Oh Manchester – so much to answer for

What The Pitta win major award

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This is fabulous news.

Not only did London vegan restaurant What The Pitta win a major award last night, they have exclusively told me they are set to open their fifth location in Manchester this year!

Too much awesome news.

First things first.

The British Kebab Awards were announced last night in London and the much-adored What The Pitta won Best Takeaway.

I am so thrilled for Roj and Cem. Their food is some of the best on the planet and they have worked seriously hard to make their business a success.

The Mayor of London was also on hand to help them celebrate.

I asked Cem to give me a quick statement on how they are feeling afer their huge win. This is what he said:

To win at the Kebab Awards is a huge statement for veganism and just how far it has come. We were laughed at when we decided to create London’s first exclusively vegan kebab shop more than three years ago and now we’ve taken centre stage with our vegan spin on the British classic kebab. We can’t adequately thank our fans and everyone who voted and supported us from the start.

I’m so happy for this vegan business.

Congratulations are over, but you also came for the new location announcement. Keep reading below.

During our conversation about their win, Cem also let slip a little bit of exciting news.

The fifth location for What The Pitta is set to open in Manchester during May 2020.

Yes, Manchester!

This northern location will be in addition to their Shoreditch, Camden, Croydon, and Brighton spots. I’ll report further details as they become available.

It feels like nothing can stop these vegan food heroes. Let’s eat with them often and keep it that way!

Please follow What The Pitta on Instagram.

Vegan vending machine in UK first

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Manchester. You have a wonderful thing in your midst.

On the second floor of Afflecks Palace (you know the big old fleamarket style place in the Northern Quarter with lots of cool traders?) you’ll find the UK’s first (and definitely not last) all-vegan snack vending machine.

The vending machine by Peace by Piece Vegans is the first all-vegan machine in the UK (unless someone can tell me otherwise).

And because homelessness sucks, ending the intense levels of homelessness in Manchester is something the machine is getting behind. 10% of all their profits will go towards this cause.

Vegan snacks AND sending some funds to a solid cause. Sounds fab.

Here’s all you need to know about the machine:

• Second floor of Afflecks Palace (next to vegan Not So Sweet Nails)
• Open 10:30am-6:00pm Monday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturdays
• Sundays… afraid not!
• They have regular stock updates to keep things exciting
• They only take card payments

If you wanna keep updated with all the treats being loaded into the Peace by Piece vegan vending machine, follow them on Instagram.

Vegan in Altrincham

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I love when I hear about a vegan food business that has been thriving for years before it even crosses my radar.

How wonderful to think that there are possibly dozens of undiscovered vegan eateries out there, just waiting for me to experience.

One example of this type of stealth vegan food business is Güd in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

This fab-looking eatery has been serving up tasty plant-based food for a few years inside Altrincham market but I only found out about it a few days ago when owner John reached out to me.

This is what he had to say:

I’ve been trading at Altrincham Market since 2015, starting with a weekend market stall and moving to my current permanent unit at the market a couple of years ago. Back when I started doing the stall there just wasn’t really any casual, good quality vegan options in the area so I decided to put that right and do it myself. I’ve got a small menu with certain things like the black bean burger and tarka dal being on from day one, and then I occasionally change things up and put new things on. Korean BBQ tofu is a current favourite. I serve my burgers and wraps in a flatbread which I make myself every day and roll fresh to order. It’s a small place and I do mostly take away but there is some outdoor seating, which is pretty popular in the summer. I do weekly changing soups and smoothies. Vegan options are still quite thin on ground in Altrincham so I’ve got quite a good core of regular customers.

Follow Güd on Instagram and take a look at some of this gorgeous food below.

This weekend in Manchester

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There is a BIG vegan event taking place in Manchester this weekend and I’m so happy to announce that I will be there!

Manchester Vegan Fest 2017 is promising great food, entertainment, talks, new people to meet and lots of funky vegan stalls.

The two day event run by Vegan Organic Network is being staged at Sashas Hotel right in the centre of Manchester.

Sahsas is located in the heart of central Manchester, a short walk from from Piccadilly Train Station and a few hundred yards from the bus station.

More than 4,000 visitors are expected at the event which will have two café areas in the main hall and one downstairs with live music. Upstairs there will be a talks, a film room, cooking demonstrations and vegan fitness including exercise machines and yoga.

On Saturday at 3:00pm, I will be hosting a talk and Q&A discussion about the themes from my soon-to-be published book Fat Gay Vegan: How To Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give A Sh!t.

The book is published on January 4, 2018 but you can get a sneak preview as I share some of the stories and insights. A very limited number of the books will be for sale directly after my talk for £8.99.

You can pre-order the book online.

RSVP to the Manchester Vegan Fest 2017 Facebook event here.

Best vegan breakfast

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I’m constantly on the hunt for the best cooked vegan breakfast in the UK and I think I’ve found a strong contender.

Teatime Collective in Manchester is a wonderful place for comfort food, cake and ice cream but I had never tried their all-day breakfast until this weekend.

It was stunning.

It had all the components of a vegan fry up including a potato cake! Also, if your fry up doesn’t have beans and toast, don’t even talk to me.

Have you tried this breakfast? How does it rate compared to your favourite?

You can follow Teatime Collective on Instagram.

Beer list for Manchester Vegan Beer Fest

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Take a look at this SOLID beer list lined up for Manchester Vegan Beer Fest this Saturday and then buy a ticket for just £4 online (£8 on the door).

The selection is spread across keg, cask and can offerings. Start planning your drinking now. We will give you a tick sheet on the day to help you keep track.

Bad Seed Brewery

Ain’t Bright 5.0% ABV Collaboration with North Riding Brewery. New England Pale. Ultra hazy, juicy pale ale with soft mouth feel and tropical juice character from Citra, Mosaic and experimental BRU-1 hops

Dalliance 4.0% ABV Cascade hopped pale – fresh flavours of grapefruit, lychee & citrus from the hop that started the craft beer movement

Hefeweizen 5.1% Award winning German style wheat beer with notes of banana and clove. Light and refreshing

Jungle Juice 4.6% ABV Collaboration with Heavy Industry. New England Hopfenweisse. German wheat beer yeast meets a huge dry hop combo including El Dorado, Sorachi Ace, Ekuanot and Jarlingo. Plus just a touch of Lemon Peel to add to the tropical fruit salad

Pond Hopper 4.2% ABV Transatlantic Red Ale. Rich ruby malt base acts as a perfect backdrop for the firework display of English and American hops. Jester, Chinook & Cascade brings a wild tropical fruit flavour with a citrus & grapefruit aroma

Session IPA 4.0% ABV Easy drinking, full on hop flavour. Zythos, Jester & Chinook hops combine to give flavours of tropical fruit, citrus, grapefruit, lychee & pine

Brass Castle Brewery

Brass Lager 5.3% ABV A moreish malt-forward Vienna lager with a characteristic brass hue and aromas of caramel, toffee and lemon. Medium body with a minimal head. Smooth, fruity finish

Disruptor 7.4% ABV Hoppy and hazy New England style double IPA, complex and silky with strong hops

Helles Lager 4.4% ABV Refreshing Munich-style light lager. Winner of the SIBA UK National Champion Lager award 2017! Refreshing and crisp Helles with a medium-sweet finish. Aromas of toffee, grains and floral notes. GLUTEN FREE

Hopped Cider 6.0% ABV A hop-infused cider! The best of both worlds

Hoptical Illusion 4.3% ABV Mini-IPA with tropical hop flavours and a magical secret – it contains neither barley nor wheat malt! This beer is brewed with the African grain sorghum with aromas of pine, mango, pineapple and syrup. GLUTEN FREE

Sunshine IPA 5.7% ABV A North Yorks version of the fashionable US West Coast hop-forward IPA. Bitterness is balanced by malt sweetness in our IPA and dry-hopping rounds out the aroma. Multiple hop types in this one, to justify the ‘sunshine-in-a-glass’ claim.!! GLUTEN FREE

Vociferous Agreement 10% ABV a triple IPA brewed in collaboration with Wilde Childe Brewing. A dark amber body with a thick head. Fruity spiced orange flavour with a big hop finish

Orchards of Husthwaite Gold Cider 5.5% ABV Medium-dry, full-bodied cider GLUTEN FREE

Orchards of Husthwaite Galtres Katy 6.0% ABV Medium-sweet, single variety blush cider GLUTEN FREE

Brass Castle have also stocked the nightclub bar with a selection of vegan wines and soft drinks

Heavy Industry Brewing

77 4.9% ABV CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2016 Gold Medal winner (strong bitters category) – A big amber IPA style beer brewed with the finest pale and crystal malts dark – Seville marmalade is backed up by a piney, peppery bitterness

La Vie en Rose 4.0% ABV A Delicate Hibiscus sour with a mixed fermentation and berry notes.Dry Hopped

Le Boulet D’Or D’Amour 5.4% ABV A dry hopped fruity saison, pale refreshing and spicy

Moral Panic 8.2% ABV Double IPA Served through a hop rocket for even more Citra

Pigeon Toed Orange Peel 5.2% ABV A cloudy orange hefeweissen style beer brewed with the finest Pale and Wheat malts. Featuring Mandarina Bavaria hops. Notes of cloves, pears and pineapple underlay a big freshly squeezed orange taste

Twisted Barrel Ales

Beast of a Midlands Mild 3.5% ABV A traditional Midlands style mild made using a complex variety of malts to provide a rich, textured backbone that belies its minimal strength. The addition of vanilla pods provides a creamy finish and aroma

Detroit Sour City 4.0% ABV A thirst quenching, fruity sour beer. Kettle soured for a deliciously tart acidity, then dry hopped with Rakau and Equinox hops for a tropical citrus flavour

Raspberry Ripple Sour 3.5% ABV A base of Pilsner, Oats and Wheat, kettle soured with Lactobacillus Plantarum and fermented with 20kg of raspberry puree and vanilla pods, for a deliciously refreshing raspberry ripple ice cream like effect

Saison From Another Place 5.5% ABV a Belgian farmhouse ale, brewed with dried elderflower & peppercorns for a floral, spicy flavour that blends with the characteristics of the funky Belgian yeast

Tongo 6.0% ABV A Rakau hop stand provides a delicious nectarine flavour that pairs delightfully with the fruity, peppery characteristics of the saison yeast. Made in collaboration with Blackjack Brewery in Manchester and The Wolf Pub in Birmingham

Wake Up Juicy 8.0% ABV The worlds of Belgian Tripel and modern DIPA collide. We’ve taken our immensely popular Tripel recipe and hopped it to DIPA levels with an intoxicating blend of Mosaic, Denali and Equinox hops

There will also be an amazing selection of food offerings thanks to V Rev Vegan Diner, Mother May I, Sgaia Vegan Meats, The Vegan Food Pod and Moodley Manor.

Vegan comfort food for Manchester

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I wrote about the vegan food options at Manchester’s The Deaf Institute a while ago, but only just got around to trying some of it for myself last night.

The Deaf Institute is a bar, kitchen and live music venue just off Oxford Road. The kitchen is open every single day from 4pm until late and is packed solid with vegan comfort food.

Confusingly, the menu does make claims about a full vegan kitchen but during my visit their were a few non-vegan items listed on that very same menu such as meat and cheese. I’m not really sure what this means.

Anyway, the vegan food is plentiful and really quite good.

You can follow The Deaf Institute on Instagram and keep scrolling down to see everything Josh and I devoured last night.

Extra note: I wasn’t keen on the wall of animal skulls and horns as decorations, either.

Extra extra note: The Deaf Institute might very well be a great hangover spot for you and your friends the day after Manchester Vegan Beer Fest, taking place in three weeks! Book a ticket.

Vegan pizza in Manchester

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Big news for the vegan and vegan-curious people of Manchester. A 100% vegan pizza and fast food joint has opened today!

Zad’s of Chorlton is boasting a pretty impressive menu that includes a huge range of pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, sides and more. Seriously, this menu is epic.

Check it out below.

What do you think?!

Zad’s threw open their doors today (Friday July 21, 2017) so get along as soon as you can to say hello and support this new plant-based business.

You can click here to see the exact location of Zad’s thanks to Google Maps. The restaurant is open from 4pm until 11pm every day of the week except Monday when it is closed.

Follow Zad’s on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Monthly vegan event in Manchester

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How about getting yourself to Manchester (or if you are already there, get yourself out your front door) for this monthly vegan food and beer event. It sounds fab.

Presented by Chorlton Brewing Company, this market takes place on the first Saturday of each month with the next instalment happening July 1, 2017.

There will be food by V Rev Vegan Diner (best vegan junk food in the UK!), Nicely Kitchen (cakes!) and Jammin’ Jally’s Vegan Delicacies (aged vegan cheese!). To wash down all that great food, Chorlton Brewing Company be pouring two taps of their beer (all vegan!) as well as making their one-of-a-kind sour beer smoothies.

The is all happening at Chorlton Brewery, 69 North Western Street, M12 6DX, around a ten minute walk from Piccadilly station. The event is at an actual brewery with some outdoor seating. Click here to see it on Google Maps.

Dogs (and cats, ferrets and any of your other furry mates) are welcome!

Good times, Manchester.

You can RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

Best vegan bakery?

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Did you know that the best vegan eatery in the UK (V Rev Diner) has an in house bakery that is one of the best vegan bakeries on the planet?

The stunning line up of sweet treats being churned out by the Tender Vegan Bakery team is almost unbearable to follow on their Instagram account. It’s too good.

It’s as though they have taken the concept of decadent vegan cakes and catapulted it into the heavens.

Please check out some of these choice photos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQGnHGQDhmk/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQItbhmDtDq/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRc23EJh4m8/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRvXiKlBCm_/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSEQRITBAxX/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSTSr5lBGmG/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS3bGYBBgNZ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTvzko-l5uH/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTv6lRTleBY/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT6R8cdFwoX/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUjZJB7lBlq/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUot0lpFmRn/

Where else are you seeing this sort of outrageous offering?

Follow Tender Vegan Bakery on Instagram and get into V Rev for gorgeous food, both savoury and sweet.

Click here to see the location of V Rev thanks to Google Maps.