Provincial towns you jog round

Vegan cake in the country

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Wanna try and stop the vegan food revolution sweeping the UK? I pity the fool!

There is now a vegan cake and coffee shop in the Yorkshire village of Mytholmroyd in Hebden Bridge!

My Kind of Cake is now serving all manner of sweet bakes including cheesecake, Victoria sponge, coffee & walnut plus so many more. It sounds like cake heaven.

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The shop is a 40-minute drive west of Leeds (just past Halifax) so it might feel a little off most radars, but the area is gorgeous and well worth a sightseeing weekend. Keep driving another hour after Hebden Bridge and you’ll find yourself in Manchester, so there is plenty to see and do in that part of the world.

You can visit My Kind of Cake online and like them on Facebook.

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Vegan hairdresser

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We all like to buy dairy-free custard and long ago we gave up meat, but how far can we go to remove animal exploitation from our lives?

Well, the next step for a lot of us will be only choosing vegan hairdressers to style us. If you go to a hair salon and can afford it, why not choose vegan?

Maddy reached out to me this week to let me know about her fabulous vegan hair styling service in Oswestry, Shropshire.

This is what she had to say:

I’m Maddy, a vegan hairdresser passionate about trying to do as much as I can to ensure my work impacts as little as possible on the environment.

The plant-based revolution is picking up huge momentum over recent years and I want to join in and help be the change.

I’m lucky enough to have the most amazing bunch of clients and although a lot aren’t vegan, they totally embrace my choices and the vegan element to my work. I’ve noticed they’ll tell me about their personal changes towards a cruelty free lifestyle too.

I have looked at all aspects of my work to see what I can do from products to printing, refreshments to washing powder. For me it has been a process of breaking everything down and building it all back together to make sure every part is cruelty free.

If you’re looking for a forward thinking stylist, look for a salon that stocks and uses Organic Colour Systems; British made, organic, cruelty free products.

You can visit Maddy’s Facebook page here.

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New vegan business in Cornwall

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Come on, people. If you don’t have a 100% vegan café in your town in this day and age, you had better get busy opening one yourself.

The UK is exploding with vegan eateries and I am struggling to keep up with reporting on them all.

Next up? The Cornish town of Truro!

The Cornish Vegan is a super cute looking plant-based café set to fling open its doors tomorrow (Tuesday September 13, 2016). I can’t wait to see food photos start to flow out of this place and I’m thrilled for all the compassionate diners across Cornwall who now have another option on their doorstep.

Loving our new shop front with our logo! #thecornishvegan #truro #vegancornwall

A photo posted by The Cornish Vegan (@the.cornish.vegan) on


You can see the exact location of The Cornish Vegan on Google Maps.

Visit The Cornish Vegan online, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram and like them on Facebook.

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Vegan event in Bristol

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Are you anywhere near Bristol on Sunday September 11, 2016? You need to get along to this rad event.

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Firstly, how can you go past an event called Absolutely Fabulous Vegan Festival? You would have to be a monster of a person to pass this by.

Secondly, what an awesome line up of food vendors!

There is set to be pizza, raw cheesecakes, donuts, corn dogs, burgers and so much more. I would be all over this event if I was in Bristol.

Get along and RSVP to the Facebook event page.

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Seaside vegan food

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How about vegan food from a waterside business?

Potato Tomato are offering just that as a completely plant-based caterer based in Whitstable Bay, Kent.

I asked owner Niki for a bit of insight into what she does and why:

I started the business in May this year when I needed a new challenge. My first event was the Kent Vegan festival where I shared a stall with Compassion Cakes.

We advertised a vegan pop up for the end of May which was a big success. We did an afternoon tea and then a three course meal in the evening.

Potato Tomato now has a permanent base in the Harbour Market Whitstable. We’ve had a really successful summer selling salads alongside hot foods such as our double stack cheeseburger, pulled jackfruit and seitan skewers. We also stock brownies, blondies and lemon drizzle from Compassion Cakes.

I love chatting to the people who come to the hut. Having been vegan since I was a baby I’ve grown up feeling like the only vegan in the village (except for my sister) so it’s really great seeing how many people are now vegan. I definitely feel positive for the future of the business as the vegan movement is growing all the time. We now have seating at the Hut so I am excited about the events I can put on over the coming months and I am looking forward to expanding and developing the menu.

Sounds fab. You should follow Potato Tomato on Facebook.

Now for some photos!

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Hot vegan breakfast

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Why is it so tough to get a cooked breakfast?

The UK is famous all over the world for fry ups and cooked breakfasts, so you think it would be an easy task to find a quality vegan version.

Not so. I can’t really think of any in London that I would rave about. Please correct me if I’m mistaken.

A few weeks back I did stumble across a delightful vegan breakfast in a vegetarian café in Lancaster called The Whale Tail Café.

Check it out!

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It wasn’t complicated but it was expertly put together.

Sausages, tofu, beans, hash browns, tomatoes, mushrooms and a side of toast. It was perfect.

Visit The Whale Tail Café online and visit for this satisfying meal soon.

And…

Pop your recommendations into the comments for fab vegan breakfasts.

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Vegan chocolate factory open day

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How about all your dreams coming true at once?

Chocolate-producing heroes Ethicoco are flinging open the doors to their factory for one day only and it sounds like quite the event.

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Check out what they have to say about their open day taking place on Saturday September 24, 2016:

Hampshire’s only chocolate factory is opening its doors for a limited time, offering you a glimpse into the workings of a successful independent business and one-man (and his daughter) empire.

Alongside exploring the delights of Ethicoco’s one-of-a-kind bean to bar chocolate, the event will also include a delicious vegan BBQ, absolutely free; as well as a cash bar.

Join us to learn more about successfully running your own business, the art of chocolate making, or just to enjoy some excellent food and drink. As an added bonus, the first ten people to arrive on the day will each receive a gift bag of chocolates!

This sounds like a fantastic day out.

What’s not to love? A chocolate factory, a free vegan BBQ and a cash bar!

RSVP to the Facebook event here. Visit the Ethicoco website to find out more info on their range.

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Shake frenzy in Sheffield

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These photos do not need words. Just action.

Get to Burger Lols in Sheffield ASAP for these outrageous shakes.


Yep. Stunning.

Follow Burger Lols on Instagram and get their address on their Facebook page.

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Vegan café in Surrey

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News has just arrived at my doorstep of a brand new vegan café opening in Bookham, Surrey this month.

I reached out to the owners to find out a little bit of information surrounding Crazy Bean and here is what they told me:

We are opening a vegan cafe in Great Bookham, Surrey. Located at 23 the High Street, our launch events are over the weekend of the 16th and 17th of September and will include complimentary drinks and tastings on both evenings and throughout the day on the 17th.
We chose to go vegan about 3 years ago and knew we needed to leave the rat race to do more. Our cafe is only part of plans to launch community growing projects and hopefully launch a range of products into the majors when we are ready. We are on a huge learning curve but we are passionate about the cause.
We have had an amazing amount of support already in the area and hope to advertise further afield. While this will be a business, we feel our responsibility with this cafe and all we do is much bigger than our own livelihoods. There is more about this in my first two blogs on our site www.crazy-bean.com so please do check them out.
Of course, we want to provide delicious food and are working really hard to build a menu that everybody will love.

How fab does that sound?

Follow Crazy Bean on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

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Guest post: vegan pizza in Southend

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Awesome guest post about vegan pizza in Southend by Jenny Canham of Vegan Boho blog (follow her on Instagram and Twitter).

This weekend marked a very happy occasion for vegans in the Essex area, we have been blessed with vegan pizza thanks to The Railway Hotel!

The Railway Hotel is a vegetarian/vegan pub which was listed in PETA’s list of Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Pubs in the UK. It has been a firm favourite for vegan food amongst people living in Essex and further afield. They sell a wide selection of traditional pub favourites, such as vegan ‘fish’ and chips with tartare sauce, and a range of vegan desserts to finish.

The pizzeria is an exciting addition to this quirky pub. It’s set up separately from the bar, and you can order your pizza by filling out a sheet, on which you can select ‘vegan pizza’ and then choose as many veggie toppings as your heart desires.

The Railway Hotel use Violife Pizza Cheese on their pizzas, which melts beautifully, and each pizza is presented in a traditional box so you can take home what you don’t manage to eat (or if you wanted to save room for one of their awesome desserts!).

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After talking to the owners, I also discovered an extra topping to this exciting pizza news! They are currently looking into offering a pizza delivery service to the area…so people that live nearby may soon be able to order vegan pizza from the comfort of their own home. The pub have also just released their brand new Indian Summer Menu…which is 100% vegan! Hooray!

The Railway Hotel is my favourite local hangout, not only for the delicious vegan food with new dishes added regularly, but also for the general atmosphere and friendliness of everybody there. I hope more people get the chance to check out their amazing new pizzas and hearty vegan pub food!

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