Vegan capital of the world is not a city

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To be honest, I’ve spent a lot of time moaning about London and how it always seemed behind other world capitals when it came to vegan food. It always felt 5-10 years behind NYC, LA and Berlin.

However, things are now changing rapidly for the UK capital and nowhere is heralding in this plant-based revolution faster than the north London Borough of Hackney.

To celebrate it rapidly becoming veganised, I wanted to give you my top ten reasons why Hackney is the most-vegan neighbourhood/district in the UK and one of the finest plant-based destinations in the world.

10 Essential Vegan – Vanessa lives in Hackney and now has launched a six-week kitchen takeover with her Essential Vegan goodness in trendy neighbourhood bar, Haunt. If you love seitan burgers and cheesecake, head here as soon as possible.

9 Redemption Bar – I’ve never been to this venue but it does seem to be a popular choice for a lot of vegans on Instagram. Diners can get their fill of wholefoods and non-alcoholic drinks.

8 What The Pitta – if you need something to fill you up, this is the place. Actually, the kebab wraps are so huge you might actually struggle to finish one. What The Pitta now have a second location in Croydon, but the original location at the PUMP food court in Shoreditch means Hackney will not have to miss out.

7 Club Mexicana – this street food vendor has become a legendary staple of the London food scene and now with this ongoing residency inside Kingsland Road bar Pamela, Mexican-inspired cuisine is in Hackney to stay. While at their street stands you can enjoy tacos, burritos, loaded nachos and fried cheese sticks, this residency is taking things up a notch with handmade tortillas and fancy desserts. All drinks and cocktails served by host venue are vegan, too.

6 FED by Water – this Italian gourmet dining restaurant changed London forever when it switched from a meat and dairy laden menu to one that is now 100% vegan. Last time I checked, they even had a pizza named after me!

5 Made in Hackney – a crucial component of Hackney’s plant-based revolution, this charity funds community education and support work centred around vegan eating by hosting paid-for cooking lessons that can be attended by anyone.

4 Black Cat Café – this café is one of the food champions of the UK. If comfort eating is your thing, you will adore the regular and rotating dishes including burgers, cakes and breakfasts.

3 CookDaily and HOME – imagine two of the best vegan eateries in London being 10 metres apart. Both of these fast food outlets are packed solid with bowls of irresistible cuisine created by genius Chef King. Located upstairs at Boxpark Shoreditch.

2 Temple of Hackney – nothing has taken the UK by storm quite like this vegan fried chicken shop. The shop frequently sells out completely before the end of the day and you’ll often find a line of hungry customers down the street.

1 Hackney Downs Vegan Market – I know it’s a bit unfair to put my own new monthly market at number one, but it really does feel like such a big deal. This is the very first vegan monthly market in London and it is packed solid with some of the best vegan traders in London. The third Saturday of each month at Hackney Downs Studios with plans to have 10 or so food vendors on site each time we fling open the gates.

What do you think? Is Hackney the vegan capital of London? Is there another borough with more plant-based options crammed inside its borders? Have I missed any vegan Hackney landmarks?

The list above features only 100% vegan outlets. There are of course many more that are vegan friendly. There are also vegan places just blocks outside the Borough of Hackney boundaries, such as the wonderful Just Fab.

Get busy in Hackney!

Vegan wedding website

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I often get emails from readers who are looking for advice on where to turn for vegan wedding supplies and services, so it’s great to know I can now point them to this new website launched by Becky Jones.

Becky has set up Vegan Weddings, an online space on which she has started curating UK businesses that are in the business of plant-based weddings.

The website isn’t swamped with listings at the moment, but I like how Becky has made it searchable by region. As she starts to add to the site, users will be able to see what is nearby.

If you or someone you know runs a business linked to weddings, you can have it listed on the site for just £12 for 12 months. That’s a great price and just one booking would more than recoup your advertising investment.

I don’t currently see anything stating that all businesses must be inclusive of same-sex weddings (or any representation of same-sex weddings in the images), but hopefully that is something Vegan Weddings will be asking of their advertisers moving forward.

You can visit the Vegan Weddings website here.

Follow Vegan Weddings on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Job with The Vegan Society

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Super quick post to let interested people know about a job going with The Vegan Society.

It’s a little bit late notice as the application deadline is tomorrow (Monday March 13, 2017) but better late than never when it comes to vegan employment, right?

Here is a brief overview of the job:

Supporter Services Co-ordinator

  • Membership and leaflets
  • Database, website and social media
  • Volunteer Co-ordination
  • Events and Outreach support

The job is of course located in Birmingham and would require you to work 37.5 hours per week.

You can click here to find out more information, including finer job description details and where to send your application.

You have until 5pm tomorrow!

Huge vegan show heading for Wembley

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Exciting news for anyone in West London.

Animal rights champions Viva! have announced a huge event in September 2017 that will take place in the London suburb of Wembley. As a matter of fact, the venue is right next door to Wembley Stadium.

What does the line up of the show look like?

  • Over 200 stalls
  • Catering area
  • Cooking demos
  • Talks
  • Clothing, toys, chocolates, treats

It’s great to see a show like this NOT in central London.

Viva! Vegan Festival London is set for Saturday September 16, 2017. Click here for all the details.

Art for animals

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Up to forty artists are set to show their work in a London gallery to advocate for animal rights.

Here are all the details you need.

Artist Aisha Eveleigh has organised an art exhibition in central London to raise awareness of animal exploitation and its consequences.

The name Behind Closed Doors refers to the way our mistreatment of animals is hidden from the general public. Most of us have little idea what happens to animals behind the doors of factory farms, slaughterhouses and vivisection labs.

The exhibition seeks to bring these issues into the light, changing the way we think about animal rights.

For this reason, Aisha views the Behind Closed Doors exhibition as a form of activism. Vegan artists like Dana Ellyn and Sue Coe will be exhibiting their work, whilst YouTubers Earthling Ed and Vegan Geezer are among those giving talks.

The exhibition will take place at the Strand Gallery in London. It will be open from the 26th to the 29th of May, with an open event day on the 27th. On this day, there will be a variety of talks and performances, along with creative workshops to get involved in.

If you’d like to support this inspiring project, make a donation via the Indiegogo fundraising page. Donating £5 gets you unlimited entry into the exhibition, while donating more gets you added perks. Even if you can’t make it to the event, donations will no doubt be very much appreciated!

For more information on the exhibition, visit the website.

You can also RSVP and invite friends on the Facebook event page.

FGV top picks VegfestUK Brighton

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Hey!

I don’t know how this comes around so quickly. Has it really been a year since the previous VegfestUK Brighton?

The Brighton version of this mega event always holds a special place in my heart. It still has a slightly small-town vibe than its cousin in London and you get to be beside the English seaside while it’s still blustery and cold.

This blog post and my ‘things you don’t want to miss’ list for VegfestUK Brighton is tinged with a little sadness as I can’t be there this weekend. As you might now, I live in Mexico City for six months of each year so it seems I won’t be getting to this event again in the foreseeable future.

Drats!

In loving memory of the good times I’ve enjoyed at this show, I’ve gone through this year’s programme to put together FGV’s top picks for VegfestUK Brighton (March 11 and 12, 2017).

Food hall

  • Beelzebab – stunning seitan kebabs from one of the best fast food vendors in the entire UK
  • Butcherless – from the people who brought you Sgaia comes a food stall of epic deli proportions
  • Brownins – I always make time for their deliciousness, especially their gravy

Talks

Check out the Intersectional Vegan Summit especially Ruby Hamad talking about links between animal oppression and capitalism at 4:00pm on Saturday via Skype and Christopher-Sebastian McJetters discussing connections between speciesism and racism at 5:00pm on Saturday

Cooking demo

Make time to see my buddy Adrian of Vegan Peasant demonstrate canapés and party food. I just wrote about his upcoming pop up event in London, so this is a great opportunity to see how the magic works at 5pm on Saturday

Stalls

  • Ananda’s Marshmallows – get the Round-Up wagon wheels
  • Conscious Chocolate – so rich and creamy
  • Dr Hadwen Trust – actively campaigning for animal-based experiment alternatives
  • Follow Your Heart – best vegan mayo on the planet and sponsors of Vegan Beer Fest UK 2017
  • Lakeside Ethical Treats – always has a great range of vegan sweets and treats

Of course there are dozens and dozens more stalls and talks taking place, but this list includes the things I personally would make a priority.

Hope you all have a great time and check out VegfestUK Brighton online to plan your weekend and get your tickets.

Vegan Peasant back again

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I love bringing you news of London vegan events and pop ups, especially when I know how popular they are going to be. I get all tingly and excited.

Last month I wrote about my buddies Diana and Adrian of Vegan Peasant hosting a glorious one-night-only food affair and I think the tickets sold out in about 48 hours.

Vegan Peasant is back in March with another canapés and bowls pop up event and you will have to be super quick to secure your spot.

 

Just like last time, the pop up is located near Hackney Central. You are given the exact location 48 hours out from the event.

Check out this glorious menu being prepared for Vegan Peasant guests:

Canapés
– Beetroot Rösti, Horseradish Cream, Carrot and Mizuna
– Sea Salt & Rosemary Puff Twists, Smokey Chipotle Aioli
– Basil & Sunseed Arancini, Basil & Rocket Pesto Mayo

Bowls
– Artichoke Hearts, Red Pepper, Broad Beans over Olive Oil dressed Linguine, Fried Garlic Shards & Baby Leaf
– Saffron Carnaroli Risotto, Shallots & Sweet Mange Tout Finished with Shredded Radicchio & Snipped Chive

Sweet Bites
– Three Layer Boozy Trifle with Whipped Coconut Cream
– Brownie, Meringue & Ice Cream Sundae

Vegan Peasant is responsible for some of the finest plant-based cuisine you will find in London. That menu is world-class.

Tickets are £25 and all guests will be presented with a welcome drink on arrival. Don’t show up without a ticket. Advance ticket purchases only at this exclusive event.

Click here to buy your ticket now and RSVP/invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

UK shopping village gets a vegan cafe

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Do you remember the excitement when I told you about the shopping village in Coventry, UK where you could find a vegan brewery and a vegan grocery store?

That original blog post about Fargo Village absolutely blew up, with a huge number of readers from all over the UK and the world wanting to find out more.

But that was then.

BIG news coming out of this already very vegan-friendly shopping village tells us that there is now a 100% vegan café on site. How great is that?

Three vegan businesses located within the same shopping village.

Totally Vegan describes itself as a ‘100% vegan cafe serving everyday, affordable food and drink to support you and your family’s vegan journey’. Sounds like a positive outlook to me!

Nikki who runs the Green Unicorn vegan grocery store in Fargo Village had the following to say about the new café:

Totally Vegan opened in early February to queues out the door and many satisfied customers (their lemon and blueberry cake is to die for and they makes a gorgeous chickpea flour quiche too) – and their sausage rolls are so good they’ve even got the non-vegans clamouring for them!

Nikki also let me know they are hosting their own vegan fair in the shopping village this April. Coventry certainly is taking to this vegan malarky, right?!

You should like Totally Vegan Café on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.

Yay for vegans taking over shopping villages!

Extra note: the photo in this blog post belongs to Totally Vegan and is reproduced here for promotional purposes.

New vegan makeup brand in UK

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One of the most common talking points I see online amongst vegans is makeup. They wanna know which brands are vegan and they wanna know where to buy them.

Knowing what demand there is for vegan makeup in the UK, I’m expecting a huge amount of interest in this post about Guilty Free.

Guilty Free is based in Nottingham and is committed to eco-friendly, vegan makeup. Their range includes much of what you’d expect from a cosmetics brand including bronzer, lipstick, gloss, eye shadow, blusher, foundation, eye liner and concealer.

I don’t understand a lot about makeup science, but Guilty Free products are trumpeted as being mineral-based with no perfumes, dyes, chemicals or preservatives. So it sounds like you can be kind to animals and your skin at the same time.

Check out some of these gorgeous products.

It looks so fabulous. Makes me wanna start wearing makeup again (my teenage years were exquisite).

You need to see the entire Guilty Free range on their website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

Yay for vegan makeup!

Extra note: all of these images belong to Guilty Free.

Make and sell vegan donuts

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Super quick post to tell you about a part time vegan job with one of London’s most-loved street food vendors.

If you’re an experienced baker and have worked with enriched dough, shoot an email over to peanutbutterbakery@gmail.com with your CV and a little bit about you. This is a part time position mainly on weekends.


Yes. Everything Peanut Butter Bakery makes is incredible and you could be a part time component of this winning team.

Extra note: exclusive announcement regarding my Hackney Downs Vegan Market on March 18, 2017… Peanut Butter Bakery will be trading!