Provincial towns you jog round

HUGE vegan festival this weekend

by

The fifth North East Vegan Festival (NEVFEST) organised by Farplace Animal Rescue is taking place this Sunday (May 15, 2016) at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland between 10:30am and 5:00pm.

Farplace Animal Rescue is a no-kill sanctuary based in Westgate, County Durham. Farplace take in all kinds of animals (including wildlife) and profits from this festival go to help care for the animals in the sanctuary.

NEVFEST Press 1

At the event there will be live music, a massive selection of cakes, tasty curries, hot dogs, cosmetics, crafts and much more. Talks have been arranged throughout the day as well as cooking demonstrations and documentaries for viewing.

Get along this weekend!

Visit NEVFEST online, like the event on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

patreon bottom advert

Best vegan restaurant in the UK up for sale

by

In this blog post from last year, I declared Wildebeest to be the best vegan restaurant in the UK.

wildebeest panel

Sad news has just reached me that the owners of this glorious eatery want to step away from the business following the birth of their daughter.

In slightly better news, the owners are looking to sell the restaurant. This is what they recently posted on their Facebook page:

Hello everyone,

We’ve got some news to share… After a lot of thought, it’s time for us to announce that we’ve decided to put Wildebeest up for sale. We’ve had a truly fantastic couple of years starting up and running the restaurant, and the response from the local community and beyond has been incredible. It’s still unbelievable to us when the restaurant is jam-packed and we receive such wonderful reviews (we really do have the best customers), and we’ve met so many lovely people!

But as some of you may know, our daughter Luna was born at the start of the year, and we simply feel that our priorities have changed – running a restaurant requires our full time dedication and we feel we can’t then fully dedicate ourselves to raising Luna as we want to.

Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support, we’re super proud of what we’ve achieved and love the fact that Falmouth has so wholeheartedly embraced a completely vegan establishment. We’ll remain open as normal until some nice person decides to buy the business – we’ll keep you all updated, of course. And hey, if you fancy taking on a thriving vegan restaurant that’s good to go, in a prime Falmouth location, get in touch! Info@wildebeestcafe.com.

Thank you all!

Rose and Josh xxx

——————————————————————————————————————-

OK. Somebody buy this place and keep it going!

south of france cruise

Vegan pizza in Exeter!

by

As much as I would like to eat every single vegan food item in every part of the world, there is only one FGV and I physically can’t be everywhere.

Thankfully, friendly readers like Alex send me awesome guest reviews of food in their neighbourhood and places they have visited.

Check out what Alex has to say about gorgeous vegan pizza being served up in Exeter:

The Old Fire House in Exeter is famous for two reasons. A tenuous possibility it was the inspiration for the “Leaky Cauldron Pub” in Harry Potter is the first and, more importantly, its amazing vegan pizza is the second.

We have always used the Harry Potter link as a brilliant excuse to take visitors to this pub and then stuff our faces with pizza.

IMG_20160508_184922

The menu actually has a number of vegan options, all very clearly marked. If you are organised enough on a Sunday, which we have only succeeded in being once, the Vegan Sunday Roast Lunch is stunning. The Chickpea & Spinach cake is not remarkable but the thick gravy and roasted vegetables more than make up for it.

In the evening pizza is their thing and we are talking big square pub style pizza served minutes after you order. It would be a challenge for anyone to finish a whole pizza themselves. The best ratio we have found so far is three people to two pizzas.

You have four vegan options but to be honest, who would bother with a plain or mushroom pizza when you can have something with wacky toppings. Chickpeas on a pizza. I class that as a wacky topping and together with the sweet roasted butternut, it works really well.

A word of warning on the next logical choice, the “Fired Up”. It is, as the menu says, extra hot. Don’t let this put you off though. It is really good with the heat coming from the smaller sliced red chiles rather than the big chunky jalapeños which are just tangy. If you are not into the heat then best to avoid, but if you are sharing pizzas then give it a try. It really compliments the sweetness of the butternut pizza.

IMG_20160508_185249

Any vegan pizza review needs to go into detail about the vegan cheese. In the case of these pizzas the cheese is of no real significance, rather the flavours and textures all come from the other toppings. The cheese is a mere decoration to make the pizza conform to what society has convinced us it should look like.

IMG_20160508_190824 IMG_20160508_190831 IMG_20160508_190836

Being a pub popular with students from the local university, drink prices are reasonable. Along the back walk behind the bar they have boxes of local ciders, many of which are proper cider that are not the carbonated type that feel like they will take the enamel off your teeth they are so dry. As these ciders are from smaller producers and typically made traditionally they are more likely to be vegan, but obviously you still need to check. A good place to start is with any made by Cornish Orchards as all their ciders are vegan.

Thanks for the great review, Alex. Next time I find myself in Exeter, I will definitely stop by The Old Fire House for a pizza and a cider.

patreon bottom advert

New vegan UK business debuts this week

by

How would you like to be one of the first people in the UK to experience delicious handcrafted vegan food from a new UK business?

Get along to the Kent Vegan Festival (Saturday May 7, 2016) this weekend to meet talented chef and all round fabulous person, Steph Hinton.

Steph is about to launch her very own vegan deli but before she does, she is serving up mouthwatering aged cheese, raw cakes, succulent pulled jackfruit wraps, meat free sausage and much more this weekend at the festival.

steph

I asked Steph to give us a little insight into what people can expect from her food stand this weekend, as well as her food philosophy that will power her 100% vegan deli when it opens later this year in Kent.

Here is what she had to say:

“I have been a qualified chef for just over 15 years now. I have travelled and worked around the world including top restaurants in New Zealand, Australia & the UK. I have worked for John Torode & Jamie Oliver (not that I like admitting that now!). I was originally trained as a pastry chef but have also learned all other culinary techniques including butchery and cheese making.

I became vegan through working at Fortify Café and worked closely with James to veganise the eatery. I now have a huge passion for vromage (vegan cheeze – you can’t take the chef-iness out of me!) and after finding out I have a severe gluten intolerance, my focus has shifted to inventing my own range of gluten free meat substitutes and breads.

My business will be a start up vegan catering company that is 100% gluten & refined sugar free, with the end goal of growing into a gourmet delicatessen that utilises organic ethical goods and ingredients wherever possible while working to a low waste ethos. I will be making healthy and wholesome food that tastes like you are ‘cheating’. My aim is to show people that free from vegan food can not only be accessible and affordable, but bloody tasty too!”

Check out Steph’s website here, like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

I can’t wait to see how her artisan deli business develops over the coming months and I would love to see food photos from anyone fortunate enough to eat with Steph this weekend at the Kent Vegan Festival. You can find out all the details of the event and RSVP on Facebook.

Now, just for fun, here are some photos of the Kent Vegan Festival from last year.

FB_IMG_1461938786185 FB_IMG_1461938808115 FB_IMG_1461938825348 FB_IMG_1461938832953

south of france cruise

HUGE Newcastle Vegan Festival this week!

by

Do you live in Newcastle? Do you live near Newcastle? If you fall into one of these two camps, you have ZERO excuse for not being at the Newcastle Vegan Festival this weekend (Saturday May 7, 2016).

If you are a little further from the Northern city, start thinking about how you are going to get there.

This third annual outing for the festival looks set to be packed solid with chocolate, takeaway treats, free samples, vegan cheese and probably too much good stuff to write about here.

newcastle panel

As well as all things food the Newcastle Vegan Festival will be the place to hear informative talks, meet compassionate friends and watch demos.

All of this fabulousness will set you back only £2 if you are a big person. If you are a younger version of a human, your entry price will be £1.

Get over to the Facebook event for more info, to buy tickets and to let them know you are coming. You can also invite friends via Facebook. Do your part and help make this the biggest and best Newcastle Vegan Festival ever.

south of france cruise

Bwyty Fegan Newydd – New Vegan Restaurant

by

Post by:

josh panel

Forgive the (possibly dodgy) Google translation in Welsh, but I was really excited about a new 100% vegan restaurant in Bangor, Wales. I reached out to the owners to find out what it was all about and here’s what they had to say:

We decided to open a vegan restaurant simply because it’s the right thing to do. We were tempted to hide behind the vegetarian safety net but decided to be brave and follow the heart. The support has been amazing and it turns out that there is certainly a demand for this modern cuisine. People are most certainly waking up to the effects our meat and dairy consumption is having on the planet. Also the health implications that processed meat is having and the disgraceful treatment of animals is appalling and needs to stop. We can’t always barge into slaughter houses or testing labs to protest but we can produce businesses that oppose such things. We can create easier ways for people to find cruelty free food.

Voltaire is vegan food but not typical vegan style, the food is actually more in keeping with regular restaurant food, it just happens to be vegan. Our meals are fusion, worldly and totally delicious! We wanted to create indulgent food, not just healthy. Food to treat yourself with! Creamy mushrooms and crispy battered cauliflower. Summer fruity curry with warmed naan, or Tibetan fried noodles with a choice of caramelised parsnip or non meat pieces. We love comfort food at Voltaire and our customers are our family.

I’m so pleased that they decided to take the 100% vegan route and the food sounds right up my alley. Check out the picture they sent me and another one I found on Instagram. I can’t wait to make my way to Bangor and get some of that beer-battered cauliflower!

13081952_10154175294344511_1628350905_n

Like Voltaire on Facebook.

south of france cruise

Personalised vegan meal plan in Leeds & Sheffield

by

This news slid into my inbox a few days ago and I didn’t pay a lot of attention. I get a ridiculous amount of emails and press releases every day, so much in fact I find it difficult to really soak in the content of everything I see.

But for some reason I went back to this email for a closer look and I’m sure glad I did because now I can share news with you of this unique vegan meal plan service offered in both Leeds and Sheffield!

Nourish is a company with two outlets, one in Bond Street Leeds and the other in Pinstone Street Sheffield. Although not vegan restaurants, the Nourish outlets feature an impressive number of vegan-friendly menu items and everything plant-based is clearly marked.

But wasn’t I talking of a vegan meal plan service. Yes. Here it is.

Nourish has just launched a service where you take a meeting with their nutritionist and have your very own vegan meal plan developed just for you.

The meal plan provides clients with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and supplements. You don’t go shopping, you just have to eat! Check out this sample three-day meal plan supplied to me by Nourish:

SAMPLE VEGAN MEAL PLAN (1) (1)

This appeals to me due to my laziness. I’d love all my meals prepared by a chef. I also love how it changes every day.

It would also appeal to vegans looking to explore their own personal nutrition, I suppose!

Get on over to the Nourish website to find out more info regarding the vegan meal plan program. You can also find the address for both restaurants in case you would like to pop in to try their vegan menu items before committing to the meal plan.

Nourish are also on Twitter.

south of france cruise

Goat Café update: guest review

by

You all remember a few months ago when Josh told you about The Goat Cafe’ in Huddersfield, right?

Now you can read an actual review of the café thanks to our friend Sammy who lives nearby. Sammy popped in for a quick bite and was kind enough to share this review with us.

Thanks Sammy!

———————————————————————————————————————

This café opened its doors a few months ago and it is so exciting for Huddersfield which didn’t even have a vegetarian café, let alone a vegan one.

I have eaten at The Goat Café twice and have to say the food is top quality. This is the place for healthy food or total indulgence, whatever turns you on.

I recently had sweet potato dhal with parathas as a main. The helping was huge, wonderful in the tradition of Yorkshire Fayre!

The dish was delicately cooked with perfect spices and was a surprisingly light dish. Perfect. Five stars as far as I am concerned. The only comment on this was there could have been a tad more mango chutney and yoghurt.

I took my pud home. It was a wonderfully rich chocolate cake with a chocolate pastry crust and a wonderful mousse-y filling. My partner thought it was bliss, as reluctant as I was to share it with him.

The recipes at The Goat Café have been gathered from a wide range of sources but with their own ideas infused into the meals. There is a good choice of mains, snacks and soup of the day. All are very reasonably priced and are a very good deal for a decent meal. The menu changes daily. They will be adding sandwiches to the menu now that they have sourced wonderful bread from a local independent baker called Roger’s Bakery. His crusts are to die for!!

The coffee is sourced from a Huddersfield  company called Bean Brothers. I had an excellent black Americano. I would have liked a larger cup, or the option to buy a larger coffee, as you can see from the photos the cups are a bit small.

The café is now serving alcohol, craft beers and wine, and has a good range of cold drinks and smoothies.

The ambience is good with vintage 50s/60s tables and chairs and a comfortable homely feel. The walls have a bit of an odd collection of art works as if they have come from home and I think a little more co-ordination would work better. There are tons of local artists that would be happy to have their work hung there. The people running it and staff are very helpful and friendly and the café has a lovely atmosphere. I got the impression they love what they are providing local people and want to encourage non-vegans to use the café.

So, excellent food and drink and I highly recommend it. It is serving the faithful well but it will need to attract the mainstream meat eaters to survive and I think their food is definitely up to it. In fact, one customer who had been brought to the place by someone for lunch went up to the till afterwards and said that the food had been so wonderful he “could almost become a vegetarian”.

Definitely a great addition to eating out in Huddersfield and as it is close to the main big park, it could well be a very pleasant way to spend some time in town. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good food.

 

Visit The Goat Café online.

WP_20160414_12_34_34_Pro WP_20160414_12_35_07_Pro WP_20160414_12_36_04_Pro WP_20160414_12_39_31_Pro WP_20160414_12_39_38_Pro WP_20160414_12_49_23_Pro

 

Vegan business busting sales targets

by

When I congratulated Fortify Café of Maidstone on their transition from a vegetarian to vegan eatery way back in April 2015, I was fairly certain they would enjoy surging sales as vegans from all over surrounding Kent flocked to dine with them in a show of support.

The initial sales were strong in Fortify‘s first vegan month, but how has business been since the initial excitement wore off? Did people stay loyal? Were vegetarians and omnivores running for the doors in droves because they couldn’t get dairy cheese or milk?

I spoke with owner James Hooper exactly one year on from the big vegan switch and I think it’s safe to say the information he shares is nothing short of inspirational.

See what he had to say about his restaurant’s first year as a vegan eatery below:

988906_10152858544473090_5732759795844025237_n

FGV: Congratulations on Fortify reaching one year as a vegan café. How has the experience been overall?

JH: Thank you! On a personal level, it’s been amazing. I remember getting to the end of our first day as a fully vegan business and being wiped out after such a busy day but I had such a strong feeling this was what we were meant to be doing. At least a few times a week we hear customers getting a little bit giddy that they can order anything off the menu and not worry about the ingredients – those moments are the most rewarding for us. We’ve so many non vegan customers that responded positively to the change too.

FGV: You mentioned online that this vegan year has been the busiest year out of your 7 years operating as a business. Why has vegan food been so popular for you? How much better has business been?

JH: We actually seem to have attracted more omnivore customers who are interested in cleaner healthier food – vegan food often has that label even though we don’t shy away from naughty treats! People also visit us from further afield now too, we believe because it’s still a challenge to find a 100% vegan eatery and they don’t mind traveling to have that experience.

Compared to the previous year, our turnover has increased by 25%.

FGV: Have there been any negative experiences due to the vegan switch?

JH: This has been a ‘no negatives switch’. We know a couple of customers who stopped coming because we were no longer using cows milk but we gained a whole load of new customers and believe that in someway, our actions will have even touched those people who no longer visit.

FGV: Some vegetarian cafés worry that they will lose customers in droves if they don’t serve cow milk for hot drinks and cheese in sandwiches. What has your experience been with non-vegan customers asking for dairy?

JH: Our signage says we’re a vegan eatery but people do still ask, mostly when they’re wanting to order a ‘skinny latte’. We just explain that all our milks are very low fat and that they’re all plant based. We’ve gained great confidence in what we serve and I think this comes across to the customers. If someone usually has cows milk, we suggest soya professional and let them know how it’s the closest thing to the dairy taste and texture and that we’re sure they’ll love it!

Our best selling toastie was always sausage, mustard & cheddar – we just switched the cheddar for vegan smoked gouda. A good sandwich usually has a combo of ingredients and swapping dairy cheese for vegan does nothing to take away the appeal of a sandwich made with quality ingredients.

FGV: Can you give a piece of advice to a business considering switching to a 100% vegan menu?

JH: If you’re considering it, the universe is already whispering in your ear that you should and can do it! Give out samples of what you’d like to serve instead (we gave samples of our vegan cheeses a few weeks before our switch and started to include them in menu specials). Do the same with milks. Give people a challenge to try their latte with another milk and offer to swap it if they don’t like it (no one ever asked us to swap a drink so they could have cows milk). Use a selection of milks and cheeses (the Mouth Watering Vegan cookery book got us started with our cashew cheeses). Be upbeat about the change and don’t be afraid of the occasional frown when you deliver your awesome news!

You can visit Fortify Café online, like them on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram. Get over to one of these social media platforms and say congratulations on a job well done!

patreon bottom advert

Vegan ice cream in Bristol and London

by

You would think being a groundbreaking vegan shop with two locations would be enough, but apparently not. Vx has gone and raised the bar by making and selling their own vegan ice cream.

J2Vlc5Zq

If you drop by either the new Bristol location or the original Kings Cross store front, you will find a rotating selection of enticing flavours all hand made by the Vx crew.

Recent flavours have included Vego Caramel, Mint Chocolate with vegan After Eight bits, Blueberry Lemon, and Rum Coconut with raisins. All flavours are also gluten free, if that is a concern of yours.

oHOFvdJJ

The team are also open to suggestions so make sure you put a word in for you favourite combination when you stop by to pick up a few tubs.

Yay for vegan ice cream!

Visit Vx online and follow the Bristol and London stores on Instagram.

patreon bottom advert