London vegan news, reviews & events
I am just putting the finishing touches together for the first night of the FREE WINONA film season. You know the deal, right? A month of free movie screenings starring everybody’s favourite girl interrupted, Winona Ryder.
If you missed out on tickets for this week’s screening of Beetlejuice, you will want to be extra fast when securing a place for the second instalment on Tuesday June 10, 2014.
Do you want Winona to be free? You got it!
I am teaming up with The Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green for a season of free films starring the one and only Winona Ryder.
Join me in The Chapel (access through the cafe) every Tuesday evening in June for these free movie events. Of course vegan food and drink will be available from The Gallery Cafe kitchen, however purchase is not required to enter the event.
All you have to do is book a ticket to secure a seat. So simple.
We are kicking off the FREE WINONA season on Tuesday June 3, 2014 at 7pm with a screening of the 1988 classic Beetlejuice. Book your free ticket now.
Stay tuned for further film announcements.
Did you plan on coming along to London Vegan Potluck last night but didn’t make it? These photos are your punishment.
I started this event three years ago and I have watched it grow in popularity since our humble beginnings in Brixton. I think we started with 20 attendees in May 2011 and now our numbers vary between 60 and 100.
I often find the event to be extremely tiring and a lot of work to pull together, but people love it and that is what keeps it going. People get to explore veganism in a friendly space and many attendees have been inspired to take up compassionate eating on a full time basis due to the support and camaraderie they get from events like the potluck.
Many thanks again to the following companies that came on board for our celebrations last night. It would be fab if you let them know via social media how much their support means to the vegan community.
Check out some of my Instagram photos from our 3rd anniversary celebrations last night and let me know in the comments what it is you love about London Vegan Potluck. Do you have any fond memories? Has it helped you? Did you meet new friends? Why are events like this important?
I make no secret of how much I adore the Cool Chile Co. This London based business is my main supplier of essential ingredients needed to get my Mexican food fix.
They sell it all. Kits that take the mystery out of cooking the perfect black bean dish. Chiles that are chopped, diced, dried and powdered. Spicy chipotle ketchup. Sweet salsa verde. Their enormous tortilla machine churns out thousands of the soft, round things every week (I wrote about the machine here). They even have a chorizo spice kit that comes with instructions explaining how you can use a meat substitute if you like. I love it!
But something makes the Cool Chile Co. extra special. The people who run it.
Director Dodi and General Manager Kelly are some of the most down-to-earth, unassuming and outright friendly people I have met in London. Even if their Mexican products weren’t the best in the country (which they are by a mile), I would still want them to be a roaring success because of what decent people they are.
It makes it all the more enjoyable to announce that I am partnering with the Cool Chile Co. for my huge vegan Mexican dinner taking place this week. Dodi and Kelly are getting behind UNA CITA by making sure we have the freshest tortillas in the country to make my three taco plate a dish you do not want to miss.
As a thank you to the company for coming on board with my event, I am giving them a pair of tickets for UNA CITA to give away to one fortunate Twitter follower. You need to follow them and retweet THIS tweet to be in with a chance to snap up the tickets for this Friday’s event.
Love Cool Chile Co. and be in with a chance to win!
Limited tickets for UNA CITA also available to buy here.
Can you believe it has been almost a year since London Vegan Beer Fest first stormed into our lives? What an event!
Beer was guzzled. BBQ food was devoured. Merchandise was snapped up. Karaoke classics were gloriously murdered. We certainly had a lot of fun and now it is time to do it all over again.
Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me) is thrilled to present London Vegan Beer Fest 2014.
When I decided to put this event together, it was difficult to imagine getting through the first year but now here I am ready to celebrate the second edition in 2014.
You London vegans are so greedy.
You are not satisfied with being able to eat vegan fish and chips in multiple locations. Having a vegan beer festival doesn’t seem to quieten you. Two huge monthly parties in the shape of London Vegan Drinks and London Vegan Potluck leave you wanting more events. More vegan cake companies than you can keep track of isn’t enough.
OK. Let’s see if this scratches that vegan itch.
Announcing a vegan art competition!
My giant Mexican dinner party taking place in east London is just a few weeks away. UNA CITA is a 50 person, 3 course party featuring Mexican pop music, visuals on a big screen and a welcome cocktail that will impress.
May 9, 2014 is going to be a day for the vegan eating history books.
I popped over to the venue tonight (The Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green) for a test run of the main dish and is was nothing short of spectacular. Check it out below.
The plate features three corn tortillas filled with mouthwatering ingredients and a mound of chipotle rice in the centre. I literally pounced on my plate.
**Ingredients are supplied in part by Cool Chile Co. Follow them on Twitter where they will be giving away a pair of tickets to this event**
The three vegan tacos feature:
Everyone on the testing team tonight was blown away by the combination of flavours. This plate will be served after a starter of esquites and before a serving of hot, sweet churros with dipping chocolate. I will post photos of the other dishes as we workshop them over the next fortnight.
Buy your tickets for this special event NOW.
Follow The Gallery Cafe on Twitter.
Wow. It is over. My mammoth month-long Friday night supper club event known as Around the World with FGV has come to an end.
What a food adventure!
We started with the gorgeously plated Caribbean cuisine of Vegan Peasant, moved on to the hearty Brazilian fare of Essential Vegan, were in awe of the technical skills of The Vegan Ronin during the Japanese dinner and finished up with the mouth watering delights of Thai street food made by The Messy Vegetarian Cook.
Kip of The Messy Vegetarian Cook had a tough act to follow being the last of four world class food designers, but of course she pulled out all the stops for a decadent Thai meal that had everyone asking for more.
Check out the photos below to see the stunning line up of Thai delights and make sure you follow Kip on Twitter to see what she has planned next or to book her services.
Starters – Miang Takrai (bite sized citrussy lemongrass parcels of minced coriander, aromatic mint, toasted sesame and fresh coconut, served with a tangy sweet dressing in wild pepper leaves) and Laab Hed Tao Hoo (cooked salad of spicy sour minced tofu and mushroom dressed with fresh herbs and lime)
Main – Kanom Jeen (coils of thin noodles served with two choices of coconut based sauce: nam ya (thick and spicy) and/or nam prik (rich and sweet), accompanied by an array of side dishes including fresh Thai herbs, vegetables, and condiments)
Desserts – Floating Lotus/Bua Loi (sticky rice balls in warm pandan infused sweet coconut milk and sticky rice with caramelised freshly grated coconut)
Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!), in conjunction with The Gallery Cafe of Bethnal Green, brings you a unique take on Mexican cuisine to east London.
The tastes, sights and sounds of Mexico City are coming to London for one night only. This special event is inspired by street food of the Mexican capital and the menu has been designed by me based on my love of the city.
**Ingredients are supplied in part by Cool Chile Co. Follow them on Twitter where they will be giving away a pair of tickets to this event**
The Gallery Cafe will be closed to the public as we dish up mouthwatering Mexican fare, play visuals on the large screen and pump up some Mexican pop music.
The menu for the evening will include:
Welcome cocktail and snacks (non-alcoholic version of cocktail available)
Esquites (street style bowls of succulent corn kernels cooked in a savoury both and topped with mayo, chile and lime)
Soft tacos (warm corn tortillas with a hearty, spiced filling topped with fresh avocado and herbs – served with mixed rice)
Churros (hot sweetened piped doughnuts coated in cinnamon and sugar served with dipping chocolate)
This is set to be a mammoth social event filled with food and fun. Gather your best amigos and get your tickets now.
Please note: tickets are sold on a non-refundable basis although you are permitted to sell your ticket forward in the event you can no longer attend.
Ticket price includes one cocktail on arrival. Extra beer, wine, cider, soft drinks, juices and hot drinks will be sold by The Gallery Cafe.
I am writing this post just half a day away from the final Friday night of my month-long Around the World with FGV series. Tonight my guests will be marvelling at Thai street food creations, but before we look forward we need to look back.
Following is a selection of photos from the vegan Japanese dinner crafted by Jhenn of The Vegan Ronin. Talk about handcrafted with love! Jhenn put just as much attention into the wonderful background stories she told for each dish as she did for making the food. It was highly entertaining and informative.
Follow Jhenn on Twitter to keep track of her diverse range of food events and do yourself a massive favour by buying some of her home made seitan. It’s lovely.
OK. Get looking at good food below.