London vegan news, reviews & events
My pal Joe in Berlin wanted a platform to complain about something.
I thought it would be a good opportunity to give you all a break from my self-righteous posturing, so below you will find the unabridged moan by Joe about the phenomenon of vegan restaurants not opening when they are supposed to open.
I can’t say it happens all that often in the UK, but Joe deserves to be heard!
Read on.
Are you ready for photographic evidence of another one of my thorough supermarket expeditions?
A few nights back, Josh and I visited the mammoth Tesco Extra in Colney Hatch (North London) and returned home with some fun and tasty vegan products.
See proof below.
A post this week in which I voiced my concern about vegan people opening non-vegan cafes has garnered a lot of attention. The comment thread on Facebook has a life of its own and I think it is evident that this discussion is happening at exactly the right time.
One of the commentators suggested it would be beneficial for me to organise a platform to assist people looking to change their businesses into a completely vegan affair.
OK. I think I can offer some assistance. I don’t have a lot of time but I do take it on board that actions speak louder than words and I genuinely want to help people (and businesses) to go vegan and stay vegan.
What can I do?
I want to hear from people thinking of changing a non-vegan food business into a vegan food business. Once we have made contact, I can offer the following if you want it:
Just because I love to be dramatic, I am calling this the Operation Go Vegan Stay Vegan initiative. It is kind of like a vegan challenge, but for businesses.
Why am I doing this? The main reason is I am working to improve outcomes for non-human animals. Another reason is I wholeheartedly believe now is the right time for vegan business owners to take this step.
As I have mentioned on Facebook, there are 100% vegan cafes in regional Mexico, the West Midlands, Prague, rural USA and even an almost three hour drive into the countryside from my home town of Brisbane, Australia. They are popping up in the most unlikely places and they can succeed!
If you do vegan food and drink well, people will pay for it. Not just vegans, but people in general.
Please get in touch if you think you would like to make your business part of this vegan transition initiative. I am not the most knowledgable person but I am confident I can bring useful ideas together that will help you make this change to your business in the most positive way possible.
If you would like to offer a case study of your own vegan business (especially if you changed it to vegan from non-vegan), please get in touch via sean@fgvpr.co.uk – I will need all the vegan community firepower and ideas I can get.
Please note: I will have to exercise discretion in regards to who I assist and this might be based on my own workload or a host of other reasons. I envision being able to work with one business during a calendar month period. I am predominantly looking to assist UK businesses but will consider offering advice and time to people in other parts of the world but I will not have the same insights to offer.
Growing up in Australia, I was socialised into believing acts of animal exploitation were normal and a reason to celebrate. Some of my earliest memories are of animals being tortured for sport or food.
I was only a few years old as I stood in my aunty’s suburban kitchen and watched as live crabs were lowered into boiling water. My childhood memories are filled with fishing trips with my father who would press live worms onto the barbs of hooks as a tool to snare fish. Many of these fish were considered too small to warrant taking home, so were returned to the ocean with severe cuts and gashes in their mouths. Bigger sea creatures were left to experience excruciating deaths in the open air before being taken to a kitchen to serve as a meal.
My uncle kept racing dogs. Another uncle used a pump to suck living prawn-like animals from their sand homes. I have relatives who worked themselves into a near-religious frenzy when betting on animal sports. I was taken to a circus by my mother and aunty, where I was encouraged to ride a donkey. The poor creature trembled under my 9 year old weight, as my lanky legs dragged on the ground. Tears come to my eyes as I type these recollections. I feel shame and sorrow.
As a young person with world views still in development, I had no compassionate voices shaping my outlook. I was being conditioned to see animals as an unquestionable source of food, entertainment, clothing and sport.
A particularly perverse example took place in a classroom.
UPDATE:
This event has been cancelled due to one of the organisers being seriously injured in an accident.
My thoughts are with them and I hope for the best.
Sean/FGV
Do you like to be inspired? Are you interested in meeting like-minded compassionate people and hearing what inspires them? Would informative presentations followed by a late night party be to your liking?
If the answer is yes, The Sunshine Sessions might be just what you need.
I am thrilled to be invited to speak at the inaugural outing of The Sunshine Sessions. This celebration of positive-thinking and ethical, self-directed people looks set to be a fascinating event.
A range of speakers from a variety of backgrounds and interests including education, personal wellbeing and veganism will deliver passionate talks to a roomful of guests, who will then party the night away after being fed delicious vegan food.
I love the idea of this event. One of the reasons I agreed to take part in The Sunshine Sessions was the inclusive nature of the event and the thoughtful range of speakers. This isn’t a collection of people telling you what you are doing wrong, rather a collection of presenters giving you an insight into the choices that work for them across the professional and personal realms of their lives.
The event will be taking place in Central London at an as-yet-undisclosed location on Friday November 28th, 2014.
An initial information page for The Sunshine Sessions has been launched allowing potential attendees to register their interest. This is where you enter your details to receive information relating to ticket availability and speaker details. Click here to visit now.
I’m looking forward to this event and it would be wonderful to see a lot of vegans in the audience. Keep checking back for more updates.
Follow The Sunshine Sessions on Instagram
It is time to say goodbye to a family who have single-handedly revolutionised the UK vegan scene.
Patrick and Lisa Drummy have been at the forefront of getting meat replacements to hungry people for well over a decade. From humble beginnings with an often broken-down van, Pat launched a distribution company to spread the Fry’s Vegetarian range of vegan products all over the UK.
Due to Pat’s hard work and commitment to compassion, the South African produced products quickly became a staple freezer item for many veggie households. Pat poured his entire life (and livelihood) into the business and his dedication helped countless people make the transition to a meat free life.
Pat’s daughter Lisa joined him not long after this runaway success, making Fry’s UK a true family concern. Between them, they positioned the products in some of the biggest retailers in the country including Holland & Barrett and Ocado. They infiltrated huge catering distributors helping to get vegan food served in hospitals, schools, prisons and pubs all over the UK.
Lisa and Pat are two of the most respected people in the vegan community.
Year after year they tirelessly threw themselves into making Fry’s one of the leading vegan meat brands in Europe. I’m sure they couldn’t recall how many early starts there were or how many thousands of hours were spent spreading the vegan message throughout the country.
They have been friends to so many charities and outreach groups. Pat generously sponsored several of my events such as my Sea Shepherd fundraisers and the London Vegan Beer Fest. Dozens or maybe even hundreds of local animal welfare groups came to love Pat and Lisa for their generosity and honest desire to make the world a better place.
As Pat and Lisa step away from the business and hand the UK distribution back to the parent company, it is evident that our community is losing two of its staunchest supporters.
Pat and Lisa asked me to share the following statement with all of their friends and customers:
After 13 successful years of increasing choice for ethical consumers by introducing vegan foods to the UK market, we have lived to see Fry’s being stocked by health food shops, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and 3663. We’ve worked hard, met some truly great people and had a lot of fun along the way, but sadly, the team behind Fry’s Distribution UK is closing its doors on 31st October as it’s time for us to retire. Pat and Lisa would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your hard work, your business and, most importantly, your friendship.
I can’t express what these people have done for vegans and animals in the UK.
Please leave a comment for Pat and Lisa below.
As you know, previously-vegan range Goodlife now contains a few products with dairy.
Like many compassionate consumers, I am appalled that a company claiming to be ethical would take this huge step backwards.
Look below to see a Twitter conversation from earlier today between me and Goodlife.
This might very well be the worst attempt at recovering from a product scandal that I have seen in years.
Goodlife are sorry that I am upset? Don’t worry about me, mate. I’ll be fine.
Worry about the poor fucking cows that will be used, abused and left for dead when they are no longer productive. Think about the contribution you are making to the constant cycle of exploitation every time you send a pallet of products out to stores. As you receive payment from customers, know that those funds are yours only because baby cows are being ripped from their mothers every single day in the UK and sent to veal crates or factory farms.
No, don’t worry about upsetting me. It’s your tragic family I feel sorry for with its need to earn money any way possible. What an absolutely fucked up thing to know your bills are being paid because animals are being impregnated constantly and killed when they are spent.
Look at this quote from the Viva! White Lies website.
Dairy cows are portrayed as having an idyllic life but the reality is that cows (like all mammals) only produce milk for their young after giving birth. Dairy cows are kept in a cycle of near constant pregnancy and lactation (meaning huge physical and psychological stress, often leading to disease and exhaustion). Every year, dairy cows also suffer the separation from their young just a day or two after giving birth, calling for each other desperately – the trauma and stress have been studied and even the dairy industry admit it causes emotional stress. The fundamentals of dairy farming – removing newborn calves to sell the cow’s milk – always conflicts the animals’ physical and emotional welfare.
Goodlife. Reverse your ridiculous decision to include dairy in your products. Make them vegan again. If not for the individual cows suffering through the dairy process, for your family. Don’t make the horror of dairy farming be your family legacy.
I urge all concerned readers to reach out to Goodlife via Facebook and Twitter.
My partner Josh just posted this photo from his workplace that highlights the explosion in popularity of plant-based milks.
Josh took this photo in his staff kitchen this morning and I thought it was fabulous. I really wanted it to share it with you all.
I see the photo as a signpost for how far we have come in our struggle to educate people about dairy alternatives and in turn, help improve outcomes for animals.
This is just one small staff office in one part of London. Imagine the huge number of milk drinkers who have switched to plant-based milks over the last few years all over the UK. It is overwhelming to think of the positive impact this is having as it lessens the demand for cruel dairy.
Let’s celebrate plant-based milks!
If you have people in your workplace considering ditching dairy, share this link with them. It is an excellent resource site created by Viva! Campaigns to assist people in removing dairy milk from their diet.
My 3rd annual vegan Day of the Dead party was already set to be a mammoth and memorable affair, but add KANKUN to the mix and it has just reached another level entirely.
KANKUN make a range of delicious sauces so you can recreate your favourite Mexican dishes in your own home without the hassle of learning how to create them from scratch. The range includes Chipotle Hot, Chipotle Mild, Marinade, Habanero and Jalapeño meaning there is a heat level for every taste. The brand was recently recognised with a Great Taste award, so you don’t have to rely on my opinion that they are top notch sauces.
I am thrilled to announce the KANKUN luchador (Mexican wrestler) will be at my Day of the Dead party to hand out samples of their Mexican hot sauces, talk to guests about Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico and pose for photos.
As you probably know, I am completely infatuated with lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) so you can imagine my delight to have secured this very special guest for the party.
This is set to be an afternoon and evening to remember.
Don’t miss it this November 2nd. Book your tickets now!
Visit KANKUN online
Follow KANKUN on Twitter
Like KANKUN on Facebook
We all have a friendship in life that is unaffected by distance and time. A person you have known for decades and another decade can pass without your relationship spark flickering in the slightest even though you don’t see each other as much as you would like.
Let me introduce you to Steven.
Steven has been an integral part of my life since my teenage years. To say our friendship has seen some outrageous moments would be selling it to you softly.
We have danced until daylight in tacky gay bars in Brisbane. We have supported each other through emotional turmoil and romantic drama. Steven has given me a place to live when I had nowhere else to go. We have laughed at and with each other. We have fought with each other. We have splashed through the surf under the blazing Australian sun. We have propped each other up and dragged each other down.
My life wouldn’t be what it is without this friendship.
Where am I going with this blog post? I am asking you to support Steven in his campaign to raise funds for Farm Sanctuary, the legendary rescue home for farm animals. This group has been advocating and educating for decades, giving comfort to countless creatures.
Steven and his husband Nate are taking part in the Walk for Farm Animals fundraiser in San Diego and I would be so deeply moved if readers of my blog could help them reach their fundraising target of $1000. I am incredibly grateful and appreciative that one of my dearest friends is taking action for animals. It would make me proud to know we helped Steven and Nate help animals.
Please click here to donate to their fundraising effort. Your money will directly help improve outcomes for rescued farm animals. Make sure you leave a comment on their team page saying hello from FGV!