To start with, there is the amazing Ms. Cupcake vegan bakery with their huge range of cakes, savouries and packaged treats. You probably are also aware of the gorgeous vegan pizza options available from Franco Manca. I’ve even heard whispers of a new French vegetarian restaurant with vegan options.
Yes, Brixton is a fun place for vegans to go hunting for snacks and it just got a lot more exciting with the arrival of vegan cake stall The Vegan Tart.
I was starting to think I couldn’t be more excited about the upcoming Bowl For Oceans fundraising party for Sea Shepherd UK, but then this happened…
There are companies that make nice food, there are companies that do good things for others and there are companies that are run by lovely people. Razzle Dazzle Ices somehow manage the rare trifecta of possessing all of these traits.
Razzle Dazzle is a family-owned and operated company from Taunton, Somerset. As stated on their website, their drive to create a tasty dairy-free ice cream came from wanting their son (who can’t eat cow milk) to be included in treat time. But after setting out to perfect their recipes in their own home for their own enjoyment, Razzle Dazzle then put their efforts into spreading the vegan ice cream love far and wide across the land.
The Razzle Dazzle Ices range includes such tantalising flavours as Mango Sorbet, Coconilla and Hintamint. Check out where all five of their fun flavours are available right now! They even sell to stores, cafes and restaurants, just in case you are a business owner and want to impress your customers.
Razzle Dazzle tubs
But what was this blog post supposed to be about? Oh, that’s right! Razzle Dazzle Ices are coming to Bowl For Oceans!
January 6, 2013 is the date where compassionate party goers are in for a big treat. Not only does their ticket purchase get them bowling, karaoke, music, pool tables and crisps by Barrow Boys, it now also gives them a chance to sample Razzle Dazzle Ices for free.
The company will be on hand to dish out their tasty wares to attendees and talk about how they create such delicious, cruelty-free delights.
If you have already purchased your tickets for this mammoth event, congratulations are in order because you are in for one fun day out in London. If you are yet to snap up your entry, act fast to ensure you are part of what is surely going to be one of the most-talked about events of Winter.
As a sugar-loving vegan, certain times of the year are tougher than others.
My recent trips to grocery stores and supermarkets have been met by a familiar sight for this time of year. Christmas shopping frenzy means I am confronted by countless varieties of boxed chocolates, truffles and candy. This onslaught of boxed confection also sweeps through my life around Valentine’s Day, mothers day and an increasing number of commercialised celebrations.
As a fat, gay vegan all I wanna do is drop a few of these boxes into my basket as I waddle to the checkout. Until a few days ago, this was but a dream.
There used to be a store I frequented as a younger person called Popcorn Palace. This maize emporium was located in a shopping mall on Australia’s Gold Coast and with my hometown just an hour or so away by car, my friends and I would often find ourselves buying bags of the good stuff.
Popcorn Palace was one of those places that believed in the mantra ‘more is more’. I used to marvel at the vast array of flavoured popcorn lining the shelves and always ended up buying more jumbo tubs than I could handle of the irresistible snacks. I remember the watermelon variety extremely fondly.
Thus commenced my lifelong love affair with popped corn.
Flash forward to a few years (decades?) later and popcorn still rules my roost. Popcorn is probably second only to potato in my most-loved category. I might not have Popcorn Palace in my life these days, but the good people of Bloom’s are working hard to keep my maize malaise at bay.
Some things are an acquired taste and whether you like them or not can depend on where you grew up. When I was a child, I adored Vegemite. I understand why people from outside Australia might not like it, but I couldn’t get enough of this savoury cousin of Marmite from down under.
I recently spoke with someone who couldn’t imagine anything more disgusting than fruit cake with marzipan frosting. I would eat so much of this at family weddings back in Brisbane that I would have to be carried to the car. The UK seems to share this history of wedding/Christmas cakes and I couldn’t be more pleased to discover Lazy Day Foods have launched this loved product in an accessible way.
Lazy Day Foods make me happy
My trip to As Nature Intended in Ealing Broadway a few days ago was a triumph in both nostalgia and deliciousness. Lazy Day have taken a slice of my childhood and turned it into vegan, gluten-free, finger-sized delights.
Cake and fruit and icing, oh my!
Get into your local health food provider or spend some time perusing the free from aisle in the supermarket to snap up these delights today. And when you are settled in with a few bars of marzipan-topped fruit cake and a cup of tea I want you to sit back, smile and think of FGV eating himself sick as a young wedding attendee back in Australia.
I miss the constant sunshine and warmth of Southern California. I miss loved ones. I miss my favourite restaurants such as Native Foods, Flore, Vedge and Veggie Grill. I miss Homegrown Smoker. I miss Las Vegas. I miss New York City. I miss the Florida Keys. I miss Sunday afternoon beer busts in gay dive bars. I miss the prevalence of spoken Spanish.
If you missed out on September’s London Vegan Potluck, I am sorry to say you also missed out on one of the best vegan dessert products to ever be available in the UK.But don’t be too sad… Pudology tubs are spreading across the country like wildfire.
Dairy-free desserts are becoming increasingly common, but not much of the market can claim to be anywhere near as delicious as these creations. Pudology make their mouthwatering puds in chocolate, strawberry and banoffee flavours.
My personal favourite is the chocolate. You know when something is sweet, creamy, smooth and irresistible all at the same time? Enough said. When Pudology samples were available at the potluck, the banoffee flew off the shelves and many attendees were singing some fairly extravagant praises for the dessert.
FGV eating PudologyDelicious vegan desserts
Grab some of these vegan and gluten free wonders today from Goodness Directand Selfridges.
The London Vegan Potluck stormed back into the capital this week and the food was on another level of awesome. New vegan dessert champions Pudology were on board as sponsors to add to the enjoyment.
Because I was too busy eating on the night, my dear friend Cookie Von Stir has kindly dropped in to show you what you missed.
There is one thing I have discovered during my chubby, queer life. If we do not shop at (and support) independent vegan businesses, they will disappear.
Business life is tough enough for small businesses and even harder for the vegan variety. You have got to be extra resilient when you are cruelty-free. You sell to a niche market (admittedly getting larger) and you often have all sorts of accusations and prejudices fired your way, some sadly even from within the vegan community.
One of the true champions of the do-it-yourself vegan scene is the decadently-delicious Ms. Cupcake of Brixton. This one-of-a-kind compassionate bakery pumps out glorious sugary treats and has gotten to the point where it is today through the sheer grit, determination and ferocious hard work of founder/owner/Chief Cupcaker Mellissa Morgan.
Ms Cupcake during the grand opening of the Brixton bakery
In just a few years, Mellissa has moved from humble beginnings selling her homemade wares at London markets to owning her own bakery that employs multiple staff members. Mellissa is a huge contributor to local animal charities and her surrounding communtiy. She has time and time again proven herself as an award-winning business person and highly-decorated baker.
But like every hardworking, independent business owner, Mellissa sometimes needs the help of her supporters and the broader community to get over hurdles as they present themselves. Namely financial hurdles.
The next stage in development for the Ms. Cupcake bakery is to offer frozen goods such as pre-packaged vegan ice cream, cheesecakes and their own frozen creations. The problem with frozen food however is that is requires a freezer to be stored in…. and there isn’t a freezer in Ms. Cupcake.
This is where you come in.
Ms. Cupcake is taking the fan-funded route to raise enough money to make the much-needed purchase. Mellissa is asking for donations from supporters in order to get her freezer and is even offering incentives to people willing to help out.
For a £5 donation you get a kiss from Ms. Cupcake herself. £10 will get you a cupcake and a kiss. Or you could splash out and show your commitment to helping small business with a £50 donation and be rewarded with a kiss, a cupcake, a tub of vegan ice cream AND a £10 voucher to spend at the shop!
Get behind this fundraising drive if you want to support a local business and help keep them away from nasty bank loans. Get behind it if you want to help a vegan business grow. Get behind it if you want to help Mellissa to be able to keep employing a large number of staff. In the long run, your donation will ultimately help Mellissa carry on with all of her charitable and community interactions that she is loved for.
And finally…. get behind this campaign if the thought of cupcakes topped with ice cream makes you do a happy dance.
Isn’t the word ‘flapjack’ a bizarre thing? Where on Earth does it come from? I would love to know the etymology of the word flapjack. Answers on the back of a Morrissey postcard, please.
While I sit back and wait for the mountains of mail adorned with pictures of the Mancunian poet, I might as well inform you of a delicious vegan flapjack I discovered on a recent food expedition.
