A vegan hat trick in Amsterdam

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I’m on the vegan cruise, wrapped up warmly on the ship as we float through the mist-shrouded waters of Europe.

It’s beautiful.

But before the ship departed Amsterdam, I made time to visit these three fabulous vegan hot spots.

Visiting the gorgeous @vegabondfood in Amsterdam. Very special #vegan cafe and grocery store. xx

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


It is wonderful to see a city so alive with vegan options and opportunities.

Of course there is plenty more for vegans to see and do in Amsterdam, so I will be having a quick scout around once my ship return to the city in a week. I’ve heard whispers of a place with a high tea!

Do you love vegan Amsterdam? What are favourite spots?

Food in a train station

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If you ever have to depart from, arrive to or transfer at Brussels train station, I have a tip for you in regards to vegan eating.

Greenway is a small chain of vegetarian restaurants in Belgium. The restaurant menu showcases a lot of vegan options and it just so happens there is a fast food counter style version of this eatery inside Brussels train station.

I took a snap of it yesterday.

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


The queue for food was too long for me to actually purchase anything between trains, but I was certainly interested in the wide variety of vegan options including burgers, seitan wraps, soups, salads, and juices.

Greenway can also be found in Ghent, Leuven and Antwerp. Visit their website here. The company are also involved in the foodservice industry and running catering stands at festivals.

Have you eaten the vegan options at Greenway? How was the food?

Vegan Camp Out

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This might be old news to a lot of people, but just in case…

There is a huge outdoor event next year in the UK called Vegan Camp Out.

This two-day, family friendly camping event is taking place in Nottingham between July 7 and 9, 2017. The cost is extremely low and the weekend includes a huge line up of of vegan personalities and speakers (not all of them I love – Vegan Bros?! Not for me but in such a far reaching movement, we are bound to come up against approached we don’t love).

The funny and kind Carl Donnelly will be doing his thing on the weekend and it looks like campers can look forward to a pretty big weekend of talks, workshops, live music and of course food.

Click here to visit the website and buy tickets. Follow Vegan Camp Out on Facebook and Instagram.

Vegan fish and chip shop

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Is this a UK first?

Word has just reached me of a vegan fish and chip shop being readied for a grand opening in the UK city of Bristol. Is this the first 100% vegan chip shop in the country?

There are very few details at the moment but Jason, one of the owners of the new venture, wanted me to pass on this information to anyone who was curious or had heard whispers:

I’m one half of a partnership that is starting Bristol’s first 100% vegan chip shop next month. We are taking over a Chinese take-away in the city and converting it to a vegan take-away. We will be serving regular things you get in a take-away like curry sauce, gravy, mushy peas, there will be pea fritters and battered sausages and tofish too. Most of the ingredients will be organic. I’ll let you know more soon as we are in the process of getting our marketing side together and working on the images and fonts. The chip shop will be called Matter Battered and we are working on the shop front this week.

Wow!

Rest assured that I will bring you details, photos and links as soon as they are available.

Anyone excited?!

Vegan at a steakhouse

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Sheffield is the future vegan capital of the UK.

Make No Bones is turning out food perfection, BurgerLolz has garnered a lot of fans, The Incredible Nutshell is one of the best 100% vegan grocery stores in the country and I’m even launching Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest in the city during 2017.

If you need further proof of how much plant-based eating has impacted on this South Yorkshire location, you only have to look at the GIANT vegan menu on offer at Italian steakhouse Luna Rossa.

Yep. Sheffield is so very vegan that even a freaking steakhouse has a bigger vegan menu than most plant-based places.

Check it out below.

I’m thrilled to see such a rapid vegan takeover of Sheffield.

If you have a meat eater who refuses to go to a vegan restaurant, you now have two choices for dealing with the situation.

Never speak to them again or take them to Luna Rossa.

See the restaurant website here and check out the location on Google Maps.

New vegan hotspot

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Certain towns and cities in the UK are really flying when it comes to vegan developments and surely Stockport in Greater Manchester is in the top five places to watch in the near future.

I reported on the recent opening of fine dining restaurant The Allotment and now hot on the heels of that announcement comes word of a 100% vegan grocery store opening in the town.

The Herbivore Vegan Store looks to be stocked to the brim with cheeses, meats, pantry items, snacks, chocolate and more. Shoppers will find superstar brands such as Follow Your Heart, Fry’s Family Foods and Vego.

The store has opened just a few days ago so be sure to keep up with developments via the store website, its Facebook page and the Instagram account.

You can see the store location here on Google Maps.

Yay for vegan Stockport!

New job opportunity in UK

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I was asked to pass news of this employment opportunity on to you all and I think there will be quite a lot of interest.

Check out these details.

Are you passionate about promoting veganism? Are you determined to make a real difference for animals, our health, society and the planet? Does the prospect of joining a global pro-vegan charity at the very start of its journey fill you with excitement?

About the employer

ProVeg is a new international food consciousness organisation, launching in April 2017 in four different countries: Germany, Spain, Poland and the UK. There are plans for wider expansion, both inside and outside of Europe, in 2018 and beyond. Its mission is to reduce the global consumption of animal products by making the plant-based lifestyle more attractive and accessible.

The focus in the UK will be on media work and campaigns, which will be innovative, highly effective and impact-driven. ProVeg will work towards influencing the food industry, chefs and caterers, activists, other NGOs and the medical profession, while also lobbying for change at a policy level.

This is an amazing opportunity to be part of something special.

Job Description

Location: From home initially. Office to open in Manchester.
Job type: Permanent, full-time
Report to: Director, ProVeg UK
Starting salary: Up to 21k depending on experience
Holiday: 25 days

We are looking for a bright, enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to help launch and grow ProVeg in the UK.

As the first person to join the UK team you will play an integral part, with the chance to contribute strategically and creatively from the outset. The role will therefore be extremely varied, extending beyond the key tasks below to include whatever is required.

Key tasks

  • lead on social media to grow our online supporter base as fast as possible
  • work proactively, thinking creatively to generate original and relevant ideas for content and campaigns
  • assist on a variety of different campaigns, some of which will be international in nature
  • produce engaging press releases, news items, blogs and other articles

Qualities

You will:

  • have excellent communication and copywriting skills with great attention to detail
  • have a comprehensive understanding of the social media landscape
  • be flexible, able to adapt to new tasks quickly and easily
  • be outgoing and confident, able to network effectively and represent the organisation with professionalism
  • have a strong work ethic and work well independently
  • be a great team player
  • be well organised and thrive on co-ordinating a wide range of tasks within tight timescales
  • preferably have creative digital skills and technical IT know-how, and experience of using analytics tools
  • care passionately about the aims of the organisation

You will also be required to travel. Until the office premises are established, you will meet regularly with the UK Director in the north of England and occasionally travel to Europe, typically Berlin, where ProVeg International is based.

Application is by CV and covering letter to Jimmy Pierson at jobs@proveg.com

Grinch gets taught a lesson

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I had a right moan following my Vegan Christmas Market. If you had seen me in person the following day, you would have been forgiven for thinking my days were near an end.

I was worn out and I wasn’t going quietly.

But a very sweet electronic delivery found its way to me this week that had me grinning ear to ear.

Madeleine (9) and Edward (5) both had come along to the market and their mother Jude sent the following drawings to me via email at the request of her children.

Isn’t it wonderful how thankful these kids are for a vegan market to attend? These letters are so incredibly sweet and thoughtful.

If we keep working hard, maybe children in the future won’t think it is a rare treat to have a 100% vegan market to visit.

Thank you Madeleine and Edward. You made every bit of hard work to get the market ready worthwhile.

Badger’s Dairy Free

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I’ve written about my buddy Badger before and his fab range of dairy and egg free products, but I wanted to jump back on here with an update.

Badger’s Dairy & Egg Free deli range includes Egg Mayonnaise alternative, Potato Salad and Coleslaw. They are just as you remember the dairy/egg version but without the non-human animal suffering.

Badger (yes, that’s his name!) has poured everything he has into this business so it is great to hear that he has just secured a distribution deal with Coffee & Cheese.

If you are a shop owner or you know a shop owner who would like to stock Badger’s, get in touch with Coffee & Cheese.

If you can’t wait to see these tasty products in shops all over the country, you can order your own supply through Coffee & Cheese  as long as your bill comes to £49. The distributor also sells bulk Violife cheese, the new Veggyness vegan meat range by Wheaty as well as all sorts of coffee products, so a bulk order from them once a month or so is exactly what you need as a devoted vegan foodie.

Now, check out Badger’s Dairy & Egg Free products below.

Follow Badger’s on Facebook and Twitter.

Extra note: if you order a massive order of vegan cheese, Badger’s, meat alternatives and/or coffee today via Coffee & Cheese you can get your delivery to your house or office with their special overnight delivery. Anyone can order, you don’t need to be a trade customer.

Hornett second birthday

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I hear some many positive bits of news and info about Hornett Wholefoods in Wellingborough that  I thought a few of you would like to know the shop is throwing a 2nd anniversary party on January 7, 2017.

Check the old school flyer.

Everything being handed out as a gift on the day is vegan, even the glasses of Prosecco.

Get along to this much-loved store in Northamptonshire and support their birthday.

You can follow the shop on Facebook or see where they are located on their website.