London can you wait?

Exclusive vegan cheese now in London grocery chain

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By now you would have heard all about New Roots.

This Switzerland-made range of vegan cheeses took London by storm when it was previewed at VegfestUK late in 2017 and ever since vegans have been scrambling to get their hands on their products.

The camembert made by New Roots is next level and their other divine cheeses aren’t far behind. It is no wonder people have been hunting all over the capital for this stuff.

Well, the hunt for New Roots just got that little bit easier now that they have signed a deal to be sold in Planet Organic stores around London.

You can get along to the following in store tasting sessions to try some of this cheese glory for yourself and of course buy a few of the flavours:

  • Thursday March 8th – 4pm until 7pm – Islington N1 8LR
  • Friday March 9th – 4pm until 7pm – Devonshire Square EC2M 4AE
  • Saturday March 10th – 11am until 2pm – Torrington Place WC1E 7HJ
  • Saturday March 10th – 4pm until 7pm – Westbourne Grove W2 5SH
  • Sunday March 11th – 11am until 2pm – Wandsworth SW18 4FT
  • Sunday March 11th – 3pm until 6pm – Tottenham Court Road W1 1BJ
  • Thursday March 29th – 12pm until 3pm – TottenhamCourt Road W1 1BJ
  • Saturday March 31st – 2pm until 5pm – Muswell Hill N10 3HS

There are a lot of opportunities to try this cheese, so get along to at least one of these tastings in March.

You can follow New Roots on Instagram and if you can’t make it along to the tastings, shop online with the superstar vegan cheese company.

Vegan International Women’s Day

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Calling all London people.

8th March, 2018 is International Women’s Day and a collective of women-led vegan food businesses are getting together to collaborate on a one-off menu at the Spread Eagle London.


Apart from serving up tasty vegan food, they are giving 100% of all the money made (none of them will take any money to cover costs) to a charity called Working Chance. This charity supports women leaving the criminal justice system, helping them to get back into the workforce and break the poverty and re-offence cycle by pairing them up with employees.

The menu is fabulous:

  • ARRIVAL – glass of prosecco/Old Blue Last beer – The Spread Eagle
  • STARTER – chorizo and purple potato tacos with pickled chiles, avocado salsa verde, and lime – I Will Kill Again x Club Mexicana
  • MAIN – jackfruit jelfrezi torta with pink onions, pickled chiles, and sour cream raita, served with tortilla chips and salsa – Spice Box x Club Mexicana
  • PUDDING – warm chocolate chile mud pie with vanilla ice cream – Young Vegans x Club Mexicana

Click here to book your table on the Spread Eagle website for anytime after 6pm on March 8th and be part of their big ‘fuck you’ to patriarchy and big businesses cashing in on women and veganism. Don’t be fooled by other markets and pop ups trying to ride the promo wave of International Women’s Day.

Follow Club Mexicana, Spice Box, I Will Kill Again, The Spread Eagle, and Young Vegans on Instagram.

If you would like to support Working Chance charity but cannot attend this event, please consider donating online.

Incredible 5-course event

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Join Itis for an evening of vegan food and Caribbean party vibes on Friday March 23, 2018 in SE15.

The food experts will be serving a gourmet 5-course meal, created by their own executive chef. The Caribbean-inspired menu will include the region’s flavours combined with their chef’s own personal twist. They’ll have island music and drinks going all night.

THE FOOD

  • Trini-Style Corn Soup: A traditional street food made with split peas, pieces of corn, coconut milk and fresh herbs and spices
  • Pholourie: Fried, spiced dough balls served with a tamarind sauce
  • Salad: Mixed leaves, rocket, beetroot, cherry tomatoes and carrots served with a fruity vinaigrette
  • Jerk Shrimp Pasta: Linguini tossed in our homemade mild jerk-cream sauce, with red and green peppers, corn, onions and mushroom topped with vegan jumbo shrimp
  • Dessert: Oreo base cheesecake with fruit coulis

THE DRINKS

A glass of Caribbean Rum Punch and a non-alcoholic glass of homemade sorrel juice will be served. They will also have a bar serving Caribbean cocktails and drinks for you to purchase additional drinks from on the night if you wish

Itis always make a huge impression when they trade at Hackney Downs Vegan Market so I feel confident in saying you don’t want to miss this 5-course extravaganza taking place in southeast London.

Click here NOW to buy tickets.

Follow Itis on Instagram and Facebook.

Ten things to eat in London

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I haven’t done a little wrap up post like this for a while, so I wanted to jump on the blog quickly and give you an overview.

My inbox is swarming with correspondence from people wanting to know what is ‘must eat’ food if they only have a few days in London.

This following collection isn’t meant to act as a definitive list, rather it highlights ten things I highly recommend when you are next in London. The list is in no particular order.

Check it out and let me know if I have left any of your favourites of my list.

Number 10.

Get along to Temple of Seitan for their fried vegan chicken. They have two locations where you can pick up this world famous food.


Number 9.

Arancini Bothers is a chain that recently transformed into a 100% vegan business and you have got to get to one of their locations for their risotto balls. Too good.

 


Number 8.

Young Vegans know pies like nobody else and their Camden Market eatery is heaven. The mashed potato and gravy sides elevate an already incredible eating experience to another level. I highly recommend  the Seitan and Ale pie.

 


Number 7.

The seitan burger at Wulf & Lamb is one of the finest things to eat in London. Their special blend seitan is the closest to ground beef in the city and it is TASTY.

 

A post shared by Wulf & Lamb (@wulfandlamb) on


Number 6.

I’m always singing the praises of CookDaily but it is worth repeating. Get the Full English bowl and have your life changed for the better.

 

Number 5.

If you aren’t familiar with Cookies and Scream, I’m sorry to say but you are not living your happiest life. Get a shake with added cookie dough balls.

 

Number 4.

Vanessa at Essential Vegan is a food superstar and her take on vegan Brazilian cuisine is a MUST-EAT when in London. Get the cheese balls. Eat them while hot. Leave happy.

 

Number 3.

One of the best things to eat on the planet is the doner chip box from What The Pitta. I simply CANNOT walk past their Shoreditch location without ordering this item.

 

A post shared by What The Pitta! (@whatthepitta) on

Number 2.

Dough Society is the first vegan donut and coffee shop in London. The Homer donut is one of their regular offerings and it is one of my favourite sweet treats in the capital.

 

Number 1.

The Snix bar from JuiceBaby is a pure delight. Shortbread base, gooey caramel and peanuts covered in raw chocolate. I would do almost anything for one right now.

 

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A vegan potluck returns

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If you are new around these parts, you might not remember that I used to run a vegan potluck.

London Vegan Potluck was a wonderful community event where people shared homemade vegan food, socialised with new friends, and perhaps got some cooking inspiration.

It was a fun, low cost and informal way for people to celebrate their veganism in a time before weekly markets and vegan nights.

London Vegan Potluck ran every month for four years and then I got overworked. We had to bring it to an end and London has mostly been devoid of vegan potlucks ever since.

But there is a new one on the horizon by some people named Anna and Amy.

Check out this info about the one-time-only vegan potluck in London:

The Nourishing Vegan Club is inspired by a love of food, passion for wellness & desire to bring like minded people together. So on Saturday 17th March we’re holding a vegan potluck afternoon at Jaz & Jul’s (a.k.a chocolate heaven) in London.

Bring a homemade vegan dish/cake, come with an appetite and be prepared to feast! Tickets are £5 (or £8 without bringing a dish) and spaces are limited so grab yours while they’re fresh out the oven!
Please message one of us to secure your place 🙂

Jaz & Jul’s is located on Chapel Market, close to Angel Underground Station.

You can RSVP and get all the necessary details over on the Facebook event page.

Arancini Brothers at the market

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This week has been a big week for Arancini Brothers and a big week for vegan London.

The fast food chain is celebrating all three of its bricks and mortar locations having finally become 100% vegan.

It started as somewhat of an experiment at their Old Street location which saw the outlet switch to a fully plant-based menu for Veganuary, however the decision swiftly followed to turn all three locations vegan.

Forever!

To help Arancini Brothers celebrate its first week as a fully vegan business, we have invited them to trade at Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday with their food truck (Saturday March 3, 2018).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bftg0lWA8ZT/

The gorgeous food truck will be selling fresh risotto balls and succulent burgers.

If you haven’t enjoyed the Arancini Brothers experience, this Saturday is your chance to make it happen.

You can see the full trader line up for Hackney Downs Vegan Market online here.

You can read about the new in-store vegan menu by Arancini Brothers online here.

You can follow Arancini Brothers on Instagram.

London vegan superstar chef announces book deal

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If you are one of the hundreds of people (maybe thousands) who have turned to me for London eating advice over the past few years, you would have been told to eat at CookDaily.

King of CookDaily has been busy serving up some of the tastiest vegan food on the planet for a while now and his Shoreditch restaurant is nothing short of legendary.

Noodle and soup bowls absolutely burst with flavour and the food is so incredibly popular, you’ll often find yourself caught short if you leave a visit too close to closing time.

In huge news, King reached out to me today to announce that he has finally signed his very first book deal.

This recipe book is surely to be one of the most anticipated book releases for vegans in recent times.

Follow King on Instagram to keep updated and make time to get reacquainted with the CookDaily menu ahead of the book launch.

Three food items not to be missed

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I rarely focus on individual food items at Hackney Downs Vegan Market when it comes to my blog, but this week (Saturday February 24, 2018) it is a different situation.

There are three things I feel you MUST know about.

Number one is the Spanish omelette by La Buenaventura. I can’t get my head around how they make something so amazing but they do and you should buy it.

They sell these incredible packaged omelettes for you to take home alongside their stunning vegan chorizo.

Thing number two? Fudge!

London Maker Chocolate is relatively new to our market but they are making waves with their treats and more waves are expected this week due to refined sugar free fudge topped with raw chocolate.

I don’t know about you, but I need this right about NOW!

Finally, reason number three why you should definitely not miss Hackney Downs Vegan Market this week.

Get an eyeful of this pie!

Young Vegans are famous for innovative and irresistible savoury pies but I think they have outdone themselves this week.

Say hello to their Meatball Marinara and Cheese Pie. This is a market exclusive and will be in limited numbers. I’m actually a little teary and emotional over this one.

See the full trader line up (and other details) for Hackney Downs Vegan Market online here.

Black Cat Hackney has reopened

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Here is some brief (and good) news for you all.

Black Cat Café in Hackney has finally reopened for business following a period of refurbishment.

I make no secret of my love for Black Cat.

This 100% vegan café is a beacon of fairness and compassion. It is run as a workers cooperative, meaning the owners share all responsibilities and profits. I’d love to see more vegan business in London using this model.

The café supports its local community in wonderful ways, including allowing space for fundraising events.

Get along to Black Cat Café as soon as you can to congratulate them on their reopening. Follow them on Instagram as well.

Gorgeous vegan pop up for London

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London. I’m here to warn you to move quickly.

Denai of Dee’s Table always does amazingly well whenever she appears, so this one night only pop up supper club is going to have them rushing in.

Denai’s take on modern Jamaican cuisine is delicious and this menu for her Ultimate Vegan Ribs Feast taking place at 10 Cable Street on February 23, 2018 is the stuff of dreams.

What’s on the menu?

  • Jackfruit Ribs
  • Ginger Beer BBQ Sauce
  • Mac & Cheese with Thyme Bread Crumb
  • Smokey Homemade BBQ Beans
  • Roasted Squash Hominy Cornbread
  • Whole roasted potatoes
  • Corn on the cob
  • And Salads

Dessert to share:

  • Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pizookie
  • Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Salted Caramel Sauce

This is a Friday night in London and the food is stunning, so click here to book your spot NOW!

You can follow Dee’s Table on Instagram.