London vegan news, reviews & events
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.
Are you interested in taking part in a discussion about community building? Well, you are in luck!
Join me in central London this Wednesday (26/3/14) from 7pm as I chair a collaborative talk around the topics of community building, engagement and social capital. The discussion is part of the long running series of monthly talks presented by London Vegans.
There are free hot drinks provided and you are welcome to bring some vegan snacks to share. The discussion is open to everyone and there is no need to book.
Hot food can be pre-ordered from Shambhu’s Vegan Catering (you will recall the giant vegan breakfast event I hosted with them last month). Go to their website to see the special menu and place your order for Wednesday.
The price of admission to the talk is £2 (£1 concessions). Doors open 6:30pm. Panel discussion starts between 7:00pm and 7:30pm.
Location: Community Rooms, Millman Street (entrance next to 38a), Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3EW. Nearest station is Russell Square.
To anyone who thinks they have eaten the most delicious food in the world, I respectfully inform you that it gets better.
Last week marked the second event in my month of Friday night supper clubs known as Around the World with FGV and Vanessa of Essential Vegan gave attendees a culinary experience they won’t forget in a hurry.
Vanessa started the proceedings off by serving an irresistible selection of Brazilian bar nibbles including cheese bread, polenta sticks and cassava chips.
The first Friday night of my month-long Around the World with FGV supper club series took place last week and it was a vegan meal of epic proportions.
Adrian and Diana of Vegan Peasant Catering came up with the vegan goods (and then some!) during their Caribbean themed dining event. It was a truly world class affair.
You only need to see the photos below to understand that Vegan Peasant are one of the finest catering companies on the planet. You don’t often get vegan food of this quality in the UK. It’s a rare treat, indeed.
Follow Vegan Peasant on Twitter and like them on Facebook to make sure you keep updated with all of their upcoming events and culinary adventures. I can’t recommend hiring their services highly enough if you are planning a special event that requires catering.
Your guests will be blown away. Mine were!
So much has been going on since I returned home from Mexico City. It has been a whirlwind of activity.
But certainly one of the highlights for me since arriving back in the UK was hosting the mammoth London Vegan Breakfast Club in conjunction with Shambhu’s Vegan Catering.
40 people packed into the kitchen and canteen known as The Food Chain in King’s Cross to enjoy one incredibly satisfying morning meal. The plates were piled high with vegan breakfast delights such as fried bread, baked beans, sausages, greens and hash browns. Attendees guzzled record amounts of fairtrade coffee, tea and orange juice while the organic olive leaf tea was a smash hit, too.
Many thanks to all who came along. It was a wonderful community event.
Huge thanks to the companies involved in feeding the masses. Please click through to follow these people on Twitter and let them know how much it means that they support the vegan community: Fry’s Vegetarian (sausages), Mr. Organic (baked beans), Soyfoods (tofu), Vx (discount vouchers) and Mirabilia Olive Leaf Tea (tea, obviously!).
Finally, enjoy the photos below!
I was out and about in London tonight, drinking beer and laughing at drunk people (yes, it turned out to be a mirror), when a thought crossed my mind.
Had I confirmed the date for the 2014 London Vegan Beer Fest on my blog yet? I remember excitedly posting the date on Twitter and Facebook, but it occurred to me I hadn’t shared this information with my loyal FGV readers.
How rude of me.
Pencil it in. Saturday July 12, 2014.
In celebration of you now knowing this date, I am kindly sharing this photo of a pint of beer I consumed earlier this evening in a pub near Charing Cross, London.
Let’s me finish this brief (yet informative) post by asking you to leave a comment below telling me which beers we should feature at the event this year? What is your favourite vegan beer?
Answers below!