Vegan options aplenty in Manchester

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

My first time at this gorgeous #vegan restaurant in Mexico City called Vegan INC. @veganinc_cdmx

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Fabulous beetroot tartar with hummus and avocado at @veganinc_cdmx #mexicocity #cdmx #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Incredible BBQ bean burger with kale chips at @veganinc_cdmx in Mexico City. #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Burned broccoli platter at @veganinc_cdmx in Polanco, Mexico City. #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Delicious #vegan mac n cheese at @veganinc_cdmx in Mexico City. #cdmx

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Cheesy potatoes at @veganinc_cdmx in Polanco, Mexico City. Delicious! #vegan #cdmx

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


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.

FGV Devours Mexico City

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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.

New vegan meats!

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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.

Walsall goes vegan

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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!

Vevolution topics

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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:

  • Ian Theasby & Henry David Firth – Founders of Facebook vegan video food channel BOSH!
  • Sarah Bentley – Founder of plant based community kitchen Made In Hackney
  • Jonathan Petrides – Founder of plant-based home delivery vegan meals allplants

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.

Vegan Restaurant Week

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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.