London vegan news, reviews & events
Are you ready for photographic evidence of another one of my thorough supermarket expeditions?
A few nights back, Josh and I visited the mammoth Tesco Extra in Colney Hatch (North London) and returned home with some fun and tasty vegan products.
See proof below.
A post this week in which I voiced my concern about vegan people opening non-vegan cafes has garnered a lot of attention. The comment thread on Facebook has a life of its own and I think it is evident that this discussion is happening at exactly the right time.
One of the commentators suggested it would be beneficial for me to organise a platform to assist people looking to change their businesses into a completely vegan affair.
OK. I think I can offer some assistance. I don’t have a lot of time but I do take it on board that actions speak louder than words and I genuinely want to help people (and businesses) to go vegan and stay vegan.
What can I do?
I want to hear from people thinking of changing a non-vegan food business into a vegan food business. Once we have made contact, I can offer the following if you want it:
Just because I love to be dramatic, I am calling this the Operation Go Vegan Stay Vegan initiative. It is kind of like a vegan challenge, but for businesses.
Why am I doing this? The main reason is I am working to improve outcomes for non-human animals. Another reason is I wholeheartedly believe now is the right time for vegan business owners to take this step.
As I have mentioned on Facebook, there are 100% vegan cafes in regional Mexico, the West Midlands, Prague, rural USA and even an almost three hour drive into the countryside from my home town of Brisbane, Australia. They are popping up in the most unlikely places and they can succeed!
If you do vegan food and drink well, people will pay for it. Not just vegans, but people in general.
Please get in touch if you think you would like to make your business part of this vegan transition initiative. I am not the most knowledgable person but I am confident I can bring useful ideas together that will help you make this change to your business in the most positive way possible.
If you would like to offer a case study of your own vegan business (especially if you changed it to vegan from non-vegan), please get in touch via sean@fgvpr.co.uk – I will need all the vegan community firepower and ideas I can get.
Please note: I will have to exercise discretion in regards to who I assist and this might be based on my own workload or a host of other reasons. I envision being able to work with one business during a calendar month period. I am predominantly looking to assist UK businesses but will consider offering advice and time to people in other parts of the world but I will not have the same insights to offer.
Paris is famous for a lot of things. The Eiffel Tower. Louvre. Notre-Dame. Arc de Triomphe. I could go on and on and on. The city is packed solid with world-famous landmarks and attractions.
Paris has been referred to as the most visited city on the planet and it is believed the area welcomes in excess of 30 million visitors each year. It is a destination that has been celebrated in countless films, books and songs.
2014 has seen the city come into another kind of renown as veganism has seemingly swept all before it to make Paris one of the must-visit hot spots for compassionate tourists.
This explosion in plant-based eating has been painstakingly documented in the brand new Vegetarian Paris – The complete insider’s guide to the best veggie food in Paris.
Compiled and written by Aurelia d’Andrea, this compact book is the perfect guide for vegan travellers. It contains maps, shopping information, event listings, colour coded vegan listings of almost 20 establishments, dozens of vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes, transport information, accommodation tips and even a handy basic language and phrase guide.
The book is small enough to be taken out for a day of sightseeing and packed with enough useful information to make you glad you did.
You can buy your own copy of Vegetarian Paris online here or read on for a chance to win a copy.
A short and sweet post to share one of my Sainsbury’s finds.
This isn’t a new product but it is new to me.
Nottingham almost got a new vegan cafe today, but pesky and harmful dairy made it on to the menu.
Such a shame.
Today marks to grand opening of a new food provider, The Bluebird Vegetarian Café. This café is operated by Adrian and Kate, two vegans who (according to their website) were able to achieve their dream of opening The Bluebird thanks to the help of family, friends and Freecycle donations.
As happy as I am for the vegan community of Nottingham to have another location to dine out on plant-based food, I am puzzled as to why a vegan of more than 20 years (Adrian) would open a cafe with dairy on the menu in 2014.
Here is some news worth celebrating.
The Financial Times (yes, the FT!) has reported the UK is about to see the launch of a vegan mayonnaise brand that has exploded in popularity across North America. To add to the excitement, the brand will be exclusively launched in Tesco stores, making it widely available to shoppers all over the country.
UPDATE:
This event has been cancelled due to one of the organisers being seriously injured in an accident.
My thoughts are with them and I hope for the best.
Sean/FGV
Do you like to be inspired? Are you interested in meeting like-minded compassionate people and hearing what inspires them? Would informative presentations followed by a late night party be to your liking?
If the answer is yes, The Sunshine Sessions might be just what you need.
I am thrilled to be invited to speak at the inaugural outing of The Sunshine Sessions. This celebration of positive-thinking and ethical, self-directed people looks set to be a fascinating event.
A range of speakers from a variety of backgrounds and interests including education, personal wellbeing and veganism will deliver passionate talks to a roomful of guests, who will then party the night away after being fed delicious vegan food.
I love the idea of this event. One of the reasons I agreed to take part in The Sunshine Sessions was the inclusive nature of the event and the thoughtful range of speakers. This isn’t a collection of people telling you what you are doing wrong, rather a collection of presenters giving you an insight into the choices that work for them across the professional and personal realms of their lives.
The event will be taking place in Central London at an as-yet-undisclosed location on Friday November 28th, 2014.
An initial information page for The Sunshine Sessions has been launched allowing potential attendees to register their interest. This is where you enter your details to receive information relating to ticket availability and speaker details. Click here to visit now.
I’m looking forward to this event and it would be wonderful to see a lot of vegans in the audience. Keep checking back for more updates.
Follow The Sunshine Sessions on Instagram
One of the most-read posts on this site was all about fudge.
Remember when I wrote about the fabulous sweet treat company Scoff? Their fudge was a revelation in my life and the home delivery service is both a blessing and a curse.
The sweet masters have expanded their range for the cooler months to include the mouthwatering Toffee Apple fudge. This seasonal flavour will be making an appearance at my 3rd annual vegan Day of the Dead party tomorrow, alongside the new White Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge.
Scoff have very generously jumped on board and I am thrilled to be featuring them on our giant vegan buffet table tomorrow.
If you are quick, there might just be some tickets remaining.
If you can’t make it to my party, you can order your own home delivered vegan fudge and truffles from the Scoff online shop.
You can follow Scoff on Twitter
You can like Scoff on Facebook
One of my favourite snacks is the gorgeous hot and smoky popcorn by Bloom’s, but I have been feeling a bit down recently as the brand seemed to have disappeared from UK stores.
But rest assured fellow popcorn enthusiasts, this tasty treat was just on hiatus as the company repackaged and rebranded.
My favourite flavour is back and better than ever.
I was so delighted to see the brand relaunched, I reached out to Bloom’s and asked if they would like to be included on the giant vegan buffet at my 3rd annual Day of the Dead party taking place this weekend.
Of course they are lovely people and said yes, meaning attendees can look forward to a jumbo bowl of the good stuff as part of the food line up. Smoked Mexican Chili is just the perfect flavoured popcorn for this event!
Tickets for my Day of the Dead party can be purchased here. Click here to read about the event.
You can visit Bloom’s online
It is time to say goodbye to a family who have single-handedly revolutionised the UK vegan scene.
Patrick and Lisa Drummy have been at the forefront of getting meat replacements to hungry people for well over a decade. From humble beginnings with an often broken-down van, Pat launched a distribution company to spread the Fry’s Vegetarian range of vegan products all over the UK.
Due to Pat’s hard work and commitment to compassion, the South African produced products quickly became a staple freezer item for many veggie households. Pat poured his entire life (and livelihood) into the business and his dedication helped countless people make the transition to a meat free life.
Pat’s daughter Lisa joined him not long after this runaway success, making Fry’s UK a true family concern. Between them, they positioned the products in some of the biggest retailers in the country including Holland & Barrett and Ocado. They infiltrated huge catering distributors helping to get vegan food served in hospitals, schools, prisons and pubs all over the UK.
Lisa and Pat are two of the most respected people in the vegan community.
Year after year they tirelessly threw themselves into making Fry’s one of the leading vegan meat brands in Europe. I’m sure they couldn’t recall how many early starts there were or how many thousands of hours were spent spreading the vegan message throughout the country.
They have been friends to so many charities and outreach groups. Pat generously sponsored several of my events such as my Sea Shepherd fundraisers and the London Vegan Beer Fest. Dozens or maybe even hundreds of local animal welfare groups came to love Pat and Lisa for their generosity and honest desire to make the world a better place.
As Pat and Lisa step away from the business and hand the UK distribution back to the parent company, it is evident that our community is losing two of its staunchest supporters.
Pat and Lisa asked me to share the following statement with all of their friends and customers:
After 13 successful years of increasing choice for ethical consumers by introducing vegan foods to the UK market, we have lived to see Fry’s being stocked by health food shops, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and 3663. We’ve worked hard, met some truly great people and had a lot of fun along the way, but sadly, the team behind Fry’s Distribution UK is closing its doors on 31st October as it’s time for us to retire. Pat and Lisa would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your hard work, your business and, most importantly, your friendship.
I can’t express what these people have done for vegans and animals in the UK.
Please leave a comment for Pat and Lisa below.
