As a person originating from outside the region known as Scandinavia, I’m not even sure how effective it is to use a coverall term such as Scandinavian to describe all the food developed across a handful of countries with diverse geographic landscapes and historic influences.
To develop an understanding of what really constitutes Scandinavian food, the best I can do as a non-Scandi living in London is to defer to a chef who is happy to use the term to describe the food they create.
And if this plate of deliciousness is the norm, sign me up as a Scandi fan!
As a long time vegan, I can recall the wilderness years when there wasn’t a decent Sunday dinner option in all of London. These were dark times of hearing other people rave about Yorkshire puddings drenched in gravy while us plant-munchers were left attempting to create our own versions at home.
I grew up in Australia which meant not being familiar with the concept of a roast dinner served in the middle of the day, so when I first moved to London in 1998 I was instantly intrigued by this concept.
And Sunday roasts are a tough thing to avoid in London. Pubs, carveries, and restaurants all shout about this very British meal which left me feeling a tiny bit isolated as a vegan.
Fast forward to 2025 and there is some stellar news for people interested in Sunday roast culture but who don’t want to hurt any animals in order to participate.
Say hello to this gorgeous plate of food being served weekly in east London.
If you sniff around these parts of the Internet often, you’ll undoubtedly be aware that I work with food security charity Made In Hackney.
Made In Hackney does a lot of work around food security, education, and access however it most well-known in London for the free community cooking classes hosted inside our Clapton Common kitchen.
These classes are designed to help empower the community to eat nutritious and delicious cuisine that is culturally relevant. Often the classes will have a wellbeing focus such as ‘cooking to combat diabetes’ or low cost recipes for people struggling with the cost of living.
These classes are open to anyone and are not income tested. Check out the image below to see some of the upcoming community classes.
London is about to lose one of its most beloved vegan institutions as Unity Diner has announced it will soon be closing its doors. By the time you read this blog post, it might already be gone.
This place wasn’t just a restaurant. It was a beacon of compassionate eating, a sanctuary for plant-based food lovers, and a shining example of what a mission-driven, independently owned vegan business can be. Unity Diner was founded with a purpose beyond profit, to actively support animal rights through phenomenal food.
Celebrate Veganuary’s Finale with Purpose and Flavour
Join me for an exclusive, one-night-only dining experience at E3 Vegan, a proudly independent and celebrated restaurant nestled on Roman Road, East London.
This special supper club is your chance to savour an inventive three-course plant-based menu created by Head Chef Marc Joseph, formerly of the iconic Vanilla Black, London’s first vegetarian and vegan fine dining destination.
Born out of a love for sustainability and a passion for exceptional cuisine, E3 Vegan’s hyper-local, seasonal approach has made it a standout on the culinary map.
If you think it feels like a long, long time since I’ve posted on the blog you are completely correct.
The reason I’m coming back to speak to you all after all this time is because it’s the end of 2023 and I’m inviting you to a celebration!
To celebrate this blog being alive and well again, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m hosting a vegan mini festive market in conjunction with vegan food charity, Made in Hackney.
Please join us in The Redmond Community Centre on Saturday December 16th, 2023 between 11am and 4pm for festive fun, gift shopping with local traders, tombola, live music, and time to socialise with friends old and new.
Drop in anytime across the day and say hi… we can’t wait to see you! The market is in support of all the crucial work Made in Hackney does around plant-based food security and nutrition.
Independent traders and stalls will include:
VG Coffee– selling hot drinks and hand held nibbles I AM NUT OK– award-winning plant-based cheeses perfect for your festive table Pinkeens Prints – gift ideas including hand-painted mugs in support of London wildlife conservation Ecotricity– chat with Britain’s leading ethically-sourced energy company Made In Hackney– chat with us about or community classes and masterclasses Citizen Cake – homestyle cakes and bakes Con Pasión Perú– cook-at-home Peruvian tamales and snacks Cake Cult– decadent cookies, cakes, and tray bakes Canopy Indoor Plants – plants and pots for you to buy for loved ones… or yourself! Copperhouse Chocolate – handmade artisan chocolates and chocolate drink mixes POH Books – specialist in African and Caribbean books for all ages… including vegan recipes! Singing Santa – the jolly old man will be on the mic singing your favourite pop songs
Extra note: FGV and Made In Hackney would like to thank Ecotricity for financially supporting this event. If you would like to find out more about this ethical energy supplier, click here for a quote. Ecotricity will kindly donate money to Made In Hackney for each new customer signing up via that link.
Your £5 entry goes straight to madeinhackney.org, a local plant based cookery school and food kitchen helping some of East London’s most vulnerable people. It also entitles you to 1 free beer and free pizza all night!
NXT LVL’s master chef will be cooking up a storm in our courtyard, showing us the secrets of making food so good, you don’t notice it’s saving the planet. Come down, try some next level pizza, talk about the future of food and get to know your community.
@ HWK – 29 White Post Ln, London, E9 5EN
Thursday 12th May: 7pm – 11pm
£5 entry – free pizza + 1 beer* – 100% of proceeds go to Made In Hackney
CLICK HERE to buy your ticket now. Numbers are strictly limited.
*Pizza will be served by the slice. Beer tokens will redeem 1 alcoholic or 1 non-alcoholic beer. A soft drink option will also be available. Please check bar listing for more information.
Here is a super rapid Instagram competition where you can win some food and hang out with a bunch of vegans and vegan-friendly peeps.
On the first Wednesday of each month, I host a London’s best party for compassionate people. Get excited for London Vegan Social!
London Vegan Social is the place to meet people, sing karaoke, eat delicious food, and sip refreshing cocktails. Spread across three floors of the Old Crown Pub at 33 New Oxford Street. It’s perfectly located halfway between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn Underground stations.
The monthly party runs between 6pm and 10pm on the first Wednesday and this month I am giving away a food and drink package for two. The event is tomorrow (May 4) so get reading below about how you can win!
This food and drink prize is supplied by resident vegan kitchen Vetomeato and host pub The Old Crown.
Ever since I adopted a vegan lifestyle over 20 years ago, I’ve been searching for the best plant-based pepperoni pizza.
We didn’t have a lot of pepperoni pizza opportunities in Australia when I was younger and by the time I got to the UK where they were more popular, I was vegan!
But hey, guess what, people? I think I’ve found the vegan pepperoni pizza of my dreams… and you can invest in the company responsible for bringing it to the UK capital.
NXT LVL PZA is a fast food concept that was pretty easy to fall in love with.
I stumbled upon the NXT LVL pop up restaurant in Soho just over a month or so back and was swept up by excitement and greed. The brand is all bright colours and video game imagery while the menu is 100% plant-based.
The idea of the concept is to give hungry people (like me) the food they desire while doing good stuff for the planet and animals. I saw so many people getting excited about the pizza before they realised it was plant-based and that excitement didn’t let up when they started eating.
The pizza from NXT LVL is extremely tasty.
I think what NXT LVL PZA has got right is not trying to invent the wheel when it comes to ingredients that other people do incredibly well already.
The brand has created partnerships with leading plant-based companies such as Beyond Meat to create pizzas with toppings that can’t be, er.. topped!
This is why the pepperoni pizza has got me all hot and bothered.
The Spice Invaders pizza (see photo above) features the mouthwatering pepperoni slices of Verdino Foods. This is by far the best plant-based pepperoni I have ever enjoyed. My childhood dreams are coming true!
Following on from a trial delivery kitchen near Battersea over the past few months, NXT LVL PZA is ready to take their delicious vegan menu across London via a series of delivery kitchens. I think they plan on opening ten delivery kitchens as a starting point!
And if you like the sound of getting a slice of the action (get it?), you can invest in their expansion via a crowdfunding campaign. Of course you need to know that any sort of investment opportunity carries risk, no matter how much some chubby Australian blogger loves vegan pepperoni pizza.
Click here if you want to discover more info about investing in a chain of vegan pizza kitchens.
Extra note: keep a close eye on my social media announcements in the coming week. I love NXT LVL so much, there might just be an FGV pizza party sponsored by the brand coming to London and you will definitely want to be a part of it.
