I love sugar

News you can eat August 2013

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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!

Tiramisu in a jar
Tiramisu in a jar

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.

Only sausages
Only sausages

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?”.

Ms. Cupcake on the shelves
Ms. Cupcake on the shelves

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!

Two for one is better than one for one
Two for one is better than one for one

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!

Dough!
Dough!

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?

Loco for Coco

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You don’t find yourself in the position of being a fat, gay vegan without knowing your way around a drop of chocolate or two. I love bars, coated sweets and anything containing vegan chocolate. It’s part of the territory when you are a FGV.

Imagine my delight a few weeks ago when I found myself standing in a cute-as-a-chocolate-button store in Southsea, surrounded by vegan chocolates. I was in heaven!

Coco Chocolate Boutique is a gorgeous specialist store crammed full of decadent, handmade delicacies just minutes from the seafront. Even though they aren’t exclusively vegan, the Coco shelves and cases hold an impressive array of animal-free fare.

Coco Chocolate Boutique of Southsea
Coco Chocolate Boutique of Southsea

There are vegan fondants, cherries oozing in brandy, dark chocolate shards in several flavours, chocolate covered Turkish delight and even solid dark chocolate skulls.

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Here’s the Scoop

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*A reader says Scoop advised chocolate is not vegan. They told me it was. Any other feedback?*

*UPDATE – OK. I just got an update from Scoops via Twitter. The brand of chocolate is Callebaut and the product they use is made from vegan ingredients (cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, natural emulsifier, soya lecithin) and is labelled ‘may contain traces of milk’ as it is made in a factory with milk chocolate.*

Late night, tipsy walking around Soho can reveal special joys. Hidden surprises spring up but often disappear again as the fog of cider clear from your head the following day.

However, I experienced a glorious and accidental discovery last night I am certain will be etched into my memory forever. No amount of cider (mixed with wine and beer) could wash the wonderful thoughts away.

People. Hold onto you seats. Kip and I discovered hot, fresh vegan churros accompanied by hot, melted chocolate in a gelato store in Soho, London.

What a find!
What a find!
Delicious, vegan churros
Delicious, vegan churros

I won’t waste your time with witticisms and queen of the world retorts. I understand you are probably walking toward the door right this second, thinking of the quickest route to Soho.

Here are the details:

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Never enough: the final chapter

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Like all good love affairs, my recent dalliance with vegan snack across the USA had to end.

I’m sure it wasn’t the reality, but my memory leads me to believe I ate from the time I set foot on San Franciscan soil to the moment they rolled me onto a London-bound plane departing Philadelphia. Readers based in the US know how readily-available vegan junk food is and my chubby hands were rarely empty.

Following are a collection of photos documenting my final days of vegan vacation snacking. These pictures, together with the previous posts, detail the food adventures Josh and I experienced throughout San Francisco, Oakland, Mendocino, Bend, Portland, New York City and Philadelphia.

Enjoy the visuals!

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Never enough again and again

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My previous posts detailing my vegan over eating throughout the USA were nothing compared to this installment.

Since we last spoke I have been on a food consumption journey. I ate in Bend, Oregon. I ate in Redwood forests. I ate in the rental car. I ate in the mountains. But most importantly, I ate during a three-day conference for vegan bloggers in Portland.

Hold on tight as I power through this list of vegan delights.

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Never enough again

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My consumption of vegan snacks during this trip through northern California and Oregon is nothing short of staggering.

All of the brands and products MUST be consumed as and when they catch my eye, otherwise I will return to the UK full of remorse and thoughts of ‘if only’. This over eating marathon is not simply a product of my greedy temperament, it is also a necessary process to ensure I don’t feel too depressed back in London.

Don’t laugh. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Following is a short collection of photos of the vegan snacks that have found their way into my belly over the last few days. Of course I am also eating fruit, but I assume you didn’t come here to stare at a banana.

Enjoy!

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Never enough

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As I enjoy a short stay in the glorious city of San Francisco, I am proving beyond a shadow of a doubt why I possess the name Fat Gay Vegan.

Here is a super quick post highlighting the vegan snacks that have kept me company during my first few days in the USA. You will notice the lighting is terrible. Obviously I am photographing these snacks on the bed in a dimly-lit hotel room. Is there any other way to overeat in solitude?

Enjoy the photos and if you are a food importer in the UK, I want all of these available by the time I get back.

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A slice of vegan history

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Read to the end for a free Ms. Cupcake recipe!

I thought sitting down to write a blog post about the release of the Ms. Cupcake cookbook would be a simple process that involved reviewing the book, saying how much I adore her food and sticking in a few photos.

However, on reflection the idea of simply talking about the book as just another collection of recipes seemed beyond insufficient. This book acts as distinct marker in the timeline of vegan London and Mellissa Morgan is more than a mere cupcake maker. She has been one of the guiding forces in the veganisation of the UK capital and walks at the forefront of a plant-based wave sweeping the country.

No, this isn’t just a cookbook. It is historical evidence of how an independent baker helped change the way London and the UK think about veganism.

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Ms. Cupcake – The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town!

The story of the rise of Ms. Cupcake is especially poignant and personal for me. It wasn’t long after I started this blog that Mellissa moved her well-loved market stall business into her very own bakery on Coldharbour Lane in Brixton. It was the story about this move that went on to become one of the most read posts of all time on my blog.

When I had the idea of creating London Vegan Potluck, it was Mellissa and the Ms. Cupcake crew who welcomed my crazy idea with open arms. The potluck has since moved to larger premises, but I will never forget or take for granted what the bakery did for me and my event. Mellissa’s commitment to the vegan community in London helped me create one of the most enduring and loved social events in the country.

The Ms. Cupcake bakery is a focal point for vegan London. The rise of such a successful vegan business lit a spark that has grown to an inferno and inspired all manner of events, food providers and support networks. Many of the people who work or have worked in the bakery have become my dear friends. The cookbook tells Mellissa’s story and the recipes are testament to her creativity and persistence, but it also acts as reminder for vegans everywhere how we can change the world around us if we decide to act.

Buy the Ms. Cupcake book if you would like to know how to create mouthwatering cookies, cupcakes, muffins and loaves. Buy the Ms. Cupcake book if you want a invaluable guide to vegan icing, stockists and methods. Buy the Ms. Cupcake book if you enjoy owning recipe books brimming with colourful and stylish artwork and photos. But most importantly, buy the Ms. Cupcake book if you want to own a piece of the story of how London truly became an international vegan city.

Order now online from Amazon.

Tracy aka The Vegan Butcher with Jaffa Cakes
Tracy aka The Vegan Butcher with Jaffa Cakes

As a special treat, Ms. Cupcake and her publisher have given me permission to include the following recipe taken from the new book. I followed the easy recipe to make my own batch of Nanaimo bars and the process was completely hassle-free, even for a non-baker like me.

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Le meilleur en Europe

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I understand I can be somewhat dramatic at times, but my blog isn’t just a place to share factual information in a calm and level manner. The food reviews on here would be nowhere near as enticing without my verbose posturing and over-the-top declarations of love for newly-discovered vegan eats.

My hope is this enthusiasm appears balanced and you can tell that when I say something is fabulous, it really means I think it is fabulous. I know I can be taken by positive histrionics when I love something, but I am also capable of dishing the dirt when I feel a product or restaurant isn’t up to scratch. This honesty hopefully makes me believable.

With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to the best vegan restaurant I have experienced in Europe.

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Fudge. Plain and simple.

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After I visit a city, it always takes me a long time to work through all the food I consumed and convert the tasty memories into blog posts. I have that well-known vegan condition that involves eating every single possible vegan dish available to me during a vacation. Almost like I’ve never seen food before. What’s wrong with us?

My recent Edinburgh trip was no different. Working out where vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner were to be enjoyed took precedence over getting to the castle or visiting the museum. The walks along the Royal Mile or down historic closes were planned with precision to ensure vegan food options took centre stage throughout my time in Edinburgh.

In addition to my baked potato experience, one of the most memorable frenzied pit stops for food involved vegan fudge. Thick, creamy and irresistible vegan fudge. The Fudge Kitchen located on the Royal Mile isn’t a vegan food outlet but they certainly know how to make plant-based eaters feel welcome.

The store has at least one vegan fudge option on show each day. My visit coincided with the overwhelmingly-scrumptious toffee variety made with soya cream.

Fudge Kitchen Edinburgh
Fudge Kitchen Edinburgh
Gorgeous vegan toffee fudge
Gorgeous vegan toffee fudge

I am trying to be a less food-driven tourist. Not as many of my trips are planned around the food available at the destination but it will be a long while until I am comfortable moving through a town without devouring every vegan dish on offer.

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