGV Nude Calendar 2017!

If you know me well you’ll be aware that I’ve always been more than a bit body conscious. Like many people, I have been confronted and demeaned by the mostly-unrealistic projections of what a good body should look like that are forced upon us.

These images have bombarded me from all directions, from mainstream media all the way to organisations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA). My fat, gay and vegan body just isn’t deemed ‘good enough’ by a lot of people with power and big public voices.

So why the change in attitude to showing my body in public?

A photographer approached me a few months ago with the idea of releasing a calendar with nude images of me as a way of confronting body shaming. The idea behind the FGV Nude Calendar is to challenge these damaging stereotypes head-on while also showing a alternative-to-the-ideal body type in positive, natural settings.

I have promised the photographer that all of the locations will remain top secret as we want to make a big splash when the calendar is released later this year, but I was allowed to give you a sneak preview of the shoot we did recently in Mexico.

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I’m not looking forward to the snowy location shoot in a few months, but I’m sure knowing the calendar is for such a good cause will help me get through it.

All profits from the FGV Nude Calendar 2017 will be put toward a campaign to persuade PeTA to stop using body shaming, sexism, objectification of women and other forms of negative treatment of humans in their own campaigns.

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100% vegan cruise in the South of France

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Following on from our widely-successful New Year’s Eve cruise on the Danube, Vegan River Cruises and I have teamed up once again for a memorable 7 night/8 day journey along the Rhône river from Arles to Chalon-sur-Saône in the south of France.

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All of my expectations were blown away on the Danube cruise, so I am delighted to once again join forces with Dirk and Vegan River Cruises to explore a part of the world I’ve never experienced before. I’m especially excited to experience this gorgeous region of France during the autumn with an entire boat load of vegans.

As with all their ships, Vegan River Cruises have chartered a thoroughly modern boat packed solid with all the latest technology and attractions including private balconies, WiFi, spacious bathrooms, luxurious vegan toiletries, electric bicycles for on-shore use and vegan cooking demonstrations.

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Passengers on the South of France cruise will be treated to a 100% vegan experience with all meals and drinks included in the journey price. No extra money will be needed to enjoy wine, beer or cocktails and every single meal served during the cruise will be vegan.

It really is a vacation like no other for vegans. I’ll meet you at the bar on the first night!

The cruise departs Arles/Tarascon on October 22, 2016 and reaches its destination of Chalon-sur-Saône on October 29, 2016.

Click here for more information and to make booking enquires. The NYE cruise was booked solid so I imagine these cabins are going to go quickly. Be quick, book a cabin and join me on the Rhône.

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Ask FGV video March 2016

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Each month I take questions from some of my Patreon supporters and I try to give helpful answers.

Check out the March 2016 video below and be sure to find out how you can get involved with these questions (and get early access to my cooking videos) over on my Patreon page.


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International Women’s Day

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To mark International Women’s Day 2016, I have compiled a list of women (some vegan, some non-vegan) who inspire me, educate many people and make the world a better place.

Visit, read, follow, retweet and learn from these women:

Aph Ko – the founder of Black Vegans Rock – invaluable insights into how veganism, feminism and black lives intersect

Carol J. Adams – author of The Sexual Politics of Meat – one of the most crucial texts published in the past few decades

Dr Karen Martin – my Indigenous Studies lecturer at university and the first person to truly make me understand my privilege – Dr Martin’s papers are essential reading

Associate Professor Jo Lampert – my sociology and Indigenous Studies tutor at university and possibly one of the most influential voices in the development of my social justice understanding

Love Like Hate – vegan band featuring Heather Cheketri and Sonja Ter Horst – powerful independent voices and compassionate social justice warriors who inspire me to do better

Colour Me Wednesday – vegan band with unwavering indie determination and a burning desire to right wrongs

Vanessa Almeida – vegan chef, food educator, vegan cookbook author, independent business owner and unquestionably decent person behind Essential Vegan

Adalita – a person of immense power, talent, strength and dignity – lead singer of Magic Dirt and formidable solo artist with a desire to spread the vegan message

Laura Beck – probably the kindest person on the planet and the genius writer behind one of the most read vegan blogs around – Vegansaurus

QuarryGirl – my buddy and one of the top three reasons why I started writing a vegan blog – a true pioneer in writing stuff on the Internet in order to make people stop eating animals

Mellissa Morgan – founder and owner of Ms Cupcake vegan bakery – the sole reason why London was finally dragged out of the dark ages and into a vegan future

My sisters Michelle, Juanita and Monique – the only people who completely understand what it took for me to get where I am – I love and appreciate them

Terry Hope Romero – vegan food pioneer who turned the world upside down with her partner in crime Isa Chandra Moskowitz – Terry is one of the reasons why veganism is as big as it is right now

Isa Chandra Moskowitz – along with Terry, Isa wrote the book on veganism – actually, she wrote MANY books on veganism and is probably the most famous vegan I’ve met

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau – one of the most impassioned, believable and powerful public speakers in the field of compassion

Sarah Bentley – guiding force behind Made in Hackney – a vegan food kitchen and education centre in London supporting low income, at risk, hard to reach and vulnerable groups

Anika Lehde -founder of The Vegan Score – Anika is a feminist, a vegan, an activist, an organiser and a true hero of mine – she teaches me something every time we speak

Doris Lin – a must follow person on Twitter who constantly makes me aware of important issues relating to veganism and social justice

Jamie J. Hagen – a queer intellectual with many important things to say about gender, abortion, activisim and pretty much anything else you can imagine – a voice I turn to when I need knowledge and understanding

Angela Corcoran – half of the team behind vegan London boutique and shoe store The Third Estate – Ange has dedicated years to promoting compassion, fairness, animal welfare and human rights

Valerie Reid – my mother in law – thank you for being kind to me over these past two decades, housing me when Josh and I had nowhere else to live and for being loving and supportive of our choices in life

To all the women who have loved me, supported me, inspired me, taught me and/or offered me friendship including Janelle Mason, Susan Shaw, Erin Nolan, Aimee Thomson, Melinda Newman, Patricia Pineda, Angela Warrilow, Vicki Lane, Susan Short, Danielle Leary, Lauren Mellor, Mirel Joshman, Anna Green, Louise Wallis, Jordan Bastian, Els Merry-Price, Jo Ballard, Diana Pinkett, Catherine Pace, Bob Humphrey, Valerie Shaw, Kip Dorrell, Amy Thomas, and Indira Jayasuriya.

Thank you.

Extra note: to the best of my understanding, everyone on this list identifies as a woman. If your name is on this list and you would rather it not be for any reason, please advise me at sean@fgvpr.co.uk and I will remove it instantly. Several of my friends and allies who no longer identify as women but have done so during our relationship have been omitted from this list. I hope they know and understand how much their friendship means to me.

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Chef doesn’t like vegans

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Being vegan for most people comes from a selfless, compassionate place. We are not looking inward. It’s not about clear skin, weight loss or shiny hair. Our choice to live as vegan as we possibly can is directly informed by our desire to reduce suffering. Our actions in the supermarkets/restaurants/kitchens of our planet can help alleviate a fraction of the unfathomable and systemic suffering levelled at non-human animals.

This kind of dedication to the reduction of suffering is surely fit for no purpose other than ridicule and cheap joke making, right?

As you have probably seen reported elsewhere (and click the link above if you haven’t), chef Gordon Ramsay was asked by a Twitter user if he is allergic to anything.

Ramsay came back with a one word zinger. Vegans.

The ‘joke’ here relies heavily on the tired assumption that vegans are the worst people to have walk into your restaurant. We are bothersome and needling individuals who work to make the life of a professional chef hell with our ridiculous demands. Oh, how we inconvenience the cook with our insistence that no living creature was boiled, decapitated or dehorned for a dish.

If we dig a bit deeper of course we can unpack the real motivation behind Ramsay’s joke (and the countless others just like it that we vegans come to expect).

That reason is the undeniable truth and a nagging sense of culpability.

It is easier to joke about the weird outsider than to confront your participation in an industrialised system that causes excruciating pain to billions of animals. Ramsay is a smart person who would obviously understand that a baby cow wouldn’t really want to be torn away from its parents, nor would any chicken want its throat slit before being dunked still alive into boiling water.

Of course he understands on a deep level that this behaviour is obscene at best.

But he has been socialised to see this as a necessary evil that keeps food on tables and maybe more importantly to this discussion, money in his bulging bank account.

This short piece of writing isn’t designed to call Ramsay out on his vegan bashing ways. I want it to act more as a support letter to other vegans who feel targeted by cheap jokes and the near-constant ridicule of their compassionate choices.

Remember that when Ramsay or anyone talks about your veganism in a derogatory, flippant or dismissive manner it is a sign that they are attempting to protect themselves from the truth. By pushing the ‘vegans are annoying’ agenda, it gives them some breathing space and takes the heat off their own deep-rooted feelings of complicity.

In his calmest and most self-reflective moments, not even Gordon Ramsay would truly believe that vegans are horrible people. It’s just that he needs those jokes and line of thinking to help him hide from the painful and confronting truth.

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So many vegan groceries

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Have you ever seen anything like it?

Last week I went on another ridiculous shopping expedition to the Vegan Ville grocery store here in Mexico City and I came out one very happy FGV indeed.

Scroll down to see the huge bounty in photo form.

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I love cruising

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Do you all remember when I was talking about a vegan cruise down the Danube? Sure you do. It was all I spoke about on my blog for six months!

It has taken me a while to process the experience and now I feel just about ready to share a fraction of some of the hundreds of photos I took during this once in a lifetime experience. Boarding the ship was like stepping into a completely vegan world and everything you could want or need was at your fingertips.

I even got my haircut onboard!

Before you get busy scrolling below to see my cabin, food and sightseeing photos, I want to also tell you I am joining forces with Vegan River Cruises for two glorious vacations in 2016. Yes, two 100% luxury vegan cruises to choose from this year.

The first cruise will be a 7 night/8 day cruise along the Rhône in the south of France. I’m not sure I need to sell too hard with this one. It’s the south of France in late October 2016!

All your food, all your drink and some of the most glorious Autumn weather in Europe? Yes, please. See you on the ship! Click here to see all the details and to book your cabin.

I did say I will be on two luxury vegan cruises in 2016. Here is the second.

I am thrilled to be taking part in the Vegan River Cruises trip between December  29, 2016 and January 4, 2017 as it takes in the glorious waterways of the Netherlands and Belgium.

Starting in Amsterdam before docking in Brussels for New Year’s Eve, this Winter cruise is going to be the height of relaxation as we glide past windmill-studded countryside. Get in early if you want one of the best cabins. Click here for info and booking.

OK. Now those photos I promised you from my recent NYE vegan cruise down the Danube.

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Fat Gay Vegan walks into a grocery store

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Wanna see the glorious vegan groceries I bought yesterday?

Scroll down below for the killer line up of goods I snagged from Vegan Ville, the fabulous vegan grocery store in Mexico City.

Even for someone as obsessed with food as I am, these groceries pushed me into the realm of super happy.

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Nominated!

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Yay!

This blog has been nominated in the Best Vegan Blogger category as part of the Vegan Awards UK 2016.

It’s always a thrill to get a nod like this so thank you to Vegan Festival UK, the organisers of the awards as well as several fabulous vegan events around the country.

See the full list of nominees in the Best Vegan Blogger category below:

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Besos de Oro

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As of the end of April/beginning of May 2016, I no longer work with Besos de Oro

I am super happy to announce that I am helping Besos de Oro promote their gorgeous vegan Baileys alternative throughout the UK.

If you were one of the fortunate VegfestUK attendees who got their hands on this creamy spirit-based drink over the past year, you already know what all the fuss is about. It felt as if the majority of people stopping by my FGV stand at the shows were doing so to tell me about this amazing drink they had just sampled.

Besos de Oro is a creamy, subtly sweet brandy and horchata drink that can be consumed on its own as a digestif or poured over ice cream or brownies as a decadent treat. Personally, I would be making some sort of alcohol-fuelled milkshake topped with vegan cream.

When Peter from Besos de Oro reached out to me to see if I wanted to be part of the UK team, I jumped at the chance.

As of the end of April/beginning of May 2016, I no longer work with Besos de Oro

The first big piece of news I am spreading for Besos de Oro is their Valentine’s special offer.

Check it out.

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Besos de Oro have a fantastic offer for Valentine’s Day 2016.

Loved up shoppers will get a bag featuring 12 raspberry-filled chocolate hearts made by the glorious Essy & Bella (remember I wrote about them here?) plus a bottle of Besos de Oro for £19.99 plus £2.50 p&p.

That is a pretty special deal and I’d say that even if I wasn’t part of the sales team.

This Valentine’s offer is limited to only 300 orders and because I was a bit slow getting this blog post up, I think a big chunk of that quantity has already been snapped up. Order promptly and the delivery is guaranteed to reach you and/or your sweetheart in time for the big day.

If you want to order a bottle with a bag of chocolates for someone special (that can include yourself!), you need to get over to the Besos de Oro Facebook page and send them a private message telling them you want to order. Peter will put a bottle of the creamy drink and a bag of hearts aside for you before telling you how to pay.

Now, if someone could just buy one of these packs and ship to me in Mexico my heart would be eternally theirs.

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