London vegan news, reviews & events
It could come as a surprise to many readers, but I very much enjoy quality raw vegan food. I’m not just talking about the fruit salad I force myself to eat every now and then but well-executed raw cuisine. I’m pleased to say I have found a provider of such food in London.
Read on.
I was about to start this post by saying another week sees the appearance of another vegan food market stall, but I think they are popping up faster than one a week in London.
Rawwwsome is kind of unique, though.
The fabulous Steph has started this super cute stall right in the heart of Camden Lock Market. It is packed with incredibly healthy (and tasty!) handmade raw treats such as mint chocolate brownies, raspberry cheesecakes and banoffee bites.
Steph told me she is having a great time exposing this type of food to the mostly non-vegan punters of the market. During my visit, I counted almost a dozen curious people stop by to taste the samples on offer and every single one of them looked and sounded impressed.
And so was I. Everything I ate was gorgeous. Check out the photos below.
Get down to Camden Lock Market and eat all the raw treats from Rawwwsome. Follow Steph on Twitter. It might be a good idea to double check with her before you head down that she will be there. I think she is currently at the market most Fridays and Saturdays.
24 hours on, I am still a bit worn out from hosting my vegan New Year’s Eve dinner for 70 people at Saf Restaurant & Bar. It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it. Every single guest looked to be having a fantastic night out.
My pal Luke has kindly offered to stop by and give you his take on the evening. You can follow Luke on Twitter and check out his blog.
Tell us what you thought, Luke.
My whole thing is vegan junk food, so it might surprise some of you to know I actually enjoy eating raw snacks and meals.
The problem is, however, I don’t know how to prepare a decent raw meal for myself. Of course I can make a salad or fruit platter, but I’m talking about raw creations that are inventive, delicious and well-balanced.
If you are like me and lack confidence in your skills as a raw food creator and would like to know how to improve, you will be interested to know you can win a high quality raw cook book from one of the most-respected people in the field.
Read on to enter!
You think you know a place and then BAM! You turn a corner and suddenly you realise how big and complex a city like London can be. The greatest wonders may very well have been under your nose the whole time.
I was surprised in just this manner during a recent food jaunt around the inner city London neighbourhood of Brixton. Strolling around like a vegan food-consuming superhero, I didn’t expect to be bowled over by a gorgeous juice bar serving plant-based drinks, sandwiches and salads.
Situated inside the bustling Market Place of Brixton Village, The Oracle’s Organic Juice Bar is a green oasis in a sea of shops and stalls offering all manner of animal products.
Vegan supper clubs appear to be taking over London. It is a phenomenon that is exponentially gathering steam and pop-up dining experiences seem to be making a huge splash with cruelty-free diners.
One enterprising group have even attached themselves to the building Olympic fever by hosting 20 nights of special food events, each showcasing inventive cooking and food presentation from around the globe.
This experience known as Global Feast 2012 is not a vegan event, but attendees are in for a compassionate treat as the grand opening dinner is set to be 100% plant-based. Read on for details of the scrumptious menu.
You all know about inSpiral, right? Yeah you do! It is London’s very own superstar vegan cafe and bar that is a veritable powerhouse producer of gorgeous vegan snacks.
Everything about inSpiral makes me love them. They care about the planet. They support musicians. They are active community members. They make some of the best healthy snacks on the planet. They do it all.
I recently got my chubby, queer fingers on a few packets of their new recipe granola bites and I now have another reason to sing their praises.
If you read my ramblings with any regularity, you’ll have noticed I don’t follow the healthiest of eating regimes. Fats, sugars and a whole lot of carbs are usually hanging around my plate. I know what healthy eating is, but there are some habits that are a bit more than a struggle to break.
However, these less than desirable (but tasty) eating habits are increasingly being challenged by the delicious raw food I have been coming into contact with lately. inSpiral Lounge of Camden have me well and truly hooked with their raw crackers, granola bites and kale chips. Saf are also magicians of raw snacks of which I increasingly can’t get enough.
Then of course there is the relatively-new vegan raw restaurant in Madrid that has captured my heart, belly and taste buds. Oh my!
If you had to choose one city to eat in for the rest of your days, where would you settle down? Imagine for a moment that you couldn’t leave the city limits of your chosen locale… I wonder which vegan-friendly city you would choose. My choice is a no-brainer.
Los Angeles.
Not only does this supercity house some of my favourite vegan eateries in the world, it no doubt possesses the largest number of vegan individuals anywhere on the planet. Lots of vegan people equates a stunning range of plant-based restaurants that are truly world class. Native Foods Cafe. Veggie Grill. Cruzer Pizza. Rahel. Real Food Daily. Seed. The list goes on and on.
And then there’s Flore Vegan. Oh my.
As a FGV, I am prone to making devilishly-bad food choices. I want cake all the time. Cider and beer are my best friends. There isn’t enough fried potato in the world to satisfy my cravings. I am known for being an overeater and proud of it.
But now and again I make the scary leap into the realm of healthy snacks… and if the good folk of InSpiral Lounge keep doing what they do so well, the leap will happen more regularly than even I could imagine.