Have you almost gotten a handle on gift buying for Christmas?
Good. I’m here to tell you about your next vegan gift giving opportunity.
Valentine’s Day!
Moo Free are one of my favourite sweet treats companies on the planet and I’m thrilled to hear about this new product they are launching in 2020.
Inspired by their Hazelnut Truffles that hit the shelves recently, Moo Free has now created the perfect self-indulgent treat or thoughtful gift.
The heart-shaped truffles are filled with a soft raspberry centre which uses a unique raspberry concentrate mixture to achieve its mouthwateringly wonderful flavour.
Made from a white chocolate alternative recipe, these tasty new truffles are created using UTZ certified cocoa in association with the Rainforest Alliance, which helps support sustainable farming and provides better opportunities for farmers, their families, and our planet.
Produced in Devon, these new Moo Free truffles are certified vegan and are gluten and soya free.
Moo Free‘s White Raspberry Truffles will be available to buy from their online factory store (you can pre order now) and in a select number of Waitrose stores at the RRP of £4.99.
London, here is your opportunity to take part in a super fancy and super exclusive masterclass led by one of the leading vegan patisserie chefs on the planet.
I’ll show you how to make exquisite plant-based versions of festive French patisserie classics that will wow your guests during the festive season. – Clarisse Flon (specialist vegan patisserie chef, food consultant and photographer)
Grab a ticket and get along to the Made in Hackney kitchen on Saturday December 12, 2019 between 10am and 5:30pm for this rare learning (and eating!) opportunity.
This Masterclass is part of the Made in Hackney ‘VIP Series’, working with experts who are renowned in their field.
The class will include:
How to make a show-stopping Pear and Chocolate Genoise Yule log
Make an exquisite chocolate cream patissiere and chocolate buttercream
Learn to make gorgeous iced sablé Christmas biscuits
Rolling and setting techniques
Piping skills
How to make stunning chocolate décor and caramel shard decorations
Learn how to enhance flavours, and how to pair textures and tastes
A delicious organic plant based lunch, and take home recipe pack
15% discount in neighbouring wholefoods shop, Food for All
Clarisse Flon is a specialist vegan patisserie chef trained in classic French patisserie. Clarisse has worked in many fine dining establishments around the world while developing plant based versions of her traditional recipes.
She launched The Sunny Spoon in 2013 (a French vegan patisserie bakery featured many times at Hackney Downs Vegan Market) and helped launch Cafe Forty One, a vegan restaurant in La Suite West hotel in Notting Hill. Clarisse now works as a food consultant and photographer, developing vegan options and recipes for businesses.
Fee: £160 (£118 Concession) includes delicious tastings and a recipe pack.
This fee is used to fund the Made in Hackney programme of free courses to vulnerable and low-income community groups. By attending a Made In Hackney masterclass you get a great day of learning AND you’re providing the charity with essential funds for them to continue their work with vulnerable community groups.
Growing up as an uncultured and unworldly person in Australia, I didn’t know much about fancy foods or even foods that a lot of people consider common.
Heck. I didn’t even try hummus until I moved to the UK in 1998. Can you believe it? That shows how out of touch I was with international and diverse tastes.
Now, of course, I’m running all over the globe and eating all sorts of food.
I even know what panettone is!
And in fab news that I think of lot of people will adore, Selfridges food hall is now selling a spiced pumpkin vegan panettone just in time for the festive season.
I saw this delight at the Selfridges food hall on Oxford Street in London.
If you aren’t able to get into this store, Selfridges is also selling the festive panettone online.
Rolled ice cream (also sometimes known as stir-fried ice cream) is a dessert made on a cold plate. Liquid (sweetened and flavoured) is spread thin on the cold plate and scraped using spatulas.
Once the liquid starts to turn into ice cream, it is scraped into rolls and served.
I recently heard from Cassie who has started a vegan rolled ice cream business called Twisted Tulip in the UK.
Cassie told me:
I started Twisted Tulip in August this year and have been attending vegan markets in the South West so far, but am hoping to attend larger markets and festivals across the country next year. We also have plans to cater weddings, parties, and events. As far as I am aware, I am the only 100% vegan rolled ice cream company in England.
How fab!
I love this idea. Vegan ice cream being made on site at events!
If you would like to keep updated on events where Twisted Tulip will be appearing, follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
And hire them for your own markets, parties, and celebrations!
The Ms Cupcake bakery is one of the true pioneer vegan businesses in the UK and was largely responsible for launching the booming interest in veganism we see today.
I recently interviewed Ms Cupcake founder Mellissa Morgan for Tenderly online magazine. We talked about the trials and tribulations of running an independent vegan business and how the biggest hurdles are often completely unexpected.
In the interview (which you can read online here), Mellissa talked of how the business recently recovered from a flood. This break in was never going to have good timing, but right now feels particularly difficult for the team.
Please consider what you might do to help support the Ms Cupcake team as they move past this trouble.
My suggestions are:
Visit the store as soon as you can and spend up big (they sell a huge range of pantry items, packaged sweets, ice cream, and of course legendary cakes and slices)
If you are at VegFestUK London this week at Olympia, stop by the Ms Cupcake stall (stand number CAT0 – next to One Planet Pizza) and buy lots of cake
In addition, you can catch Mellissa presenting a talk at VegFestUK London on Saturday October 26, 2019 between 1:15pm and 1:45pm.
Mellissa will be talking about all things sweet on the Foodies Stage.
Learn how you can use alternatives to refined sugars in your baking but still get immensely indulgent and decadent results. Over the years Ms. Cupcake has changed and developed her recipes to reflect changing customer tastes and now you can learn her secrets. Find out how this Brixton bakery has removed a third of the sugar from their cupcakes and cakes and introduced both a menu of refined sugar free items and a menu suitable for diabetics.
Get all the info about VegFestUK London (including tickets) online here.
Moo Free has been named “Most Ethical Dairy Free Manufacturer” at the 4th annual Food & Drink Awards hosted by LUXlife.
The family owned, UK based free-from manufacturer, which was founded in 2010 by husband and wife team Mike and Andrea Jessop, scooped the award in recognition of its hard work in ensuring all aspects of the business are based on the highest ethical standards.
All of the organisation’s chocolates are organically certified and vegan certified meaning that you can be sure that no animals were harmed during the manufacturing process. Each product is made using natural, high quality ingredients including single origin, organic cocoa mass from plantations in the Dominican Republic.
What’s more, Moo Free’s factories send zero waste to landfill and none of its chocolates are made using any animal derived products. And because all of the company’s chocolates are made from raw ingredients in its own free-from factories, they are 100% dairy free, gluten free and soya free.
Moo Free believes that everyone should be treated equally and this is reflected in its work force. Men and women are paid equally, relative to their role and skill level, while the organisation works with several charities to provide employment for people who have difficulties finding a job and as a result around 20% of its workforce is autistic.
This was one of Mike and Andrea’s key motivations when they founded Moo Free and their goal moving forward is to set up a charity to help support children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and their parents. These children often desperately need a diagnosis in order to receive the educational and emotional support they deserve, while their parents often need support, advice and a shoulder to lean on.
Mike and Andrea said:
We would like to thank all of our amazing staff and everyone who works with us that helps us to maintain our high ethical standards. A big thank you must also go to our wonderful customers and supporters, we couldn’t do it without you! When our customers buy our chocolates they are making a difference to so many lives. It enables us to help support and employ lots of wonderful people, many with ASD, in an area where opportunities are limited.
In addition to all of the above, Moo Free is one of the chocolate brands recommended by Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List. This list helps consumers locate companies not sourcing their chocolate from child labour and unfair working conditions.
This independent vegan business is causing a storm with their delicious plant-based cakes and bakes, mostly showing up at markets around the UK capital.
The London Vegan Bakery is the exclusive sweet stall at the final Hackney Downs Night Market for 2019 on Friday September 13. They will be there from 6pm with STACKS of gorgeous vegan cake. Click here to read about this fun night out.
But what about if you are not in London?
The London Vegan Bakery sends their tasty products around the UK via Royal Mail and you can even buy gift cards for friends and family.
Even if you can’t get along to our vegan market night on September 13, you can get familiar with The London Vegan Bakery online.
Some of the best brownies I have ever tasted in my life were made by Horia Vegan.
Every single time Horia would trade at one of my events in London, they would completely sell out of their luscious, decadent brownies.
If you aren’t in the London area and cannot get along to an event showcasing these gorgeous baked treats, the good news is Horia is now delivering these delights via Royal Mail all over the UK.
And delivery is FREE!
Yep, Horia is shipping these beauties via Royal Mail 1st Class for free.
People of the UK. Get familiar with one of the best brownies on the planet!
I’ve loved Sweet Freedom for many years so it is great to see this fab new product suitable for people looking to cut down their sugar intake.
This new Light Syrup contains 31% less calories than sugar and is sweetened with carob and apple.
Aldi is currently the only place in the UK selling this gorgeous new vegan product AND if you buy a bottle from them, you can enter a competition to win a hamper featuring twelve products of your choice from the Sweet Freedom range.
Simply email a photo of your Aldi receipt showing a Light Syrup purchase, tell them why you love it and where else you’d like to see it stocked for your chance to win the exclusive goodie box!
In the meantime, you can follow Sweet Freedom on Instagram and see all their products online.
*Competition closes at midnight on Monday 2nd September, 2019
