London can you wait?

Eat well in Soho

by

I have mentioned eating at Mildred’s in the past, but a recent meal with friends was so delicious I was compelled to share the latest photos with you.

As you know, Mildred’s is a vegetarian restaurant tucked away on the fringes of Soho. Their menu always contains vegan options and the staff can talk you through the wine list for plant-based libations.

The down side is the cramped nature and noisy atmosphere, so I would advise not going at peak period. It is honestly close to unbearable when it is packed.

But the vegan food options are lovely. Check out my latest feast.

brownie dumplings pecan pieAs you can see, I ate well. Dumplings, pie, sweet tart and brownie. Everything was of a very high standard. I do think there is room for improvement in the service department. The attitude from staff can verge on frosty and they are literally running during busy periods, with zero time for being pleasant.

Get to Soho to eat well!

 

Build me up

by

Are you interested in taking part in a discussion about community building? Well, you are in luck!

Join me in central London this Wednesday (26/3/14) from 7pm as I chair a collaborative talk around the topics of community building, engagement and social capital. The discussion is part of the long running series of monthly talks presented by London Vegans.

There are free hot drinks provided and you are welcome to bring some vegan snacks to share. The discussion is open to everyone and there is no need to book.

Hot food can be pre-ordered from Shambhu’s Vegan Catering (you will recall the giant vegan breakfast event I hosted with them last month). Go to their website  to see the special menu and place your order for Wednesday.

The price of admission to the talk is £2 (£1 concessions). Doors open 6:30pm. Panel discussion starts between 7:00pm and 7:30pm.

Location: Community Rooms, Millman Street (entrance next to 38a), Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3EW. Nearest station is Russell Square.

Brazilian feast

by

To anyone who thinks they have eaten the most delicious food in the world, I respectfully inform you that it gets better.

Last week marked the second event in my month of Friday night supper clubs known as Around the World with FGV and Vanessa of Essential Vegan gave attendees a culinary experience they won’t forget in a hurry.

Vanessa started the proceedings off by serving an irresistible selection of Brazilian bar nibbles including cheese bread, polenta sticks and cassava chips.

Read more

More cake

by

There is a lot of vegan cake in London, but is it ever enough? I say no.

Congratulations to the people of Archway in north London. Their suburb is the location of the latest in a long line of 100% vegan cake stalls taking over the street markets of the capital.

A stroll around Archway on Saturday 15th March, 2014 could very well land you with a handful of gluten free, vegan cake if you make time to visit the outdoor market on Holloway Road.

Maria will be working behind the table and selling her homemade creations on a stall called Lilla Gull Cakes. The food-curious will be able to buy brownies topped with caramel corn, savoury muffins, coconut oat balls and more.

The plan is for the home business to be at that location every fortnight before making it more permanent once they are established and have a following.

Is there a vegan cake stall in your local market?

balls crackers cupcake popcorn savoury shoppers sign

Photos from paradise

by

The first Friday night of my month-long Around the World with FGV supper club series took place last week and it was a vegan meal of epic proportions.

Adrian and Diana of Vegan Peasant Catering came up with the vegan goods (and then some!) during their Caribbean themed dining event. It was a truly world class affair.

You only need to see the photos below to understand that Vegan Peasant are one of the finest catering companies on the planet. You don’t often get vegan food of this quality in the UK. It’s a rare treat, indeed.

Follow Vegan Peasant on Twitter and like them on Facebook to make sure you keep updated with all of their upcoming events and culinary adventures. I can’t recommend hiring their services highly enough if you are planning a special event that requires catering.

Your guests will be blown away. Mine were!

Cinnamon spiced plantain
Cinnamon spiced plantain
Toasted nori, thyme & aubergine accaras
Toasted nori, thyme & aubergine accaras
Spicy potato & callaloo corn empanadas with Trinidadian coconut chutney & hot Bajan chutney
Spicy potato & callaloo corn empanadas with Trinidadian coconut chutney & hot Bajan chutney
Chiffonade savoy, daikon & scallion salad with ginger miso dressing
Chiffonade savoy, daikon & scallion salad with ginger miso dressing
Christophene ratatouille, cajun sweet potato fries, coconut rice with pigeon peas & avocado aioli
Christophene ratatouille, cajun sweet potato fries, coconut rice with pigeon peas & avocado aioli
Candied mango frangipan & piña colada cream
Candied mango frangipan & piña colada cream

Overeat with friends

by

A recent trip to Loving Hut Archway resulted in a mammoth amount of vegan food being ordered. Seriously. So much food.

I was hanging out with Ange and James of glorious ethical boutique The Third Estate and we were all hungry. Even though we all knew we would be unable to show any form of restraint, we boarded the 390 bus in the direction of north London suburb, Archway. We ate everything.

James has spent the most part of the time I have known him raving about the vegan duck rolls at this Loving Hut location. He had convinced me my life was a devalued experience without them. I succumbed and it was the first thing we ordered. Old Jimbo might just be onto something. The build-you-own pancake rolls were tasty.

But the food didn’t stop there.

For some reason we ordered three types of crispy vegan chicken, a sizzling dish of vegan beef, side of rice, a vegan chicken burger with fries and a vegan fish burger. We all had to pull together as a team to chomp through the mound of deliciousness placed before us. Vegans united in greed.

Check it out below.

Read more

Who in London

by

Exciting news for pop music fans. Properly exciting news.

Remember when I raved about vegan pop performer Betty Who? You don’t? Go here and here to remind yourself of how I lost my heart to Betty Who.

betty-who-press-2013-650

Now that you are up to speed, hold on to your cruelty-free hats as I drop the latest.

Betty Who is performing in London on May 27th, 2014!

Fresh from topping the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with her hit Somebody Loves You, the Australian singer has locked in a date to perform in east London. The venue appears to be rather intimate so I strongly suggest being quick when tickets go on sale this Wednesday (March 5th, 2014). You can buy here.

See you at the gig. I’ll be the FGV in the front row.

Chicken and rainbows

by

My Instagram account got a good workout today. I spent a large part of the day in north London and managed to snap a few photos of things that caught my attention.

Here are two of my favourite things from Saturday March 1, 2014.

Plate of vegan chicken at Loving Hut, Archway – deep fried balls with sweet & sour sauce, smoked chicken and salty chicken
Super cute rainbow cardigan in ethical cotton made by Komodo – seen in The Third Estate boutique, Kentish Town

 Follow me on Instagram!

Breakfast was lovely

by

So much has been going on since I returned home from Mexico City. It has been a whirlwind of activity.

But certainly one of the highlights for me since arriving back in the UK was hosting the mammoth London Vegan Breakfast Club in conjunction with Shambhu’s Vegan Catering.

40 people packed into the kitchen and canteen known as The Food Chain in King’s Cross to enjoy one incredibly satisfying morning meal. The plates were piled high with vegan breakfast delights such as fried bread, baked beans, sausages, greens and hash browns. Attendees guzzled record amounts of fairtrade coffee, tea and orange juice while the organic olive leaf tea was a smash hit, too.

Many thanks to all who came along. It was a wonderful community event.

Huge thanks to the companies involved in feeding the masses. Please click through to follow these people on Twitter and let them know how much it means that they support the vegan community: Fry’s Vegetarian (sausages), Mr. Organic (baked beans), Soyfoods (tofu), Vx (discount vouchers) and Mirabilia Olive Leaf Tea (tea, obviously!).

Finally, enjoy the photos below!

Nishma of Shambhu's serving Soyfoods tofu and prepping Mr Organic baked beans
Nishma of Shambhu’s serving Soyfoods tofu & prepping Mr Organic baked beans
We served a LOT of sausages on the day
We served a LOT of sausages on the day
The scramble was a hit
The scramble was a hit

Beer is the future of city living

by

I was out and about in London tonight, drinking beer and laughing at drunk people (yes, it turned out to be a mirror), when a thought crossed my mind.

Had I confirmed the date for the 2014 London Vegan Beer Fest on my blog yet? I remember excitedly posting the date on Twitter and Facebook, but it occurred to me I hadn’t shared this information with my loyal FGV readers.

How rude of me.

Pencil it in. Saturday July 12, 2014.

In celebration of you now knowing this date, I am kindly sharing this photo of a pint of beer I consumed earlier this evening in a pub near Charing Cross, London.

Let’s me finish this brief (yet informative) post by asking you to leave a comment below telling me which beers we should feature at the event this year? What is your favourite vegan beer?

Answers below!