London can you wait?

Green coconuts

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Do you know about Benny Buttons, London?

Everything sold by Benny Buttons is 100% vegan and the base for everything they make is fresh young green coconuts.

The food stall makes gluten free coconut and buckwheat flour pancakes with coconut salted caramel and raw chocolate as well as hot coconut water health teas in the winter and fresh coconuts with shots of ginger/turmeric, mint/parsley/coriander and pineapple.

Are you a fan of coconut delights? Get along to Benny Buttons at Brick Lane, Camden Lock West Yard and Broadway Market schoolyard.

Follow Benny Buttons on Twitter for latest news and locations.

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Is this the only raw food truck in the UK?

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Get raw vegan food. Every weekend. From a food truck!

That’s the fab news for London.

Not in London? Better news for you involves the truck hitting the road this summer!

Details below.

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Amrutha is a gorgeous-looking raw vegan food truck that not only has a recurring Sunday pitch in the Nomadic Community Gardens near Brick Lane, it is also being readied to travel the UK for a number of festivals throughout the summer.

Before I show you the food photos, I need to point you in the direction of the Amrutha website, their Facebook page, their pics on Instagram and of course Twitter.

Follow the vegan food business on one or all of those platforms to check out the menu and discover news of upcoming events, festivals, private catering opportunities and food preparation classes.

Now the food.

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Vegan diner-style food in Central London

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Post by:

josh panel

Hold onto your hats people because this post will have you drooling! Mellissa Morgan, owner of fabulous London bakery Ms. Cupcake, recently shared a picture with me of her family dinner at Top Dog Soho. It all looked and sounded incredible… Fried Pickles, Chilli Cheese Fries, Smoked Tofu Dogs… and more! Check it out:

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I headed straight over to the Top Dog Soho website where, to my delight, I discovered that they proudly have a dedicated vegan menu and boast that:

All of our vegan dishes are cooked separately including a dedicated fryer and special prep area so as to avoid any cross-contamination.

Hooray! This is the way to impress vegan customers! I can’t wait to get back to London and work my way through the menu.

Follow Top Dog Soho on Twitter and Instagram, like them on Facebook and visit their website.

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Free tickets to Just V Show

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You know about the Just V Show, right?

This big consumer food and lifestyle show takes place at London Olympia every year and there is always a big selection of vegan food brands mixed in with a wide variety of stalls.

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As you can see from the image above, the show runs between July 8 and July 10, 2016. You might also notice that the banner above mentions free tickets.

Click here or on the banner to find out how you can download a free ticket for the Just V Show.

Some of my favourites at the show will include Fry’s Family Foods, Follow Your Heart, More Than Meat, Rebel Kitchen, Rubys of London, Teen VGN and The Vegan Society.

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New vegan event in London

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I don’t know much about this event called Vevolution, but I thought I would share what I do know in case it is of interest to you.

You can follow Vevolution over on Twitter to stay updated with how the conference takes shape. You can sign up to an email list at their website.

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Super special vegan pop up in London

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Apologies for the copy and paste job below, but Asparagasm‘s description of their upcoming event in central London didn’t need any help from me to be appealing.

Get a ticket. Get fed well. Be happy.

 

Tuesday 21st June  || Music: 6.30pm  | Dining: 7.30pm

VENUE: St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, London EC1V 8AJ (Map)

 TICKETS: £40 includes canape, 5 courses and welcome cocktail or cordial sparkle

ADVANCE BOOKING: Online at www.asparagasm.com | EventBrite

GROUP BOOKINGS: For group booking rates email dine@asparagasm.com for a booking form

Modsummer Madness with ASPARAGASM as Chef Jay Halford presents ‘CORE VALUES’

A five-course vegan and gluten-free fine dining event for vegans, vegetarians & everyone!
There’s a very modern taste-maker coming to town as we celebrate the longest day in London with Chef Jay Halford on Tuesday 21st June at St Luke’s Community Centre, Islington.

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While Asparagasm sets a monochrome tone for a Modsummer Madness, Jay’s menu for ‘Core Values’ promises to deliver a colourful expression of great vegan flavours:

  • Garlic & Flaxseed Cracker with Roasted Balsamic Beetroot, Beetroot Crisp & Smoked Paprika Cheese
  • Plantain, Coriander & Peanut Ball with Sweet Marinated Chilli
  • Ras El Hanout spiced Quinoa with Sweet Potato, Creamed Avocado, Parsnip Crisps & Pickled Emoki Mushrooms
  • Layers of Courgette Pasta, Pecan Nutmeat, Marinated Mushrooms & Red Onion with Basil Pesto & Creamy Tomato Sauce
  • Coconut & Lemon Posset with Lime Gel & fresh Pineapple & Passion Fruit
  • Vanilla Tart with textures of Raw Cacao & Mango Sorbet

Trained at Michelin starred Lords of the Manor Jay Halford is founder and Chef at the Core in Cheltenham. Asparagasm loves his values and passion for food and his work to make juicing, raw superfoods accessible to people means his food is great looking, nutritious and so tasty:

 “My background as a chef and in catering has meant that for me, taste always comes first. I believe that you should recognise every ingredient that is used in a recipe; how they are best combined to create the ultimate taste.” Jay Halford

With live music from talented artists who have emerged from the Key Changes hospital and community programmes, Core Values is a night fusing food, music and good mood. Proceeds from the night support Key Changes award-winning programmes promoting positive mental health through music.

With welcome canapes and drinks join an open mic session from 6.30pm. Dinner is served from 7.30 with an extra helping of live music served at dessert.

Vegan fairtrade and organic spirits are served from the FAIR bar along with Asparagasm pale ale and biodynamic wine and cordially sparkling organic drinks from Elderbrook.

Tickets are available online at www.asparagasm.com via EventBrite or email Kate at dine@asparagasm.com if you wish to arrange a group booking.

FACEBOOK.COM/ASPARAGASM

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Restaurant ditches meat, becomes 100% vegan

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Hold on to your faux feather stuffed fedoras, London.

An Italian restaurant has ditched meat and dairy entirely from its menu, becoming a 100% vegan pizza, calzone and pasta specialist in the process.

I have been raving about the vegan options at FED by Water for a long time. The East London restaurant has developed a reputation for having some of the finest vegan food on the planet and their calzone alone makes me happier than almost any food on the planet. Even as an omni restaurant they excelled in using seitan and vegan cheeses in order to create mouthwatering Italian delicacies.

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FED by Water really have taken care of us plant eaters, supplying us with our own incredibly-extensive vegan menu that was actually mind-boggling.

But now everything is vegan. EVERYTHING!

I’m shocked and delighted. I reached out to Fabio at FED by Water to find out what powered this monumental change and this is what he had to say:

After almost 2 years running FED BY WATER with multiple options as a way to leverage on the omni/veggie menu to educate people to veganism, last weekend we decided time has come to cut off meat, fish and diary options completely and focus only on 100% plant based Italian gourmet. We will still educate people to veganism but without the “safe” options for omni customers to rely on as their primary choice.

I have to admit it is working well and non-vegans are quite relaxed in trying out other options. It helps that it is all delicious. The label vegan might scare some people off but luckily our new team (fully vegan also) is putting a lot of effort into educating the public about the revolutionary culture we have been embracing and pushing forward. So… VEGAN is LIFE!

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I don’t know about you, but this is some of the best news I’ve heard in years.

100% vegan Italian restaurant serving meat/cheese platters, calzone, pizzas, bread bowls, pasta, raw pasta and so much more? It’s a dream come true.

Get to the FED by Water website, like the restaurant on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and visually devour their posts on Instagram.

And when you stop by for a meal, tell them FGV is back in town come July so they’d better be ready!

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Fundraising party in East London

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London vegans, I need you to get together and support this event in large numbers.

Erin reached out to me with the hope that I would tell you all about a charity gig she is running on Thursday 26th May at Briki on Exmouth Market, East London.

The event is in memory of Erin’s friend Katie who sadly died recently due to mental health issues. All the money raised will go directly to two small charities who supported Katie during her life.

The whole event is entirely vegan – there will be amazing Korean food by street-food artisan North or South, vegan desserts and drinks sponsored by Fentimans, Orchard Pig, Orbit Brewery, Track Brewing Co., Partizan, and Bramley & Gage.

The evening’s entertainment will include performances from Echo Trails’ lead singer Dimitra Tzanakaki, Joe Boyle on double bass, Gareth Kerr on cajon and Clerkenwell band The Futuristic.

Tickets and further information about the charities being supported are available by clicking here.

If you cannot attend but would like to help Erin honour Katie and support these crucial charities, there is an option to donate money on the ticket page.

If you can’t support the event in either of these ways, please share this post as widely as you possibly can.

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Vegan cake in an Underground station!

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Ever find yourself racing to work and wishing you could grab a quick coffee and a slice of vegan cake?

If your commute takes in Piccadilly Circus station in central London, your dreams have been answered.

My pal Kay sent me the following photos from her recent trip through the historic and extremely well-used Underground station. A new compact coffee shop called Sapid has sprung up and one of their tasty treats comes in the form of a vegan carrot cake.

Cake Cakes

If you are a coffee aficionado, you might very well know Sapid for their Stoke Newington location where they trundle out quite a bit of vegan-friendly food and drink.

You can visit Sapid Coffee online to view the opening hours for both Stoke Newington and Piccadilly Circus.

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One-night-only: vegan pub event in London

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Sorry for the late notice but this news only came to my attention today.

If you are in London on Tuesday May 24, 2016 you might want to think about making your way to The Salisbury Hotel in Harringay, North London.

Newly-launched vegan food creators This Is What We Are Made Of are taking over the kitchen of this popular pub for a night of totally vegan food.

Check out the menu below:

vegan menu

You can RSVP to the event, invite friends and get more details over on Facebook.

How often do you get a totally vegan menu in a pub? Get along, people!

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