Vegan Life isn’t just the name of the monthly magazine featuring my column. It is also a massive vegan lifestyle show that celebrates everything plant-based.
The annual London version of the show is taking place at Alexandra Palace on March 9 and 10, 2019 and I will be there selling copies of my book, chatting to people, and enjoying the show.
You will be able to find me at Stand 5. I would love to see you there.
If you are keen to come along and enjoy the cooking demos, food court, new product displays, and informative talks you can get 2-for-1 tickets at this online link.
Visit the Vegan Life Livewebsite to get full show details.
If you are trying to discover more ways to explore your vegan lifestyle, why not invest in some vegan fetish gear?!
Leather is obviously a standard for fetish wear, but Gilded Fetish has made it possible for vegans to experience an alternative.
Handmade in a workshop in London, the vegan leather utilised by Brett at Gilded Fetish is actually cork sourced from Portugal.
The vegan range comes in a “One-Size fits all” range with three styles at the moment: Classic Bulldog Harness (H-style), Spartan Harness (single shoulder) and Bicep Strap.
Key features of the One-size design include Silver Side-Release buckles (quite unique in the available range of male fetish wear, apparently), and an adjustable size range from Small to XXL.
The vegan leather is currently available in 15 colours from basic black, through fuchsia pink, candy red, and Black + Gold spray.
Brett and Gilded Fetish have future product developments planned including further styles and colours including a very special rainbow edition cork.
You can shop online for the vegan Gilded Fetish range now.
Extra note: Gilded Fetish also have a partnership with Fetch – Clapham’s only fetish wear store. Full product range is available to view and buy in store.
The UK’s first cheesemonger is working together with their suppliers to bring you the UK’s most delicious, decadent and inspired plant-based cheese selection.
Rachel and Charlotte Stevens (sisters from South Wales) have found inspiration from being vegan (Rachel) and lactose intolerant (Charlotte) and now it is time for them to share their passion for cheese with the masses.
La Fauxmagerie has cheeses for every purpose: melting, grating, spreading, relishing and devouring! They also offer a range of plant-based preserves, breads, and accoutrements to add the perfect final touches to your cheese banquet.
Club Mexicana, specialists in Mexican vegan food, are opening a new eatery at Netil Market on January 26, 2019.
Get ready to say hello to The Burger Bar.
Meriel Armitage, Club Mexicana founder, is launching her new Burger Bar at Netil Market. With a menu packed with indulgent Mexican-twists on classic burgers, it will sit alongside their Dinerama location in Shoreditch and London’s first 100% vegan pub, The Spread Eagle in Homerton.
The menu takes classic burgers and gives them the Club Mexicana make-over, re-incarnating them as vegan dishes. The menu will include; The Mexican Fried Chick’n Burger with annatto glazed fried ‘chick’n’, pickled cabbage and mustard mayo; Beer Battered ‘t0-fish’ with tartare sauce, deep fried capers, pickled cabbage and salsa verde; and Sticky Glazed ‘Ribs’ with slaw, pink onions and jalapeno.
For sides Meriel will bring her Loaded Nachos with guacamole, pink onions, salsa verde, pickled jalapenos and chipotle oil, Mexican Fries with chilli lime salt and hot sauce, as well as her cult-classic: Deep Fried Cheese served with Mexico City’s favourite hot sauce: Valentina.
They will also be serving Club Mexicana’s very own pale ale created in collaboration with Beer 52 and all natural wines.
Meriel says:
We’ve wanted to collaborate with Netil Market again for ages as we are big fans of their market. We did our very first street food event on the rooftop of Netil House, so there’s something quite nostalgic for us returning with our new Burger Bar. We want it to be a place where we can try new ideas, run specials and collaborations, whilst getting back to our street food roots putting us face to face with the most important people – our customers!
Two vegan pop ups are set to take over the space at Cafe Chula in Camden Market next week!
Are you ready for some exclusive vegan eating?
On Monday January 28, 2019 The V Spot will serve a menu starting with a trio of tacos: banana blossom ‘fish’; pulled chipotle butternut squash, and mole black bean. This will be followed by tortilla soup with jackfruit and a green salad with creamy pepita dressing. To finish, guests will be served a vegan tres leches cake with fresh fruit.
On Tuesday January 29, 2018 Ol’Factory will run their first ever experimental dinner as a conversation salon where guests will be guided through discussions at their tables.
The four course menu includes a tostada of field mushrooms, charred avocados, chia caviar, algae seaweed, and passionfruit. Tacos on the night will feature jackfruit mole poblano with Yucatan pickled onion and seitan ‘chicken’ al pastor with pineapple puree & smoked garlic.
Tickets for each night are £30 plus booking fee for all food courses and a welcome drink. You can book online here.
A drinks matching menu will available during both events for an additional £15pp and will feature speciality drinks and cocktails designed by the venue.
Blank of Brixton is already loved for its gorgeous brunches, coffee, and cakes but now they are taking things to the next level by adding vegan cocktails to their repertoire.
The Acre Lane location is celebrating their cocktail launch with a special night of games, nibbles, and a lot of Jameson.
On January 25, 2019 between 6pm and 9pm, as well as London’s best vegan Irish coffees and cocktails, there will be retro gaming, a cocktail class run by Jameson London, appetisers, vegan desserts, and a tonne of freebies.
Tickets are just £15 on the door and include two cocktails, appetisers, and a vegan dessert.
Need more to drink? Extra cocktails will be available to buy on the night.
We’ve seen plans for cat cafés and owls in bars, now we have Queens Skate Dine and Bowl in West London promoting an ice skating event featuring live penguins.
I believe most fair-minded and compassionate people understand that live animals are not ours to use for entertainment and penguins do not belong inside a skating rink that doubles as a bar/restaurant in Central London.
The venue describes the event as follows:
To celebrate Penguin Awareness Day 2019, QUEENS will be making a donation to birdlife.org and we need your help! We feel that the best way to understand how wonderful these flightless birds are is, to get to meet them & their loving handlers – so we’ve invited a raft of penguins to join us on on SATURDAY 19TH JANUARY from 4pm till 8pm.
Penguins are amazingly adapatable creatures, some are at home on beaches of South-Africa and others rule over the Antarctic ice. We are excited to see them make QUEENS ice rink their home for the afternoon!
All profits going to birdlife.org – look at what amazing job they are doing.
Enough is enough of this bullshit.
Live animals do not belong inside entertainment venues, they do not belong in a London skating rink, and they deserve to not be used by a for-profit business as a form of greenwashing in order to get publicity.
How will be the penguins be displayed? The venue website states:
The area the penguins will be situated, will a purpose made 20 metre x 4 metre insulated platfrom sitting atop of the ice.
barriers will be around the the penguin at all time
These animals are endangered in their natural habitat. The birds who will visit your educational encounter have a special CITES exemption that allows them to be exhibited.
Being a highly intelligent animal, the penguin responds very positively to regular training. This provides good behaviour enrichment and reduces stress.
There have been no recorded instances of stress in this company’s keeping of penguins.
These birds are regularly inspected by specialist zoo vets.
It is this company’s belief that exhibiting these fantastic animals in this way draws attention to their plight in the wild. They are the ambassadors for their wild cousins.
To suggest that the penguins will be guaranteed to not feel any sense of distress or upset as people skate around them is simply disingenuous. There is no way the organisers can know this.
To add insult to this flimsy attempt to claim these animals are being cared for in the name of entertainment, the on site restaurant at Queens features a menu filled with numerous animals including chickens, cows, and pigs.
The idea that the lanes are claiming penguin welfare as a priority while turning a profit from the death of other animals is hypocritical and completely diminishes their so-called concerns for looking after penguins.
Promotional images used by the venue
Circuses and shows featuring live animals are rightfully becoming a thing of the past all over the planet as humans become more aware of the trauma associated with putting animals on display for entertainment.
Queens need to be dragged into 2019 by being reminded that raising money for penguins is not a good enough excuse to exploit them. Live animals are not entertainment, not even when it is in the name of fundraising.
You can ask Queens to reconsider hosting this event via their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. You can see their page about the penguin event online here.
Update:
The venue has now cancelled this event as a result of public pressure. See their tweets below.
Superstar vegan restaurant chain Arancini Brothers now has a fourth location in London, this time south of the river!
The 100% vegan restaurant chain is famous for its Sicilian risotto balls, flavoursome wraps, and decadent burgers. With much-adored outlets in Old Street, Kentish Town, and Dalston this fast and nutritious food chain has already established a solid hold north of the river.
Owner and founder Dave told me:
“We are opening our fourth location at Arch 34 Maltby Street, Bermondsey. We have come such a long way since we started with a simple street food concept in Brick Lane Market almost ten years ago!”
You can eat with Arancini Brothers at their Maltby Street location between 9:30am and 9:30pm, 7 days a week. The location is good for dining in, taking away, or having food delivered.
In other huge news, Arancini Brothers has become the first ever UK chain to offer a franchise opportunity.
Yes, it is your chance to franchise a vegan restaurant!
Arancini Brothers are now looking for franchise partners to open and run versions of their wildly successful business all over the UK and the planet.
If you think you have what it takes (including the funds!) to open a location of this popular vegan food business in your area, click here to read more about the franchise opportunity.
Be sure to get into the Bermondsey location as soon as you can in order to eat some amazing vegan food and congratulate Arancini Brothers on their deserved success.
Extra news: to help Arancini Brothers celebrate the opening of their fourth London restaurant, I am running an Instagram follower drive. I am trying to get them to 15,000 followers! They are just short of 10k so we need to work hard to get them there. Follow them on Instagram now.
