Super quick update to share today’s vegan grocery haul video.
Watch to see all the latest plant-based goods I picked up from my local Tesco.
Enjoy!
Top pics of the week(ish)
I know you don’t all follow my Instagram account and I hate the idea of you missing out, so here is a small collection of my favourite Instagram posts from the last week or so.
Enjoy!
I’ve been busy! Like anything you see?
Plant-Based Minute
I am excited to announce a new and hopefully ongoing collaboration.
I was recently approached by Barts Radio, a charity producing broadcast content for the in-house radio station at Barts Hospital in London, and was asked if I would volunteer with weekly content.
The radio works to deliver entertainment to inpatients, although anyone can stream the station online via their website.
After having a think about what I could bring to the show and how valuable the radio station charity is to a lot of patients, I jumped at the chance to volunteer.
My segment is set to be super quick each week, clocking in at exactly 60 seconds. You can listen to A Plant-Minute with FGV at around 5pm today (Saturday October 8, 2016) here online and hopefully most weeks on Barts Radio. Today I advise on how to start giving up dairy when it comes to ice cream (my expert field!). My segments are designed to be an accessible guide filled with simple advice for people looking to explore veganism.
I will also look at hosting my bite-sized segments online myself in order to share with a wider listening audience. Stay tuned for that.
If you tune in today, I would love to hear what you think of my segment!
SW9 vegan brunch
Have you all heard of a vegetarian eatery in south London called Cafe Van Gogh?
The owner reached out to me a few days ago because he thought some of you might be interested to know about the vegan brunch options the cafe serves (as well as ALL dinner options being vegan).
This looks pretty tasty! Check it out:
You can see sticky toffee pudding, courgetti, mezze platter, pancakes, jerk plantain and more.
Tasty!
It can be a bit tough to find vegan food in that part of London (Van Gogh is a short walk from Oval Underground Station) so be sure to keep this place in mind.
You can like Cafe Van Gogh on Facebook and click here to see where the cafe is located according to Google Maps.
Egg is the new jackfruit
Vegan food trends move through the Internet at breakneck speed.
I remember when nobody in the UK had thought of using jackfruit as a pulled pork substitute but suddenly it was everywhere. Aquafaba is getting close to peak saturation as people find inventive ways to use chickpea water.
Yep, us vegans love a good food innovation and I predict the next huge thing that will have you all swapping recipes and Instagramming in a frenzy is fried egg.
I said eggs, people!
Making plant-based ingredients look like real eggs is all the rage and two UK food providers have got it down to an art form.
First up, check out this egg, bacon, cheese and beef burger made by hot food superstars Temple of Seitan.
There is realistic and then there is a FREAKING VEGAN EGG THAT LOOKS LIKE AN EGG!!!!!
Also contending for best imitation egg is the glorious Sgaia of Glasgow. Check out what they were recently serving up at a vegan festival in Scotland.
Wow. Sgaia know about food, alright.
Have you tried either of these groundbreaking fried egg variations in real life? What did you think? Look out for both companies serving their vegan fried egg at upcoming events around the UK.
Please post links for vegan egg recipes below so we can all get up to speed with this latest food fad.
New Year’s Eve with FGV
You all know I love being involved in special vegan get-togethers and gatherings.
Whether I’m presiding over a beer festival or watching diners be treated to a special meal, one of my favourite things to do in life is to create opportunities for people to enjoy being vegan.
This love affair with being social is being taken to a whole new level at the end of the year as I jump on board the New Year’s Eve cruise hosted by Vegan River Cruises that just happens to be setting sail from Amsterdam.
I’m so excited!
Following on from last year’s NYE adventure down the Danube, I know exactly what to expect from the 2016/2107 journey. But maybe you don’t, so let me fill you in.
This year’s NYE vegan cruise runs between December 29, 2016 and January 4, 2017 with the starting and final port of call being the gorgeous city of Amsterdam.
After spending the first night docked in Amsterdam, the cruise sets off for a magical journey along waterways as the boat visits Rotterdam, Brussels, Antwerp and Maastricht before gliding back to Amsterdam.
We are going to be wowed by the scenery as we pass medieval towns and windmill-studded fields.
The ship itself is enough to make you want to book this holiday. Check out some photos below before I jump into telling you what you get on board:
Well, there isn’t too much more I need to say about the ship that the photos haven’t already conveyed.
These ships are the equivalent of a 5-star hotel on water. The suites are luxurious with ultra-comfortable beds and well-appointed bathrooms.
All of your meals are included on the NYE cruise, so you don’t need to spend any money while on board. Yep. That’s right. Breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day is served to you at no extra charge and of course every single thing on the ship is 100% vegan.
In addition to your three meals a day, the cruise includes afternoon tea with cakes and a late night snack. All wine, beer and cocktails are included in the price you pay for the cabin. You will not be asked to pay for any food or drink while on board. Of course, all of the wines and beers are 100% vegan.
There is free WiFi in all suites and on board entertainment including a karaoke night hosted by me and my partner Josh!
You can explore the cities and towns where we dock either on your own or by paying to join some of the organised shore excursions. You can even make use of the electric bicycles on board the ship to adventure throughout the surrounding countryside. If you choose to stay on board for most of the trip, you can make use of the pool (!) and gym.
I’m incredibly excited to be part of this luxury cruise and proud to be involved with a business that goes to great effort to give passengers a completely vegan experience. Heck, even the toiletries in your suite are vegan!
Will I see you on board over New Year’s Eve?
Click here to see full details including pricing and to begin booking your vegan holiday.
Toilet paper not vegan?
OK. You might want to sit down for this one.
A reader contacted me yesterday and asked if I knew that not all toilet paper is vegan.
My reaction:
As vegans, we try to reduce our participation in animal cruelty by removing all animal-derived products as much as possible.
No meat? Check. Get rid of dairy? Easy. Make sure I don’t use shampoo that has been tested on animals? Way ahead of you on that one in my non-leather shoes!
But toilet paper? Honestly, toilet paper!
It is tough to know where animal by-products are being used and we do our best, but I would never have guessed that toilet paper can be manufactured with ingredients such as gelatine.
This explanatory email from Velvet sheds some light on the issue:
Strictly speaking, Tissue products (toilet paper, hankies, facials, kitchen towel) cannot fulfil the strict requirements for vegan/vegetarian products. Our products consist of more than 95% of cellulose and 5% residual moisture. The paper making process requires the addition of process aids and chemicals, to ensure the required functionality of the tissue products. All added tissue ingredients/ process aids have to be approved for safe use according the relevant chemical legislation in Europe. For approval toxicity tests are required. Secondly, we cannot exclude, that some tissue additives/process aids might be based on animal derived chemistry (e.g. Gelatin, fatty acids, etc.).
Yep, the paper you use to wipe your private parts could possibly have been made using gelatine and fatty acids… and kitchen towel and facial tissues as well!
Fucking heck!
A further response from Tesco is a bit of good news, however:
I can happily confirm that none of Tesco own brand toilet paper is made with any animal derived products.
None of us want to buy anything derived from animal products, so let’s keep each other informed on this topic.
Please post your information and company responses in the comments below. Let’s work together to make sure our loo roll is as compassionate as possible. Reach out to your favourite toilet paper, tissue and kitchen towel company and then share their responses here.
Vegan pizza in West London
If you love vegan pizza, it’s a good time to be alive.
Plant-based versions of this hot meal are popping up everywhere around London from chain restaurants to independent cafés, with the latest version appearing in Fulham.
Picky Wops is a brand new non-vegan pizza joint at 347 North End Road, just a two-minute walk from vegan supermarket GreenBay.
The big thrill about dining with Picky Wops is you get to choose your base. The restaurant hand mix their own specialty flour combinations before kneading and baking to perfection.
After the multiple vegan choices you have for your base, the restaurant currently offers you one vegan choice although they welcome you to mix and match vegetables as you see fit.
The vegan cheese being used is Violife so you know you get a good melt.
Check out some photos from my trip to Picky Wops below, including my delicious burned wheat black base and the fab Paula from GreenBay who just happened to be dining next to me.
I’m looking forward to the vegan options expanding in the near future but in the meantime this place is still one of the finest places to eat vegan pizza in London.
You can like Picky Wop on Facebook and follow on Instagram.
New vegan restaurant opening
Here is some exciting news!
A reader sent me these photos taken in Petersfield, Hampshire. Take a close look at the photos and you’ll see that this town is getting a new vegan fast food outlet… and they are looking for workers.
Check out the pics below:
I had to do an Internet search for Petersfield as my understanding of UK geography is rather lacking, but you might all know that it is between an hour to an hour and a half drive southwest of London.
The sign on the window lists all sorts of delicious fast food items for dining in or takeaway purposes, including soft serve ice cream, burgers and milkshakes.
Is this in your area? Are you excited?
You can like Earth on Facebook.
Crazy Bean in Great Bookham
Guest post by Alison:
My husband and I moved to Great Bookham in Surrey about 5 years ago, and love it here. It’s close to some spectacular countryside, and about an hour on the train from London. Not a lot in this area for vegans, though. When we became vegan just over a year ago, we would do trips down to Brighton, or get on the train into London, just to get some decent food we hadn’t cooked ourselves. Now that has all changed…
Crazy Bean cafe/restaurant opened in Great Bookham a week ago. It has a fully vegan menu so there is nothing to worry about except ‘what do I feel like eating today?’ Crazy Bean also has a licence, so customers can have vegan beer or wine with dinner, and it is over the road from our local pub! We can’t believe our luck!
I have been to Crazy Bean about four times now, as they ‘unofficially’ opened a few days before the official opening. I have had a couple of lunches, and have been there with my husband for dinner, and with friends for lunch over the opening weekend. Every visit has been a success; the food has been varied and tasty, and the service has been friendly and welcoming. The lunchtime menu has items like sausage rolls and stuffed aubergine, and the evening meal we had there was a set menu: mushroom parfait, risotto balls, and apple crumble. It is so nice to go in for some lunch, and also get a soya latte! (Unheard of in Bookham before!)
Krissi and Rob run Crazy Bean; they are keeping it pretty simple for the time being, while they get established in the village, but this will probably change as time goes by. They are always incredibly hospitable. I know that many non-vegans have visited the place since it has opened, and everyone has been pleasantly surprised with the food. The last thing I was expecting was a vegan establishment opening here, and I couldn’t be happier!
Visit Crazy Bean online.
