Let’s put our collective vegan power behind this cause.
Lovely vegan restaurant El Piano in York has been nominated for a mainstream food award and you can vote for them by clicking here.
What are you still doing here? Get voting!
Vegan
Do you need a vegan job?
Do you need a vegan job?
The legendary vegan restaurant in north London called Manna has some jobs on offer.
- trainee front of house supervisor
- part-time waiting staff
If you want to know what these jobs entail, you need to contact manage@mannaV.com for more info and to apply.
Ice cream! Milk! Chocolate!
As of the end of April/beginning of May 2016, I no longer work with Besos de Oro
I teased you all a few days ago about the upcoming developments from my client, Besos de Oro.
Well, the time has come to give you a sneak peek behind the curtain. Are you ready?
Yes, you are seeing what you think you are seeing.
Besos de Oro is the creamy drink crafted from brandy and horchata, a milky liquid made of chufa. Chufa is a tuber also known as tiger nut and is the star ingredient of horchata from Spain.
Besos is now changing the way vegans and dairy-free consumers get their milk, ice cream and chocolate. These creamy new products are made from the chufa plant and the entire range is also gluten free.
As if that isn’t enough to impress, Besos is also set to please with a brand new tomato frito. Frito is a decadent sauce made from roasted tomatoes and is the main tomato ingredient in Spanish cuisine. Peter from Besos de Oro assures me that his frito is the best you will ever taste.
This news is intense and is wearing me out, so let me recap.
The new Besos frito and milk will be available in the UK not long after you read this post, followed by the Besos ice cream and chocolate. All vegan!
As of the end of April/beginning of May 2016, I no longer work with Besos de Oro
You should follow Besos de Oro on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out where these glorious new vegan products will be sold (and what those mysterious unannounced products are!).
UK pub chain has a vegan menu
If you live in the UK or have ever visited, you will surely know about the J.D. Wetherspoon pub chain with locations everywhere.
These pubs are known for being cheap and sometimes cheerful places to meet friends, down a few drinks and not be too far from home at the end of the night.
And now the chain pub is making a different kind of name for itself by offering a vegan menu!
It isn’t going to set the world alight with excitement, but the menu is going to be a welcome change for thousands of vegans who find themselves in a Wetherspoon pub on any given day.
Part of the vegan menu at Wetherspoon pubs can be seen above, or click here to download a full PDF version.
You can also click here to locate your nearest Wetherspoon pub.
Vegan chocolate Easter workshop
Do you want to learn how to handcraft mouthwatering chocolates? Do you want your teacher to be an expert? Do you want to eat delicious sweet treats?
Yes to everything?
Check out this fabulous vegan chocolate Easter workshop where all of the above will happen.
On March 25, 2016 you can join chocolatier Ela Harpak, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, for a fun and delicious Easter vegan chocolate workshop. Ela will teach you the basic skills of a chocolatier as well as introduce you to some surprising vegan ingredients and flavours.
You will make and decorate vegan chocolate eggs, as well as craft delicious vegan creamy pralines, truffles and more!
The cost of the workshop is £35 per person and bookings can be placed via ohlala.workshops@gmail.com. You can also RSVP over on the Facebook event.
They got the message: eggs are not plant based
A few days ago I wrote about a brand new vegetarian restaurant opening in Notting Hill that was championing the fact that their menu was totally plant-based.
The problem with this statement was that when you got over to their Instagram page, the kitchen staff were busy posting photos of dishes containing chicken eggs.
A bunch of vegans (me included) posted some comments asking what gives with calling eggs a plant-based food.
The Instagram account started deleting its eggy photos and today I noticed they have changed their description to 90% plant-based.
That’s right. ‘Totally plant-based’ belongs to us vegans. Don’t be putting it over the door of a restaurant serving eggs.
Original post about Farmacy here.
Hottest new vegan burgers in London!
Post by:
A couple of weeks ago I saw something on Twitter about a new veggie burger pop-up at Brick Lane. I reached out to Hot Boyz Veggie Burgers and discovered that they are 100% vegan. Their food looks delicious – check out some pics from their social media channels:
A photo posted by Hot Boyz Veggie Burger Joint (@hotboyzvburger) on
Hot Boyz Veggie Burgers will be at the Sunday Upmarket in Brick Lane this Sunday from 10am-5pm. Go along, check out their burgers and report back!
Like Hot Boyz on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Review: Bar Bombón in Philadelphia
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Last month I was in Philly and was keen to visit a vegan Puerto Rican/Latin-inspired restaurant that opened last year called Bar Bombón. A browse of the menu sounded promising so I headed downtown together with my brother, sister-in-law and two nieces.
We had a hard time picking from the menu so quickly did the most sensible thing and ordered pretty much everything available. There was five of us and we were hungry. Don’t judge! Here’s a breakdown of what we had:
Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde y Guacamole with fried corn tortillas.
Yucca Frita with Maduro sauce
Empanadas de chick’n and beef
Tequila Seitan Skewers
Enchiladas de ‘pollo’
Brussels Sprout Tacos with fried avocado
Broccoli Tacos
Cubano Club Sandwich
Anjou Pear & Squash Gallette
Tres Leches Cake
Xocolatl rice pudding
I wish I could say that everything was delicious but we all left feeling slightly underwhelmed with the food. There were some standout items (the fried yuca, Cubano club sandwich and the incredible Tres Leches cake) but everything else seemed to be somewhat lacking in flavour and composition. I hate to be too critical because I’m sure that much time and love has gone into creating these dishes but I really didn’t feel like my expectations were met at Bar Bombón.
Add to that the Center City Philly prices, and I don’t think any of us would head back there in a hurry.
Except for that Tres Leches cake which was truly memorable.
Visit Bar Bombón online, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter or Instagram.
UK-made vegan parmesan now available
Love parmesan cheese but hate cruelty? Here is some news you will love.
Good Carma Foods have unleashed their range of vegan parmesan products upon the country and the popularity of the three flavours (original, garlic and chilli) is building at a healthy speed.
In addition to a large number of independent health food retailers, the plant based parmesan can also be found in almost fifty Waitrose stores UK wide.
Get over to the Good Carma website to find out if there is a stockist near you (or shop online!) and be sure to follow the vegan cheese topping brand on Twitter and Facebook.
Have you tried these products? Let me know what you think!
Newcastle vegan restaurant expanding
A wonderful, pioneering vegan café is looking to expand in size and vision but they need our collective strength to do it.
The Painted Elephant is a cosy eatery perched in Newcastle city centre. They serve mouthwatering savoury food and ever since it opened, the restaurant has served as a vital hub for the vegan community in the city. The owners even allowed me to bring live music into their gorgeous venue when I passed through with my Vegan Roadshow.
Amazingly, it is the only 100% vegan restaurant in Newcastle.
The owners of The Painted Elephant have done an exceptional job to not only keep a fledgling restaurant open, but to also make it thrive. It now enjoys a solid following of regular diners that allows the restaurant to pay its overheads, but the plans for expansion are going to need a bit extra.
The owners need to raise £20,000 in order to move on with their plans, which include creating:
- gourmet vegan food powered by local farmers and producers with a weekly changing, seasonal menu and low food mileage
- a licensed bar serving infused liquors made from our excess fruits and herbs – nothing wasted
- home grown herbs and salads cut for the plate
- handmade vegan cheese on the menu and available to purchase and take home
- all food waste composted to grow more deliciousness
- locally foraged ingredients
- regular themed tasting menu events with many-coursed meals, themed music and decor
- great alternative music
- up-cycled decor by local artisans
What the money will pay for:
- the deposit and a couple of months rent on the new property (separate kitchen and bar area, possibly multiple floors!) to get them started – they’re looking at some of the beautiful railway arches near central station
- a kitchen made from refurbished appliances and up-cycled fittings
- growing and composting equipment, including an almost-instant (3 hour) composter for all food waste
- paint and wall hangings
- plumbing of sinks, etc
- beautiful plates, glasses, crockery and more from UK artisans and small businesses
- creation of new jobs for the local vegan community
This is our chance to support an independent business, help them grow, watch them support local fruit/vegetable producers and celebrate as they create strength, jobs and security in their community.
This is an important campaign and an incredible chance for you to be a part of something very special. Keep a 100% vegan business independent, help people in Newcastle have a vegan centre they can be proud of and, most importantly, save the lives of animals by giving the northeast a truly compassionate alternative.
Click here now to donate to the expansion campaign and help make The Painted Elephant an even more integral part of Newcastle’s vegan scene.
Follow The Painted Elephant on Twitter and Facebook.