Vegan

Weigh station

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A short while ago I wrote about the fab vegan chicken wrap you can purchase from central London health food store, Alara.

Remember?

I popped back into the shop a few days ago to grab one of these delectable creations only to find they had sold out. FGV tears!

No problem, though.

Instead of devouring the wrap, I marched over to the ‘serve yourself’ food counter and piled a container high with freshly-cooked dishes including roast potatoes, lentil curry, brown rice, falafel, mixed vegetables and a huge, cabbage-filled spring roll. Everything was tasty and the vegan stuff was clearly marked and abundant.

It’s a pay-by-weight kinda place, so I think I ended up spending about £7 on this particular lunch.

20150423_132419Check it out if you are ever in the area.

Alara, 58-60 Marchmont Street (nearest tube: Russell Square)

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Juice Baby Chelsea

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You wanna see something that I absolutely adored eating? I don’t mean it was just OK or it was kind of alright, I mean this thing was fabulous and I want to eat it all the time.

Want to see?

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Cottage pie

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Remember when I wrote about a tasty vegan burger served in a pub by the river?

Well, that isn’t the only vegan dish they do.

Check out my vegan cottage pie served with cooked cabbage and a side order of chips. I love The Old Ship W6 in Hammersmith.

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So tasty

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I scuttled down to Chelsea today to ensure I got my hands on some of Sara’s vegan pizza. Her Pomodoro E Basilico business was serving up as part of the Startisans indoor food market.

Watch the video below to check out the line up of deliciousness!

Which one would you have gone for?

Of course I didn’t settle for just one slice, ending up with the Napoli and the Cisa.

Follow Sara on Instagram to find out where she will be serving next.

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Vote for vegans

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Vegan food and compassionate eating. You can’t escape it in the UK. From huge festivals to tiny pop-up dining experiences, plant-based awareness is skyrocketing.

So let’s get veganism some more attention!

The 12th Annual Observer Food Monthly Awards are now open for voting.

There are categories just screaming out for us to pop in the name of our favourite vegan food creators, photographers and writers.

I’ve included some of the categories I feel suit our vegan concern, plus some suggestions for each category. Of course I hope you have your own ideas, too.

  • Best cheap eats – Mr. Falafel Shepherd’s Bush, Loving Hut Archway, Painted Elephant Newcastle
  • Best Sunday lunch – Black Cat Café Hackney, Fortify Café Maidstone
  • Best food personality – ahem…. Fat Gay Vegan!
  • Best place to drink – Vegbar Brixton, tibits Mayfair, Kabaret @ Karamel Wood Green, Stereo Glasgow
  • Best independent retailer – Vx King’s Cross, Ms. Cupcake Brixton, Unicorn Grocery Manchester
  • Best food blog – another ahem… Fat Gay Vegan

Click here to vote in the awards now.

Let’s get veganism even more on the map than it is already!

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Plane labelling

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I love sharing tales of airplane meal glory and sorrow with you all. The stories always get a huge response and I think it taps into an experience with which most vegans can relate… being stuck somewhere with nothing to eat.

The latest instalment of Food In The Air comes courtesy of my partner, Josh, who just enjoyed this meal service between London and Istanbul.

Check out Josh’s meal below and then keep scrolling to find out what he has to say about it.

Airline meal

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Pizza in Chelsea

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You all know my pal Sara of Pomodoro E Basilico, right?

Sara has created a huge following thanks to her gorgeous supper clubs and handcrafted cuisine such as pizza, pasta, cream filled donuts and tiramisu.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of sampling Sara’s food, you will want to get yourself to Chelsea this Wednesday (April 22, 2015) for the Startisans Indoor Market in Duke of York Square (nearest Underground is Sloane Square). Sara will be hosting her first ever market stall and from the look of the photos she sent me, you won’t want to be anywhere else.

The market runs from 10am until 4pm and the Pomodoro E Basilico stall will feature pizza slices containing Sara’s homemade versions of chorizo, Mortadella ham, Stracchino cream cheese, mozzarella and ricotta. 100% vegan pizza by the slice!

Now for the photos. Don’t freak out.

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Club Mexicana

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I adore getting emails from vegan businesses when they are contacting me with positive news.

Check out what Club Mexicana founder, Meriel, had to say to me today.

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Runaway success

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The first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegan Brunch was a rollicking runaway success yesterday.

Music was played. Beer was guzzled. Food was devoured.

A million thanks to Dave and the team at Vegbar for helping me bring this wonderful event to life. Chef Christian deserves a standing ovation for his mouthwatering soul food plate. Several guests declared it the best brunch they have ever eaten in London.

Check out this pic my buddy Jhenn posted on Instagram.
The biscuits and gravy were a smash hit. Every single attendee raved about them.

Much love and appreciation to Clarkshaws for coming along to set up a beer sampling station, especially as they have a big party to plan for in the near future. Their vegan beers were adored by everyone who got a chance to try them and I’m happy they are now permanently available at Vegbar.

What a wonderful event.

If you missed out this weekend, don’t stress. Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegan Brunch is now a full time concern for hungry Londoners. It takes place every single Saturday between 10am and 3pm.

Come along!

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Cheese spread

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Hooray for vegan cheese!

Violife has been sweeping the country as people react positively to having a plant-based range of cheeses in the UK that taste good and melt superbly.

The rise in popularity of Violife has been swift, thanks mostly to how darn easy it is to buy. I’ve seen the slices in Tesco stores, the blocks in independent health food stores and even the smoked flavour in vegan shop Vx.

Despite this massive march of the vegan cheese brand across the country, I struggled to find their cheese spread known as Violife Creamy. Until yesterday, that is! 

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