Provincial towns you jog round

Vegan eatery in Whitstable

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I got a nice message from Becky a little while back in which she was telling me about her new vegan restaurant in Kent.

I asked for a little more info in order to let you all know about it and this is what she told me.

It’s called ‘Potato Tomato – The Eatery’ and it’s in Whitstable, Kent. My sister Niki and I opened it on 4th August and we’ve been overwhelmed so far by how popular we’ve been with vegans, veggies and omnis alike. This May we celebrated our 30 year ‘veganniversary’ so it was great to be able to celebrate that by opening a restaurant, which is something we’ve talked about for years.

The food we serve aims to show people that vegan food isn’t bland or boring. We enjoy creating dishes that will appeal to everyone and that are bursting with flavour. We have a children’s menu and serve brunch, lunch and desserts. We are currently open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays 10:30am – 4:00pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 10:00am – 4:00pm. In October we will be opening on Saturday evenings to serve three-course meals.

This is fabulous news for the people of Whitstable and surrounding towns in Kent.

You can visit Potato Tomato online and follow them on Facebook.

Now, let’s check out some photos!

Vegan with Shakespeare

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Vegan food is everywhere.

I’ve reported on fancy restaurants launching plant-based menus all over the planet. We’ve got more vegan fast food places in London than I could have imagined five years ago. Heck, I even dine in style on a 100% vegan cruise each year.

This saturation of vegan dining options leaves me feeling as though nothing could surprise me with plant-based developments.

I just found out I can be surprised.

You can now enjoy a three-course vegan meal in the rooftop restaurant or a vegan afternoon tea complete with scones, vegan hot dogs and croissants in the café of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Yes. Shakespeare just got vegan-friendly.

The most arguably famous theatre company on the planet now caters for vegans.

Afternoon tea sounds like a delight, especially when you consider the option for high tea featuring champagne and chocolate dipped fruit. You can click here to see the afternoon tea menu and check out the photos below.

The afternoon tea menu impresses, but the three-course vegan menu in the rooftop restaurant also caught my attention.

A thoughtful, high quality three-course meal for £26 in such a gorgeous setting is wonderful news. Click here to see the current menu items available for the three-course dining option.

The three-course dining option is a pre-theatre option and is served Monday until Saturday.

If you don’t know where the theatre company and restaurant are located, click here to get a better idea thanks to Google Maps.

OK. Now it’s time for your best Shakespeare-related vegan puns and jokes in the comments.

Extra note: all photos used for this blog were taken by Sara Beaumont of Sara Beaumont Photography.

Vegan friendly pub with food in Swansea

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Swansea. Your time has come.

The Last Resort is a contemporary drinking venue that is rapidly becoming the number one place where vegans and vegan-friendly people like to socialise in Swansea.

Carl from The Last Resort (located at 207 High Street) got in touch to let me know that the bar serves about a dozen craft beers on tap (all vegan) and that their food menu currently consists of the following:

  • Tofu-phish and chips
  • A southern fried seitan burger
  • Mac and ‘cheese’
  • Vegan scotch ‘egg’

The bar is super proud to serve up fairly monstrous portions and I’ve been hearing amazing reviews from their regulars.

You can follow The Last Resort on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Yay for vegan boozing in Swansea!

Vegan food at a Pride event

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If you are going to Herts Pride this weekend (September 2, 2017) David and Tony are running a Veggies Catering Campaign trailer selling vegan burgers, sos rolls, Fairtrade teas, coffees and cola along with other drinks.

How fab is that!

The Pride day is taking place in Gadebridge Park in Hemel Hempstead between 11am and 10pm.

The stall will also selling a range of cakes made by Heather of The Green Kitchen.

Here is your chance to support and enjoy a Pride event while feeding yourself with vegan food.

You can get all the details for Herts Pride over on the Facebook page.

Vegan event in Reading

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Do you live in or around Reading? Here is some news you will enjoy hearing.

Reading Vegan Festival is taking place on September 23, 2017.

The festival is free to enter and is situated in the centre of Reading. The organisers have billed it as a safe and friendly environment to ask questions, sample products, and buy a range of vegan food, cosmetics and clothing.

There will also be a programme of activities, speakers and food demos. The full day programme will be announced nearer the time so RSVP to the Facebook page to keep updated and keep checking in at the website.

Amazing vegan menu in Glasgow

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If you haven’t visited Glasgow lately, you are seriously missing out on a vibrant vegan food scene. If you are a Glaswegian, you don’t need any convincing about how good you’ve got it.

To take an already fabulous situation and make it better, the kitchen of Mono Cafe Bar has created an outstanding outdoor BBQ menu and an indoor bar menu for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest this Sunday (August 27, 2017).

If you can’t make it along this weekend, marvel at the food line up anyway and find a date in the near future to visit this legendary food, drink and live music venue.

Here’s the Mono menu for Sunday:

BBQ

  • Blackbean burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle, bbq sauce and mustard
    OR with jerk jackfruit, feta and scotch bonnet sauce
    OR with spicy peanut sauce, fennel slaw and pickled cucumber
  • Haggis burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and beetroot and horseradish relish
  • Hotdog with fried onions
  • Chilli cheese dog
  • Hotdog with sauerkraut and mustard
  • Mac n cheese

Handheld/street food menu at the inside bar

  • Jerk jackfruit, coconut and blackbean burrito
  • Roast beef style seitan, caramelized onion, mustard mayo and rocket sub
    (Seitan roasted in silkie stout gravy)
  • Tinga quesadilla with a guacamole dip
    (Cooked with magic rock)
  • Falafel box. Falafel, chips and sauerkraut with yoghurt tahini sauce
  • Pizza Margherita
    Especiale, margherita with cream cheese, plum tomato and basil
    Puttanesca, ragu, cheese, sundried tomato, olives, capers, chilli and basil. Topped with courgetti
    Spicy sausage,ragu, with cider braised leeks, artichoke and jalapenos
    (gluten free pizza available)
  • Potato and rosemary flatbread with ragu, capers, onion and rocket
  • Mini mac n cheese
  • Sausage supper, beer battered sausages,chips and pickle
  • To-fish supper, beer battered tofu,chips and tartare sauce
  • Pizza crunch. beer battered pizza slice, chips and pickle
  • Handcut chips
  • Cajun spiced chips
  • Poutine. Handcut chips, new world odyessy gravy, and cheese

I’m actually giggling and clapping my hands at that incredible menu.

On top of this there will also be food stands by Kind Crusts (selling donuts), Cool Jerk Vegan Pies and Red Rosa’s Specialist Cakery.

You can buy cheap online tickets for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest online now for just £4 plus small booking fee. If we have space on the day, tickets on the door will be £7.

Beer list for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

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The 2nd annual Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest is fast approaching so it makes sense that I tell you about the massive beer list that has been compiled by Williams Bros for the event.

There are cask beers, keg beers ad one hell of a can/bottle line up. We even have a handful of gluten free beers and ciders. Add to that wine, cocktails, a glorious food line up and all-day karaoke and I think it’s safe to say we are in for a fabulous day.

Tickets to the event are just £4 plus tiny booking fee if you book online in advance or £7 on the door if we have space. Book now.

Here is the beer!

CASK

  • LOCH LOMOND – SILKIE STOUT (5% Stout)
  • WINDSWEPT – MAROONED (5.2% Blackcurrant Wheat Beer)
  • CROMARTY –ROGUE WAVE (5.7% Extra Pale Ale)
  • TOP OUT – SOUTH FACE (5.9% Red IPA)
  • TEMPEST – ARMADILLO (3.8% Session Pale Ale)
  • FALLEN – NEW WORLD ODYSSEY (4.1% Blonde)
  • DRYGATE – 7 PEAKS (5% Mosaic IPA)
  • CROSS BORDERS – BRAW (5.2% Pale Ale)
  • TRYST – CHOCOLATE COCONUT PORTER (4.4% Coconut Porter)
  • WILLIAMS BROS – BIRDS & BEES (4.3% Summer Ale)
  • SWANNAY – ISLAND HOPPING (3.9% NZ Pale Ale)
  • BLACK ISLE – YELLOWHAMMER (4% Anytime IPA)

CIDER

  • THISTLY x – TRADITIONAL (4.4% Sweet Cider)
  • THISTLY x – ELDERFLOWER (4.0% Sweet Floral Cider)
  • THISTLY x – STRAWBERRY (4.0% Fruit Cider)
  • THISTLY x – CLOUDY (5.5% Dry Cider)

KEG

  • PILOT – BLØNDE (4.0% Oatmeal Pale)
  • UP FRONT – YOJO (5.2% Kalamansi & Passionfruit Gose)
  • WILLIAMS BROS – CAESAR AUGUSTUS (4.1% Lager/IPA Hybrid)
  • OUT OF TOWN & DEAD END BREW MACHINE – GORSE SAISON (6.2% Foraged Saison Collab)
  • TINY REBEL – CLWB TROPICANA (5.5% Tropical Pale Ale)
  • TIMMERMANS – STRAWBERRY (4.0% Lambic Fruit Beer)

PACKAGED

  • LOCH LOMOND – OUT OF RANGE (5.9% East Coast IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • WILLIAMS BROS – SCORPION & THE FROG (8.9% Mid Atlantic Brown Ale) (33cl CAN)
  • UP FRONT – ISHMAEL (6% IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • UP FRONT – AHAB (6% Stout) (33cl CAN)
  • CLOUDWATER – PILSNER DANA (4.7% Pilsner) (44cl CAN)
  • ODELL – ST LUPULIN (6.5% Extra Pale Ale) (33cl CAN)
  • NORTHERN MONK – FAITH (5.4% American Pale Ale) (44cl CAN)
  • BEAVERTOWN – LUPULOID (6.7% IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • BEERBLIOTEK – SESSION IPA (5.0% Swedish Session IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • HITACHINO NEST – WHITE ALE (5.5% Wit Beer) (35cl CAN)
    MAGIC ROCK – HIGH WIRE (5.5% West Coat Pale Ale) (33cl CAN)
  • VICTORY – PRIMA PILS (5.3% American Pilsner) (35.5cl CAN)
  • YEASTIE BOYS – GUNNAMATTA (6.5% Earl Grey Tea IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • MARBLE – EMBER CITY (6.0% Red Ale) (33cl CAN)
  • STONE BREWING CO. (BERLIN) – GO TO IPA (4.8% Session IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • MOOR- AMOOR (4.5% Porter) (33cl CAN)
  • NORTH BREWING CO. – SPUTNIK (5.0% IPA) (33cl CAN)
  • BRASSERIE d’ORVAL – ORVAL (6.2% Trappist Ale)
  • LINDEMANS – CUVEE RENE KRIEK (7.0% Cherry Lambic) (37.5cl)
  • TIMMERMANS – PECHE (4.0% Peach Lambic) (33cl)
  • TEMPEST – MANGO BERLINER (4.0% Mango Kettle Sour) (33cl)
  • BUXTON – IMPERIAL BLACK (7.5% Black IPA) (33cl)
  • BROOKLYN – SORACHI ACE (7.2% Sorachi Saison) (35.5cl)
  • DUGGES – HIGH FIVE (6.5% Swedish IPA) (33cl)
  • FIERCE – VERY BERRY SOUR (4.5% Berry Sour) (33cl)
  • ROCKET BREWING – ATTACK OF THE BRETT ZOMBIES (8.6% Funky Barley Wine) (33cl)
  • SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER – MÄRZEN (5.1% Rauchbier) (50cl)
  • SCHNEIDER – ‘TAP 5’ MEINE HOPFEN-WEISSE (8.2% Weizenbock) (50cl)
  • THE KERNEL – PALE ALE HALLERTAU BLANC (5.3% Single Hop Pale Ale) (50cl)
  • WIPER & TRUE – CITRUS BAY (9.5% Imperial IPA) (33cl)
  • 6 DEGREES NORTH – CHOPPER STOUT (4.1% Stout) (33cl)
  • BLACK ISLE – GOLDFINCH (3.5% Gluten Free Session IPA) (33cl)
  • WESTERHAM – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (4% Gluten Free Pilsner) (33cl)
  • TO ØL – TOTEM PASSION (2.2% Gluten Free Passionfruit Pale Ale) (33cl CAN)
  • BELLFIELD – BOHEMIAN PILSNER (4.5% Gluten Free Lager)
  • BELLFIELD – LAWLESS VILLAGE IPA (4.5 % Gluten Free IPA)

Now, that is a more-than-decent beer list.

Book your tickets now and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

Vegan bakery in Kent

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Dear people of Kent. You have this for which to be grateful.

Vegan Antics started as home bakers back in 2015, shipping treats from their website to all over the UK in order to raise the funds to open up their own 100% vegan bakery in Gravesend, Kent during April 2017.

What do they serve up?

The bakery has loads of options to choose from including cakes, cupcakes, brownies, blondies and shortbreads, as well as extra indulgent dessert options such as waffles & ice cream, sundaes and hot fudge brownies. You can enjoy coffee, tea, ice cream milkshakes, smoothies and sodas.

But it isn’t only the sugar fans that are covered at Vegan Antics.

The bakery is famous in the area for their paninis, including the mega popular Big Breakfast Panini. You can also buy and devour sausage rolls, wraps and croissants.

If you are in Gravesend, Kent you can find the exact location right here via Google Maps. You can also order online.

Follow Vegan Antics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Right, let’s look at some photos.

 

Vegan events in Shoreham

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Did you know there is a vegan company called Up Beet Food Company based in Sussex that has started hosting regular supper clubs at a café in Shoreham-by-Sea?

Jenna (pictured below on the right in this pic by Shiv Meaker) also hosts supper clubs in Brighton (her next event is tonight and is completely SOLD OUT!) with 2nd September and 5th October lined up. You can pop over to the Up Beet website to sign up to the mailing list and be the first to know about tickets for these in demand dining events around Sussex.

Up Beet isn’t just about outrageously popular supper clubs in Shoreham and Brighton.

Jenna’s company is also available for catering jobs such as weddings and her website is a fab place to find useful and mouthwatering recipes. You can even hire Jenna for cooking classes anywhere in Sussex!

Follow Up Beet on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

New vegan food outlet in Brighton

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Here is a super cute vegan food adventure for those living in or visiting the seaside city of Brighton.

At the rear of Brighton station (and sometimes at the front) is a 100% vegan food trailer called CousCups and they are serving up some tasty-sounding takeaway food.

Owner/operator Marc told me all of the packaging they use is compostable which is obviously fabulous. The trailer sells a range of porridges including pesto porridge with toasted pine nuts plus couscous/quinoa salads with homemade seitan and hummus.

You’ll also find smoothies and launching soon (maybe it has already – I’m sometimes slow getting stories up) is a pearl barley dish with sautéed garlic mushrooms, caramelised onion, BBQ seitan, rice paper maple bacon, a cheese sauce core and topped with facon crispies and a piece of southern fried seitan. That sounds OUTRAGEOUS!

Before we check out some photos, be sure to follow CousCups on Instagram and Facebook.