London Vegan Events

Vegan night market and roller disco

by

London, events rarely come along like this.

Join me for a massive party this Thursday night (July 6, 2017) from 6pm as Hackney Downs Studios throws open its doors for the annual Open Studios event. This is going to be so much fun.

Hackney Downs Studios is known as the home of Hackney Downs Vegan Market and the upcoming London Vegan Beer Fest, but what a lot of people don’t realise is it is also home to a lot of artists, workshops, stores and artisan producers.

Yes, the studios are real studios!

For one night a year, Hackney Downs Studios lets you get behind the scenes by touring all of the spaces and getting up close and personal with all the artist spaces. You can even get hands on with artists, makers, illustrators, designers, potters, record labels, gin distillers, architects, video makers and more.

Try your hand at live screen printing or get crafty with weaving workshops. There will be roaming theatre performances, live painting, exclusive sample sales, installations and music, food, drinks and dancing.

But what’s in it for vegan food lovers?

Food on the evening comes in the form of a vegan mini night market. Buy and devour food from this wonderful collection of vegan traders:

Need more to entice you down this Thursday?

There is a FREE roller disco taking place inside Hackney Showroom with a DJ and after party going on until midnight. Yes, a freakin’ roller disco that won’t cost you any money and they have skates to use on site!

It’s all sounds too good to be true. Hang out with artists behind the scenes, buy vegan street food, and get disco fever on roller skates. And it’s all for free!

You need to register for a free ticket online here so they know how many people are coming along. You can also RSVP/invite friends on the Facebook event page.

Extra note: Hackney Downs Studios is the site for the 5th annual London Vegan Beer Fest taking place on July 15, 2017. More info online here.

Vegan get together with Fry’s

by

You all know about Fry’s when it comes to amazing frozen vegan meat replacements in UK supermarkets and online stores. If you don’t, you should visit their website to get acquainted.

Now you are up to speed, you need to know about this big vegan event the superstar food brand is hosting in London at the end of July 2017.

Check out this event.

The Fry’s AGM is a showcase of food, activist information and international speakers. Money from ticket sales is being donated to the campaign by Animals Asia to care for bears rescued from bile farms.

My buddy Carl Donnelly is a stand up comedian who just happens to be vegan and he is the MC for this day long event taking place.

Speakers on the day include:

  • Tom Kuehnel from Grown Green
  • Heather Russell – dietitian from The Vegan Society
  • Tammy Fry of Fry’s

Food is included in the ticket price and it looks superb. The legendary Cook Daily will be providing a special Fry’s lunch bowl for the event and Bexfest is providing her pots for breakfast.

You can click here to book your ticket.

Mini vegan donuts in London

by

Get ready for a stampede. Peanut Butter Bakery is launching mini vegan donuts this weekend (Saturday June 17, 2017) at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Check out these amazing treats.

Normally Peanut Better Bakery does a roaring trade with their regular sized donuts but as a special treat for market goers in London this weekend, the superstar dough merchants will be presenting some top secret flavours in mini form.

Lauren from the bakery told me people love getting a chance to buy mini donuts as it allows them to explore a lot more flavours than if they were buying regular donuts.

If you are keen on getting the pick of the crop this weekend from Peanut Butter Bakery, get down to the market early. These donuts are not going to last all day.

You can follow Peanut Butter Bakery on Instagram and get all the Hackney Downs Vegan Market info you need right here.

London Vegan Beer Fest is back

by

Spread across three amazing spaces, London Vegan Beer Fest 2017 is set to be one of the biggest and best showcases of vegan beer and street food that east London has ever witnessed.

If you already know you wanna buy tickets without reading anything else, click here.

So what is going on in Hackney on Saturday July 15, 2017?

(All of the Vegan Beer Fest UK artwork and design is done exclusively by the incredibly talented Ricardo Sánchez. See his portfolio online here and get in touch if you wanna hit him up for some work)

Space 1: the inside Beer Hall will feature an exclusive beer bar run by superstar brewery Brass Castle (Facebook | Twitter). Travelling all the way from Yorkshire to make our event extra special, this 100% vegan brewery will be showcasing their award winning brews as well as other favourites from around the UK.

Space 2: the outside Beer Market will be an exciting mix of beer and street food stalls, with participating breweries from all over London and further afield. Keep an eye out for exclusive street food trucks and trailers in this section, too.

Space 3: the exclusive Beer & Wine Café is the place to head if you are looking for special sit down meal. The café will also be the spot for our 100% vegan exclusive wine bar, as well as somewhere else to grab a beer or two on site.

This is the biggest London Vegan Beer Fest has ever gone and we are thrilled to be taking over the space best known for being the home of the wildly successful Hackney Downs Vegan Market which regularly draws attendees numbering in the thousands. We’re delighted to partner with Hackney Showroom, Hackney Downs Studios and Autumn Yard for this huge event.

What To Eat?

There will be lots of delicious vegan street food on the day. Full details coming soon but we have some knockout names and you will have a LOT of choice. Burgers, fish & chips, donuts and so much more.

What To Drink?

The beer list is being planned right now and it’s going to be MASSIVE! Details coming soon! There will also be an exclusive wine bar, as well as cider and soft drinks for sale.

What else do you need to know?

Tickets for this event are priced as follows:

Early bird tickets (limited number available): £5 (plus booking fee)
Pre-sale second release tickets: £7 (plus booking fee)
On the day door sales (subject to availability): £9

Food and drink is not included in the ticket price and all tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE. Only ticket holders will be permitted to buy and consume food or drink (including non-alcohol drinks). No outside food or drink permitted.

Your ticket price includes a collectable plastic pint cup that you use all day and then take home with you!

London Vegan Beer Fest is dog-friendly (in outdoor spaces) and family-friendly. Invite friends via the Facebook event page.

London Vegan Beer Fest is not a place to deliberately make people feel bad about stuff. You cannot be at this event if you intend to use sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist and ageist language or behaviour. The organisers reserve the right to deny or revoke entry to the event and will take great delight in doing so if you act like an anti-social person.

Immense gratitude to Follow Your Heart for sponsoring this event.

New vegan chicken twister

by

I share this news with a full heart and a smile on my face.

London, you can get your hands on a vegan version of the chicken Twister wrap.

Take a look at this supreme piece of food art.

There is only one place you can get this wrap in London this week and that is the Temple of Seitan stall at Hackney Downs Vegan Market on Saturday May 20, 2017.

The Vegan Twist wrap comes with your choice of chipotle or lemon pepper mayo.

Of course there will be hundreds of people trying to get their hands on one of these savoury delights, so get to the market early. Full vendor line can be seen here and you can RSVP to the Facebook event.

Vegan in south east London

by

Vegans and vegan-curious of south east London. Get ready.

Two fab-looking vegan happenings are taking place in the Peckham/Nunhead area in an event location called Space at 61.

Space at 61 is available to hire for parties, art galleries and now it seems even vegan pop-up food events. Two vegan events are taking place before the end of April, so let’s get stuck into the details.

Event the first.

Yep. The flyer above says it all but to recap…

This is a two-day takeover by Core of Life featuring smoothie bowls, waffles, breads, cakes, and plenty of drinks.

The takeover is set for Tuesday April 25 and Wednesday April 26, 2017. Food is served between 10am and 4pm both days.

And the next pop-up at Space at 61?

The V Spot is showcasing a new spring menu featuring some of their favourite seasonal British vegetables on Saturday April 29, 2017 between 7pm and 10pm.

The 3-course, all vegan homemade menu is as follows:

Starter-Aparagus & sorrel salad with mustard aioli
Main- Garlic Fried Samphire, Courgetti & Chilli Pasta
Dessert- Rhubarb Cheesecake

There will be a welcome drink served and you are permitted to bring your own beverages for the main meal. The V Spot will have herbal tea and water available.

Tickets are not refundable, but they are transferrable. You can buy them online here.

There you have it. Two reasons to get involved in Peckham/Nunhead.

Click here to see the exact location of Space at 61 thanks to Google Maps. Follow Space at 61 on Facebook to find out more about future vegan events.

Vegan afternoon tea event London

by

How often do you wish for a queer event in Camden with drag performers AND a vegan afternoon tea?

If you answered ‘often’, this event at Her Upstairs is the answer to your prayers.

This event is brought to you by Piab, one of the talented chefs working with Big V London, and Jen of superstar rad band Colour Me Wednesday.

Get along to LGBTQ venue Her Upstairs this Sunday (April 16) from 2pm for delicious sandwiches and cakes. See the exact location via Google Maps.

There will be gluten free options and lots of top flight entertainment.

Autumn Yard is vegan for a day

by

If you are planning to be part of the first monthly Hackney Downs Vegan Market, you now have another option for dining.

As if all of the amazing street food wasn’t enough, you can now also plan on sitting down for a meal with onsite restaurant Autumn Yard. Like they did for the Christmas Market, the restaurant is switching to a 100% vegan food menu for the day.

Isn’t that fab?!

Would you like to see the menu?

That looks like a tasty line up!

Autumn Yard is a gorgeous setting inside an old warehouse and the perfect place to relax with a warming meal if the March weather is a little on the grim side. The food is exquisite and you might even be tempted by a cocktail or two.

You can visit Autumn Yard online and follow them on Instagram.

Check out the line up for Hackney Downs Vegan Market here.

Vegan capital of the world is not a city

by

To be honest, I’ve spent a lot of time moaning about London and how it always seemed behind other world capitals when it came to vegan food. It always felt 5-10 years behind NYC, LA and Berlin.

However, things are now changing rapidly for the UK capital and nowhere is heralding in this plant-based revolution faster than the north London Borough of Hackney.

To celebrate it rapidly becoming veganised, I wanted to give you my top ten reasons why Hackney is the most-vegan neighbourhood/district in the UK and one of the finest plant-based destinations in the world.

10 Essential Vegan – Vanessa lives in Hackney and now has launched a six-week kitchen takeover with her Essential Vegan goodness in trendy neighbourhood bar, Haunt. If you love seitan burgers and cheesecake, head here as soon as possible.

9 Redemption Bar – I’ve never been to this venue but it does seem to be a popular choice for a lot of vegans on Instagram. Diners can get their fill of wholefoods and non-alcoholic drinks.

8 What The Pitta – if you need something to fill you up, this is the place. Actually, the kebab wraps are so huge you might actually struggle to finish one. What The Pitta now have a second location in Croydon, but the original location at the PUMP food court in Shoreditch means Hackney will not have to miss out.

7 Club Mexicana – this street food vendor has become a legendary staple of the London food scene and now with this ongoing residency inside Kingsland Road bar Pamela, Mexican-inspired cuisine is in Hackney to stay. While at their street stands you can enjoy tacos, burritos, loaded nachos and fried cheese sticks, this residency is taking things up a notch with handmade tortillas and fancy desserts. All drinks and cocktails served by host venue are vegan, too.

6 FED by Water – this Italian gourmet dining restaurant changed London forever when it switched from a meat and dairy laden menu to one that is now 100% vegan. Last time I checked, they even had a pizza named after me!

5 Made in Hackney – a crucial component of Hackney’s plant-based revolution, this charity funds community education and support work centred around vegan eating by hosting paid-for cooking lessons that can be attended by anyone.

4 Black Cat Café – this café is one of the food champions of the UK. If comfort eating is your thing, you will adore the regular and rotating dishes including burgers, cakes and breakfasts.

3 CookDaily and HOME – imagine two of the best vegan eateries in London being 10 metres apart. Both of these fast food outlets are packed solid with bowls of irresistible cuisine created by genius Chef King. Located upstairs at Boxpark Shoreditch.

2 Temple of Hackney – nothing has taken the UK by storm quite like this vegan fried chicken shop. The shop frequently sells out completely before the end of the day and you’ll often find a line of hungry customers down the street.

1 Hackney Downs Vegan Market – I know it’s a bit unfair to put my own new monthly market at number one, but it really does feel like such a big deal. This is the very first vegan monthly market in London and it is packed solid with some of the best vegan traders in London. The third Saturday of each month at Hackney Downs Studios with plans to have 10 or so food vendors on site each time we fling open the gates.

What do you think? Is Hackney the vegan capital of London? Is there another borough with more plant-based options crammed inside its borders? Have I missed any vegan Hackney landmarks?

The list above features only 100% vegan outlets. There are of course many more that are vegan friendly. There are also vegan places just blocks outside the Borough of Hackney boundaries, such as the wonderful Just Fab.

Get busy in Hackney!

Huge vegan show heading for Wembley

by

Exciting news for anyone in West London.

Animal rights champions Viva! have announced a huge event in September 2017 that will take place in the London suburb of Wembley. As a matter of fact, the venue is right next door to Wembley Stadium.

What does the line up of the show look like?

  • Over 200 stalls
  • Catering area
  • Cooking demos
  • Talks
  • Clothing, toys, chocolates, treats

It’s great to see a show like this NOT in central London.

Viva! Vegan Festival London is set for Saturday September 16, 2017. Click here for all the details.