British Library goes vegan for a day

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The British Library is embracing veganism by offering staff and visitors an exclusively all-vegan food and drinks menu at its Kings Library Café this Thursday (August 30, 2018).

The world’s oldest library is supporting The Vegan Society’s Plate Up for the Planet campaign that encourages people and businesses to take up to a seven-day vegan challenge.

The King’s Library Café, located in the Kings Library, will be serving dishes such as mock chicken katsu curry, Caribbean jerk tofu and pandan panna cotta, as well as hot drinks with soya milk between 10:45am and 5:00pm.

Louise Davies, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research at The Vegan Society, said: “We are very excited to have such a respected institution as the British Library promoting the environmental benefits of the plant based diet with a vegan offering at its café.

“With the weight of evidence showing that going vegan is the most significant thing an individual can do to reduce impact on the planet, it’s time people and companies alike took action on this issue.

“We need to be far bolder with our food choices if we are to protect our precious planet, and our Plate Up for the Planet campaign encourages people to do just that.”

Chantelle Nicholson, chef and author of vegan recipe book ‘Planted’, will give a free vegan cookery demonstration at 1pm on the day and sign copies of her book.

The Vegan Society will hold a stall by the café, handing out literature and giving out flavoured roasted peas from Brave Foods to people who sign up to their seven-day planet-changing challenge.

You can find the café by the King’s Library, located on the first floor of the British Library.

You can see the exact location of the library thanks to Google Maps.

Vegan ribs feast night

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Gorgeous London event space 10 Cable Street is excited to be collaborating with Lazy Boy Kitchen to give you this fun night of vegan ribs and trimmings.

Gather around a table and tuck into some great food, eat with your hands, get messy and just have fun!

This event is the third outing of the always sold out vegan ribs night and is taking place on September 14, 2018.

The menu looks amazing:

  • Jackfruit Ribs
  • Smoked Homemade BBQ Sauce
  • Mac & Cheese with Bacon Bits
  • BBQ Pitt Beans
  • Cheeze & Jalapeno Corn Bread
  • Whole roasted potatoes
  • Corn on the cob
  • Salads
  • Sharing Dessert

Lazy Boy Kitchen is a London vegan pop-up kitchen creating USA-style plant-based comfort food classics, such as their Mac & Cheeze made with homemade cashew cheeze sauce and Brizket made with a homemade slow cooked BBQ sauce.

Click here to book a ticket for this one night only feast.

Extra news: Lazy Boy Kitchen will also be appearing at Hackney Downs Vegan Market on Saturday September 1, 2018.

New vegan products at Marks and Spencer

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The great expansion of vegan groceries in the UK continues with this plant-based range now available in Marks & Spencer.

I was wandering through the Ealing Broadway outlet of this mainstream retailer when my eye was drawn to multiple appearances of the word ‘vegan’ on packages in the chilled section.

Check out all the items I spotted below. I actually didn’t buy any so am unable to give any constructive feedback!

If you have tried, please let us know what you thought in the comments below.

Vegan store in Harrogate Yorkshire

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Harrogate, Yorkshire has a vegan store and it is gorgeous.

Miss Claire Rose has a fabulous selection of vegan snacks including chocolates, sweets, and pantry staples. They also have a GORGEOUS range of gifts such as animal-themed greeting cards, soy wax candles, and locally made jewellery.

In a superb yet unexpected twist, the store also sells handmade lingerie! You can buy off the shelf or hand over your measurements for custom made.

I was totally bowled over by this gorgeous store front and everything inside. Support independent vegan business by following Miss Claire Rose on Instagram now and tell your Yorkshire friends.

You can see the exact location of the store thanks to Google Maps.

London vegan restaurant gets an overhaul

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Loving Hut in Edgware, London has long been a favourite eating destination for people in the capital looking to eat with compassion.

The restaurant (run by followers of the teachings of Supreme Master Ching Hai – Google it if you wanna know) has been serving delicious vegan savoury food for years and favourites include mock meats, noodle dishes, and flavoured rice.

I was planning a trip to Loving Hut Edgware a few days ago when I discovered that it no longer exists, but has been remodelled and renamed.

Zen Buddha still sits at 236 Station Road but has enjoyed a makeover. The restaurant has been polished to look more modern and new booth seating has been added.

The people working in the restaurant are the same and, thankfully, the food is still the same delicious crispy goodness I know and love.

Check out my most recent meal below and see the exact location of Zen Buddha online thanks to Google Maps.

Leeds gets super vegan

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Hey, friends.

The UK has been undergoing a vegan transformation over the past five years or so, but there was one large city that seemed to be on the back foot.

Leeds.

Now, I’m not disparaging Leeds. I love the place. I used to live in the Yorkshire city and it has a special place in my heart, but it has documented that the vegan offerings had been thin on the ground while other places such as Manchester and Glasgow flourished.

But all this has changed in recent times and my trip to Leeds this week has left me delighted with the gorgeous plant-based options that have sprung up all over town.

Take a look at some of the vegan delights I sampled in Leeds this week and start planning your weekend now!

Best in Leeds

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If you need proof that the UK is now a serious vegan food contender on the world stage, get along to Leeds and eat with El Marchador Tacos.

It will be one of the best eating experiences you will have.

El Marchador is a fully vegan and gluten free eatery in the heart of Leeds. The menu is packed solid with absolutely mouthwatering Mexican cuisine and the tacos are the finest I’ve tasted outside of Mexico.

In addition to the incredible food line up, the venue also hosts an impressive line up of tequilas and craft beers. Of course the bar is entirely vegan, too.

Follow El Marchador on Instagram and see the exact location of the cantina thanks to Google Maps.

Vegan Italian restaurant in east London

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This news is ALL OVER the vegan Internet, so you might have already heard it.

Antonio’s Kitchen is a brand new vegan Italian restaurant that has opened in Bethnal Green, London.

The food business has been trading at various locations over the past few years, but this restaurant is its first permanent home. It is just a few steps from Cambridge Heath train station and around the corner from The Gallery Cafe.

The menu at Antonio’s is stuffed solid with Italian classics such as piadina flatbread, calzone, and pasta.

You can see the exact location of Antonio’s Vegan Italian Kitchen thanks to Google Maps. Be sure to follow them on Instagram.

FGV on the radio

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Here is a quick post to alert you to the fact that I was recently a guest on BBC Radio Scotland.

I was approached by a production assistant last week and asked if I would like to participate in an on air discussion about how people view vegans in 2018.

Click here to listen back online.

You will need to scroll to the 1:32:00 mark of the recording.

Yay for vegan representations in the media!

Say hello to the BagNut

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It came to me in a dream.

There haven’t been many times in my life when I’ve watched a dream come true before my very eyes. Actually, this might be the first legitimate dream of mine that has been turned into reality.

It all started when I had a dream about a bagel filled with vegan bacon and cheese that had been battered and deep fried. It was such a vivid dream that I was instantly obsessed with the idea.

Fast forward to a few days ago and I was talking to my mate Dave of superstar vegan eatery Make No Bones in Sheffield about the BagNut (yes, bagel + donut = BagNut) and he agreed to make it for me.

I was floored!

My dream originally featured the bagel being held together with string before being battered and fried, but Dave knows what he is doing and used wooden skewers to hold it all together.

So what you can see below is the world’s first ever BagNut. A lightly toasted bagel filled with seitan bacon, cheese sauce, and pickles before being battered and deep fried.

To make this situation even better, Dave and Make No Bones have agreed to add the BagNut to their menu sometime in the coming days.

If you are ever in Sheffield, you need to make time to grab a BagNut. It is a taste sensation. If you live in Sheffield, I pray you have willpower or else this might become tea a few times a week.

Make No Bones is now located in new mega vegan venue Church: Temple of Fun which is also an amazing vegan bar and Drop Dead clothing boutique. I’ve also seen a new vegan tattoo studio being built inside the venue this week.

You can see the exact location of Make No Bones/Church online thanks to Google Maps.

Follow Make No Bones and Church on Instagram.

Extra news: Make No Bones and Church are hosting the official Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest after party on Saturday August 18, 2018 from 8pm. If you show your beer fest wrist band at the bar you get 10% off food orders and 10% off the official after party cocktail, the Slow Burner.

Click here to order cheap £4 Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest tickets online or pay £7 on the door.