London vegan news, reviews & events
Have you ever had a dream about something so wondrous, you simply push it to the back of your mind because it would probably never come to fruition? Yeah, me too. One of my long-held food fantasies has been to taste the crunchy, savoury goodness of vegan popcorn chicken. My FGV nights have been spent tossing and turning, waiting for these mythical balls of compassion to materialise.
And you know what comes next, right? Yep. The wait is over!
The Redwood Wholefood Company is one of the true vegan megastar companies. The Heather Mills-owned business produces a staggering range of cruelty-free delicacies and has won numerous awards throughout their history. This FGV has been in love with their products for over a decade and some of my favourite Redwood items include Cheatin’ Roast Turkey, Cheatin’ Rashers, Breaded Pepperjack Style Cheezly Bites and Gourmet Meat Free Chicken Style Pieces. Oh yes, I’m extremely familiar with Redwood.
With a lustrous reputation for good-tasting and compassionate food, my life is spent in anticipation of new Redwood products. My appetite and interest have been temporarily satisfied by a tasty new item that is simple yet irresistible.
London Vegan Drinks is a week away and this FGV couldn’t be more excited. Not only is it one of the biggest and best vegan nights on the planet, but hosting venue tibits has promised to go all out to make sure our event is one to remember this December.
The first news that should get the crowds in is the new dessert menu being unveiled for Winter. The menu is the stuff of vegan dreams. tibits will be offering the following vegan desserts during December (many appearing at London Vegan Drinks!): berry crumble, blood orange cream, Bircher muesli, dates, fig cream, fruit salad, gooseberry fool, Mandarin cream, mango mousse, papaya, quince cream, Sharon fruit, sticky toffee pudding and wild berry cream.
You’re coming along, right?! Still thinking about it, hey? Well, listen up.
As a special treat for London Vegan Drinks, the food boat at tibits will be 99% vegan on the night. Yes, that is correct. 99% vegan in honour of us. It is stunning news and proof that tibits is a compassionate business committed to strengthening our community event.
Join us on Thursday December 15, 2011 from 6:30pm for a night of vegan drinking, vegan eating and vegan socialising. It is going to be the event of the season. I 99% guarantee it.
For full event details with information on how to RSVP, click here.
I celebrate things that make me happy but I don’t partake in organised celebrations. You won’t ever get a Christmas card signed “All my love, Fat Gay Vegan xx” and you certainly will never be expected to buy me a birthday present. Many years ago, I decided to opt out of societal shenanigans and I have never looked back. The atheist inside me was particularly chuffed and I have managed to save a lot of money for myself and my friends.
But just because I don’t wish people a Happy New Year or a pleasant Diwali doesn’t mean I don’t like to feast on some of the foods available around festivals. I’ve certainly eaten my fair share of vegan chocolate Santas. It is this decided ignorance of celebration but love of overeating that led me to a vegan Thanksgiving extravaganza of delicious proportions last week here in London.
Wanna know how amazing Conscious raw chocolate is? I ate some a few minutes ago and I’m blogging about it now. I couldn’t wait to share my thoughts on this decadent product any longer.
Conscious is a company devoted to producing healthy and thoughtful treats. Trading since 2006, the gourmet chocolate manufacturer knows a thing or two about top quality sweet eating. Their raw, organic bars are handmade in West Kent and carry the Vegan Society logo. Each bar is free from pesticides, dairy, gluten and refined sugars (they are only ever sweetened with agave syrup).
I recently enjoyed the chance to return to one of the best vegan food providers in the UK. The Globe pub in the northern town of Glossop is as near to a religious experience a vegan atheist can get. The cosy inn delivers plate after plate of cruelty-free comfort food and my only regret is that it isn’t situated closer to where I live.
That said, I must admit location is but a mild irritation. Distance exists only to be laughed at when a FGV is hungry and let’s face it, when am I not at least peckish? So grab your warmest coat and wrap up tightly… we are heading into the windy wilds of Derbyshire for a spot of overeating.
It is well-documented across this site that I am more than partial to a spot of cake now and again. I am also known to enjoy drinking. For years I have dared to secretly dream of an unusual combination of my two passions. Sure there are plenty of rum cakes being carved up around the world, but I had been longing for something fresh and creative.
Well, somebody must be on the same dream frequency as me as I recently enjoyed a delightful cake infused with a drinking spirit during my visit to the northern city of Manchester.
I was in town to attend a concert by pop/rock experts Ash when I decided to pay a visit to the upmarket restaurant know as Bistro 1847. This handsome vegetarian eatery is located in the centre of the city, just a short stroll from just about anywhere. I had sampled their wares once before, but that was a rushed visit and I was determined to delve a little deeper into their vegan options.
Let’s keep this short and sweet. Do you want to taste astonishingly-good vegan pizza? Yes? Then get your bag of bones to Philadelphia and dine on the tasty delights of Blackbird Pizzeria. It will amaze you.
During my trip to the east coast of the USA earlier this year, I was keen to pay a visit to a new restaurant that I had been hearing a lot of buzz about. Blackbird Pizzeria opened during 2010 and has been serving up 100% vegan delicacies ever since. The cruelty-free food outlet gives compassionate diners an opportunity to enjoy an impressive range of treats not limited to simply pizza. Enough chit chat… wanna see what I consumed? Let’s do this.
Do you dream of luscious, creamy pralines? Can you imagine yourself gently removing a delicate ribbon to reveal a tray filled with decadent chocolate treats?
Thanks to the fabulous people of Moo Free Chocolates, the opportunity for vegans to delight in the wonder of boxed, gourmet pralines is now a reality. And if this fat, gay vegan dares to be so bold, I would like to say they have certainly created one of the finest vegan confectionery items on the planet. Do you want to lift the lid and discover the goodness inside the blue box? Read on and be prepared for a rumbling belly.
My passion for veganism and my love of Morrissey often intersect, but not usually in such a meaningful manner as they did a few weeks ago.
When I heard world wide web whispers of a vegan fair taking place in the Midlands town of Wolverhampton, I went through my usual Morrissey tragic routine of recalling the significance this UK city holds for lovers of the Mancunian legend. As any Morrissey fanatic worth their weight in NME-related litigation would know, over 20 years ago the artist bestowed the honour of his first solo gig upon Wolverhampton. The Smiths had recently been consigned to pop history and Morrissey wanted to show the world he was ready to tread the boards once again.
The fact that a vegan fair was taking place in this historically-significant (for Moz fans) city was almost enough to get me there. What I found out next sealed the deal and got me leaving the south and travelling north (no horses were harmed).