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.

Fun day out in Manchester

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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!

Vegan sushi

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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.

A photo posted by Happy Maki (@thehappymaki) on


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.

How about a vegan potluck?

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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.

Veganuary in Henley

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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.

 

Vegan Burns supper in London

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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.

Vegan menu at All Bar One

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If you can keep up to date with all the non-vegan places around the UK falling over themselves to serve vegan food, you are doing a better job than me.

Every single day seems to bring news and I feel like lots of it is hurtling straight past me. It’s too much!

However, one piece of news that didn’t evade my chubby gaze is the brand new vegan menu being featured for Veganuary by All Bar One.

You know All Bar One, right?

The famous bar chain has more than 50 locations around the UK and is often a favourite meeting spot for friends. I think All Bar One was the first place to serve me booze when I first moved to the UK back in 1998.

But the food!

Check out the menu:

Doesn’t that sound like a well-thought out vegan menu?

Of course I’m not satisfied with simply showing you the menu, so I asked All Bar One to send me some photos of these news dishes.

Can you handle this?

How about that food?!

Everything looks splendid and I could really see myself eating a few servings of those potatoes.

Check out the very special deal All Bar One has for Veganuary. You can devour three vegan dishes for £13.

Visit All Bar One online to find out their locations close to you.

Meet Domenic

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking in front of a couple of hundred people at the Vegan Life Live show in London. I also had the immense pleasure of meeting a young vegan named Domenic.

Just before I started my presentation, Domenic approached me to say hello and let me know that he always looks for me in his mum’s vegan magazines.

He told me he is a vegan because it is good for animals.

Domenic was very kind in telling me that he had been invited to a birthday party but decided instead to come to the vegan show and meet me.

Domenic asked if he could have a photo taken with me and last night his mum sent it to me (with permission to share). Here I am with the inspirational Domenic.

During the Q&A section after my talk, Domenic asked a question that I almost never get asked but secretly loved being asked. He wanted to know about my favourite food. I told him all about potato.

I am grateful to everyone for coming along to my talk and feel extra thankful for Domenic.

He made me hopeful and in this day and age, that can be a tough emotion to feel.

Thank you, Domenic. Thank you for making me feel happy and thank you for being a kind person who cares about animals.

Vegan fish fingers

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Love them or hate them, you can’t escape the fact that Quorn is steadily marching forward with expanding its vegan range and this newest addition is causing a lot of stir.

Say hello to Vegan Fishless Fingers.

Fish fingers are close to being a national food in the UK, so I’m certain there will be hundreds of thousands of people happy to see this product readily available all over the country.

I’ve heard of them currently being available via Tesco and Waitrose.

As an aside, I’d be interested to know if this vegan expansion also means a reduction in Quorn‘s vegetarian options. I think the only way I can really celebrate this ‘better late than never’ vegan onslaught from the food giant is knowing that it translates into the non-vegan stuff being phased out.

Are you excited about this new product?

BREAKING NEWS: fried chicken location

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When I broke news of Temple of Seitan announcing plans to open the UK’s first ever fried chicken shop, it set off shock waves around the vegan Internet.

People went absolutely wild for the news.

In keeping with my tradition of bringing the most fun news first, here is the scoop on just exactly where the fried chicken shop will be AND the official opening date.

Temple of Hackney

Grand opening: Saturday January 14, 2017 at midday

Address: 10 Morning Lane, Hackney E9 6NA

How amazing is the name?! What you can see above is a sneak preview of the inside wall of the shop.

I asked Rebecca of Temple of Seitan (and of course Temple of Hackney) how she was feeling ahead of the launch. Here is what she told me:

It is equal parts excitement and anxiety! We can’t wait to share the fruits of our labour over the last 3 months. The past year of doing stalls and festivals has gone so quickly and we almost couldn’t believe it was real when the signage and graphics went up today. In store, people can expect the usual fast food experience, except that they will be free to attack all items on the menu without having to worry about ingredients. Hopefully, we can fool a few omnis who stumble in as well.

Temple of Hackney, people. Make it your place of worship.

Click here to see the shop location on Google Maps.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.