I love sugar

Vegan hot chocolate

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Public service announcement: the Real Hot Chocolate Co has vegan offerings!

The company does produce non-vegan products (the white chocolate ones) but you can get your hands on some of their completely dairy free lines online and in some shops.

Owner of Real Hot Chocolate Co, Phillip Easton, told me:

There is so much emphasis on quality and range of artisan coffee, micro brew beers and specialist teas, but when it comes to hot chocolate (my drink of choice) 99% of people will reach for the instant powder. Luxury means putting squirty cream and marshmallows on top, and often the manufacturer’s directions aren’t followed, meaning a bad drink.
The Real Hot Chocolate Co changes the perception that this is okay, and pushes the need for quality hot chocolate.
I also developed a unique product specifically for coffee shops, giving a wide range of flavours and serving sizes with all natural gluten-free ingredients, made from real Belgian chocolate.
There’s also a range coming soon which is a bit darker (64.5%), from single-source Costa Rican cocoa which is Rainforest Alliance Certified.  It’s not yet released as I’m looking to distribute that rather than sell through the website – but I do currently sell it if I’m running a stall, and it is being served fresh in some coffee shops – such as Anna Loka, the vegan restaurant in Cardiff.
I sell directly to customers, wholesale to shops and cafes to sell packaged or fresh, and also as party favours and corporate gifts!
The product is truly artisan.  I design and make the moulds, packaging, website, recipes, etc.  The only thing I buy in is actually the Belgian chocolate – all other ingredients are as local as possible.
real hot chocolate co

If you like decadent hot chocolate, you might just want to check out the real Hot Chocolate Co online and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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Vegan cakes in Margate

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A new vegan cake shop has opened in Margate, Kent.

The owner of Seaside Cake Parlour will probably look familiar to a lot of readers as the same person who owned, operated and baked for Cakes ‘n’ Treats in Camden (yes, the place with this history here, here and here).

Click here or on the photo below to read the full article about the new shop on the Isle of Thanet Gazette website.

thanet vegan cake story

The article states the baker Sarah (did her name used to be Kim?) also creates non-vegan wedding cakes in addition to the menu at her completely vegan cafe.

You can find Seaside Cake Parlour on Facebook and Twitter.

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Probably not vegan. Stop eating them!

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UPDATE

Wall’s have now confirmed to multiple people via social media and email that the new Swedish Glace ice creams ARE suitable for vegans. They have also apologised for the confusion caused by saying the opposite a few days ago. Buy them all, eat them all.

END UPDATE

I wrote about my bewilderment caused by the new Swedish Glace chocolate coated strawberry ice cream sticks not saying ‘vegan’ on the box when all other Swedish Glace products do have vegan written on them.

Well, straight from the source (with the source weirdly being Walls ice cream) we have been told that these products ARE NOT VEGAN.

walls

I am not 100% sure that this is true. People running social media accounts have made mistakes before but this matches up with Sainsbury’s listing the products as only vegetarian on their website.

swedish glace

I am still waiting to get a response to my email from parent company Unilever but I think it is safe to say that all vegans in the UK should STOP buying this product.

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New Swedish Glace in Sainsbury’s

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UPDATE

Wall’s have now confirmed to multiple people via social media and email that the new Swedish Glace ice creams ARE suitable for vegans. They have also apologised for the confusion caused by saying the opposite a few days ago. Buy them all, eat them all.

END UPDATE

This news is blowing up everywhere so you have probably already seen it, but in case you haven’t…

Sainsbury’s are now selling boxes of strawberry flavoured soya ice cream treats made by Swedish Glace. The chocolate covered delights come five to a box.

swedish glace

Exciting news, but weirdly the Sainsbury’s website lists this new product as suitable for vegetarians but not vegans. A quick search reveals they use ‘vegan’ to describe other Swedish Glace products such as this tub.

I’ve emailed Unilever (yes, that is the company in charge of Swedish Glace) to ask if the strawberry and chocolate sticks are made with only vegan ingredients but am yet to hear back.

Please fill us in if you have any information on the veganicity of these ice creams. I can’t get my chubby hands on a box from here in Mexico but I thought someone reading would have a closer look to see if the box is labelled vegan.

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Vegan bakery selection box

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Get your credit card ready. You are about to order the following box of vegan treats for home or office delivery.

vegan box

The Twice As Nice Bakery in Staffordshire has quite a bit of food on offer for vegans, but I particularly like this variety box that can be ordered via their website.

The ‘vegan bakery selection box’ contains the following:

  • 2 individual brownies (one topped with peanut butter swirls, the other with smoked sea salted caramel)
  • 3 ANZAC biscuits,
  • 2 baked doughnuts (shown with cinnamon sugar)
  • Hello Sunshine – a gorgeous lemon cake with a surprise marmalade filling and topped with candied peel.
  • A couple of vegan friendly chocolate bars.

The cost of the box is £18 and that includes delivery within the UK.

Click here to view and order the vegan box online.

You can follow Twice As Nice Bakery on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

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Vegan ice cream shop in London!

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London, I know I haven’t been the kindest to you when it comes to celebrating your vegan credentials. I’ve said you are behind the times. I’ve moaned about your lack of plant-based eateries. I’ve jetted off to all manner of glamorous locations in order to have my compassionate consumer needs met.

And now you do this. I feel so guilty, like I didn’t believe in you.

On Wednesday March 2, 2016 you are getting your very own 100% vegan ice cream, froyo and shake shop right in the middle of Soho. Can you handle this news?!

Yorica! is a revelation. This Wardour Street space is set to serve decadent ice cream flavours, mountains of toppings, frozen yoghurt tubs and some of the most outrageous shakes you will see anywhere. The toppings include gummy bears, marshmallows, cookies and sprinkles.

Every single thing served by Yorica!, from the cones to the cream, will be vegan. The company is crafting their creamy treats with rice milk and the entire range in store will be nut and gluten free.

Check out some of the photos being posted by the company on social media in the lead up to the grand opening.

Stunning.

Here is what you need to do:

  • Follow Yorica! on Twitter and Instagram
  • Attend the opening of the store this week (location on their website)
  • Take photos
  • Make me insanely jealous by tagging me on social media

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Ms Cupcake goes savoury

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Ms. Cupcake has got sugar on lock.

The Brixton bakery does sweet treats like no on else and has been at the forefront of cake business in the UK for years. But what if they turned their hand to savoury food?

Well, you can find out this weekend.

ms cupcake savoury

For the first time ever, Ms. Cupcake will be serving sweet AND savoury food across two mammoth stalls at VegfestUK in Brighton and the savoury sounds divine.

Did someone say chilli, mac & cheese and jackfruit? Yes, they did.

I reached out to Ben at Ms. Cupcake  for some info and he told me:

This is the first time we have ever done two stalls at a show. We’re bringing our traditional Ms. Cupcake sweet stand as well as a hot food stand to VegfestUK Brighton this coming weekend.
On the catering stand, customers will be able to choose from vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Pulled ‘pork’ Jackfruit and Tex-Mex Chilli. There will be a range of mouthwatering toppings available such as hot peppers, sauces and more. There will also be a range of other savoury snacks on the stall to compliment the main dishes.

In news almost as big, we are bringing our homemade vegan lemon curd to the sweet stand as well as branded merchandise for die-hard Ms. Cupcake fans.

Listen to me carefully, readers.

You gave got to get some of that lemon curd in your life. I haven’t had Ms. Cupcake lemon curd for years and I still dream of it.

Sounds like the Ms. Cupcake stands are going to be extremely crowded at VegfestUK this weekend.

Get info on VegfestUK Brighton by clicking here.

Visit Ms. Cupcake online.

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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.

facebook valentines

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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Donuts are life

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Facebook can be a tiresome place to hangout.

If you spend a lot of time on the social network, it can feel like you are learning a whole lot of information you really don’t want to know. My friends’ reaction to the latest Star Wars film nearly made me jump ship.

But occasionally the good ol’ FB gives us some truly valuable information. Specifically, where we can buy and eat gorgeous vegan donuts like these.

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I saw the above photo posted on Facebook, so I wasted no time in reaching out to the poster to find out more info.

Lisa got back to me super quick with A LOT of details on what she is up to donut-wise. Scotland, you are in luck.

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Vegan comfort on another level

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This blog post contains some of the most explicit comfort food photos you will have seen in a long time.

The photos are heavy going and some people will find them quite confronting. Sit down, take a few deep breaths and then scroll down for the visual g(l)ory.

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