Are you ready to vegan cruise again?

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Didn’t that year and a bit just fly by?

When I think back to the beginning of 2020, I remember so much to be excited about… not least the vegan cruise I was organising to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Fat Gay Vegan.

Cabins were being booked and special guests were being organised. I was busy creating a list of vegan places to visit during each of our stops. I met with out head chef and carried out tastings.

It was my dream trip to mark my first decade as FGV.

But then reality hit. Hard.

You don’t need a recount of the past year as I’m sure you are as acutely aware of what went down as I am. The basic facts relating to the cruise are that it was cancelled and I knew I wanted to bring it back as soon as possible.

In celebration of the world rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the past year, and me marking the 11th year of being Fat Gay Vegan, please join me as we set sail for an end of the year celebration like no other.

Let’s cruise! We really deserve it this time.

Commencing in historic Nuremburg on December 20, 2021​, our unforgettable week-long celebration takes in picturesque towns and cities scattered along the beloved Danube including Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and the World UNESCO Heritage Wachau Valley (Durnstein, Melk, Linz, and Passau).

Did I mention this cruise will be 100% vegan. All food is completely plant-based and we take over the entire ship.

This unforgettable trip on the Danube has been personally curated by me, FGV, and will include:

  • Welcome night gala dinner and holiday celebration party
  • Karaoke party, disco nights, pub-style quiz, and socialising in the lounge
  • Up close interviews and panel discussions with extra special guests
  • Sumptuous cuisine crafted by our Vegan Culinary Cruises chef
  • Morning yoga classes
  • Gorgeous views of famous European landmarks from luxurious cabins, the on-board restaurant, and the lounge
  • 100% vegan toiletries in each cabin
  • Optional shore excursions, vegan food tours, and all-inclusive drink packages available at extra cost

This journey with Vegan Culinary Cruises and Fat Gay Vegan along the Danube is going to be more than just a cruise. It is set to be an unforgettable celebration of everything vegan. Think of it as your very own vegan festival on water.

The cruise will finish in breathtaking Budapest on December 27, 2021 which will give you enough time to travel home for New Year’s Eve or choose to stay a few extra days and ring in the New Year in style.

If this sounds like a wonderful way to get back into the swing of vegan travel and celebrate a brighter future, please click here to read more about the cruise and to book your spot.

Of course, you can sign up now with no financial obligation until the cruise is deemed completely safe and it has been confirmed.

EXTRA NOTE

I have also curated an extra special USA National Parks land tour for 2022 in conjunction with VCC.

Our Vegan Desert Adventure is open for bookings (which are already rolling in!) and I am extra excited for this trip as it takes in some of the most gorgeous scenery on the planet.

This is hotel based and we take coaches for day trips including the Grand Canyon. Maybe this is for you if ships are not your thing? Or perhaps you want to do both trips? I’ll be on both, so let’s hang out!

Click here to discover more about the Vegan Desert Adventure 2022.

This is a HUGE moment for me. Having to commit to undertaking these adventures after such an uncertain time in history takes a lot of belief and optimism.

Thankfully, I am working with wonderful partners in Vegan Culinary Cruises and we are fortunate to be in a position to take provisional bookings on these trips with no deposit needed.

We will only request deposits and bookings when the departures are deemed safe and secure. We won’t ask you to confirm until we have confirmed. You can dream now, pay later. We all need something to look forward to after the year we’ve had.

Help me celebrate and let’s see the world in vegan style.

Visit the Vegan Culinary Cruises website now.

Special deal in Sheffield

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This one here is for my Sheffield people. Only!

This weekend in the Steel City, hungry vegans and vegan-friendly eaters can grab some great deals from the Make No Bones stable of restaurants to celebrate their launch on the UberEats delivery app.

The three restaurants (Make No Bones, Saucy, and La Fonda) are offering 2-for-1 specials on selected menu items.

What can you get at this special 2-for-1 rate?

At Make No Bones:

  • Cheeseburger
  • Cheese fries
  • Ribs

At Saucy:

  • Classic beef
  • Classic chicken
  • Chicken bacon cheese
  • 3 wings

At La Fonda:

  • Mexican quesadilla
  • Chorizo and potato burrito
  • Papas alambre

Get ordering! This special is until close of trade on Sunday May 16, 2021 or until they run out of food.

Follow La Fonda, Saucy, and Make No Bones on Instagram.

Extra note: I have helped MNB with work for money in the past, so don’t get it twisted.

News podcast for May 12, 2021

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I am back again with a brief audio recap of all the vegan news that matters to me this week.

It is the Fat Gay Vegan Weekly News Roundup: episode 4.

Listen to how many mistakes I make this week. Also, find out about free vegan meat, a vegan job in London, and where in the UK a pub has just gone 100% vegan.

FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year – Fat Gay Vegan

As the year ebbs away join me for a chat about the tough task of going home, Whitney Houston, and vegan food on QANTAS planes.
  1. FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year
  2. FGV’s Mini News Roundup December 7, 2022
  3. FGV’s mini news roundup – news, views, and reviews from the plant-based world and beyond
  4. Fat Gay Vegan mini news roundup March 17, 2022
  5. FGV mini news roundup December 23, 2021 – vegan news and reviews

If you appreciate the work I do to encourage people to go and stay vegan, as well as the support I give to independent business, click the image below to pledge or donate financially if you can.

Tune in to the podcast recap every Wednesday!

New vegan meat brand in UK

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Now, this is some great news.

Iconic London supermarket GreenBay (if you don’t know) is a 100% vegan grocery store based in Fulham, but they also send products out UK-wide via their online shop.

GreenBay is one of the finest places in the country to go for plant-based groceries, whether you are shooping online or in person.

And as if being the leading vegan supermarket of the region wasn’t enough for them, GreenBay have gone ahead and developed their own vegan meat range.

After partnering with a producer and undertaking lots of testing and tasting sessions, GreenBay is rolling out their new vegan meat products right now…. and you can try them for free!

The range so far includes:

  • Braised Sausages
  • Salami Style Slices
  • Quinoa & Tofu Sausages

As a special offer for the launch period, GreenBay is giving away this new range to online shoppers for free. Here are the details:

  • How to get the full range of products worth £11.09 for FREE?
  • Add to the cart all products you want, you can either select just one or all of them
  • Sharing is caring – make sure the quantities per item is just 1 so that everyone can enjoy the products
  • Check Out as usual – No codes needed (These products are chilled so the only options available at check out are Next Day Delivery DPD and Royal Mail 24)
  • GreenBay pack and ship your order
  • Receive & Enjoy 🙂

*This promotion is a limited time only until stock lasts – minimum order value excluding shipping and taxes is £10

Get behind this independent vegan business AND try some delicious new products.

Click here to order now and follow GreenBay on Instagram.

EXTRA NOTE:

Just for a little bit of fun, click here to see the live Facebook video I did from inside GreenBay just before they opened back in 2016. Take a look if you wanna see FGV and GreenBay from five years ago!

Work wth a vegan business in London

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You all remember Essential Vegan Café.

The superstar Brazilian eatery served loving and loyal customers in Shoreditch prior to landing in their new permanent home inside legendary LGBT+ venue, Dalston Superstore.

It’s a dream come true for lovers of vegan comfort food and queer bar excitement. Essential Vegan serve patrons inside the venue and even make the food for the weekend drag brunch!

If you like the sound of all that and you currently need employment, Essential Vegan is hiring.

They are looking for a part-time kitchen assistant/chef to join their small and lovely team from May 2021. You must know your way around a commercial kitchen and have Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate.

The job involves doing prep, service, cleaning and closing.

Interested? Send your CV to vanessa@essentialvegan.co.uk

If you get the job, make sure you keep watching for me in the crowd. I’ll be down there often for vegan eating and LGBT good times!

You can see the Essential Vegan menu online and follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

Hand painted vegan chocolate bars

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I’m always shouting from the rooftops about Truffle Pig and their decadent vegan chocolates.

The Sheffield-based confectionary specialists have developed a loyal following and it is no surprise when you consider how delicious their products are.

I first tried Truffle Pig chocolates a few years back when they traded at my Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest. I bought as much as I could but people swamped them and everything was gone very quickly.

Knowing how popular the brand is, you should be excited about this new hand painted, dark chocolate block released just last week.

It is called Riots Not Diets.

This 100g chocolate bar is made with their signature dark 55% cocoa with 'RIOTS NOT DIETS' written on each one.  As these are hand painted design, each bar will be uniquely decorated! 

Support independent vegan business and support your taste buds. Click here to check out the entire Truffle Pig range online, including the new Riots Not Diets bar.

Important fact: Truffle Pig restock online every Friday so you need to be quick on the day to place your order.

You can also follow Truffle Pig on Instagram.

Time to visit London vegan eateries

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After surviving the past year and a bit, I don’t think I will ever complain about time dragging again.

Nothing could ever feel as long as the winter from which we emerged. I was finding it tough going.

But FINALLY it seems as though we are emerging from the gloom, so I thought it would be the perfect time to celebrate 10 vegan restaurants I am excited to rush back to in London.

My list is below. Be sure to click through and follow the businesses on Instagram and tell me your top picks in the comments.

10. Purezza had to be on this list. The pizza chain has locations popping up all over the place (including a spot in Manchester soon) but I need to get into the jumbo-sized Camden location on Parkway. The restaurant got an upgrade since I was last there and I’m excited to try it out. Follow Purezza on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6rBbrpz9G/

9. I feel like a bad vegan. Itadakizen is a Japanese vegan restaurant in London that has been there for YEARS and I have only eaten there once. So slack of me. They recently gifted me their ramen sauce (amazing – read here) so I have a new appreciation and excitement for them. Follow Itadakizen on Instagram.

8. Copperhouse Chocolate is London’s only 100% vegan chocolate cafe and shop. Maybe it is the only one in the entire UK? I want to drop in for a chocolate drink, something chocolate-based to eat, and some handmade chocolates to take home with me. Follow Copperhouse Chocolate on Instagram.

7. This list would not be complete without the legendary Temple of Seitan. My fellow Aussies have become global names for the magic they create with vegan fried chicken. They have a few locations serving up some of the best comfort food on the planet, while there are rumours that a certain FGV might be helping them out with a few things in the near future. Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

6. Essential Vegan lives! After closing their Shoreditch location, Essential Vegan came back strong with a permanent residency inside Dalston Superstore. If vegan food inside an LGBT venue doesn’t scream FGV, nothing does. Follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/COC_yqLpeGi/

5. Fancy casual dining rarely comes tastier than Wulf & Lamb. Now with two locations (Chelsea and Marylebone), Wulf & Lamb is my go to venue when I have friends visiting from outside London. I feel like I’m showing off! Follow Wulf & Lamb on Instagram.

4. Deserted Cactus is another place that makes me feel like a bad vegan because I have never eaten there. I am going to rectify this serious error ASAP after lockdown and restrictions. Peckham locals have been raving about this food and I want in on the good times. Follow Deserted Cactus on Instagram.

3. Why did I post a photo of people instead of food when listing Cafe Van Gogh? Because even though the food is seriously delicious, the people working at this Brixton vegan eatery are some of the nicest you will meet in the city. It is a total experience you will want to relive again and again. I can’t wait to get back. Follow Cafe Van Gogh on Instagram.

2. Oh, kebabs! Remember when What The Pitta opened in that little shed in Shoreditch and had lines for days?! People loved the food then and they love it even more now, with locations opening around the country. Make mine a snack box with burger sauce, please. Follow What The Pitta on Instagram.

  1. Last but in no freaking way least, Cookies & Scream. I mean, what can I say about this absolutely amazing and legendary vegan business? The bakery is vegan and gluten free. You’ll always leave with a smile from ear to ear. Truly delicious. Follow Cookies & Scream on Instagram.

And I know I claimed to be making a list of 10 vegan places to revisit in London, but I’ve run out of space and decided I needed to include Young Vegans Pizza Shop. They are on track to re-open soon after taking care of the decorating that happened during lockdown (see below)! If this isn’t the best vegan pizza on the planet, it is darn well close. Follow Young Vegans Pizza Shop on Instagram.

Who did I miss from your favourites? What other vegan restaurants are set to reopen or are already serrving again?

Let’s eat, London!

Sheffield pub turns food menu 100% vegan

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The vegan revolution shows little sign of slowing down in the UK and this city centre pub announcement is further proof.

The Old House is a popular watering hole on Devonshire Street that has been serving vegan options on their food menu for a while, however they have now made the decision to switch to 100% vegan food and cocktails as they come out of lockdown.

Locals can book tables now in anticipation of the May 19, 2021 reopening and really get fired up by the tantalising menu.

Check it out below.

The menu is packed with tempting comfort food including all day brunch, stacked burgers, and loaded fries.

But it isn’t just the food!

All of the cocktails will be vegan, too. Fill up on plant-based drinks and snacks.

You can follow The Old House on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on menu additions.

Need to book a table? Head over to The Old House website. The Sunday roast dinners will be especially popular.

FGV on the Viva Podcast

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I love talking. It’s no secret.

So when I was asked to be a guest on the Viva! podcast, I said yes instantly and asked how long they needed me to speak. Ha!

I had a fabulous time chatting with Helen about a wide range of topics including the work I have been doing with Make No Bones in Sheffield, how vegans need to think more broadly about social justice, and why I’ve got such a weird accent (hint: I’m Australian).

Listen to the May 2021 episode at the link and subscribe to the Viva! podcast wherever all good podcasts are found.