Hackney Downs Studios are excited to announce their collaboration with Re:Store (on site zero waste/sustainable store) and Venetia Falconer as part of their Open Studios event.
Venetia Falconer will be bringing you an insight into the world of sustainability with an exclusive talk and Q&A at Re:Store as part of the Open Studios programme.
Venetia Falconer has long been an advocate of reducing plastic usage and promotes mindful consumption, and has been featured in Vogue as one of the ‘Top Eco Influencers To Follow’.
Have you ever wanted to take a vegan baking masterclass?
You are in luck! Get your tickets for this AMAZING cooking class happening at Made in Hackney this Sunday June 9, 2019.
Hosted by Melissa Saint Hill, the masterclass class will include:
Essentials of vegan baking and how the main substitutes work
Making a delicious showstopper no-bake chocolate tart with seasonal fruit
Learn how to increase the nutritional profile of your baked goods with a variety of nutrients
Techniques to make scrumptious vegan cakes such as the perfect vegan banana bread
Protein-rich bites and bars to up your energy levels during the day
A delicious plant-based lunch featuring a seasonal galette and take-home recipe pack
10% discount on the day in neighbouring wholefood shop, Food for All
Melissa Saint Hill is a registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition (AfN) and Clinical Research Scientist, with interests in type 2 diabetes, cardiometabolic health and the gut microbiome. Having a natural creative flair, as well as an academic background, Melissa is passionate about teaching and inspiring people to cook, bake and eat healthily, without compromising on taste. Melissa has a keen interest in presenting food to ensure it looks as good as it tastes and smells, which has led to food styling and photography becoming solid passions.
Fee: £84 (£66 Concession) inclusive of VAT, includes a delicious organic plant based lunch. Click here to book your ticket.
This fee might seem high but is used to fund the Made in Hackney programme of free courses to vulnerable and low-income community groups. By attending a Made In Hackney masterclass you get a great day of learning AND you’re providing the charity with essential funds for them to continue their work with vulnerable community groups.
I reported a few days ago that I’ve curated a vegan food area for two MASSIVE London music festivals next month.
You can eat your fill AND dance your cares away at the pop extravaganza that is Mighty Hoopla on Saturday June 8 and the jazz, funk, and soul explosion Cross The Tracks on Sunday June 9, 2019.
The vegan food line up is SENSATIONAL and you can read all about it online here. You can party along to some of the best music on the planet and never run out of vegan food choices.
It sounds like heaven and we have some of the finest food makers in the biz.
To celebrate my love of pop music and the inclusion of the FGV section at both events, I’ve curated a special Spotify playlist featuring my favourite songs by artists on the Mighty Hoopla line up.
You all know I’m a complete pop fanatic, right?
Have fun listening and be sure to grab your tickets before they sell out!
This article was originally written by me for Vegan Life Magazine. My column appears each month and you can find out about subscribing online here.
When faced with penning this column, I was slightly unsure of what I could say on the subject of vegan fashion. I’m not celebrated for my sense of style and I’ve been known to wear the same second-hand jeans for a decade.
But after a bit of reflection it became clear.
Fashion shouldn’t simply be about what it does for us personally. In addition to helping us get through the day and making us feel stylish, we need to consider what fashion does to animals and the planet.
There are many reasons why people decide against buying and wearing footwear, clothing, and accessories made from animals.
Of course the number one driver when it comes to dressing vegan is a desire to not contribute to animal suffering. For as long as there have been people not wanting to exploit animals, there have been attempts at dressing more kindly.
There are obvious materials to avoid when you start dressing with compassion such as leather and fur, but it sometimes takes a bit more convincing when it comes to wool. Even though they are not killed directly for their wool, sheep experience ongoing hardship such as exposure to extreme heat and cold while the practice of muelsing sees chunks of flesh being cut from them while alive and awake.
Pleather shoes, plastic skirts, acrylic cardigans, and PVC jackets started to find a following with compassionate fashionistas after initially launching as inexpensive alternatives. Just like we have accidentally vegan food, we have a lot of vegan-friendly fabrics that just happen to be that way.
There was a huge surge in the popularity of leather and fur alternatives in the 1980s and 90s as many celebrities took the cause to heart. Perhaps you remember anti-fur advertisements such as the series featuring rock band The Go-Gos brandishing the slogan ‘We’d rather Go-Go naked than wear fur’?
Purposively-vegan fashion brands started to emerge around this time including Vegetarian Shoes which commenced operations almost 30 years ago and Ethical Wares which came to be around 1993.
More recent high profile footwear and fashion brands include Will’s Vegan Shoes from London and VAUTE fashion label of New York City.
An important part of shopping for vegan fashion is understanding that not all animal-free materials are good for the planet or the people handling them.
Of course the fallout from leather is atrocious as it needs to be drenched in chemicals to stop it decomposing (a reminder that leather is dead animals!) and these chemicals are washed off into waterways therefore creating immeasurable environmental damage, however some alternatives can do their share of long-lasting harm as well. PVC has been used as a leather alternative for decades but we don’t currently have records to show how long this material takes to break down.
But where there is a problem, there is a more vegan-friendly solution.
Lefrik is an all-vegan bag and accessories fashion label using recycled plastic bottles to create fabric. The use of recycled PET fabric from plastic bottles saves 90% of water consumption and has a 75% lower carbon footprint than regular polyester. This fashion initiative is helping to keep plastic waste from landfills and oceans, as well as lessen CO2 emissions.
Other animal-friendly materials finding a home in the world of fashion include hemp, bamboo, pineapple fibre and cork. Many inventive designers are also repurposing and up-cycling vintage fabrics to help lessen the demand for animal skins and furs.
Steve Madden and Skechers now allow customers to search their online footwear catalogues using the ‘vegan’ category, while Reebok is going a step further to create a shoe made from organic cotton uppers and rubbery soles concocted from milled corn.
This mainstreaming of ethical and vegan products has been powered by compassionate fashion pioneers such as Angela Corcoran and James Beal of London ethical boutique and shoe store, The Third Estate.
Angela and James sell ethical vegan fashion to compassionate shoppers all over the planet via their online store and are a treasured local business with their shop front in North London.
I approached the duo to find out what advice they have for people looking to make better fashion choices for animals, workers, and the environment and they were both adamant when saying that there is no such thing as an inexpensive ethical product. If consumers are not paying very much for something, someone else is paying in other ways. A pair of shoes might be animal free, but if they are low-priced that undoubtedly means workers are being paid poorly.
The Third Estate is on the frontline of tackling all of the ethical dilemmas thrown up by fashion. The business promotes labels that put animals, workers, and the planet at the centre of all they do by using animal alternatives, paying fair wages, and working to strict environmental guidelines.
Angela reminded me of that old adage that less is more when it comes to fashion, but maybe in a different sense than the quote was first intended.
She said, “We should buy less fashion and we should think carefully about what we do buy. We can look fabulous and make kinder choices for animals, factory workers, and the planet at the same time.”
Sounds perfect to me. Kinder choices will never go out of style.
There are two huge music events coming your way in June 2019 and they BOTH feature a fabulous FGV food area.
Mighty Hoopla and Cross The tracks combine to take over Brockwell Park, South London on Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9, 2019.
Mighty Hoopla is a pop music explosion featuring live performances by Chaka Khan, All Saints, Bananarama, Artful Dodger, and many more acts to keep you movin’ or chillin’ (depending on your style!).
Sunday sees the takeover of Cross The Tracks with an amazing line up featuring Chaka Khan again alongside Masego, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Jordan Rakei and some of South London’s most-forward thinking new jazz collectives.
But what about the vegan food? The FGV section has you fully covered. Check out this list:
Extra news: to celebrate the FGV food section at these events, I have curated a special FGV/Mighty Hoopla Spotify playlist featuring some of my favourite tracks from the line up. If you LOVE pop music, you need to listen now.
Put this date in your calendar because you are definitely going to want to be a part of this fab event.
To help Hackney Downs Studios celebrate their annual Open Studios event on July 4, I am thrilled to announce the return of Hackney Downs Vegan Market for ONE NIGHT ONLY.
Eat Work Art are incredibly excited to announce their 10th anniversary Open Studios Series 2019, a celebration of 10 years of Eat Work Art across Netil House, Hackney Downs Studios and Old Paradise Yard.
The Eat Work Art Open Studios event at Hackney Downs Studios is taking place on Thursday July 4, 2019 from 6pm.
This year, Eat Work Art celebrates a decade of transforming under-appreciated buildings into vibrant, creative communities. Hackney Downs Studios was the second site to be developed, back in 2011, and since then they have attracted thousands of people to their annual Open Studios events, with the public eager to witness the magic that surrounds their catalytic home.
As you know, Hackney Downs Studios was also home to the legendary and game-changing Hackney Downs Vegan Market so it felt right that we should be back on site for this momentous celebration.
Hackney Downs Vegan Market will be back with half a dozen of the very best vegan street food traders in the capital.
We are going back to where it all began!
Open Studios will allow you to meet and network with over 300 inspiring creatives, as you discover their spaces and check out their incredible work. Take a tour of our collaborative spaces Palmspace and Heartspace to meet the makers & artists behind them for a chance to purchase original works of art, craft and design.
Expect exhibitions and talks curated by residents as well as taster classes & workshops, exclusive sample sales and art showcase at Public Gallery. Enjoy live music, food, drinks and dancing at our after party.
Not only will you be able to dine at our vegan market curated by Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!) but you will also be able to explore on-site zero waste emporium Re:Store for environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced goodies.
Doesn’t this all sound fabulous?!
Due to the overwhelming demand for this event, free tickets need to be booked in advance. Yes, free tickets!
Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event and book your free tickets. Don’t just RSVP.
Social media has been crucial to the rise of veganism in London and no platform has been more important than Instagram.
Instagram is an important component for vegan businesses trying to spread word of their offerings. The social media platform is free, focussed on visuals, and extremely user/customer focussed.
Internet usage is part of our everyday lives and we have become socialised into responding to attractive visuals that grab our attention and short bursts of information that tell us what we need to know in the least amount of time.
That sums up Instagram perfectly!
Following is a list of ten vegan businesses in London that have harnessed the power of social media effectively by amassing more than 20,000 followers on Instagram.
Follow these accounts if you aren’t already and don’t forget you can also follow my FGV Instagram account for the best of London, dining in Mexico City, and the occasional rant!
Phung Kay make some of the best food on the planet.
That’s not up for discussion. Just the facts, people.
I’m honoured to have collaborated with the Chinese cuisine superstars on several occasions and now I’m thrilled to hear two big news pieces about their food business.
News the first?
I want to give a HUGE congratulations to Phung Kay on their recent award. The sensational foodies picked up the Golden Chopsticks Award for Best Vegetarian dish.
I’m not surprised but I am extremely happy for them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3-RKggEh1/
And what is the other news?
Phung Kay now have a gorgeous tea house in Model Market Lewisham!
This is the best news for South London. Phung Kay will be elevating vegan eating to a whole new level and I promise you that the area has never seen anything as outstanding as the food they serve.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwH47OIA7fg/
To keep updated on the Model Market menu, you need to follow Phung Kay on Instagram.
And of course there will be more news and events in the near future from Phung Kay because you can’t control cuisine this good.
You have probably seen the videos and headlines doing the rounds about the ‘protesters’ showing up outside vegan events and restaurants to eat raw meat.
They most infamously targeted VegfestUK Brighton by trying to distress attendees at the entrance. Their whole routine is to chew on dead animals in order to upset vegans. Their actions are grotesque but weirdly counterproductive as many non-vegans are equally repulsed and therefore engaged in thinking about animal cruelty.
Essential Vegan Cafe in Shoreditch, London was recently targeted by these anti-vegan trolls so I’ve created a Facebook event in order to unite the vegan community in an act of support for the business.
PLEDGE TO VISIT Essential Vegan Café AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE AUGUST 31, 2019
These trolls have been attempting to disrupt vegan businesses by chewing on raw animal carcasses and saying provocative statements about vegans being unhealthy and mentally ill.
During April 2019, these antagonists entered the Essential Vegan Café in Shoreditch. Some of them were carrying and chewing on animal bodies. If you wish to see the full video filmed and shared by the anti-vegan trolls, you can visit YouTube. It is graphic.
Following on from the invasion of the café, the trolls and their supporters waged a campaign of intimidation and slander against the café including leaving fake negative reviews online and prank calling the premises.
This is our chance to fight back against these absurd and harmful attacks. We are pledging to come together as a community of kind people in order to help Essential Vegan Café thrive and prosper in the aftermath of this attack on their business.
By RSVPing to this Facebook event, you are promising to visit and eat with Essential Vegan Café at least once before the end of August 2019.
By working together as a collective, we are ensuring the financial security of this unique and special vegan business. We will redress any damage done by these trolls. We will make the café an even stronger and beloved space than it already is.
RSVP now to pledge to visit Essential Vegan. Use the ‘invite’ function to tell all your friends to join the fight. Share the Facebook event far and wide. If you don’t use Facebook, share this blog post and visit the café anyway.
And be sure to post all your gorgeous food photos in the Facebook event when you do visit!
The Gallery Café of Bethnal Green invites you to a special Dinner in the Garden.
On Wednesday May 22, 2019 you can enjoy a buffet of delicious vegan food and a chance to relax for an evening in their beautiful garden, which is usually only open on the weekend.
I can speak to the gorgeousness of their private garden. It was the location of the first ever London Vegan Beer Fest and is the perfect blend of tranquil, green, and relaxing.
Following on from their Vegan Celebration in January, the 100% vegan café received so many enquiries as to when they would be hosting another food event. They decided there isn’t any better way to celebrate spring than a gorgeous meal outdoors!
The Gallery Café chefs are already busy preparing a delectable set of bites not seen on their regular daily menu. As well as access to the buffet, each ticket holder will receive a free drink and automatic entry into their raffle to win a St. Margaret’s House hamper.
Click here to order your tickets now for just £18. I expect this is going to be a wildly popular event so act quickly.
