I’m getting drunk for you

South London pub gets a vegan kitchen takeover

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The White Hart is the legendary beer-focussed pub in South London that is turning its kitchen vegan for January 2020 with a little help from a gorgeous street food business.

What The Fattoush? is well-known for serving up delicious plant-based food inspired by Palestinian cuisine, culture, and people. The compassionate foodies started their business in order to support charities and groups working to improve lives of the people of Palestine.

For the entire month of January 2020, you can buy and devour the delicious cuisine of What The Fattoush? and drink beer at The White Hart in SE14.

What does the vegan food menu feature?

  • Hummus and Chilli confit £6.5 – Creamy hummus topped with smoked chilli oil (mulato, pasilla, ancho), chargrilled sweet peppers and smoked paprika served with warm Arabic bread
  • Fatteh (Middle Eastern style nachos) £10.5 – Pitta chips loaded with a chunky tomato, pepper and aubergine stew, Gazan guac (avo, sumac & sesame seeds) and pickled chillies
  • Imam bayildi and vermicelli rice £9.5 – Slow cooked aubergine. Red pepper and chickpea stew in a rich and silky tomato sauce served with vermicelli rice and chopped salad
  • Black lime ‘lamb’ and courgette with vermicelli rice £12.5 – Chunky ‘lamb’ pieces, courgette, and our 7 spice mix served with vermicelli rice and chop salad
  • 9″ Loaded Arabic flatbread with either falafel / seitan shawarma ‘meat’ £10.5 / £12 – Arabic bread topped with hummus, chopped salad and pickles with either falafel or seitan
  • Mezze plate £11 – Falafel, chopped salad, stuffed vine leaves, Arabic bread, hummus, olives & pickles
  • Tempura okra s/w a date and tamarind sauce £6 – Beer battered okra with a sweet and tangy sauce
  • Cauliflower poppers £6 – Spiced cauliflower florets in breadcrumbs served with harissa yoghurt
  • Fries £4

You can follow What The Fattoush? on Instagram and see the exact location of The White Hart thanks to Google Maps.

Eat up, London!

New vegan joint in York

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How many reasons do you need to adore the northern English city of York?

There are pubs named after torture devices. They have haunted buildings all over the place. A cholera burial ground greets you as you exit the train station.

York is one of my favourite places on the planet!

If all of these glorious, creepy facts aren’t enough to get your rushing there, maybe this news of a new vegan döner and cocktail restaurant will have you making plans for a York visit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B67yT8hnqC4/

Döner Summer is a vegan eatery and cocktail bar located in Spark:York creative and retail space in York city centre.

The restaurant has Berlin-inspired cuisine that will make your mouth water.

Take a look at some of this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B65BhpsHRjN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6AjL8-HrvF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5hov2in8CA/

The exact location of Döner Summer can be seen online thanks to Google Maps. The restaurant/bar is open Tuesday until Sunday each week.

Follow Döner Summer on Instagram.

Help vegan Black Cat celebrate 5 years in London

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Black Cat Hackney is more than a vegan café.

So much more.

It is a place to eat. It is a place to socialise. It is a space in which you can feel supported and celebrated, no matter who you are. It is a supportive space for independent vegan chefs to take risks with pop up events.

Black Cat is one a crucial component of the London vegan scene and an important supporter of local Hackney communities.

The food at the café is sensational and the people keeping it all running are even nice.

I hope you will join me in wishing Black Cat the very best as they celebrate their 5th anniversary. How incredible!

Black Cat is celebrating this huge milestone with an even huger party, including the launch of a new menu at their second location (yes, keep up friends!) kitchen takeover at Roadtrip & The Workshop on Old Street in Hoxton. This venue is a late night hangout with gorgeous cocktails and exciting events.

So much info to give you so let me start with the party aspect.

To celebrate 5 years of being awesome, Black Cat are throwing a fabulous party at their pop up kitchen venue at Roadtrip & The Workshop from 7pm on Wednesday November 27, 2019.

Entry is free with a suggested donation of £8 if you can afford it.

There is a super cool line up of entertainment across the evening including:

  • 7pm Gaea
  • 7:45pm Zek
  • 8:20pm Immigranti
  • 9pm Arboricidio
  • 9:45pm Surya
  • 10:30pm Awate

As part of the celebration, Black Cat is launching a new menu which you can check out below.

Potatoes

  • Chips: freshly fried potatoes, herby parmesan dust 3.50
  • Patatas Bravas: double cooked cubed potatoes with our signature spicy sauce and a dollop of garic mayo 5
  •  Gyro fries: potatoes, shawarma style marinated seitan strips, cheese sauce, halloumi curds 7

Sides

  • House marinated olives: warm olives in lemon, thyme and rosemary marinade 3
  • Bread: buttered sour dough bread 2.50
  • Just Nachos: freshly fried corn tortilla chips seasoned with Cajun salt 6
  • Loaded Nachos: freshly fried tortilla chips, ground chorizo, black beans, sour cream 8.50

Small plates

  • Grandma’s meatballs: house made sausage meatballs cooked in a rich white wine gravy 6.50
  • Croquettes :  deep fried thick béchamel fritters with leek and mushrooms 5.50
  • Arancini: risotto croquettes with house made marinara and filled with vegan cheese 5.50
  • Dan Dan Cauliflower: crispy battered cauliflower coated in spicy sesame, soy and siracha sauce topped with pickled cucumbers and carrots and crushed peanuts 6
  • House wings  : chicken style seitan tossed in our signature bbq spicy sauce, served with blue cheese sauce
  • Garlic prawns: vegan prawns marinated in a spicy smoked paprika, white wine and chilli flakes. Served with grilled sour dough 7

Burgers and sandwiches ( served in brioche bread and sour dough bread )

  • The roadtrip hot dog: moving mountains sausage, jalapeño jam, house sauerkraut, cheap mustard 8.50
  • The beef style burger: house made beefy patty, horseradish mayo, lettuce, grilled onions, burger sauce, gherkins. Black Cat best seller for the last 5 years, tweaked for the occasion 8.50
  • The Cuban: smokey tempeh, seitan ham, melted cheese, dill pickles, herby mayo in grilled buttered sour dough 8
  • Buttermilk corn crusted chicken style burger: tofu and seitan patty tossed in our very own scotch bonnet spicy sauce, blue cheese, lettuce, beef tomatoes and herby mayo 8.50 
‘Beef’ burger
Leek & mushroom croquettes
Patatas bravas

How tasty does that all sound?!

To wrap up…

Get along to the Black Cat 5th anniversary part at Roadtrip & The Workshop in Hoxton on Wednesday November 27, 2019 from 7pm. You can see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Get along anytime after the party in the future to try the gorgeous new menu.

Be sure to visit the original Black Cat location in Hackney. See the exact location thanks to Goole Maps.

And finally, follow Black Cat on Instagram.

Breaking News: M&S going all vegan with own wines

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BREAKING NEWS

M&S welcomes World Vegan Day (Friday 1st November) with the commitment to have an entirely vegan-friendly own-label wine range on shelf by the end of 2022 – a UK first for a chain retailer.

Animal-based ingredients are commonly used in wine production across with the most common including egg whites, milk protein and animal gelatine. Substituting these for plant-based alternatives such as pea protein, or modifying vine management and winemaking techniques means the wines are 100% suitable for those following a vegan-based diet.

M&S was an early pioneer of this movement, first labelling wines as ‘suitable for vegetarians’ back in 1998, with ‘suitable for vegans’ following in 2005 – now all bottles are clearly marked on the back label.

Currently 70% of the M&S wine range is suitable for vegans, representing a significant offering already in place. Many customer favourites are already part of the vegan-friendly range, including popular wines such as M&S Prosecco (£7), Chablis (£12), Vinalta Malbec (£9) and Delacourt Champagne NV (£25)

Commenting on M&S’ long-standing dedication to this goal, Sue Daniels, M&S Winemaker, said: “We’ve made this commitment as part of our overall aim to make M&S products more relevant to more customers and to take action to reflect their changing dietary demands.

“Obviously, such a large-scale commitment isn’t without its challenges – however we have been working on alternatives with winemakers for several years and have already seen radical changes in more traditional areas such as France and Spain. We will be supporting the rest of our partner wineries every step of the way towards this goal.”

The commitment supports M&S’ focus on plant-based eating, having earlier this year launched its hugely successful vegan-friendly range Plant Kitchen comprising over 60 products from vegan firsts such as Plant Kitchen Coleslaw to new customer favourites Cauliflower Popcorn Bites and Cashew Mac & Cheese.

This Christmas, the retailer is extending its vegan range to offer customers for the first time a complete vegan-friendly Christmas dinner, whilst this week sees the launch of a brand new vegan sandwich into its popular vegan sandwich range the Plant Kitchen Nutcracker Sandwich, £3.50.

Visit the M&S wine shop online.

Job in a vegan beer tap house

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Twisted Barrel Ale is recruiting!

The legendary Coventry brewery and tap house (where I once hosted Coventry Vegan Beer Fest) has a part time job available.

They are looking for part time Bar Staff for their Tap House in Fargo Village.

The job involves:

• Preparation and serving of food and drink
• Developing an in depth knowledge of Twisted Barrel Ale products and guiding customers through the beer styles on offer
• Maintaining a clean and welcoming bar and tap house
• Assisting with ad hoc brewery and tap house requirements

The successful applicants will:

• Be interested in craft beer
• Have bar and customer service experience
• Be able to work well with others, follow instruction and adhere to health and safety practices
• Be available to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays

To apply, please send a cover letter and CV to jen@twistedbarrelale.co.uk

The closing date for this job is October 27, 2019.

Also, follow Twisted Barrel on Instagram.

5 best vegan beers at Hackney Downs Night Market

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Do you need a night out with stunning vegan street food and refreshing vegan beer?

Get along to the final Hackney Downs Night Market for 2019 this Friday September 13 from 6pm. They asked me to help turn it vegan!

Not only do we have a fabulous vegan food line up (read about it here), but we also welcome All Good Beer who will be on hand pouring irresistible vegan beer.

What beer should you look forward to drinking? I asked All Good Beer to tell me their top 5 for this Friday night.

Elliot from All Good Beer said:

The two beers on tap will be from Cloudwater brewery who are based in Manchester. They modestly picked up the ratebeer.com award for being the #2 brewery in the world!

We’ll also have cans available from our personal favourite brewery, Verdant Brewing Co. who hail from Falmouth in Cornwall. They were voted #1 brewery in the UK so our vegan beer selection on the night is not too shabby at all!

Make sure you RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event for Hackney Downs Night Market.

You should also follow All Good Beer on Instagram.

Low alcohol vegan CBD beer

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Hop & Hemp Brewery Co have just launched the first vegan CBD low-alcohol (0.5%), low calorie beer. Wow!

The brewery describes the beer as great tasting, low in alcohol, low in calories, full flavoured, and vegan. Each beer contains 8mg of hemp-derived CBD.

Are you excited, UK friends?

The two drinks currently available:

Easy Times IPA (0.5% ABV): a full-on IPA that delivers aromas of grapefruit and lemonade from the triple addition of American hops. This then doubles down on the fruitiness and brings in flavours of biscuit and honey (not that type of honey, vegans). It’s big on taste, without the alcohol.

Lowdown Lager (0.5% ABV): a crisp, golden pilsner style lager that hits the palate with a gentle, spicy hoppiness and follows with notes of citrus and a lingering sweetness.

The brewery assures me they use only best-in-class CBD from the very reputable folk over at The Drug Store – it contains absolutely 0% THC (the part that makes you high) so it’s completely legal.

Find out more on their website. Follow Hop & Hemp Brewery Co on Instagram.

What is CBD?

Also known as cannabidiol, CBD is a safe, legal, naturally occurring compound found in hemp and other strains of the cannabis sativa plant.

UK pub chain adds vegan burger to menu

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The plant-based Oumph! Burger, from Swedish multi-award winning Food for Progress, is now on the menu in a number of Shepherd Neame flagship pubs in Kent and London.

“There is a growing market for vegan burgers, so we decided to put a number of different brands to the test before introducing one on our menu. We asked 30 members of our team to try the burgers, and every time the Oumph! burger came out on top for taste and texture. When comparing the nutritional content of the burgers, the Oumph! Burger also scored very highly”, says Shepherd Neame head development chef Simon Howlett.

The inspiration for The Oumph! Burger was based on a juicy rare burger, but the difference is that the Oumph! Burger is made with entirely plant-based ingredients. Like all Oumph! products, The Oumph! Burger is made with soya beans, and the fine red colour comes from beetroot. The Oumph! Burger weighs 113g, which is the equivalent of a Quarter Pounder.

Dave Smith, head of UK Foodservice at Oumph! and Food for Progress comments:

“We’re pleased to see that such a well-established pub company as Shepherd Neame has chosen the plant-based Oumph! Burger for their pub menu. No doubt this will be very welcome among vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians.”

The Oumph! Burger is now available in the following Shepherd Neame flagship pubs: The Spitfire in Kings Hill; Ship & Trades in Chatham Maritime; Royal Hotel in Deal; Bell Hotel in Sandwich; Royal Albion in Broadstairs; Samuel Pepys in London; Sun Inn, Faversham; Market House, Maidstone; Jamaica Wine House in London; and Marine Hotel, Tankerton.

The Oumph! burger at these Shepherd Neame locations is totally vegan including the bun and all accompaniments . It’s cooked in an oven and grill, while their preparation and service of vegan food follows the same guidelines as their allergen controls. One person oversees the burger from start to finish in order to control process and quality.

Other Oumph! products include Pulled Oumph!, Oumph! Kebab Spiced, Thyme & Garlic, The Chunk, Salty & Smoky, The Oumph! Pizza Italian Style, and The Oumph! Burger.

A number of different Oumph! products are available in Asda, Tesco, Holland & Barrett, Whole Foods Market, As Nature Intended as well as independent stores across the UK.

Visit the Oumph! website and follow them on Instagram.

London has a vegan dive bar

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Stop the presses!

Did you know that London has a 100% vegan bar situated right next to a 100% vegan pizza café?

Get informed and then get along for to draw drinking.

Hackney Dive is the latest vegan venture from hardworking legends Carla and Marco, the humans behind the incredibly-adored Young Vegans pie and mash shop in Camden and the gourmet vegan pizza hotspot called Death By Pizza.

Carla and Marco have worked tirelessly to bring London some of the best vegan food on the planet, so their next logical step was give vegan London a better drinking experience.

Hackney Dive is your number one spot to grab cocktails, beer, and cider in east London. The bar is situated in a shipping container right next door to the Death By Pizza pizza hatch, making it the perfect destination for eating and drinking.

I reached out to Carla of Hackney Dive to ask for her top 5 drinks you MUST try on your next visit:

1. Köln Style Lager by Hackney Brewery (Draft)
2. Hackney Mule – Double Vodka, Ginger Beer and fresh lime juice
3. Aperol Spritz
4. Kapow! – Pale Ale by Hackney Brewery (Draft)
5. Crate Brewery Cider (Draft)

OK. Now I’m thirsty.

You can see the exact location of Hackney Dive in Netil Market thanks to Google Maps.

Check out these gorgeous photos from Hackney Dive and neighbouring Death by Pizza below and be sure to follow London’s most fabulous vegan bar on Instagram.

Vegan beer event for Essex

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Fable Brewery is hosting a fun vegan beer event in Essex this July and it sounds like it is going to be a great weekend.

FABfest 2019 is taking place at The Freight House in Rochford, Essex SS4 1BU on July 5 and 6, 2019. There is a direct train from London Liverpool Street to Rochford Station and the venue is opposite the station.

The event is split into three sessions designed to create an intimate experience.

You can expect about twelve craft brewery bars from across the country as well as the Fable bar. Of course there will also be vegan food available throughout the festival and you can get your groove on in the electronic dance music room.

Buy your tickets online here.