New vegan bakery for London

One of the most popular traders we have ever hosted at Hackney Downs Vegan Market is LuckyLek.

Nora was always drawing large crowds with her exquisite baked goods and her patisserie items were snapped up quickly by eager fans.

Nora and LuckyLek disappeared from our market lineup a while back but for very good reason.

London has a brand new vegan bakery now that Nora has teamed up with her friend Nama. Get ready to visit Nora & Nama: Vegan Bakery & Deli in Camden.

If you can see the photo above, you will see that Nora & Nama have extremely special menu items and expertly-crafted baked goods.

Customers will discover and adore cakes, celebration cakes, finger food, cookies, bread, canapes, pies, tarts, baked goods, starters, spreads, and gluten free options.

The bakery is located in Camden Market (unit 596-598 Camden Lock) and the grand opening celebration is taking place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 December, 2018.

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event for the opening weekend, follow Nora & Nama on Facebook and Instagram, and see their official website here.

 

Special vegan Christmas dinner in London

Are you in London during the week before Christmas and are you interested in delicious vegan food?

Get the facts below and book!

Superstar food creators Phung Kay are staging a very special pop up at Craving Coffee Tottenham this year.

They are serving a four-course meal and the menu sounds sensational. Check it out below:

  • Course 1: Hoisin “Duck” and Yam in Netted Roll with juniper berry, cranberry and plum sauce.
  • Course 2: Chickn & Chestnut bao with pickled daikon.
  • Course 3: Pi Pa Tofu & sage stuffing served in a fried potato bird’s nest served with steamed rice in lotus leaf and braised red cabbage and pan fried brussels sprouts.
  • Course 4: Goji berry & Chrysanthemum jelly with lychee ice-cream and black sesame tuile

I am BOWLED OVER by those gorgeous food photos taken by the talented Sara of Shisho Delicious.

Dates for this very special dinner are from the 20th until the 22nd December, 2018. They have added a new sitting on Thursday 20th at 6pm and only a handful of seats remain for Friday 21st at 6pm.

Click here to check for availability and book.

Follow PhungKay on Instagram.

Vegan fish alternative set to be next big thing

What is the next big thing when it comes to vegan food?

Vegan fish, people. Vegan fish.

F-ish is a brand new fish alternative brand that only days ago launched their first products in London and you can be one of the first people on the planet to buy some THIS SUNDAY December 2, 2018.

The first product launched by F-ish is the smoked salmon alternative available in both original and dill & lemon varieties.

The dill & lemon is ready to be added to your bagel or meal while the original is perfect for adding to vegan sushi.

Honestly, this product is going to set the UK alight.

Get along to Hackney Downs Vegan Market from 11am on Sunday December 2, 2018 in order to be one of the first ever people to buy and try F-ish.

Be early on the day because this is going to be an in-demand product.

Follow F-ish on Instagram.

Full Hackney Downs Vegan Market details available online here.

 

Hackney Downs Vegan Market looking for traders

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is on the lookout for vegan cheese traders.

Are you a new vegan cheese producer looking to expand your business? Are you ready to take your products in front of the public?

Our weekly market has been the launching pad for many vegan cheese brands that have gone on to bigger and better things and now we are looking for tomorrow’s superstars.

Traders who have been featured at Hackney Downs Vegan Market over the past few years include I AM NUT OK (now stocked in Fortnum & Mason), Kinda Co (now working out of a professional kitchen), and Black Arts Vegan (about to launch their online store).

All of these traders will tell you that our local community market helped them establish public awareness of their brand while they developed and improved their products.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is low cost for traders as we only charge a percentage of takings. We support and encourage traders who identify as women, non-white, disabled, and/or members of LGBTQI communities to apply as traders.

The market is currently on every Saturday and Sunday with winter hours of 11am until 4pm both days. We have market stalls for you to hire if needed.

If you are interested in coming on board as a vegan cheese trader to take your business up a notch, please email josh@fgvpr.co.uk to express your interest.

Extra note: joining our market is also a great way to build your social media following. As a trader you will be included in my social media announcements and market blog posts, reaching thousands of people each week.

That Sloppy Vegan supper club

South London. Are you ready to get sloppy?

If you’re interested in an evening of hearty, wholesome, and fresh food served in an informal, soulful space you are in luck.

That Sloppy Vegan has crafted a menu that fuses Indian and European styles for her FIRST EVER supper club. The freshest ingredients and flavours will be combined to create four courses of hearty, vibrant food.

WHAT:
4 courses of fresh, delicious, Indian-fusion food cooked by That Sloppy Vegan (that name though!!!!!!).

WHEN:
5th December, 2018 – 7pm until 10pm

WHERE:
Eleven, Balham, 5 Fernlea Road, SW12 9RT (only a 2-minute walk from Balham Station)

TICKETS:
£35 for four courses and a drink. Click here to book.

Join That Sloppy Vegan for what is set to be a gorgeous night of tasty food and socialising.

You can also follow That Sloppy Vegan on Instagram.

Massive vegan chocolate Santa giveaway

Do you like vegan chocolate? How about FREE vegan chocolate? How about free vegan chocolate in the shape of Santa?!

The wonderful people at Moo Free Chocolates have given us 200 chocolate Santas to giveaway at Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday and Sunday (November 24 and 25, 2018).

There will be 100 vegan chocolate Santas given away for free each day!

These organic chocolate Santa bars are always a favourite at this time of year, alongside the Moo Free advent calendars which have been known to completely sell out across the UK.

Moo Free Chocolates just won the Best Vegan Chocolate category at the VegFestUK Awards so they are excited to share their award-winning chocolate with our market visitors.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market starts trading at 11am on both Saturday and Sunday, so please arrive early if you would like to get your hands on a Santa. Only one per person until they run out.

Two of our fabulous traders are taking charge of the giveaway so this is who you need to say hello to in order to collect your free chocolate:

  • Saturday – Vegan Delice – our superstar resident baker with cupcakes and hot donuts
  • Sunday – Pason’s Pots – our regular baby food maker selling locally made food for young people!

If you would like to see the full range by Moo Free Chocolates, please visit their website and be sure to follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Moo Free Chocolates can be purchased in stores everywhere including supermarkets, health food stores, and independent vegan shops.

See full Hackney Downs Vegan Market details and trader line up for Saturday and Sunday online here.

Help a vegan business in London

Got any spare cash?

Picky Wops is a much adored pizza business in London that is currently experiencing severe upheaval and they require community support.

Due to a series of bad experiences that include closing their Fulham branch, Picky Wops is looking for a new home. As you know, London is a brutal place to do business and that becomes infinitely more difficult when you are an independent vegan business.

Picky Wops are trying to raise £60,000 to secure a new restaurant location so they have turned to the goodwill of their vegan community.

If you can afford to spare some cash, please click here to donate.

There are some fantastic rewards on offer including pizza making classes and private catering from the founders.

You can also follow Picky Wops on Instagram.

City Vegan Lunch Market Christmas Edition

Remember when we took over Guildhall in the City of London with our enormous City Vegan Lunch Market in the summer?

Well, guess what is back just in time for Christmas?!

Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me) is proud to announce City Vegan Lunch Market – Christmas Edition taking place on Friday December 21, 2018 between 11am and 2:30pm on Guildhall Yard.

We are showcasing one of the finest collection of vegan street food traders in the financial heart of London.

The line up for the day includes:

Hot food

  • Rupert’s Street – nutritious and delicious comfort food from the yellow van
  • The Green Grill – burgers, dogs, and comfort food
  • What The Fattoush – plant-based Palestinian street food
  • Cafe SoVegan – seitan wraps and mac n cheese
  • Red Tent Ethiopian – delicious and nutritious stews, curries, and more
  • Vausages – loaded gourmet hot dogs
  • The Nooch – burgers, sandwiches, and nachos!
  • Picky Wops – handcrafted gourmet pizza cooked fresh on site
  • Vegan Earthlings – vegan comfort food including sumptuous curries

Take home cheese

  • Nutkin – nut based cheeses that are current Venn Street faves
  • I AM NUT OK – gourmet artisan cheese taking the UK by storm

Cakes and treats

  • Vegan Delice – our resident superstar bakery at Hackney Downs with sweet treats to make you smile

Gift ideas including candles

Drinks

  • Clarkshaws – our resident brewery at Hackney Downs with refreshing brews to drink on site or take home

More traders to be announced soon. Line up subject to change.

You can RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

Extra Xmas news: Saturday 22 and Sunday 23, 2018 will see us hosting a special Christmas version of Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Vegan infiltration at Fortnum and Mason

One of the most non-vegan luxury stores in the world has just started stocking a vegan cheese and spread brand!

Times are changing.

Fortnum & Mason is not known for progressive shopping and has long been criticised for making money from foie gras, however the upmarket department store has just thrown us a curve ball.

They are now stocking superstar vegan cheese brand, I AM NUT OK.

Angela from I AM NUT OK told me:

Our vegan foie gras and vegan cream cheese are now being stocked in Fortnum & Mason. We are the first plant-based alternatives they are stocking (a few steps away from a mountain of foie gras!). I feel like we’ve infiltrated a huge institution. It would be incredible if they started stocking more vegan things and moved away from the animal products.

2018 is full of vegan surprises!

You can see the exact location of the Fortnum & Mason flagship store thanks to Google Maps.

You can follow I AM NUT OK on Instagram. You can shop with them online.

You can also buy I AM NUT OK cheese directly from their stall at Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday November 17, 2018. Click here for full market details.

Half price vegan lunch this week

Wanna save some money on a tasty vegan lunch this week, London?

Buffalo Vegan Diner of Hackney is giving lunchtime diners 50% off their new lunch menu on Thursday November 15 and Friday November 16, 2018 between midday and 3pm.

Check out the menu below.

Buffalo has been getting rave reviews online so now this is your chance to find out what all the hype is about AND save some money.

You can see the exact location of Buffalo thanks to Google Maps.

You can follow Buffalo on Instagram.