Vegan pop up in Sheffield
You can’t keep vegan Sheffield contained and this latest plant-based pop up food event is just more proof.
Have you heard of FANFARE?
FANFARE will be bringing mouth-watering tacos, fresh crunchy salads and flavourful fluffy rice to a one day only pop up café in co-working space, Union St. Don’t miss out on Friday January 27, 2017 between 11:30am and 2:00pm.
All dishes can be served with a selection of toppings and sauces while mouthwatering delights await hungry customers, such as beer battered aubergine and smokey pulled jackfruit. Gluten free eaters won’t be overlooked, either.
FANFARE will also offering range of cakes by Rawkus which, you guessed it, are raw. Diners will also be able to buy hot and cold drinks.
I’m super excited to see the photos that come out of this event and with whispers of FANFARE getting a permanent location soon, Sheffield is one of the hottest vegan spots on the planet.
Keep updated with FANFARE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can RSVP to the Facebook event here.
Click here to see exactly where Union St is located thanks to Google Maps.
Vegan means vegan for a reason
Vegan means vegan.
Every single day we see another mainstream misuse or misapplication of the word ‘vegan’. The tipping point for me was this sentence from a recent article about vegan trends posted by The Metro:
Whether it’s a bid to lead healthier lifestyles, be more considerate for the planet or save money, more people are opting for plant-based choices.
In a ‘news’ story titled Vegan restaurants, meal ideas, recipes and more – the hot trends coming for 2017 and specifically in the section designed to explain to the reader why more people are exploring veganism, the author doesn’t mention animal protection or compassion.
Vegan does not simply mean plant-based eating (although that is obviously part of veganism). Vegan is not a term to be co-opted by mainstream media and people pushing ideas or topics that are unrelated to veganism.
The power of veganism rests, in part, with the rigidity of its meaning. A meaning that vegan activists need to work hard to protect.
Someone who chooses to live vegan has committed to remove use of, or dependency on, animal-derived products as much as they possibly can in order to reduce harm and suffering to non-human animals.
If you don’t follow that train of thinking or living, you are not vegan. Simple.
This is not an attack on non-vegans. I used to be one and some of the people I love most on the planet are not vegan.
This is to clarify that vegan means vegan.
I believe that protecting the term vegan is an important form of animal-centric activism. Vegan is a strong identifier with a clear message that is too valuable a tool in the fight for animals to be watered down or mis-applied. We use it to apply pressure to non-vegan businesses, we use it for identification purposes, and we use it to mark real compassionate change.
We don’t use it to mean plant-based eating trends devoid of animal consideration. It doesn’t mean that and never will.
Yes, you can eat plant-based food in a vegan restaurant and not be vegan and yes, I think that is a good thing. Yes, you can go to a vegan event but not be a vegan. I spend my whole life trying to make non-vegans do just that.
Of course I welcome non-vegans to my events and celebrate the proliferation of vegan-suitable products, but I will not give up the fight to define what vegan means.
It exists as a narrow term for a damn good reason and that reason is to improve outcomes for animals.
And if you want to write a story about why people are vegan but not mention animals once, there are a few of us who will passionately point out where you have gone wrong.
Big vegan dessert pots
You all know about Pudology so I’m not even going to waste my time reminding you of the decadent, creamy dessert pots this company makes.
They are one of the finest plant-based food lines in the entire UK.
Well, get ready to tweet this news to your nearest and dearest because Pudology are launching BIG tubs in Ocado.
As you can see above, the larger tubs are available in the Deeply Decadent Chocolate and the Smooth Chocolate Orange varieties.
But how much bigger are they?
You will be used to the original tubs coming as 85g twin packs, but these new tubs are a jumbo-sized 350g!
If you hurry, Ocado have these new larger tubs on special deal for £1 off.
Enjoy and follow Pudology on Instagram.
Vegan fish and chips
My friend Kay is living the highlife in Sydney, Australia and she is absolutely thrilled to be able to tease me constantly with all the fabulous vegan food advancements that have taken place down under since I departed over six years ago.
One of the best pieces of news she has sent me involves a vegan fish and chip shop called Bliss & Chips.
Located on King Street in inner city Newtown, Bliss & Chips is a gluten free and completely vegan chippy!
Check out some of the photos Kay sent over, including her favourite ‘duck’ burger. Can you spot that deep-fried Jokerz bar on the photo wall? I’m drooling!
I’m getting a bit emotional thinking of potato scallops. They are childhood favourites of mine and I don’t know where to get them done vegan in the UK.
Dear Bliss & Chips. You are my heroes and I hope you inspire people all over the planet to open similar outlets.
Like Bliss & Chips on Facebook. Follow the Instagram account.
Vegan options aplenty in Manchester
Manchester. So much to answer for… including this menu featuring LOTS of vegan options at the revered live music venue and nightclub, The Deaf Institute.
I have blocked out all the non-vegan items with pictures of fruit so you don’t have to read them, but as you can see below there are still so many vegan dishes to choose.
Check it out:
Wow! I’m loving all of the plant-based glory. It sounds delicious.
In addition to these fab vegan items, every Wednesday is what they call F’wensday. If you buy any main meal, you get another one free. Take a fwiend!
Follow The Deaf Institute on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest vegan food announcements and live music news. Yes, you should support independent bands AND eat vegan food.
Click here to see where The Deaf Institute is located thanks to Google Maps.
Eat vegan in Taunton
If you keep updated with vegan UK news, you won’t need me to tell you about The Planet Café in Taunton, Somerset.
I asked owner Wendy to give us an update on what is happening and it sounds as though locals are loving the plant-based offerings:
My little cafe is tucked away in Paul Street, Taunton. I’ve been running it with my daughter Anneliese since April 2016, and neither of us has done this before. Opening and working with a very tight budget, I wanted to show people they can eat vegan for not a huge amount of money. So far it seems to be working.
We cook/create everything onsite with fresh ingredients, including the vegan cheese, but excluding the puff pastry because there’s better things to do than make pastry everyday!
We sell a couple of different pastries. The ‘Not Sausage roll’ and a Spinach & Almond Feta roll both fly out during lunchtime. We currently serve two homemade burgers and a few main dishes that change regularly.
We have a solid range of freshly made cakes/slices everyday plus there is always a gluten free and/or nut free option available.
Thanks for the update, Wendy.
Now, let’s take a look at some photos.
You can like The Planet Café on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.
Click here to see the location on Google Maps.
People for the unethical treat of people
Old quote from People for the ethical treat of animals:
PETA exists to stamp out oppression in all its forms. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Tonight in Washington D.C., People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals is hosting a black tie gala called Animals’ Party to honour people they say have done great work for animals.
Good for them right?
PETA can piss off.
One of those being honoured at the gala tonight is Dan Donovan, an elected official who is the current United States Representative for New York’s 11th congressional district.
I can only assume that Dan Donovan is being recognised by PETA due to his cosponsoring of a resolution to condemn the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China.
This recognition of Dan Donovan by the most visible animal rights group on the planet is such a hot mess of conflict, disregard and downright insult that I am not sure how to verbalise my protest.
Maybe bullet points will help me:
- Dan Donovan cosponsoring a resolution against dog meat trade in China reeks of speciesism and imperialism. Dan is one of those non-vegans who think the good ol’ USA approach to animals is to kill billions of farm animals every year but worship domesticated pets such as dogs. I don’t see Dan standing up to argue against USA-centric laws and legislations that allow billions of animals to be mistreated. When people in the USA condemn China for being cruel but still consume and wear state-sanctioned animals themselves, it is hypocritical with racial overtones. I don’t think this sort of action is to be applauded. Chinese dogs are not more special than USA cows, chickens and pigs. I don’t think a non-vegan should be honoured by a vegan organisation for saving one type of animal while they do nothing for others. Especially when this is condemning a practice specific to a particular culture/s.
- Dan Donovan voted to support the resolution to clear the way to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The ACA has undoubtedly given hope to millions of people who were otherwise left helpless when faced with serious illness or injury. Even though the GOP have no defined alternative to the ACA, the political party is aggressively moving forward with plans to dismantle it. I am distraught in the knowledge that an animal rights group is celebrating a politician who is active in the stripping away of healthcare provisions and protections for millions of at-risk humans.
- Dan Donovan was the District Attorney who presided over the grand jury investigation into the death of Eric Garner at the hands of police. To say the failure of the jury to indict the officer involved was controversial is beyond an understatement. Donovan has been accused of not pushing hard enough to seek an indictment against the white officer who was filmed pushing the unarmed African-American Garner to the ground in a chokehold apparently for selling single cigarettes (pleas from Garner of “I can’t breathe” went ignored by the officer). Donovan has also been heavily criticised for not pursuing indictments against other officers involved in the death and for seemingly using race-baiting to drum up political support via an email newsletter. I am flummoxed as to why an animal rights group would overlook this contentious and upsetting history of a person they want to publicly recognise.
- Dan Donovan has publicly stated he personally objects to same-sex marriage. Do you know what I would like to publicly state, PETA? I personally object to an animal rights group recognising a human who announces homophobic and discriminatory viewpoints directed at me and my community.
- Dan Donovan voted in favour of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015. This callous and opportunistic vote is another clear example of how US politicians work overtime to control the choices of women and the bodies of women. I am deeply saddened that an animal rights organisation would what to honour a politician with such little respect for the rights of women to exercise self-management of their bodies, lives and futures.
I could go on for a while, but I think you catch my drift.
PETA. It is not enough to care about dogs. A person shouldn’t be heralded as an animal rights champion in front of celebrities and dignitaries during an expensive gala event in Washington D.C. because they simply signed their name to a speciesist and arguably racially-driven resolution.
PETA. You have a grave responsibility to protect and champion the rights of humans as well as animals. Millions of people look to you as a voice of compassion and honouring a known homophobe, anti-choice politician who holds beyond dubious records when it comes to the protection of black people is an abomination and severe mark against your legacy.
PETA. Your celebration of Dan Donovan hurts people of colour, women and members of the LGBT community.
PETA. I call on you to rescind your honouring of Dan Donovan for all of the reasons listed above. You cannot build a kind and compassionate world for animals while you lift up those who work hard to diminish people of colour, women and members of the LGBT community.
Vegan food with BA
I know you all love posts about airplane food, so I’m sorry I’ve taken more than a week to share these photos.
Josh and I recently travelled between London Heathrow and Mexico City with British Airways. The food on BA can be hit or miss, but we were pleasantly surprised by the two vegan meals offered on this journey.
The first meal consisted of mushroom ragout with barley risotto. Barley! Who has ever been served barley on a plane?! The side was a tasty bean salad, plus we received soya milk and vegan margarine.
Due to the 11-hour duration of our flight, we were served a second meal as we got closer to our destination.
We were served a rather tasty and unusual-for-a-plane dish of Chinese Bean Curd.
As you can see, BA are not about to be awarded food trophies but these meals were definitely a cut above what we are normally served in the air.
Amazing vegan restaurant in Mexico
If you’ve been in the same room as me during the past few years, you will have probably heard me talking about how incredible the vegan food scene is in Mexico City. I never stop banging on about it.
As if I wasn’t impressed enough with the food scene in this mega city, Vegan INC had to go and take things to a whole new level tonight.
Situated in a posh shopping mall in the upmarket area of Polanco, Vegan INC is a casual vegan dining restaurant with two locations in the northern city of Monterrey. This Mexico City location has been open for a few months with a second outlet set to open later this year.
The food is absolutely exquisite. Take a look at some of the dishes we devoured.
Out table was overflowing with out of this world plant-based cuisine.
And in an FGV first, we were too full for cake so I have definite plans to head back to Vegan INC as soon as possible to try out the impressive dessert case.
Get to Mexico. Dine with Vegan INC. Follow them on Instagram.