London vegan news, reviews & events
Last night marked the 4th year anniversary of (and final outing for) London Vegan Potluck. After four fabulous years, I decided to bring the monthly food happening to an end.
We went out with a bang.
Check out this HUGE vegan Victoria sponge cake presented to me by Mellissa Morgan of Ms. Cupcake. It had an edible version of my face on it!
Stick a fork in London Vegan Potluck. It’s done.
There has never been a vegan community event like London Vegan Potluck and it will be a long time until we see the likes of it again, if ever. It stands unrivalled.
At its height, more than 100 people were filling our central London location with a wide range of plant-based dishes every month. We started with just 20 people back in May 2011 in Brixton and we are finishing with a bang in May 2015 in Holborn.
Time marches on, people.
Almost four years ago I started an event that quickly became a staple of vegan London. London Vegan Potluck was established because I couldn’t believe the event didn’t already exist when I arrived to the UK from Australia.
I wanted a monthly food party where vegans and the vegan-curious could make and share homemade, compassionate dishes in a friendly community setting.
What started as a cosy event in the arcade next to the Ms. Cupcake bakery in Brixton soon blossomed into an incredibly busy happening in the longterm location of Faraday House in Holborn. We were even featured on BBC Radio.
A review of the first ever London Vegan Potluck can be seen here. Many thanks must be given to Mellissa Morgan of Ms. Cupcake for her generosity in allowing us to set up next to her business for those formative first six months. Additional thanks to Freedom Brewery who donated beer for the first London Vegan Potluck, thus becoming the first business to support and believe in an event that will have run for four years as it comes to a close in May 2015.
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?
London Vegan Potluck is legendary.
When I started this food event back in May 2011, I never thought it would become the runaway success it has. On the first Wednesday of every month, up to 100 vegans and vegan curious people converge on our Holborn location to share homemade food.
It has been a true thrill to watch the potluck grow from its humble beginnings of just 20 people inside Brixton market to the huge crowds it now attracts. We have enjoyed a record attendance of 110 people while most potluck nights come in around the 80 mark.
London Vegan Potluck gives attendees a chance to show off their culinary skills and learn from others. A strength of the event is the friendly competition that has sprung up, encouraging people to come up with inventive, tasty and unique meal ideas. It encourages and inspires potluckers.
The potluck is also a safe and friendly space for new or potential vegans to investigate plant-based eating. Long term vegans and newbies interact, share recipes and give each other tips on how to make the best vegan food they can.
The following photos were taken at the February 2014 London Vegan Potluck. These dishes were just a sliver of the amazing range of food being shared.
Thinking about attending London Vegan Potluck this July 3rd but need another reason? I have got a good one!
The wonderful management and staff of Lush South Molton Street are coming along to pamper and treat potluck attendees with lip balm and cruelty-free make up demonstrations. Attendees can chat with the Lush experts as they try some of the finest vegan personal products on the market.
But’s that’s not all. Of course there is a prize on offer.
Attend London Vegan Potluck, have a chat with the Lush crew, sign up to their email list and you will instantly be in the draw for a fabulous prize to be given away on the night.
And what a prize it is!
I want to take a moment to digress from my usual food rants to show my appreciation for London Vegan Potluck.
London Vegan Potluck came into being over two years ago when I had the idea to create a regular, monthly event that was as much about socialising as it was about vegan food. I wanted to create a safe and welcoming gathering that would always be there for (and because of) the vegans of London.
The event started as a tiny get together of 20 people in the arcade next to the Ms. Cupcake bakery in Brixton. I remember being terrified that nobody would show up, but almost instantly the sense of community surrounding the potluck came to life and we haven’t stopped growing since that first night.
After six months of hosting the event in Brixton, I had to say goodbye to Ms. Cupcake and move London Vegan Potluck to bigger premises. It was just that popular! Thanks to the immense generosity of the Syracuse University London Program and its staff, we were able to secure a huge central London space equipped with everything we needed to make the event a continued success.
We have now been celebrating the potluck in our Holborn location ever since and to say it is a runaway success would be an understatement. The attendance numbers have broken the 100 mark on several occasions and I am always overwhelmed by the number of new attendees I meet every month.
The list of vegan and vegan-friendly companies that have supported the event with samples is mammoth. I am grateful to the traders who have personally attended to not only share their products with us, but to also make connections within the vegan community. I am humbled by the travellers and tourists from around the UK and the world who go out of their way to make London Vegan Potluck a stop on their already packed schedules. We have enjoyed the company of visitors from Australia, France, the USA, Canada, Spain, China and many more locations than I can recall.
It is hard work putting the potluck together every month. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the amount of time I have spent moving chairs, washing dishes, arranging tables, liaising with sponsors, updating websites, answering queries, shopping for supplies and hosting the actual event.
But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Sure I get irked when people show up with no food to contribute or complain the event doesn’t suit their taste/schedule/sensibilities, but the positive contribution and social capital I see being paid back into my community on the first Wednesday of every single month overrides any negativity.
The immense interest surrounding the potluck led me to create and host the monthly London Vegan Drinks event which is even more successful and draws well over 100 people on the third Thursday of every month. I have received messages from people around the UK who have been inspired by the London event to create their own local potluck. The goodwill generated by that first-ever event in Brixton is infectious and continues to spread.
London Vegan Potluck works to support vegans on their journey to remain vegan, helps the curious and kind-hearted make the transition to a plant-based diet and creates a safe and dependable space for people to exist as compassionate eaters without judgement for two hours each and every month.
In my opinion, all of this improves outcomes for animals, people and the planet. What more could you ask for?
I think every city could do with a monthly vegan potluck. Don’t you agree?
I love announcements and I especially love announcements featuring a whole lot of vegan food. If the news can also contain a bit of info about a cool animal charity too, I am giggling with delight.
This month, London Vegan Potluck will be hosting a raffle on behalf of Moo Free Chocolates. The company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for new chocolate making equipment in order to expand their business.
Any money gathered from the raffle will be added to the Kickstarter fund. Moo Free are supplying us with a selection of their delicious and tempting treats for the competition. Read about my love for Moo Free Chocolates here and here and here and here.
As Kickstarter requires fundraisers to reach their full target before collecting any of the money, Moo Free have indicated they would like the raffle funds to go to The Farm Animal Sanctuary in the instance of their target not being reached.
Find out about and donate to the Moo Free Kickstarter campaign here
Follow Moo Free on Twitter
Discover The Farm Animal Sanctuary here
Like The Farm Animal Sanctuary on Facebook
Come along to the February London Vegan Potluck. You could win some tasty vegan chocolate. You might just raise some funds for a compassionate company. There is a chance your money will support a wonderful animal sanctuary. And you are certain to eat a whole lot of delicious, homemade vegan food. Winners all round!
The London Vegan Potluck stormed back into the capital this week and the food was on another level of awesome. New vegan dessert champions Pudology were on board as sponsors to add to the enjoyment.
Because I was too busy eating on the night, my dear friend Cookie Von Stir has kindly dropped in to show you what you missed.
Follow Cookie Von Stir on Twitter
Visit Cookie Von Stir online
Take it away, Cookie!
In just 12 months London Vegan Potluck has become somewhat of an institution. The first Wednesday of every month has been turned into a glorious sea of vegan food delights.
But we don’t just stuff ourselves silly and stroke our bellies. Sometimes London vegans like to give back. In that spirit, we turned the most recent London Vegan Potluck into a fundraiser for Animal Aid. Sponsored by the wonderful Tupperware Man, the event raised approximately £150 for the charity through a raffle and partial sales donations.
(The Tupperware Man can also be found selling his wares this week as part of the super camp Dixie’s Tupperware Party at the Soho Theatre)
Potluck attendee Charlotte and her photographer companion Alicia have kindly offered to report back on the wonderful event. Take it away, friends…