London vegan news, reviews & events
I am publishing a new micro and very DIY video series over on Facebook called FGV Devours.
I’ll be sharing the videos here as well in case any readers don’t like to visit the dreaded FB space.
First episode of the series features one of my favourite food places on the planet, Los Loosers.
You can follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
I love little more in life than delivering news of the vegan meat variety.
And this is a dang fine batch of news.
Gambardeli is the company name for Margaret Gambardeli, the maker of some incredibly fine looking vegan meats.
Margaret makes all of her products lovingly in her own home kitchen, packs them up and sends them to devoted customers all over the UK. I could tell you a lot more about Margaret but I think her words carry more weight than mine ever could:
I grew up in a small farming, fishing town in Scotland. I became vegetarian as a teenager when I moved to Essex and then macrobiotic. Although not a vegetarian or with a vegan philosophy, I saw macrobiotics as a way of not using any animal products and started finding recipes based on grains, beans, vegetables, sea vegetables and fruit. I qualified as a teacher of macrobiotics in 1986. I brought my children up on this diet and I have been eating in this way ever since. Back in the day, I used to make my own tofu and even skin creams!
Margaret continues with details of her unique meat-free products that she developed herself:
My products are seitan style but not to the usual recipe as we didn’t quite like seitan, so I adapted the recipe to suit our tastes. I have a ‘joint’, steaks, strips, slices and thin slices all made from the wheat flour and a small amount of soya sauce. My medallions have the addition of a little vegetable oil. I have an Italian sausage with the addition of nutritional yeast with B12, chickpea flour and fennel. We are experimenting with different herbs and spices to offer alternative flavours. I use organic flour and naturally brewed soya sauce – all of our products are GMO free and I avoid palm oil.
And what about getting the products to you in your house?
I vacuum pack the products and freeze them to send them out to customers in insulated bags. I sell the products from our on-line shop at www.gambardeli.co.uk, at vegan fairs where it is very popular in a wrap with salad or as a filling for pasties, and at Farmers’ Markets where I sell the packs.
How about a Veganuary deal for the readers, Margaret?
As a special Veganuary offer, anyone buying 3 packs of steaks from our website will get two packs of our new sausages completely free.
And what if people own a shop or market stall?
I would like to supply shops, cafes, restaurants and caterers with our products – even people who have or would like to have their own vegan food stall at a market can buy from us wholesale.
These seitan-similar steaks look absolutely incredible and you can never have too many vegan sausage brands in your life, either.
Take advantage of the special Veganuary deal and order from Gambardeli before the end of January. Better yet, do it right now!
Visit Gambardeli online, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Wikipedia tells me that ‘Walsall is an industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located 8 miles north-west of the City of Birmingham and 6 miles east of the City of Wolverhampton.’
What Wikipedia doesn’t state is that Walsall is set to host its first ever vegan fair on Saturday February 18, 2017.
The Facebook event page for Walsall Vegan Fair informs us that there will be more than 60 stalls as well as informative talks and tempting cooking demonstrations. Follow that page for full list of vendors soon.
It’s free to get in, so you have little excuse not to be there if you are in the area.
Yay for vegan events in Walsall!
If you like to hear other people share ideas and knowledge, this series of events could be of interest.
You might know that Vevolution is an annual information event designed as a platform for vegan people to share expertise or insights within their chosen fields. But of course the problem with an annual event means you have to wait a full year for it to come around.
There is some good news for fans of the Vevolution set-up and that good news is the short series of events being lined up by the festival founders. You don’t have to wait that full year!
The sessions (called Vevolution Topics) are split into four categories that include Food Innovation in February, Health & Wellbeing in March, Activism & Campaigning in April and Inclusivity & Diversity in May.
The February session costs £10 (plus booking fee) and speakers will include:
If you can’t afford the £10 entry or you are not within the London area, the organisers assure me the sessions will be filmed for sharing online in the near future.
You can click here to get more information and book your tickets.
Here is some first-class consumer activism.
Emma of blog Canny Food has started a fantastic initiative to make non-vegan restaurants and cafés in her area more aware and inclusive of veganism.
Vegan Restaurant Week is a simple idea but certainly one that can pack a lot of punch.
Restaurants in the Newcastle and north east region are being encouraged to develop and promote purposively vegan menu items for the week of January 23 – 29, 2017.
While some completely-vegan eateries are taking place, Emma has been more focussed on getting the non-vegan outlets on board, encouraging them to raise their game when it comes to plant-based food offerings. Establishments that previously had not given vegan food a second thought are lining up to make plant-based options a priority for this campaign.
Vegan Restaurant Week is getting a LOT of attention around Newcastle including mainstream press and there is no shortage of food venues wanting to get involved. I think the count is edging close to 40!
You can see the full list, including what their vegan week specials are, over on the official Vegan Restaurant Week website.
Congratulations to Emma on a campaign that has the potential to make real change in her community. We all know a lot of people who don’t eat vegan because of availability and ease, so this campaign is valuable in helping to redress those shortcomings across non-vegan venues.
Campaigns such as Vegan Restaurant Week need to take place everywhere. Come on, people. Be active participants and let’s get busy changing the world for the better. We want people to go vegan so it is up to us to make it possible.
A seemingly-small change of a few additional dishes on a menu is often the start of something a lot bigger for non-vegan restaurants. Well done, Emma.
Follow Vegan Restaurant Week on Twitter.
Manchester, you lucky sods.
Check out this fun-packed day featuring vegan food and vegan beer.
Grub is in the business of putting on weekly street food markets and they have taken the decision to turn their Saturday January 28, 2017 outing into a completely vegan affair.
Yep. Multiple food stands. Beer. Cocktails. Take home shopping. All vegan.
You can RSVP to the Facebook event page and that’s also the place to go for directions.
Vegan super fun happy times!
Here is a little piece of news that is going to make a lot of people extremely happy.
Vegan sushi superstars Happy Maki now have a permanent shop front in the seaside town of Brighton. Yep, open RIGHT NOW for all your vegan sushi needs.
If you have been to any vegan events during the past few years, there is a strong chance you have seen Happy Maki wrapping and selling their much-loved food to throngs of appreciative customers. They always have one of the longest lines at events I’ve seen them at and I’ve never heard a bad word.
People love this stuff!
Now people can love this stuff more regularly at the new Happy Maki shop front situated in The Lanes area of Brighton (next door to famous Boho Gelato).
The doors have only just been flung open but I’m sure there is already no shortage of loyal customers flowing into Happy Maki.
Yay for vegan sushi!
Visit the Happy Maki website for opening times and location. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming festival appearance news.
I’ve got some news for all those people who reminisce of the days when we had London Vegan Potluck.
No, the much-loved monthly event that ran for four years is not returning. Instead, you can get along to this one-off fab potluck feast event being hosted by MOTHER in Hackney Wick.
MOTHER is a brand new plant-based juice works and café, so you need to know about them to start with before we even get to this potluck feast.
The potluck feast on January 21, 2017 means whether you’re a vegan or a non-vegan you can enjoy an evening of shared food, culinary inspiration and entertainment at MOTHER.
The principle is simple. Bring your own vegan dish and share with your fellow diners.
MOTHER will be providing the organic vegan main, but it obviously become a feast with all your starters and desserts.
You need to buy tickets for this event in advance, so click here to get yours.
RSVP to the Facebook event and be sure to like the MOTHER Facebook page.
Here is a super quick update to let you know about a vegan dining experience taking place in Henley-on-Thames throughout January 2017.
The Old Bell is a much-loved and frequented pub run by vegan couple Pam and Rob, and to celebrate Veganuary the animal-friendly landlords are offering up a special deal.
Every Monday and Tuesday for all of January 2017, you will be able to enjoy their tasty, home-crafted vegan cuisine for the following prices:
All Mains – £6.50
Two courses – £10.00
Three courses – £13.50
(menu varies each week – typically there will be two starters, three mains, and two desserts to choose from)
I hear nothing but rave reviews about this pub from the few locals I know, so you should make an effort to get along if you are in the Henley, Reading or Maidenhead area.
In addition, The Old Bell is the oldest building in Henley so there is some extra incentive for all you history buffs out there.
You can follow The Old Bell on Twitter and Facebook.
Do you know about Burns Night?
You can read in more detail here, but the short version revolves around a dinner or supper held to mark the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns.
This celebration is something I always see people talking about on social media throughout January, usually people I know in Scotland.
But now there is some good news for those wanting to commemorate the revered bard’s birthday in London.
There is a vegan supper club happening in London on January 22, 2017 that is billed as an alternative Burns Supper fusing Scottish and Indian cuisine.
Tickets: £35 for 3 courses including a cocktail and entertainment
Venue: The Joker of Penton St, Angel, London
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
The good people putting this night together go by the name of Ruby and Pickles, and they are known for hosting some very special and unique food events. Did you miss their vegan Indian-style afternoon tea on a canal boat in Victoria Park? Never fear, they plan to revisit that event during 2017 due to overwhelming popularity.
In the meantime, you need to be extremely fast if you want to secure a spot for the Alternative Burns Supper.
Tickets are on sale now via Edible Experiences.
Keep up to date with future Ruby and Pickles happenings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.