Taking the long way around

Special guest

by

Here is some news that has me grinning from ear to ear.

Some people are effective activists. Some people are powerful public speakers. Occasionally, you will find people who possess both of these attributes. Even rarer? Someone with these skills who is also an absolute dream to be around due to the fact they are incredibly friendly, personable and charming.

Yes, I’m talking about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

11892142_10153167956134895_8401762768217040045_n

To say I am often blown away by Colleen’s capacity for compassion and her ability to powerfully disseminate information is an understatement. I could listen to her talk for hours.

And this news I speak of?

Imagine my absolute joy to be able to announce Colleen Patrick-Goudreau as a very special guest on the 100% vegan cruise I am a part of this Winter on the Danube.

This 6-night cruise between Germany and Austria was already a fabulous situation. All inclusive with only vegan food and drink served on board. Shore stops in some of the most gorgeous and scenic cities in Europe. My annual New Year’s Eve party hosted on the ship as it is docked in Vienna.

And now Colleen!

nye boat passau vegan

More than half the cabins have already been booked for this historic cruise and with Colleen on board, I would imagine the remaining suites will move quickly.

You can go here to read more about the cruise.

Visit Colleen Patrick-Goudreau online, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. You will fall in love with her insightful, engaging videos and informative podcasts. Guaranteed!

dotd 2015 bottom advert

Electric bicycles

by

You all know about the vegan cruise I am a part of over New Year’s Eve. You cannot possibly have escaped my excitement. (If you have, click here for more info)

I just found out some extra information for those of you who have already booked a cabin on the cruise down the Danube.

The ship we are travelling on includes electricity assisted bicycles that can be used during shore stops. You can cycle around some of the gorgeous towns and cities we visit!

Also, there are these super nifty GPS and information devices for passengers that are pre-loaded with guided tours, directions and cruise commentary. Check out the video below.

The video shows both the bikes and the handheld devices.

I thought I couldn’t be more excited for this cruise, but I am now!

Go here to read about the cruise and here to book one of the remaining cabins.

dotd 2015 bottom advert

Monkey Business

by

Do you want to see something that will melt your heart?

Make sure you switch your TV over to the Community Channel (in the UK) this Sunday night (September 27, 2015) at 6pm for a very special documentary that will make you want to rush to Mexico to cuddle a rescued monkey.

My friend Wendy Turner Webster recently teamed up with Julie Peasgood for a trip to Mexico in order to visit a sanctuary for spider monkeys rescued from the pet trade.

This is what the resulting documentary, Monkey Business, has in store for viewers:

In Wendy & Julie’s Monkey Business, the intrepid duo fly from London to Cancun in Mexico to visit The Jungle Place – a sanctuary dedicated to the rescue of the endangered Spider Monkeys who are victims of the illegal pet trade, poaching, and habitat destruction.

The Jungle Place is a sustainable charity and has the endorsement of the Born Free Foundation. It is run by Heidi and Joel – a couple who have dedicated their lives to the setting up and running of the sanctuary.

In the programme, Wendy & Julie meet the residents and learn of their stories, and find out how Heidi and Joel went from casual holiday makers to spider monkey rescuers and renowned experts.

The documentary debuts this Sunday night. Make sure you tune in for a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of compassion. Community Channel can be found at Freeview 63, Freeview HD 109, Sky 539, Virgin 233 and freesat 651. Look for other platform screenings soon.

Like Monkey Business on Facebook and read more about The Jungle Place here.

hello wendy

Monkey Business featured in Hello magazine

Extra note: Covent Garden bar and restaurant Joe Allen has generously created a vegan-friendly ‘Spider Monkey’ Cocktail and is donating £1 to The Jungle Place for each drink sold. Stop in for a drink if you feel like helping the spider monkeys in a unique way!

nye bottom banner 2015

Berlin food update

by

Post by:

joe panel

When we first moved here last spring, the north-west part of the city was curiously lacking in vegan places, compared to the rest of Berlin.

While it is still a noticeably empty zone on the Happy Cow map, the situation has improved due to the opening of two all-vegan cafés, Geh Veg and Valladares. They’re both very nice places too.

Read more

Beyond Sushi

by

I can’t believe I forgot to write about this place.

During my most recent trip to NYC, I thoroughly enjoyed dining with a 100% vegan sushi restaurant. Check out the photos from my visit.

Read more

Cake in a jar

by

Post by:

Caitlin panel

A new vegan bakery opened just a couple of weeks ago in Barcelona, which seems to bursting at the seams these days with new vegetarian and vegan restaurants. But bakeries? This one’s the only 100% vegan bakery! I knew I had to check it out.

La Pastisseria Besneta is so new Google couldn’t even seem to find it, so I headed there in hopes that it was open on weekends. Luckily, it was open – and I got to taste test their lemon meringue cake!

La Besneta sells whole cakes, or individual servings of cake in a jar. The cakes in a jar are super cute (and super hipster), and wouldn’t look out of place in Shoreditch. It makes the whole cake buying and eating experience just a little bit more exciting. The day I visited, they had two muffins and four different kinds of cake (carrot cake, lemon meringue and two different chocolate cakes, one with raspberry filling and one without). I selected the lemon meringue.

besnetacake

 

The meringue was light and fluffy and the lemon was just the right amount of tart. The only downside is that while cake in a jar is very photogenic, it’s a little bit difficult to eat. Make sure you have a spoon – and not fork – handy!

If you visit Barcelona, definitely check out this new vegan bakery in the Gracia neighbourhood. Like the bakery on Facebook.

south of france cruise

Vienna calling

by

Super special guest post by Hanna. Thank you!

My partner and I are just back from spending a few days in Vienna, which was quite easy to be vegan in. We found many places had clearly labelled vegan options, a wurst place that did a vegan sausage and a 100% vegan ice cream parlour. But the stand-out experience was Swing Kitchen.

Swing Kitchen (1)

It is an entirely vegan, diner-style establishment. On our first encounter we had a schnitzel burger, vegan nuggets with “chilli-tomato-tatar” sauce, tiramisu and kirsch soda. All of it was fantastic. The nugget coating with it’s sesame seeds was delicious and the sauce had a surprisingly refreshing taste. The tiramisu was creamy and slightly orangey, which worked really well. Of course, we had to go back for our last Vienese meal and both had the cheese burger, which is the best vegan burger I have ever had – you could really taste the cheese!

Anyway, I thought I’d give you a heads up, just in case you or any of your guests on the NYE cruise had the time or inclination to visit Swing Kitchen on your brief stop there.

Thanks, Hanna!

You can like Swing Kitchen on Facebook.

nye bottom banner 2015

Amazing Berlin festival wrap up

by

Post by:

joe panel

This weekend was the Berlin Vegan Summer Festival, and it would have been remiss of me to not visit and take photos of food for this blog. So I did my duty and headed down to Alexanderplatz.

Berlin Vegan Summer Festival

On Friday we had a spicy hot dog with sauerkraut from popular vegan company Wheaty…

Hot dog from Wheaty at Berlin Vegan Sommerfest

…and also a not-egg-mayonnaise bagel, from die Leckereienfabrik (roughly translates as the ‘delicious things factory’, a café in Berlin we haven’t got around to visiting yet!).

Berlin Vegan Sommerfest egg-mayonnaise-style bagel

On Sunday we had a wonderful burger and sweet potato fries from the Vincent Vegan food truck. The photo doesn’t do the burger justice, it was full of crispy fresh veg, and guacamole.

Vincent Vegan Burger and fries in Berlin Vincent Vegan food truck at Berlin Vegan Summerfest 2015

We also shared this big choco-waffle with squirty cream, which was nice but not amazing.

Choco-waffle with cream at Berlin Vegan Summerfest 2015

To finish off, here’s something we didn’t eat but will do soon: two doughnuts from Brammibals. The doughnuts are sat in the fridge right now, calling out to me.

Brammibals Donuts in Berlin

There’s one coconut and one toffee. (I think that calling just got louder!) And in case you’re worrying, those aren’t plastic containers, but some sort of biodegradeable material. Which is nice.

That’s only a small selection of everything available at the fest. There’s only so much I can eat!

In addition to all the food, the serious side was also covered, there were lots of animal protection causes, people working against factory farming, good people spreading the word about veganism. There were talks and discussions in the congress tent, and also music entertainment on the main stage.

A very full three-day event, and I doff my cap to the organisers!

nye bottom banner 2015

Berlin top three

by

Post by:

joe panel

My favourite vegan places in Berlin.

This is a difficult post to write, as there are so many great places to choose from in Berlin – and new places keep opening! So I should say now that you’ll almost certainly disagree with me, and this is my personal list of the locations I enjoy visiting the most right now. These three eateries are 100% vegan. They’re not in any particular order, as I can’t really choose between them! But they’re definitely my top three, and I think that they’re almost perfect.

Read more

by CHLOE

by

I’ve met thousands of people during my time as FGV and very rarely do they turn out to be as friendly and fabulous as Chloe Coscarelli.

In case you don’t know, Chloe Coscarelli is a superstar vegan chef with an arsenal of plant-based recipes that could turn the head of any carnivore. I adore Chloe’s recipes and was beside myself with glee when I had the pleasure of hosting her family at London Vegan Drinks a few years back.

The latest news out of camp Coscarelli is the recent opening of a 100% vegan restaurant called by CHLOE, situated in the West Village district of Manhattan .

Keep scrolling to read my exclusive interview with Chloe about this exciting business development, her favourite items on her menu and if we can hope to welcome her back to the UK anytime soon.

Chloe Coscarelli 3

Read more