My thoughts are with Antonio’s family and friends.
I cannot speak on how devastating his loss will be for his loved ones, but I can speak on what it means to vegan London.
Antonio elevated vegan food in the capital to another level.
His food wasn’t just food. It was high end cuisine made with expertise. Antonio’s hard work and skill made his Bethnal Green restaurant one of the finest eateries in Europe.
My few visits to the restaurant gave me culinary experiences I will never forget.
In a world filled with grey, mass-produced food, Antonio stood above the crowd with handcrafted pasta that was lovingly created and proudly served.
I thank Antonio’s family and friends for sharing this compassionate, friendly, and wildly talented human with our community.
I am thrilled to announce that FGV is collaborating with Walthamstow Sunday Social to bring London a new weekly vegan market.
Launching on March 3, 2019 Walthamstow Sunday Social is set to be a weekly celebration of independent business, entertainment, creativity, and of course food. It is one of the biggest local markets in Europe!
Walthamstow Sunday Social is an initiative to bring vibrancy to the local area and to show people the value of their high street.
The FGV section will be on the high street alongside craft, vintage, and fresh fruit/vegetable traders, just steps from major transport links in Walthamstow Central.
The vegan section will feature ten traders including some of the best hot food traders in the capital.
More details are coming soon but in the meantime you can follow Walthamstow Sunday Social on Facebook and Instagram. You can see their website here.
As always, follow FGV on Instagram for visual updates about our traders.
In addition to every Sunday in Walthamstow between 10am and 4pm, we also present the FGV at Venn Street section in Clapham every Saturday between 10am and 4pm.
If you are north of the river or south of the river, we have you covered!
One of our most popular traders from the now-defunct Hackney Downs Vegan Market is now trading as a pop-up inside Westfield Stratford.
Vegan Delice helped make our weekly Hackney market one of the most popular vegan destinations in the UK, and now Chanel and her team have launched a counter inside the massive Stratford shopping mall.
Chanel’s cupcakes, tray bakes, and cookies are the stuff of legend and now you can get hold of them INSIDE Westfield until March 11, 2019.
This is a huge opportunity for Vegan Delice and I’m thrilled to see a fiercely independent vegan business getting this platform. Nobody works harder than Chanel when it comes to promoting veganism through tasty food.
Get along to support Chanel and make yourself happy with cake! Follow Vegan Delice on Instagram.
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.
