London vegan news, reviews & events
This is the sort of scene-changing news that I just adore sharing.
There is a brand new vegan restaurant now open in the picturesque town of Nailsworth in the Cotswolds (roughly 3 hours west of London). Huge news!
If the name of the restaurant looks familiar to you, you are not imagining things.
Today was World Animal Day and I celebrated by teaming up with Fry’s Family Foods for a trip to Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary.
I will post in much more detail and with many more photos in the coming days, but for now I want to share this photo before I head to bed.
This is Radhe Priya walking alongside my partner Josh.
Radhe Priya was born completely sightless into a dairy farm where she was struggling to stay alive. Terrified and unable to manoeuvre to the feed within her cramped living quarters, time was running out for this heartbreakingly-beautiful cow.
Thankfully the kind people of Hugletts sanctuary gave Radhe Priya a safe, secure, loving and forever home and she was liberated from the dairy farm.
Today at the farm she rubbed her body gently against Josh and even though she cannot see, Radhe Priya followed him closely all around the paddock by using her senses of hearing and smell. It seemed like she never wanted Josh to leave her side.
I am devastated to think the happy ending for Radhe Priya is an uncommon rarity, but also thrilled for her. It was such a bittersweet experience.
I implore you to donate whatever you can to the special campaign I am running in conjunction with Fry’s Family Foods. We need to raise funds to build a new fence and purchase security cameras that will allow animals like Radhe Priya to live their lives in peace and security.
We have raised over £1,000 of the £13,000 target.
Please give now and share this post widely.
Roll up for the BIGGEST celebration of cruelty-free cake to ever be staged in the UK.
Join your guest host and judge Fat Gay Vegan as he nibbles his way through the entries before naming the winners of the West Midlands Vegan Fest 2015 ‘Vegan Bake Off’.
There will be prizes. There will be drama. There will be a very full FGV!
Categories include:
– Decoration (cakes only/judged on appearance)
– 14 and Under (any baked item by people aged 14 or under/judged on taste and appearance)
– Chocolate (any baked item with chocolate as the star attraction/judged on taste and appearance)
– Stallholder (open to cakes, cupcakes, slices and cookies by stallholders/judged on taste and appearance)
– Cheesecake (raw or cooked cheesecakes/judged on taste and appearance)
You can enter one item in one category only. The cost per entry is £1 per item. All entries will be sold after judging with all profits from entry fees and sales to be donated to a local charity.
You will be able to drop off your entry to the Fat Gay Vegan stand on either Saturday or Sunday of the fest with the cut off time being 3pm on Sunday. No entries will be taken after this time.
The judging room will be open to the public after 4pm. The judging room holds approximately 100 people and entry will be on a first come basis.
Go here for more information on the West Midlands Vegan Fest 2015.
Let me know you are interested in entering the Vegan Bake Off or have plans to attend as a spectator with an RSVP on the Facebook event.
Extra note: you can supply extra cake for tasting/judging purposes if you do not want your entry to be cut during the tasting process. You must also include a list of ingredients with your entry.
Check out this AMAZING guest post from a reader with the same name as me. No, not FGV. His name is Sean M. and he has kindly put together a wonderful guide to vegan eating in Surrey.
Sean has indicated this is only part one of his vegan exploration of Surrey, so watch out for the second instalment later in the year.
Take it away, Sean!
As you have probably seen online, I have teamed up with Fry’s Family Foods in order to raise money for vegan-run Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary.
The campaign is off to a flying start. Check out the video update below for the latest news on the campaign.
I am thrilled we have already raised £1000 but we still have a long way to go. Hugglets urgently need funds to restore all of the fencing around their property, as well as install new security cameras to keep the rescued animals safe.
Please donate now and share this news widely.
Competition news
Would you like to visit Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary with me on World Animal Day courtesy of Fry’s Family Foods?
Fry’s is kindly sponsoring a minibus that will travel to the sanctuary on World Animal Day, Sunday October 4, 2015. Lunch and snacks on the day will be provided by Fry’s and passengers will get a chance to meet some of the rescued animals up close and personal.
How to enter?
Take a photo of yourself holding your favourite Fry’s Family Foods product and share on Twitter or Facebook. Make sure you use the hashtag #HumanKind and tag @frysfamilyUK for your chance to win a double pass on the bus.
Three pairs of tickets will be given away. Winners will need to make their own way to and from Central London on Sunday October 4, 2015. The bus will depart at 9:30am and return at approximately 6:00pm.
If I wore a hat, I would take it off to these people.
A group of compassionate people in Scotland just carried out what is one of the best examples of activism I have seen in a long time. They wanted to get a message across to their communities, so they raised the funds to erect a billboard in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The brilliant yet subtle message comes across clearly and thoughtfully. It gets everyday people thinking about how they have been socialised into accepting some animals as loving companions whilst others are bred, mistreated and killed for food.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this fantastic campaign. I hope we see many more like this in the future.
Find more info on the Vegan Billboard campaign here.
I’ve never been to Hull.
The only two things I know about Hull:
Yes, get along to the Hull Vegan Festival at the Mercure Royal Hotel between 10am and 5pm on Saturday September 19, 2015.
I’ll be searching Twitter for tasty food photos.
Have fun, Hull!
Click here to see the event on Facebook.
Vegans have got it good in Scotland’s cities. Plant based food is everywhere, including this shredded tofu burrito.
I need to get my hands on one of these very soon!
Here it is. My ultimate sweeping declaration.
I visited a restaurant a few days ago and it turned out to be the best vegan dining experience I have ever enjoyed in the UK. I am pretty sure I could stretch the ‘best’ label to encompass all of Europe, too.
See the food photos below.
Say hello to Wildebeest in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Wildebeest is a world class dining set up and everything about the restaurant is what I want in a vegan establishment. The menu is exquisite and inventive, yet still familiar and comforting. The wine list is of course 100% vegan and cocktail lovers can choose from mojitos, martinis and Cosmopolitans. The people working in Wildebeest are friendly and the service was second to none. The decor is gorgeous while the entire space is comfortable and charming.
Can you tell I’m in love?
Just wait until you see the food!
Josh and I are currently traipsing around the southwest of England, enjoying the gorgeous views and eating whatever we can get our hands on.
Thanks to two wonderful vegan grocery stores, we have not gone without snacks for our vegan road trip.
Check them out.
When you visit Exeter, make time to visit Chris at Seasons. This grocery store used to be vegetarian but made the switch to 100% vegan just a few weeks ago. Get all your pantry items, pre-prepared sandwiches, chocolate bars, drinks and more.
It becomes an even more satisfying experience when you realise what a friendly person Chris is and how passionate he is about veganism.
You can visit Seasons online, like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram. (You can also read this awesome guide to vegan Exeter)
Our road trip continued further south and west to the port city of Plymouth, home to one of the best-stocked vegan grocery stores in the UK. There isn’t a lot that Ethica doesn’t have.
All the vegan chocolate. Vegan ice cream. Frozen food. Pet food. Toiletries. Everything!
The shop is packed with everything from essential groceries to decadent treats and it is truly a must-visit for everyone living in or visiting the southwest.
Visit Ethica on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.
Support independent vegan business and shop!
