London can you wait?

Make and sell vegan donuts

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Super quick post to tell you about a part time vegan job with one of London’s most-loved street food vendors.

If you’re an experienced baker and have worked with enriched dough, shoot an email over to peanutbutterbakery@gmail.com with your CV and a little bit about you. This is a part time position mainly on weekends.


Yes. Everything Peanut Butter Bakery makes is incredible and you could be a part time component of this winning team.

Extra note: exclusive announcement regarding my Hackney Downs Vegan Market on March 18, 2017… Peanut Butter Bakery will be trading!

Vegan burger at London kitchen takeover

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You all know about my buddy Vanessa and her delicious food business called Essential Vegan, right?

Over the past few years, Vanessa has taken her incredible brand of hand made plant-based cuisine to all corners of London and beyond. She works so incredibly hard.

Remember her triumphant pop up café on Portobello Road? Or may you dined with her at her stand in PUMP Shoreditch. Of course a lot of you ate Vanessa’s food at VegFestUK London.

Now Vanessa has announced her next food adventure and you should put this one in your diary.

Essential Vegan is launching a 6-week kitchen takeover in Hackney at popular food and drink venue, Haunt, from March 14, 2017.

Haunt is a super chilled out bar that is beautifully decorated and only a short stroll along Stoke Newington Road from either Dalston Kingsland or Stoke Newington Overground stations. Click here to see where Haunt is located thanks to Google Maps.

Look at how beautiful this venue is:

Not only will you be able to devour and savour gorgeous, gourmet vegan food made by Essential Vegan, but it will be the ONLY food being served inside Haunt for this 6-week period. So you won’t have to sit next to anyone chomping down on animal products.

Ready to see the menu?

Vanessa is adored for her seitan burgers and as you can see in the menu, she is launching her new Essential Gourmet burger.

It’s like her original burger but taken to the next level with aged vegan cheese and special sauces. Check it out:

I’m drooling.

The menu also features a special line up for weekend brunch, served between midday and 3pm.

If you have the means to enjoy this food, make a special effort to join Essential Vegan for this limited kitchen takeover. As it is less than a 10-minute walk to Hackney Downs Vegan Market, I predict that area is going to be EXTREMELY busy on March 18.

Visit Essential Vegan online (super rad recipes), like them on Facebook and follow via Twitter and Instagram.

Find more info on Haunt on their website.

Tegan the Vegan London

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Being half a world away in Mexico City for half of every year means I miss out on a lot of incredible vegan food developments in London.

Of course I’m reporting as much as I possibly can, but I can’t physically get my greedy hands on a lot of the new and interesting stuff. If I’m completely honest, it does lead to a slight case of FOMO.

Take Tegan the Vegan for instance.

Tegan has been burning up the east London vegan scene for a little while now, but I’m yet to taste any of her amazing-looking food due to my globetrotting ways.

You can find Tegan the Vegan getting involved in all manner of events around the UK capital (and sometimes slightly further afield) and everyone I know who has tried her treats can’t stop raving about her skills. Tegan seems to have something very special going on.

There is often a weekly cake and vegan cheese menu posted via the Tegan the Vegan Facebook page and if you live in her catchment area, you can place an order for home delivery.

Check out this sample menu below.

OK. Before I make myself completely starving and jealous, let me give you a few links so you can get involved with this vegan food business on the rise. Get in on the ground floor before Tegan is recognised as London’s next vegan superstar!

Like Tegan the Vegan on Facebook. Follow Tegan the Vegan on Twitter and Instagram.

Now I’m going to spoil you with one of my favourite photos from Tegan’s Facebook page. Enjoy.

Extra note: Tegan’s incredible logo was created by Alex Bertram-Powell. See his art here.

All photos and images are property of Tegan the Vegan and reproduced here for publicity purposes.

Review of Sanctuary London

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The talented, funny and fierce-as-fuck Tatum has written a guest blog post for me today. After you read it, you really should follow her on Instagram.

Sanctuary review by Tatum:

Sanctuary sounds like a spa but it’s actually a ridiculously delicious vegan restaurant.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been seeing beautiful Instagram pics of burgers and milkshakes. I became a bit nervous that my time spent drooling over the pictures had raised my expectations ridiculously high. What could live up to that? Sanctuary did. Several times over.

The restaurant is about a five minute walk from Fulham Broadway station and only ten minutes away from GreenBay vegan grocery store. We went early on a Friday evening and were in luck to get a table. The restaurant has a casual vibe and is decorated with cute pics of animals, I particularly liked the lamb with the sweater called Ismael.

From the tapas menu we ordered the croquetas filled with Shiitake and portobello mushrooms which came with a tartare dipping sauce. They were delicately fried and the mushrooms had a creamy consistency. It made me think of how well the chef at The Sanctuary could also make a jalapeño popper.


For the mains we had to have the much-pictured burgers. After some deliberation, because it all looked so good, we settled on the Hippo Rampage. It had bacon, guacamole, cheese and smoky onions on a beef style burger with a bun that looked like a pretzel roll. It was a transcendent burger eating experience. The Hippo Rampage had every flavour you’d ever want with a burger plus that special x factor quality, when your tastebuds are perfectly sated and at the same time ravenous for more.

We didn’t get just one main dish we also got Saving Nemo which is the fishiest fish burger I’ve ever had. The first bite was heavenly but some kind of magic happened because with each subsequent bite the flavours got even better. I’d recommend getting the sweet potato fries option over the regular.

The desserts were almost sold out but we got the last brownie and ordered a blueberry cheesecake milkshake. It was a a brilliant way to end the meal. The milkshake had cream cheese in it which is why it ricocheted off the scale of creaminess.

There is so much else to try on their menu and we are planning to eat our way through all of it. For the next visit I have my eye on their croissant sandwich and the Vegan Fish and Chips. Oh and the vegan chorizo melty sandwich, now thats made me hungry all over again, ok I’ll have to stop now but in conclusion go to The Sanctuary. At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably see you there.

Follow Sanctuary on Facebook and Instagram. Visit their website.

Vegan fish and chips in a gay bar

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London, you had better rush out to this event.

Independent bars and businesses struggle uphill to survive in the UK capital. Rent prices are absurd and the general cost of living is extortionate.

These sky high costs are the reason why we have to get out of our homes and support local business. If you’ve got the means to do it, for fuck’s sake do it.

Use it or lose it.

In the spirit of guilting you into supporting other Londoners, I’m thrilled to let you know of a very special event taking place in Camden tonight (Wednesday March 1, 2017) and every first Wednesday of the month going forward.

This is what you need to know.

Queer Goes Nothing is a fab monthly night of live acoustic music in the heart of Camden at new LGBTQ venue, Her Upstairs.

Not only should three incredible independent bands get your interest up, but the kitchen in the venue is being taken over by BigV London. Yep, BigV is the vegan burger stand adored by regulars at Borough Market.

However…. (this is where it gets interesting)

For their involvement in tonight’s version of Queer Goes Nothing, the BigV people will be serving vegan fish and chips.

So you have live acoustic bands, a vegan business selling vegan fish and chips, a fab Camden location AND free entry.

If you have a few quid spare and are in London and you DON’T go to this event, please don’t bother coming to my house for Christmas. Two reasons: I don’t celebrate Christmas and I probably won’t be talking to you.

RSVP and invite people on the Facebook event page.

Her Upstairs should be followed on Facebook for upcoming version of this wonderful night plus other interesting happenings. You can see the bar location on Google Maps.

BigV can be seen here.

New vegan store West London

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I bring huge vegan news on the daily, but rarely do I get to say that an amazing vegan business is opening just a 15-minute walk from where I live in West London.

VeganHQ is a fully-vegan mini grocery store and takeaway food outlet. It also happens to be London’s very first completely vegan organic coffee shop.

The shop front opened just days ago at 50 St. Mary’s Road in Ealing and I’m thrilled to say it is just a short walk along South Ealing Road from where I live when I’m in London.

VeganHQ is stocked solid with vegan meats, vegan cheeses, chocolate, t-shirts, household products and more!

The food line up sounds like comfort food heaven with hot dogs, hamburgers and kebabs.

The nearest Underground station is South Ealing on the Piccadilly Line. Click here to see the simple walking directions from the station to the store.

The next closest station is Ealing Broadway on the District and Central Lines as well as Mainline trains. Click here to see walking distance to the store from Ealing Broadway.

VeganHQ is open 7 days a week during the day, so please make a big effort to get along to support this 100% vegan business (as well as grab yourself some tasty treats).

Follow VeganHQ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Extra note: images used in this blog post belong to VeganHQ.

Monthly vegan market in London

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This news is long overdue.

I am proud to announce Hackney Downs Vegan Market, a brand new monthly vegan market showcasing amazing plant-based food and goods.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is a collaboration between Fat Gay Vegan and Hackney Downs Studios/ Eat Work Art, the site of my now infamous Vegan Christmas Market. On the third Saturday of each month, the vegan market will come alive with some of the finest street traders in the capital.

We will feature some regular, well-known traders in addition to a rotating line up of visitors.

As this is a collaborative project with Hackney Downs Studios, I am responsible for curating 75% of the stallholders.

In the spirit of inclusion and for the promotion of people often overlooked/sidelined at mainstream vegan events, I have earmarked my percentage of stalls for those traders who identify as BME, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and/or as women.

To clarify, this policy ensures that at least nine out of the twelve stalls each month will be owned or co-owned by someone who identifies as BME, LGBTQ, a person with a disability and/or a woman.

The remaining stalls will be filled with resident artists and manufacturers located within Hackney Downs Studios. This will allow for local, onsite traders to access the space even though they might not identify within the above outlines.

The very first Hackney Downs Vegan Market is scheduled for Saturday March 18, 2017. You can RSVP and invite people over on the Facebook event page. This is where I will be posting stall updates and news of available trading space.

If you identify as BME, LGBTQ, a person with a disability and/or a woman and would like to feature your market at Hackney Downs Vegan Market, you can email me at sean@fgvpr.co.uk to find out more information.

Unfortunately we won’t have space for every interested trader, but we will of course be keeping a waiting list and will work hard to include as many people as possible.

Temple of Hackney update

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After taking London by storm and firmly establishing themselves as darlings of the mainstream tabloids, vegan fried chicken shop Temple of Hackney has just celebrated one month of trading.

So, how are they doing?

Is business still thriving as the grand opening frenzy fades into the past?

I caught up with owner and Temple of Seitan founder Rebecca McGuinness to find out exactly how the situation is for London’s first vegan fried chicken shop a little over a month in:

Congratulations on such a tremendous opening period. Just how busy has it been in the shop? Has it surpassed your expectations?

Thanks so much! It’s been unbelievable, we never thought in a million years we would be this busy and we are so grateful for all the support. It’s been a lot of hard work but to have this response in just a month as a small business is so surreal and we feel so lucky. We have acquired a second kitchen to keep up with demand and have gone from 4 staff to 13 in a matter of weeks!

What is the general feedback you and the team have been getting from customers?

General feedback has been really positive, the homemade meats have been met with great response, but the surprise dish is the mac and cheese – I would say it’s as popular as the chicken!

We also notice a lot of feedback about the friendliness and great service from our team. We definitely have to give them a shout out as they truly are the nicest and hardest working bunch around!

Do you have any sense of how many non-vegans are eating with you? What has their reaction been like?

We have had a lot of non-vegans come through that are trying to cut down on meat consumption but also some that come out of curiosity or along with vegan friends. We have had people say they prefer seitan chicken on several occasions which is obviously the highest honour! Haha.

The mainstream press has really taken to your story in a big way. How does all that attention feel and how are you managing the PR demands while running the shop?

It can be very full on and unfortunately due to this we aren’t as quick to get back to everyone at present – but as I say we are so lucky to have this kind of press as a small business and certainly wouldn’t be enjoying the instant success we have had without it.

Do you have any upcoming developments or top secret news you would like to share with my readers? What can they expect from Temple of Hackney in the future?

We do! We are working on a new menu that we plan to reveal very soon, including some exciting dishes we have shared early on in our Instagram feed. The menu will still have the “chicken shop” vibe, but will feature some new junk food favourites. We can’t wait to share them with everyone! We will also have extended opening hours shortly.

Finally, do you have a message for your loyal customers who have helped make the opening such a success? I’ve seen photos of them lining up out the door in the rain and snow!

We really do have the most incredible customers and are constantly in awe of their patience and kindness. From those who have been with us from our first stall in Brixton, our weekend stalls in Brick Lane to the new friends we have met in Hackney, we cannot thank you all enough. This first month of opening has been very challenging and we have learned so much in such a short space of time- but to have the support and understanding of the community made our transition from street food pop up to store a dream come true. We couldn’t have come this far without you. We say this often but the UK has the most incredible vegan community and has been so welcoming and friendly to a couple of junk food fiends from down under.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Vegan eatery opens new location

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You have probably spoken to someone who has been completely blown away by What The Pitta! in Shoreditch, London.

The takeaway fast food stand has devoted fans and for solid reasons. Their wraps are huge and delicious. Add vegan baklava to the mix and you have one o the best plant-based location in the UK capital. You can see my original post about What The Pitta! online here.

Now onto the fresh news part of this post.

What The Pitta! have a brand new location opening in the Boxpark complex in Croydon and they are throwing a two-day party… and you can be there with some superb special offers!

The two-day celebration in Croydon is taking place on March 3 and 4, 2017.

When you advance buy your meal deal online, you get the following for just £9.99:

  • Lentil soup
  • Vegan doner kebab OR vegan Turkish pizza
  • Vegan baklava
  • Can of Karma cola/lemon/ginger

Wowsers! That is one superb deal.

You need to pre-pay for your ticket online here to get the special price. If you show up on the day, the price will be higher. Buy quickly as I imagine a couple of hundred people will be getting involved and tickets will fly out.

Once you have your ticket, you can show up at any time during the celebration. However, lunch and dinner times will be the busiest with longer waits.

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

Follow What The Pitta! on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Extra note: CookDaily also has another location in Boxpark Croydon!

Exclusive vegan Valentine dinner

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One of the best decisions I made before leaving London for this latest six month stay in Mexico was to visit Paradise Unbakery in Kensal Rise.

The café was beautifully decorated and the food was superb. You can see my original blog post here.

Enough reminiscing. On with the future and the future at Paradise Unbakery is all about Valentine’s Day.

You really should book tickets for this exclusive event taking place on February 14, 2017.

The exclusive set menu reads like a dream:

  • Strawberry Kombucha Mocktail
  • Mermaid Platter: Raw Gnocchi OR Cooked Polenta, both with Loch carrot, “caviar” and “scallops”
  • Burger: Raw burger in a raw turmeric bun OR BBQ jackfruit burger in a focaccia bun. Both with veggies, cashew cheese, side salad and roast sweet potato or raw crisps
  • Raw Dessert for Two: a plate of two raw heart cakes and raw chocolate to share

As you can see, you can choose from raw or cooked options for some of the courses. Once you book your tickets, the café will get in touch to ask for your preference.

Tickets are priced at £32 each (plus booking fee). Additional drinks will be available to buy on the night plus you are permitted to bring your own beer or wine. Paradise Unbakery will supply the glasses!

This dinner sounds divine and I’m so happy to see a stunning vegan event like this happening in a part of London that doesn’t normally get a lot of plant-based heat.

Click here to book your spots for this special vegan Valentine event.

You can also let friends/lovers know you are going on the Facebook event page.