London vegan news, reviews & events
Imagine my delight when I opened my latest copy of The Vegan magazine and discovered my words (and URL) staring back at me from the pages within.
The marvellous manufacturers of the world’s best vegan chocolate have decided in their wisdom to use a Fat Gay Vegan quote in their eye-catching, full page advertisement for the new line of Mini Moos.
I could get used to seeing my name splashed across the printed page!
Check out the new Mini Moos online.
Buy The Vegan magazine here.
As a FGV, I am prone to making devilishly-bad food choices. I want cake all the time. Cider and beer are my best friends. There isn’t enough fried potato in the world to satisfy my cravings. I am known for being an overeater and proud of it.
But now and again I make the scary leap into the realm of healthy snacks… and if the good folk of InSpiral Lounge keep doing what they do so well, the leap will happen more regularly than even I could imagine.
I am such a greedy FGV. All you need to do is slap the word ‘vegan’ on your product and I’ll purchase it. If you want me to enjoy it enough to come back for more, all I ask is that whatever you sold me tastes slightly better than average. I’m not too fussy.
In the case of a recent cupcake purchase, I will certainly not be coming back for more in the foreseeable future.
So you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to vegan candy and chocolate? Be prepared to have your entire sugared-confectionery schemata redefined.
The ridiculously-talented people behind Moo Free Dairy Free Chocolates just can’t help themselves. They are literally compelled to keep creating delicious treats that I can’t resist. Just when I thought the vegan Easter egg by Moo Free was the pinnacle of desire, they had to go and blow the game apart… again!
Check it out! Moo Free are about to launch this stunning range of finger-sized snack bars and I can barely contain my excitement.
Every now and then something unexpected comes along and changes my life. My existence is peppered with random signposts, events and life-altering moments that have impacted deeply upon me.
One such occasion occurred last week as I was innocently trolling the Internet. I was casting an eye over the Vx website (as I had heard they were hosting a 2 year anniversary celebration) when I stumbled across an invaluable nugget of information: there is a new vegan ice cream on the market in the UK. My world was once again turned on its head.
The humans behind the new vegan desserts known as Bessant & Drury’s are wildly talented individuals. I can’t recall ever having been so instantly enamoured with a vegan ice cream in my life. Stunning doesn’t cut it. Would you like to share in my accidental, life-changing joy? Read on.
Sweetness is my weakness. Well, so are saturated fats and deep-fried foods but a FGV has to keep a special spot in their heart for sugary snacks. My body craves vegan delights such as chocolate and cupcakes…. and who am I to deny it?
Most of the sweet stuff I consume is made with processed cane sugar but I have recently come to adore an alternative to this regular sweetener. Vegans and vegan-curious, I would like to introduce you to Sweet Freedom.
Of all the religious celebrations that I opt out of, Easter seems one of the strangest. Can someone enlighten a FGV with atheistic tendencies? Why do people imagine a giant bunny is hopping around leaving chocolate eggs in nests?
As a naive child in Australia, I would fashion beach towels into makeshift nests and settle in for a night of anticipation. Would the Easter Bunny visit my ramshackle egg depository?
I am thankful those days (and sleepless nights) are long gone as I put my trust in more logical ways of thinking. However, the amusing twist in this bunny tale is the fact that I still adore devouring chocolate eggs whenever a vegan version makes its way into my FGV nest.
Cue the wonder and talent of Moo Free Chocolates!
You know I travel a lot, right? I have hauled my hefty frame from one continent to another for many years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The desire to keep moving runs deep in my veins and I’m perpetually plotting and scheming my next journey.
People have often asked me where I would ‘settle’ if I had to and I always answer, “I never want to settle’. But then they get annoyed at me for not playing the game properly so I answer, “Wherever I can purchase and consume Dun-Well Doughnuts“.
Can we talk? I don’t want to sound nasty, but Philadelphia hasn’t been a model city when it comes to healthy or cruelty-free eating. From cheese steaks to hoagies, the city of brotherly love just loves to pile dead animals up in buns. The food for which Philly is famous for isn’t necessarily creative, either.
But hold on to you faux-suede fedora readers because there is a new sheriff in town. Vedge restaurant is not simply ringing the Liberty Bell for all creatures great and small, they might just turn out to be the finest vegan restaurant on the face of the planet.
The owners of Vedge had nothing to prove in my FGV eyes. They had already run the wildly successful vegan Horizons where the quality of food was of an unusually lofty standard. It’s South Philly location was always packed during my visits and I never left the premises without feeling like I had just enjoyed one of the best meals of my life.
Well, flash forward to a few months past the closing of Horizons and we find owners Kate and Rich have taken vegan fine dining to even more unbelievable levels of greatness.
The recently opened Vedge sits unassumingly behind a brick facade in Philadelphia’s Center City area. As Josh and I entered via the brief stone steps off Locust Street, we were faced with a gorgeous interior and seductive lighting. Some of the friendliest hospitality people I have ever encountered made sure we were comfortable and refreshed in the sumptuous cocktail lounge as we waited for our table to become available. My thirst was satisfied with a cold glass of lager as Josh opted for a scotch on the rocks. We were only on drinks in the bar and Vedge was already stratospheres above its competition.
Once seated we wasted no time in getting down to 5 star dining. A whole lot of world-class, vegan food was consumed by the pair of us and there is no easy way of getting it all down on screen. I’m just going to have to trundle through it, so sit back and experience the culinary delights of Vedge through the following photos.