BREAKING: Tofurky sandwiches launch in UK

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We have waited and waited for this day.

Finally, it is here.

Superstar vegan brand Tofurky is launching its ready-to-consume sandwiches in the UK next week!

You have probably noticed I’ve recently been bemoaning the state of grab-and-go sandwiches in this country but the tide is now turning.

Yes, sandwiches are everywhere you look but the options for vegans or those wanting to choose vegan now and again have been abysmal. One particular Instagram post of mine caused a LOT of discussion on the topic.

Thankfully, Tofurky has come to our rescue with four superior sandwiches being launched in the UK from October 2, 2017.

The four flavours set to launch are TLT (Tempeh, Lettuce and Tomato), Chipotle Chick’n, Ham-style Salad and Chick’n and Sweetcorn.

Tofurky founder Seth Tibbott told me via email this morning that everyone at the company is thrilled with not only the exceptional taste of the protein-loaded sandwiches, but also the look of the packaging.

To be fair, it is gorgeous.

Here are the four flavours lined up at a recent trade event.

I can’t decide which flavour is tempting me the most. I suppose you can’t say no to a classic like ham and salad. But the chicken and sweet corn!

Seriously, I would need one of each. The FOMO is too real.

All four sandwiches will be on the shelves of Whole Foods Market stores across London from October 2, 2017. A few weeks later this will expand to include all As Nature Intended stores plus other health retailers.

After this initial London launch is a success (I mean, as if they won’t fly out!), look for the sandwiches to start rolling out further afield and especially into large, mainstream food retailers.

Are you excited? Could you pick a favourite? Where would you like to see these Tofurky sandwiches sold?

Follow Tofurky on Instagram to keep track of more exciting developments. Thanks for saving us from sandwich mediocrity, Tofurky!

Helping Mexico

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As you probably know, I have a strong connection to Mexico City. Some of the people I love most in the world are there and I live in the city for 6 months of each year.

I’ve been deeply worried about the devastating earthquake that affected the people of Mexico City last week and have felt helpless in London with no chance of being on the ground to help.

As a response, I have asked my publisher Nourish Books to help me raise money for a special charity based in Mexico City.

Isla Urbana works hard to install and maintain clean water infrastructure for some of the city’s most vulnerable people. Each water tank and system they install costs money but has the ability to give water security to an entire household and sometimes local schools.

Between Sunday September 24 and Saturday September 30, 2017, Nourish Books will kindly donate £1 to Isla Urbana for every copy of my book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’ that is pre-ordered via Amazon.

Use this link to pre-order the book: http://tinyurl.com/CDMXwater and please share this post where you can. If you prefer to donate directly to the charity, you can do that here: http://islaurbana.org/english/

Sandwiches in London

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I’ve written about Queen Picnic in the past but thought it was time to share an update about this fabulous London-based sandwich producer.

Take a look at the current line up of packaged sandwiches Queen Picnic has now made available through West London vegan grocery store GreenBay.

The range includes chicken-style seitan with vegan mayo, spring onion and parsley, beef-style seitan with tomato, rocket and dijon mustard, vegan cheese with pickle, lettuce and tomato, deli-style turkey seitan with smoked ‘cheese’ and cranberry sauce, as well as smokey salmon-style carrot with vegan cream cheese, dill and red onion.

Queen Picnic want hungry vegans to know that their sandwich line will be popping up in more locations soon, but in the meantime you can all get along to GreenBay Supermarket.

Follow Queen Picnic on Instagram.

Fat Gay Vegan at VegfestUK London

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I’m happy to announce that I will be taking part in the annual VegfestUK London event happening on October 21 and 22, 2017.

I will be talking during two events:

Main talk in auditorium on Saturday – Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Shit

Sean O’Callaghan (Fat Gay Vegan) previews his book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’, set to be published via Nourish in January 2017. Sean will discuss themes from the book including expanding compassion beyond the plate to include other social justice issues.

Activist Corner talk on Sunday – So you wanna start a local vegan market?

Join blogger, journalist and event planner Fat Gay Vegan as he hosts a Q&A session on the importance of setting up local, independent vegan markets. His popular Hackney Downs Vegan Market has just become a weekly happening and FGV wants you to start one in your area, too!

In addition to my talks, there will be a table selling exclusive advance copies of my new book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Shit. This early release is only for VegfestUK London. If you are unable to make it to the show but are still interested in grabbing a copy of my book, you can pre-order via Amazon ahead of the January release by Nourish Books.

Click here to find out more info about VegfestUK London and to buy advance tickets.

Hackney Down Vegan Market September 23

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Just dropping by (who am I kidding – I live here) to let you know about the line up for Hackney Downs Vegan Market as it celebrates becoming a weekly event on Saturday September 23, 2017.

Check out this fabulous line up:

  • Big V London – burgers from the edge of paradise that are changing the way London eats
  • Young Vegans – the finest vegan pies in London from the nicest people in the city
  • Vegan Delice – delectable treats from one of the best vegan baked goods businesses in the UK
  • Hell Yum! – outstanding vegan ice cream and ice cream cookie sandwiches
  • Club Mexicana – a special ONE DAY ONLY mach n cheese menu
  • The Cashew Family – some of the finest gourmet vegan cheese in the UK
  • Vega Mama – be prepared to be bowled over by warm jackfruit curry and take home tubs of vegan tuna!
  • Vogococo – irresistible raw chocolate and energy balls
  • The Cane Press – freshly squeezed sugar cane drink available with or without rum
  • Just Fab – the famous vegan Italian restaurant visits us with panelle, arancini and vegan tiramisu!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to launch weekly and even more so when I look over that list.

I mean, come on. Sugar cane juice and rum!

RSVP to the Facebook event here and invite all your friends.

Join FGV for a bubbly and cake party

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London. You are not just getting a few more vegan establishments opening lately.

You are being completely OVERRUN by some of the best vegan food outlets on the planet.

My friend Vanessa Almeida is opening her gorgeous vegan café in Shoreditch following on from years of running pop ups and residencies around the capital.

The lease is signed on the shop and I’m sitting inside right now as people paint furiously around me. It’s so thrilling to see Vanessa’s hard work and dedication to good vegan food finally paying off.

I’m working with Vanessa to raise some funds to ensure her Essential Vegan Café gets off to the best start possible. We are running a fundraising campaign to help pay for equipment costs, legal fees, paint, stock, furniture, and the countless expenses associated with opening a world class café in one of the most expensive cities on the planet.

If you think you have an idea of how expensive it is to open a business in London, I’d hazard a guess that your figure would be nowhere close to the reality.

I am trying to help Vanessa raise £30,000 to safeguard her business beyond opening. Most of the money is coming from Vanessa and her husband Neni, but they need a little bit of help from team vegan.

Essential Vegan Café is set in a stunning space just off Shoreditch High Street and it is the perfect location to showcase Vanessa’s Brazilian inspired menu that features seitan burgers, cheese bread and artisan coffee.

Of course there are a whole bunch of rewards on offer if you are able to support Vanessa’s campaign, but the one reward I’m most interested in telling you about today is the opening night party hosted by me!

If you donate £40 to the Essential Vegan Café fundraising campaign you can choose a ticket to the opening night party on Saturday September 30, 2017.

There are three separate sessions to join:

  • 6:00pm until 7:30pm
  • 7:30pm until 9:00pm
  • 9:00pm until 10:30pm

The ticket includes entry to the party where you will enjoy:

  • Free vegan bubbly to drink
  • A slice of cake (you get to choose from a selection!)
  • An Essential Vegan tote bag
  • Sneak preview of the café’s new menu before anyone else in London
  • 10% off your bill if you want to order food at the party

This is a very special event to help support a very special person. You will not meet anyone on the vegan scene who has worked as hard as Vanessa.

Join me for a party, eat some cake, drink some bubbles AND support an independent vegan business. It is going to be the MOST FUN.

Click here to see all of the rewards. If you can’t make the party launch, perhaps you will be tempted by some of the other rewards such as gourmet vegan cheese, private dining experiences and more.

Vegan cheese at Pizza Hut UK

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If you are a vegan on the Internet this week, you will have probably read the news regarding a vegan cheese trial taking place at some Pizza Hut locations in the UK.

Here are the basics.

Pizza Hut customers can visit a handful of restaurants between October 2nd until November 26th, 2017 and ask for their pizza to be made with vegan cheese.

The stores taking part in the trial are:

  • Pizza Hut CANTERBURY ​
  • Pizza Hut CRAWLEY
  • Pizza Hut THANET
  • Pizza Hut BLUEWATER
  • Pizza Hut CHATHAM

The vegan pizza options are limited to dine in only. No takeaway at the moment. It is also important to note that the gluten free base at Pizza Hut is not currently suitable for vegans. You can see all the other ingredients the company lists as vegan on their website by clicking here.

I wanted to give you a few more insights into how and why this trial came about, so I reached out to the person responsible.

Pedro Zúñiga is the founder of Coffee & Cheese, an incredible vegan cheese, vegan meat and coffee distribution company. I wrote about how you can buy bulk Violife from Pedro back here on my blog.

Pedro has singlehandedly manoeuvred this trial with Pizza Hut and is supplying the cheese through his company.

Here is what he had to say about the trial.

FGV: Which Violife product are you supplying for the Pizza Hut trial?

Pedro: They will use the new Violife Grated for Pizza we are introducing to all our customers in the next few days. We will have them available in 11x200g formats for shops and 1kg bags for caterers.

FGV: How excited are you? What positive effects it will have?

Pedro: From a personal point of view, I feel like this is a little step towards a more compassionate world, and it proves that even large non-vegan companies can no longer ignore the vegan community. Don’t get me wrong, I sill would much rather have a Protein Punch on a Turmeric base from PickyWops, but if your non-vegan friends or family happen to take you to Pizza Hut, it’s good to know that you have a vegan option there as well.

From a professional point of view, it shows that we are capable of making changes to large mainstream chains while keeping our vegan identity and being a small independent vegan company. This is encouraging for all independent vegan businesses, and reminds us that we can trigger changes even if we are small, and even more so if we work together and support each other. If we make our voices heard in this short trial period, they will roll out to a permanent, nationwide vegan cheese supply at all 330 Pizza Hut Restaurants in the UK. Takeaways aren’t involved yet, but this may also happen in the future if it goes well in the Restaurants.

You can show your support for Pedro’s hard work by visiting his website and following him on Facebook and Twitter.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market weekly

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You asked for it so we made it happen.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is now a weekly event!

Fat Gay Vegan and EAT WORK ART are thrilled to announce the transformation of London’s best vegan street food market from a monthly event to a WEEKLY one.

There is no need to wait an agonising month to get your fill of delicious comfort food. Starting Saturday September 23rd, 2017 and going forward each and every Saturday, Hackney Downs Studios will be home to the finest collection of vegan traders in London.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market is the original and the best. It’s brought to you by a vegan in order to help vegan businesses. This is your weekly community market and entry is free.

Stay tuned for product giveaway news and updates taking place at the market.

Best vegan breakfast

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I’m constantly on the hunt for the best cooked vegan breakfast in the UK and I think I’ve found a strong contender.

Teatime Collective in Manchester is a wonderful place for comfort food, cake and ice cream but I had never tried their all-day breakfast until this weekend.

It was stunning.

It had all the components of a vegan fry up including a potato cake! Also, if your fry up doesn’t have beans and toast, don’t even talk to me.

Have you tried this breakfast? How does it rate compared to your favourite?

You can follow Teatime Collective on Instagram.

FGV ice cream

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Here is a super quick post to let you know about one of the biggest honours of my life.

The Ice Shack vegan ice cream parlour in Manchester is serving a Fat Gay Vegan flavour!

The mojito flavour is packed with lime and is incredibly creamy.

Of course the FGV mojito is not the only reason to visit this ice cream shop, but it is a damn fine one. So is the salted caramel ice cream, the dozens of flavours of handmade truffles, and the ever rotating selection of ice creams.

Follow Ice Shack on Instagram.