This is happening….
Buy tickets NOW!
London can you wait?
Take this for just what it is
A few whispers have been floating around the vegan London scene for a short while and I jumped into the action today to discover the truth for myself.
Are the pita pockets at Maoz in Old Compton Street vegan? I found out…
All that jazz
When was the last time you did something interesting, cultured and worthwhile on a Tuesday night? Watching EastEnders doesn’t count as a legitimate answer.
If you are sitting there at a complete loss without an inkling of an idea when the last time something enthralling actually took place on Tuesday, I have some news you will most definitely be interested in.
On Tuesday October 2, 2012 (World Animal Day) at 7:30pm, a huge musical fundraising night is taking place in South London… and you could be a part of it for just £10. Take that, Albert Square!
Dr Had’s Jazz is an evening of live music and fundraising for the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research. This charity does invaluable work in the field of promoting humane research over animal research.
Vocalist Alex Carter will perform alongside the extraordinary jazz talents of Christian Vaughan on keys and Dave Chamberlain on bass. The night will be packed full of raffle prizes furnished by a long list of sponsors and vegan food and drink will be available to purchase from the venue.
For full details of sponsors, location and ticket availability, click here now.
Do it for the animals, do it for the music and do it for your very own Tuesday night memories.
Guest review: Manna
I am a bad vegan. In all of my time in London, I have never made the effort to drag my ample frame to Manna in Primrose Hill.
What? You don’t know what Manna is?! It’s a good thing my friend Julie Hamill took a recent excursion to this world-famous vegan restaurant and has dropped by to tell you all about it. You would have been waiting an awfully-long time if you were depending on me getting there.
Visit Julie online to read some of here fabulous Morrissey-related interviews and of course follow her on Twitter where she runs the weekly MozArmy quiz… that’s right, a weekly Twitter quiz about Morrissey.
Tell us about Manna, Julie.
Guest review: London Vegan Potluck September 2012
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.
Follow Cookie Von Stir on Twitter
Visit Cookie Von Stir online
Take it away, Cookie!
Help a vegan business!
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.
Keep it kosher
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.
Remind me how much it meant to me hungry
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.
¡comamos! happened
Welcome to Messy Vegetarian Cook. She is a dear friend, an amazing artist and one of the best vegan cooks in London. She wants to tell you all about her enjoyment of the ¡comamos! vegan tapas club organised by yours truly last weekend that featured the gorgeous food stylings of Vegan Peasant Catering and cruelty-free wines supplied by Vegan Wines Online.
Once you have feasted on her words, make sure you take advantage of this very special vegan wine deal: FGV readers simply enter code FGV5 for 5% off all purchases at Vegan Wines Online. Valid until August 31, 2012. Click here to shop.
Got your wine? Good. Take it away, Messy Cook!
West African vegan food event hits London
Vegan supper clubs appear to be taking over London. It is a phenomenon that is exponentially gathering steam and pop-up dining experiences seem to be making a huge splash with cruelty-free diners.
One enterprising group have even attached themselves to the building Olympic fever by hosting 20 nights of special food events, each showcasing inventive cooking and food presentation from around the globe.
This experience known as Global Feast 2012 is not a vegan event, but attendees are in for a compassionate treat as the grand opening dinner is set to be 100% plant-based. Read on for details of the scrumptious menu.