London vegan news, reviews & events
Leeds has some really great stirrings in relation to vegan food. I’m not about to declare it a vegan hotspot that you will be bowled over by, but the Northern city is certainly coming along leaps and bounds in recent years.
Check out this 100% vegan hummus and falafel cafe situated in the city centre.
As you have probably seen online, I have teamed up with Fry’s Family Foods in order to raise money for vegan-run Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary.
The campaign is off to a flying start. Check out the video update below for the latest news on the campaign.
I am thrilled we have already raised £1000 but we still have a long way to go. Hugglets urgently need funds to restore all of the fencing around their property, as well as install new security cameras to keep the rescued animals safe.
Please donate now and share this news widely.
Competition news
Would you like to visit Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary with me on World Animal Day courtesy of Fry’s Family Foods?
Fry’s is kindly sponsoring a minibus that will travel to the sanctuary on World Animal Day, Sunday October 4, 2015. Lunch and snacks on the day will be provided by Fry’s and passengers will get a chance to meet some of the rescued animals up close and personal.
How to enter?
Take a photo of yourself holding your favourite Fry’s Family Foods product and share on Twitter or Facebook. Make sure you use the hashtag #HumanKind and tag @frysfamilyUK for your chance to win a double pass on the bus.
Three pairs of tickets will be given away. Winners will need to make their own way to and from Central London on Sunday October 4, 2015. The bus will depart at 9:30am and return at approximately 6:00pm.
If I wore a hat, I would take it off to these people.
A group of compassionate people in Scotland just carried out what is one of the best examples of activism I have seen in a long time. They wanted to get a message across to their communities, so they raised the funds to erect a billboard in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The brilliant yet subtle message comes across clearly and thoughtfully. It gets everyday people thinking about how they have been socialised into accepting some animals as loving companions whilst others are bred, mistreated and killed for food.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this fantastic campaign. I hope we see many more like this in the future.
Find more info on the Vegan Billboard campaign here.
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.
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!
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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.
Don’t you just adore a fabulous bar with plenty of vegan beer and tubs of vegan snacks? What do you mean you’ve never been to one?!
Get your compassionate bones to Leeds as soon as possible to enjoy this fine experience.
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.
My work here is done. I can retire.
My pal Jhenn, the head chef at Veg Bar in Brixton, has given me the highest accolade I can imagine. She asked me to help design a burger and named it after me!
Check out this compassionate version of a Big Mac known as the FGV Burger.
Important news from the wonderful Made in Hackney.
They need our help to raise funds for the valuable plant-based educational work they do for their local community. They work hard to give low income, vulnerable and hard to reach people knowledge and skills related to affordable, nutritious vegan cooking.
Check out these facts about their gala fundraiser event and then book tickets!
I’ve never been to Hull.
The only two things I know about Hull:
Yes, get along to the Hull Vegan Festival at the Mercure Royal Hotel between 10am and 5pm on Saturday September 19, 2015.
I’ll be searching Twitter for tasty food photos.
Have fun, Hull!
Click here to see the event on Facebook.