Vegan chocolate factory open day

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

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

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

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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Update on Sheffield vegan café

I delivered news to you a few days ago about the wonderful Sheffield-based food experts Make No Bones and how they have opened a permanent café.

The blog post didn’t include much info or any photos so I thought it best to get along. I wanted to have something more substantial to show you.

I eat for you, dear readers.

Check out this incredible selection of plant-based dishes I devoured during my visit. Make No Bones is a place where you will find some of the best vegan food on the planet. I almost wept with joy.

Spiced battered avocado wings with dill & chive sour cream at @mnbvegan in Sheffield. #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Be warned. @mnbvegan in Sheffield means business. Look at this #vegan tiramisu sundae!

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


Yes. It tasted as good as it looks. Possibly even better. News of the café starting a Sunday roast service this weekend has me considering relocating to Sheffield.

You must make time to eat with Make No Bones soon. Your life will be improved. If you run a vegan food business, go along and be inspired by this exceptionally high standard of food. It’s a knockout.

Follow Make No Bones on Instagram and Facebook.

VBF-TWCover

Beer list for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

We have talked about the food and the music, but here is the real news surrounding Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest.

The beer list.

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This list will be handed out as a tick sheet to all attendees, with room to make notes on your favourites.

Tickets are just £4 in advance (plus tiny booking fee) or £7 on the door if we have room. Day session or night session, take your pick or come to both!

Now the beer.

Cask

  • Barneys Red Rye 4.5% ABV – Six types of grain and a mix of hops. Copper coloured, with a clean, crisp & fruity taste
  • Cromarty Whiteout 3.8% ABV – A seriously hopped up IPA brewed with modern classic hops such as Citra, Motueka and Mosaic
  • Drygate Dark Skies 4.2% ABV – Good solid stout with chocolate and coffee notes
  • Fallen New World Odyssey 4.1% ABV – Refreshing, easy drinking lager-style beer with a fruity aroma and slightly spicy citrusy flavour
  • Jaw Brew Fathom 4% ABV – Dense dark ale with a rich and satisfying flavour
  • Loch Lomond Southern Summit 4% ABV – Light blonde but highly hopped with summit and citra hops
  • Pilot Orange/Green 5.1% ABV – American hops bring the green, Orange peel brings the orange to this beautiful citrusy pale
  • Stewart Jack Black 3.7% ABV – Light crisp session pale ale with citrus and tropical fruit aromas and a smooth hoppy finish
  • Tempest Cascadian 3.9% ABV – Light and punchy session beer with citrus and pine aromas with balanced bitterness
  • Thistly Cross Traditional Cider 4.4% ABV – A refreshing full body, fruity & aromatic, with a clean apple finish
  • Top Out Altbier 4.5% ABV – A German classic with a Scottish twist. Malty/nutty flavour with bitter-sweet finish
  • Tryst Chocolate Coconut Porter 5% ABV – Velvety chocolate porter enhanced with toasted coconut
  • Windswept Marooned 5.2% ABV – Blackcurrant wheat beer with summer fruit aromas, tart flavours and sweet malt

Keg

  • Williams Joker IPA 5% ABV – Complex layer of malts and blended hops, golden in the glass, fruity on the nose with hints of cedar
  • Williams Caesar Augustus 4.1% ABV – A lager /IPA hybrid with crisp clean lager notes but with an IPA bitter finish
  • Williams Draught 4% ABV – Scottish craft lager with a refreshing citrus twist

Bottles & Cans

  • Beavertown Quelle (can) 4.1% ABV – A clean, crisp farmhouse pale packing a pale ale dry hop punch
  • Beavertown Gamma Ray (can) 5.4% ABV – Huge hop flavour rammed with juicy malts and tropical mango/grapefruit aromas
  • Beavertown Holy Cowbell (can) 5.6% ABV – Dark chocolate-like base beer piled on with the tropics of summit and centennial hops
  • Boundary American Pale Ale (bottle) 3.5% ABV – Fruity floral nose with dry hoppy flavour
  • Boundary IPA (bottle) 7% ABV – Clear, dark golden IPA with crisp hoppy body
  • Brewdog Dead Pony Club (can) 3.8% ABV – Packed with US hops and massive citrus aromas of lemongrass and lime zest
  • Burning Sky Easy Answers (bottle) 6% ABV – Clean drinking IPA with good body, subdued bitterness. and piney aromas
  • Buxton Axe Edge (bottle) 6.8% ABV – Full-flavoured IPA with mandarin orange, schnapps, pineapple, & juicy tropical fruits flavours
  • Cromarty Rogue Wave (bottle) 5.7% ABV – Extra pale ale with a mass of hop flavours to quench your thirst
  • Drygate Crossing the Rubicon (can) 6.9% ABV – Pale golden IPA with tropical fruit & citrus notes and bitter finish
  • Drygate Chimera (can) 5.9% ABV – Light, crisp, deceptively bitter with flowering fruit aromas
  • Drygate Disco Forklift Truck (can) 5% ABV – Juicy pale ale loaded with US hops and mango. Sweet with soft/bitter undertones
  • Fallen Just The Ticket (bottle) 4% ABV – Hoppy and pale, brewed with NZ and US hops to make a refreshing light beer
  • Fallen Grapevine (bottle) 5.4% ABV – Big tropical and citrus fruit flavours and aromas develop into a lasting bitterness
  • Fallen Local Motive (bottle) 3.9% ABV – Turbo charged with Mosaic dry-hops. Easy-drinking but loads of flavour
  • Fourpure Juicebox (can) 5.9% ABV – Fresh orange zest and aromatic hops with intense flavours of mango, papaya and bitter orange
  • Jaw Brew Reef Beer (bottle) 4.2% ABV – Beer with a piquant bite
  • Jaw Brew Wave Beer (bottle) 4.7% ABV – Smooth crisp and creamy wheat beer
  • Jaw Brew Glide Beer (bottle) 4.6% ABV – Biscuity sweetness and gentle hops
  • Jaw Brew Surf Beer (bottle) 4.3% ABV – Delightfully crisp and refreshing summer beer
  • Lagunita IPA (bottle) 6.2% ABV – Well-rounded IPA. Caramel Malt barley provides the richness that mellows out the twang of the hops
  • Mad Hatter A Night Out (bottle) 6.6% ABV – Papaya Peach, Coconut & Chilli IPA. This is an IPA for sunny days
  • Mad Hatter Through A Stout Darkly (bottle) 9.7% ABV – A luxurious well-balanced Imperial Stout
  • Mad Hatter Pitch Funk (bottle) 4.3% ABV – Cloudy, yellow beer with spicy citrus, lemon and fruit flavours with a biscuity finish
  • Marble Damage Plan (bottle) 7.1% ABV – Fresh West Coast IPA with juicy tropical notes of pink grapefruit, papaya & mango
  • Moor Agent of Evil (can) 7% ABV – Big bold dark coffee chocolate malt with a burst of citrus hops to cut through
  • Sam Smith Raspberry beer (bottle) 5.1% ABV – Handcrafted complex ale blended with organic raspberry
  • Sam Smith Apricot Beer (bottle) 5.1% ABV – Handcrafted complex ale blended with organic apricot
  • Sierra Nevada Porter (bottle) 5.6% ABV – American style Porter featuring roasted notes of black coffee and cocoa
  • Speyside Dava Way IPA (bottle) 4% ABV – Fresh and flowery, full-flavoured pale ale from the Moray coast
  • Stewart Hollyrood (bottle) 5% ABV – Pale colour with fresh citrus aroma and tangy grapefruit flavours
  • Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropicana (bottle) 5.5% ABV – American hops, amplified by Peach, Passionfruit, Pineapple and Mango flavours
  • Tiny Rebel In & Around the Mouth (bottle) 6% ABV – IPA with spicy, citrussy, tropical and piney flavours
  • Top Out Schmankerl (bottle) 4.9% ABV – Bavarian style wheat beer with medium sweet flavour with warm spice finish
  • Top Out Altbier (bottle) 4.5% ABV – A German classic with a Scottish twist. Malty/nutty flavour with bitter-sweet finish
  • Up Front Ahab (can) 6% ABV – A complex, deep and rich fusion of dark malts with the fruity hop finish of an American Stout
  • Up Front Ishmael (can) 6% ABV – Subtly sweet malt characteristics, heady hop notes & robust bitterness of an American IPA
  • Windswept APA (bottle) 5% ABV – Award-winning IPA with smooth malts and a tangy grapefruit finish
  • Windswept Weizen (bottle) 5.2% ABV – A cloudy effervescent hefeweizen bursting with bananas and caramel

Wow. That is a list and a half.

Get your tickets now!

VBF-TWCover

New vegan café in Sheffield

Move over London, step aside Manchester and get ready to be challenged for your vegan crown, Glasgow.

Sheffield is quickly becoming a plant based city to be noticed.

I have already written about vegan grocery store The Incredible Nutshell, as well as Steel City Cakes and Burger Lolz, and now the South Yorkshire city is impressing with the grand opening of Make No Bones.

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How rad is that sign?!

Make No Bones has run a vegan food truck for quite a while, but now has taken the leap into bricks and mortar.

The sample menu on their website lists delicacies such as Tempeh Bacon & Avocado Sub, Ultimate Nachos and Jerk Tofu, Rice & Peas.

Sounds like my kinda place.

I have big plans to get there ASAP but in the meantime please do post glowing reviews in the comments below to inspire me to make the trip. If you get there before me, tell them FGV loves them and is on his way!

Follow Make No Bones on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Vegan hot dogs at Pride

This news makes me smile… and it makes me hungry.

If you go to Southampton Pride this weekend (Sunday August 28, 2016) you can buy and eat vegan hot dogs.

Even better? The vegan hot dog stand is being run by volunteers who are all vegan and all the proceeds from the stall are being donated to Southampton Pride. 

I’m a bit teary knowing that kindhearted people do things like this. I adore that they are supporting the LGBTQ community without contributing to animal harm.

This is resisting oppression without resorting to another form of oppression!

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I asked Hannah of Hannah Banana Bakery (who is one of the volunteers) what is on the menu and she told me:

We have homemade salsa, mayo, mustard, homemade coleslaw, fried onions, and ketchup. 100% of the money goes to the Pride event as we are all unpaid vegan volunteers on our stall. General event info is on the Pride website. We are on the stall outside “The Stage Door” bar on West Marlands Road all day until we sell out!

People, get along to support this wonderful initiative and eat up!

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Listen to this

Here is a musical interlude to break up your dreary day. Or to add extra value to your already awesome day. You pick!

Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest is just over a week away so I’m thrilled to finally be able to announce some news I was holding under my hat.

Attendees at the 12pm – 5pm daytime session will have the pleasure of not one but two live musical sets by irresistible Scottish band The Swizzle Sisters.

I adore the sound of this folk country band and the fact they are all animal lovers just makes it a sweeter deal to have them on board for the event (Patti and Paula are both longtime vegans while Maggie is veggie – our job is to turn her on the day!).

Have a listen to one of my favourite songs by the band.

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You can like The Swizzle Sisters on Facebook. A limited quantity of the band’s CDs will be sold on the day at the merch stand.

Buy cheap advance tickets for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest online now for just £4 plus small booking fee.

Read about the special Mono food menu for the event here.

VBF-TWCover

Menu for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

If you thought we weren’t taking food seriously at Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest later this month, you are in for a rude shock.

I take no small delight in presenting to you the exclusive Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest menu from the Mono kitchen.

Are you ready for this?

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GLASGOW VEGAN BEER FESTIVAL MENU

OUTSIDE BBQ MENU

Seitan burger in a sourdough burger bun with baby gem lettuce, bbq sauce, American mustard, white onions, dill pickles and beef tomato £6.00

Seitan burger in a sourdough bun with home-made kimchi £6.00

Seitan and black pudding burger in a sourdough bun with blue cheese sauce and caramelized red onion£6.00

Frankfurter in a soft bun with home made sauerkraut and mustard £6.00

Falafel burger on a bun with chili jam, mayo, baby gem and pickled veg (gf) £6.00

Add cheese to burgers – 50p

INDOOR MENU

Sourdough pizzas (gf available)

Margarita with fresh basil £7.50

Lahmacun Turkish style pizza with soya mince, roasted aubergine, white onion with a herbed diced salad, and topped with za’atar and yoghurt £9.00

Spicy Italian sausage, fresh red chilies, enoki mushrooms, black olives, fresh basil, smoked chili oil and cheese £9.00

Buffalo cauliflower, red onion, cheese, fresh oregano and Caesar sauce £9.00

Griddled yellow and green courgette with peas, mint and sumac served with or without vegan feta £9.00

Beetroot, kale, dill and garlic cream cheese, sun-blushed tomato, red onion and capers £9.00

Ham, pineapple, jalapeno and cheese £9.00

 

Mac & cheese (gf) £5

Add chipotle bacon bits £1.00

Add jalapeños 70p

Chickpea mayo melt with celery, dill, capers and red onion served on a toasted French roll with tomato and melted cheese £6.00

Buffalo tempeh burrito with coca cola black beans, dirty brown rice, shredded baby gem, sour cream and sweet corn, pineapple and jalapeño salsa £6.00

Bánh mì with crispy smoked tofu, cucumber and carrot pickle, Sriracha Vegenaise, white onion, basil & coriander, red chilies and shredded baby gem £6.00

Fava, raw beetroot, cucumber, carrot, red onion, black olives and salad wrap with house dressing and fresh mint £6.00

(gf sandwiches available)

 

Fries (gf) £3.50

Cajun fries with aioli (gf) £4

Poutine (gf) £5.00

Hot dog with ketchup, mustard and fried onions served with fries £4.00

Caesar salad with croutons £3.50

add chipotle bacon bits £1.00

 

Raw rainbow salad with beetroot, carrot, red onion and cucumber. In a miso and sesame dressing (gf) £4.00

 

Banana split sundaes 3 flav ice cream with choc fudge sauce, mixed chopped nuts and a maraschino cherry (gf) £4.95

Ice cream cones £2.00

Apple pie with ice cream

Cookie sandwich £3.00

 

What do you think of all that?!

This menu has been a long time in the planning and the Mono chef has done a wonderful job putting it all together. There are at least seven menu items I have marked as ‘must haves’ so I’m not sure how I’m going to have space for beer.

If you are still a little unsure about attending Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest after seeing the above menu and reading about the wide range of breweries represented at the event, maybe this extra piece of news will spike your interest.

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that newly vegan sandwich emporium Kind Crusts will also be selling food during both sessions of Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest!

Between the amazing Mono menu, Kind Crusts coming on board PLUS two top secret bakery stalls yet to be announced (a different company for each session), you are not going to be hungry at Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest.

Tickets are just £4 plus small booking fee. Limited space at both day and night sessions. Book online now!

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