London vegan news, reviews & events
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.
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Take it away, Cookie!
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.
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.
Go the the donation page NOW and help a vegan indie business grow. Say hi from the FGV while you are there.
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.
I don’t plan my eating around religious concerns, unless you consider indiscriminate vegan overeating a religion. My food consumption, like all areas of my life, exists outside organised religion.
But my food atheism certainly doesn’t prohibit me from benefiting from belief systems that instruct devotees to separate their animal products when eating.
Enter Kosher Kingdom of North London.
Time for a quick poll. What consumes the attention of a FGV most?
Choices for answers:
1. Eating vegan food 2. Traveling 3. Morrissey
Well done to the readers who put a circle around all three answers. Let me take you on a little journey as a reward for your astuteness. Hold on as we take in the delights of Rome, Morrissey in concert and vegan gelato.
A few weeks ago I took a trip to a far off place to see Morrissey in concert. It was my first time in Italy and Rome certainly left a huge impression on me. The city was gorgeous of course, but the immense wealth harnessed and displayed by organised religion left a rather sour taste in my mouth.
The remedy for this was to find my way to Gelarmony, a gelato outlet with an entire case of vegan options. From an overwhelming range of flavours, I was able to whittle my choice down to just three plus a healthy dose of vegan soya cream on top.
Para los hispanohablantes hay una versión en español al final de esta página.
I traveled 11 hours by plane to the other side of the world and what did I discover? If you guessed delicious vegan cupcakes, give yourself a pat on the back!
Mexico City is not known internationally as a haven for vegans. Walking through any street market in the metropolis would lead you to believe the concept of plant-based fare is completely unknown. All sorts of dead animals are fried, boiled and seared before your very eyes and it is confronting and often gruesome.
But not all is lost. A new wave of vegan options is taking over Distrito Federal and I am extremely proud to say a dear friend of mine is part of the movement by making sure he offers cruelty-free treats as part of his new baking endeavour.
Whenever I am asked to name my favourite vegan snack (and that happens a lot actually), one name keeps coming up again and again.
Moo Free Chocolates.
Moo Free Chocolates are a constant in my life. Whether I am breaking off a chunk of their amazing caramelised hazelnut bar or sinking my teeth into an award-winning praline, you can be assured barely a week goes by where I haven’t gobbled a gorgeous Moo Free treat.
It’s obvious I’m already a die-hard supporter of this tremendous vegan confectioner, but my dedication has only been further cemented by the release of their new Mini Moos line of chocolates. I have fallen head over heels for these delights.
One thing that is awesome about being a self-confessed, overeating vegan is that I get to support a lot of fabulous independent businesses. And believe me when I giddily-proclaim there are few more fabulous than Cookies And Scream of Camden.
Looking for a vegan alternative to corporate soda but still want a caffeine kick? Your search is over thanks to Club-Mate.
I’ve met a lot of vegans over the past few weeks.
London Vegan Drinks has turned into a massive event and I am extremely fortunate to encounter new faces every month. My decision to volunteer as a buddy for the London Vegan Campaigns vegan pledge month has afforded me with the opportunity to meet wonderful new (and hopefully lifelong) vegans, while I’ve enjoyed dining and drinking with some of my blog readers who have been visiting London.
As positive as all of these situations have been, I must admit to being a bit shocked by a recurring admission made by some of these newly-acquainted vegans….