London can you wait?

New vegan food trend launches in London

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Two of the biggest names on the London vegan food scene have joined forces to change the face of plant-based comfort food while keeping the roots of veganism at the heart of everything.

Thanks to What The Pitta and Dough Society, you can now say a big hello to the hummus-glazed DÖ-NUT.

Vegan businesses have a well-known history of launching food trends and over the past few years we’ve seen vegan cronuts, brookies, and freakshakes all making headlines.

But it is the DÖ-NUT that is set to completely change the way vegans look at comfort food.

So what is a DÖ-NUT? I asked Cem of What The Pitta to explain the how and what:

We’re so excited to announce that we’ll be collaborating with Dough Society, the tastiest doughnut shop in town, to introduce the strictly limited edition DÖ-NUT. This tantalising sweet and spicy bun features Dough Society’s signature dough with a sticky hummus glaze smothered in hot sauce and is stuffed to the max with vegan döner pieces. It’s the best of everything combined. DÖ-NUT knock it ’til you’ve tried it!

I reached out to Dough Society founder Lauren to find out why she wanted to be a part of such a groundbreaking food launch. Lauren said:

I think that sometimes as vegans we forget about the pure simplicity of hummus. When I spoke with the guys from What The Pitta about a food collaboration, I wanted to make sure we paid due respect to this staple of the vegan food scene. The DÖ-NUT might be seen by some to be just another food fad designed to dazzle, but I believe the inclusion of hummus gives it an authenticity that other trendy vegan food items lack. Hummus is such a huge part of our identity as vegans. What is life without hummus?

The DÖ-NUT is available for a strictly limited time starting April 1, 2018.

Share photos of your DÖ-NUT using #whatthepittaXdoughsociety on social media.

Follow What The Pitta on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Dough Society on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Pop up supper club event in London

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Here is some news you can eat.

A handful of our regular traders from Hackney Downs Vegan Market have joined forces to bring you a gorgeous-sounding pop up food event.

You will want to book tickets for this right now.

This vegan cheese dining event sounds too good to be true.

Get along to The Grand Howl cafe in E9 on April 19, 2018 to explore four artisan vegan cheese brands, talk with the makers, and enjoy a full French cuisine dinner followed by French pâtisserie.

The night will commence with appetisers based on the I AM NUT OK cashew spreads, followed by a plate of Mushroom Bourguignon and Potato Dauphinois using the stunning cheeses of Black Arts Vegan and Nutkin.

Diners will then be served a platter highlighting the stunning cheeses of Kinda Co. before the dinner is finished off with pâtisserie items by The Sunny Spoon.

Throughout the night you will be able to chat with the makers and hear all about their brands, products and personal journeys.

Of course their cheeses will be available for purchase as well.

Click here to book your spot now.

Inside look at London’s flagship vegan kebab shop

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London really has come along leaps and bounds when we look at vegan advancements.

Independent vegan food businesses are storming the capital and two people on the frontline of this charge have just gone and opened London’s first vegan döner restaurant with its own indoor seating.

What The Pitta is the brainchild of Cem Yildiz and Roj Gul. These friends started selling their irresistible comfort food from a garden shed set up in Shoreditch, moved on to creating a cult following with their two Boxpark locations (Shoreditch and Croydon) and have now outdone themselves by throwing open the doors to the UK’s first ever 100% vegan döner kebab restaurant in Camden.

Roj and Cem outside their Shoreditch takeaway joint

The rapid success of the two Boxpark locations meant that the only logical step for the two entrepreneurs was to open their own permanent restaurant.

I asked Cem what the new Camden version of What The Pitta means to him and this is what he had to say:

We’re really happy to have secured our first place outside of Boxpark with the continued support of the vegan community. Camden may be becoming another London vegan hub but I see the years to come as an opportunity for us to move into some other major cities around the UK as it’s not just Londoners who want their vegan döner fix!

You can see the exact location of the Camden restaurant thanks to Google Maps and be sure to follow What The Pitta on Instagram.

If you haven’t been down to What The Pitta Camden, the photos following will be your first peak inside.

New vegan food business in Croydon

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Croydon continues to impress on the vegan food front as it says hello to The Vegan Grill.

The Vegan Grill runs as a pop up street food stall on the Surrey Street Market, Croydon. They sell vegan comfort food including burgers, hot dogs, chips and cake.

You can stop by their stall between Wednesday and Saturday each week.

To keep updated on opening times and other appearances, you can follow The Vegan Grill on Instagram and Facebook.

Now, let’s look at some tasty food!

Unwaxed fruit in London

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Here is a super short post to let you know that you can now buy unwaxed fruit on a regular basis at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Fresh Fruit Box is one of our newest traders and today they launched their colourful unwaxed fruit and vegetable stall at our weekly market in Hackney.

As you might know, a lot of supermarket bought fruit in the Uk is waxed with animal derived ingredients.

Fresh Fruit Box go to a lot of trouble to source unwaxed fruit from Spanish farms, meaning everything they sell is devoid of any animal products.

Visit Hackney Downs Vegan Market next week (March 31) to check out the gorgeous fresh produce selection for yourself and perhaps consider making this your regular shopping spot for fresh fruit and vegetables.

You can follow Fresh Fruit Box on Instagram.

New vegan eatery in Camden

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Hey, I just found out about a new vegan place to eat in Camden so I thought I should pass on the info.

The friendly Verena got in touch to let me know she has just opened this new food business on February 1, 2018 so it is super fresh.

This is what she had to say about Green Rhino:

The Green Rhino London is a proper sit down restaurant in Camden Town. We opened on the 1st of February this year. Our opening times are Thursday to Sunday from 5pm until 10pm. Our menu is small and simple because it’s just me at the moment but as soon as it gets busy I will be looking for helping hands.
Our idea of a regular vegan meal is plant based without many meat replacements or deep frying, so we offer a changing vegetable based soup that comes with wholemeal brown toast for £5.50. We also have two main courses for £8.50 each; a cauliflower and kidney bean stew in tomato sauce served with boiled new potatoes and a green crunchy side salad plus our vegetable medley with fresh veggies in a creamy coconut sauce served with brown rice and a couscous salad.
We try to keep the portions big to make sure everybody is full!
For the sweet tooth we have homemade vegan Snicker bars and muffins.

Sounds tasty and filling!

You can get along to Green Rhino at 25a Pratt Street NW1 0BG. Click here to see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

You can follow Green Rhino on Instagram.

Now, let’s look at the food!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfisB9YFKho/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfn_nngFywv/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfi6I1_lG0K/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be-UXVzlAwG/

Vegan wings eating competition

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Have you ever felt you would excel at competitive eating but there just haven’t been enough vegan opportunities?

Well, say hello to Biff’s Jack Shack’s 1st Annual Vegan Wings Eating Competition.

National Wing Day is on Thursday 22nd March and not only will Biff’s be offering 50% off all wingz, they’ll be putting on a wingz party at Haunt London featuring the UK’s first vegan wings eating comp.

Actually, unless someone can prove otherwise I’m confident in declaring this the world’s first vegan wings eating competition.

Four challengers will get to eat their way through a bucket of ten of their crispy fried jackfruit wingz, slathered in special hot chipotle sauce.

The champion will get Jack Shack tees and swag for them and their crew, food for two at the Haunt, the coveted GOLDEN BUCKET, and a place in history.

If you want to take the challenge, you must:

👉 1. Follow Biff’s Jack Shack on Instagram
👉 2. Tag two wing-people that you’d bring down with you on the night in this post
👉 3. Tell the wing makers what makes you the ultimate wing fiend in a comment below the Instagram post

If the eating challenge isn’t for you, you should still get along to enjoy cheap wings and support independent vegan business.

Gorgeous pop up event for London

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Do you know Greedy Khao?

If you do, you will understand that this pop up event is not to be missed.

If you are unfamiliar, this March 31 food event is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted.

‘A Plant-Powered Journey through Thailand’ will take diners on a culinary tour from the Southern provinces, famous for seafood and spiciness, through the melting pot of Bangkok, and up to the fresh, zesty North East.

Faai of Greedy Khao says, “North Eastern (Isaan) Thai food has seen increased popularity in recent years, so we want to shed the spotlight on some of Thailand’s other regions, while proving that vegan Thai food can be just as bold, complex, and moreish as its meaty alternative”.

They have the tickets up on Eventbrite (here) so get buying. Don’t miss out!

New at Ms Cupcake

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The crew at Ms Cupcake never stop working to bring you new seasonal treats and this delight they have launched today looks exquisite.

Say hello to the Jam Doughnut Muffin!

I think they should call it a duffin.

So, it’s like a muffin and a jam filled doughnut?!

That’s my kind of hybrid!

In case you don’t know, Ms Cupcake is an absolutely old school legendary vegan business in London ad was the first all-vegan bakery.

The store has been going from strength to strength over the years and the business has even expanded to include sales of packaged cupcakes in Whole Foods Market stores and a home delivery service for online orders.

Check out the Ms Cupcake website for more info and follow them on Instagram.

Vegan in Earlsfield

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If you think all the best London vegan food is in Hackney, I’m about to hip you to some news you can use.

Say hello to Amrutha Lounge.

Amrutha started life as a mobile food truck (which I wrote about here) but recently opened this permanent eatery in Earlsfield, SW London.

What do the founders say about their food?

Innovative vegan dishes and heart-warming classics are lovingly prepared on the premises by our chefs on a daily basis. The food is made from scratch with an emphasis on taking simple ingredients and elevating them to extraordinary levels, that’s our version of ‘Vegan Soul Food’.

You can follow Amrutha on Instagram. See the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Now, let’s check out some food shots.