Legendary vegan food company Fry’s Family Food Co have just launched a new burger and they asked me to be one of the first to try it!
It’s easy to forget sometimes how influential the Fry family has been when it comes to getting people to go vegan and stay vegan.
Supermarkets are overrun with meat alternatives in 2021, but it is Fry’s that vegans like me have depended on over the past two decades. The family-owned and run brand showed me that veganism didn’t mean taste compromise.
If I wanted to eat something, Fry’s made sure it could happen.
As a long time fan of the brand, I was thrilled when Fry’s offered to sponsor me to showcase the new addition to their plant-based range. The Big Fry Burger is a coarsely ground plant protein patty (I love alliteration!) that is seasoned with the signature Fry’s blend of BBQ seasonings that you’ll know and love if you are an admirer like me.
Meat free burgers certainly aren’t in short supply in the UK but it is exciting to see one of the best plant-based brands on the planet join the fight with this thick, juicy patty.
See below to view the irresistible burger I made in my kitchen using The Big Fry Burger and be sure to follow Fry’s Family on Instagram.
You can currently buy The Big Fry Burger in the freezer section of Sainsbury’s stores across the UK.
In the massive vegan food revolution of the past few years, there have been parts of London that have been left feeling a little high and dry.
If you live in South Ealing or adjoining suburbs, you will understand what I’m talking about.
While Hackney and Shoreditch couldn’t move for vegan restaurants, South Ealing and Ealing Broadway peeps (which included me on and off) were left with vegan options from chain restaurants.
But all that is changing as a new vegan pizza place is set to open in the West London suburb.
Santa Maria is a non-vegan pizza restaurant with a bit of a cult following in South Ealing and they have always been rather accomodating to vegans.
They have become even more accomodating to vegans by opening a 100% vegan version of what they do!
Vergine Maria is set to open very soon just a few moments walk from Ealing Broadway. Details are a bit thin on the ground at the moment but I will keep you updated with whatever I can find out.
In the meantime you can follow the new Vergine Maria on Instagram to be the first to see the pizzas coming out of their ovens.
Somehow, 2020 felt like a blur I completely missed AND a gruelling marathon that never wanted to end at the same time.
It has been tough for every single person I know and excruciating for some.
The financial downturn caused by the pandemic meant that I had to relocate from Mexico to the UK in search of work. I am now in Sheffield, working and waiting out the pandemic.
I have given up trying to predict the future, so I wanted to take some time out of my day to look back on the most popular posts of mine from Instagram in 2020.
Most of them are happy and carefree, but a few are more serious.
Join me in taking a break from our collective unpredictable monotony by looking back.
They might be a tad difficult to see in that grid, so let me give you a closer look at my top nine Instagram posts of 2020 below.
The Vegan Society included a same-sex wedding on the cover of their magazine and when I posted a photo on my Instagram feed, it garnered more than 1,700 likes!
The fifth most-popular post from Instagram feed during 2020 was another supermarket haul share.
This time it was all about ten products I bought from Waitrose in Sheffield. You can click through all the photos in the post to make sure you don’t miss out on this popular post.
One of my favourite vegan brands on the planet made it to the number four spot on this list.
I shared news of a Vegenaise sighting in Tesco and I had a few lovely things to say about the groundbreaking product. It also attracted almost 100 comments!
Will’s Vegan Shoes sent me a pair of their WV Freedom Trainers and I am completely thrilled with them. Super comfy shoes! Will’s also have just launched a range of vegan-friendly suits and of course they have their wonderful grocery lines for online food shopping.
It is turning into a real one stop vegan shop. Visit their website.
I’m not a coffee drinker so I took this gift box into work to share with all the caffeine heads… and the bottles went down a storm.
Little’s sent me six of their instant coffees with flavours ranging from Havana Rum to French Vanilla. I heard nothing but rave reviews from my colleagues.
Made in Hackney is hosting a West African Plant Based Cuisine 6 week online cookery course taught by amazing vegan chef, TV & radio personality and author, Nena Ubani, aka Duchess Nena.
How exciting!
This incredible course will run each Saturday for 6 weeks from Saturday 9th January to Saturday 13th February 2021, 10.30am-1.00pm and will include:
An introduction to African cooking techniques for preparing authentic dishes and exciting flavours
Learn to make authentic plant based versions of a variety of West African dishes, including fufu, Mushroom Suya, fermented Attieke, Jollof rice and Okra stew
How to make West African sides including Ogi, Kelewele and Yam oven chips
Learn to make Zobo, a very popular Nigerian drink
Health benefits of each dish
Learn traditional cookery techniques using just your hands
How to plate, style and eat with your hands
Knife skills – how to peel, chop and slice like a professional
Opportunity to ask Nena questions
Recipe handouts
All funds raised go towards the Made in Hackney community meal service providing free nutritious, tasty meals to households who need them during these challenging times.
For more information and to book your place see the Made in Hackney website. Hurry to take advantage of the discounted early bird rate which ends on 24th December.
How about buying gorgeous chocolate hampers AND supporting an independent vegan buisness.
You will do both these things by shopping with Copperhouse Chocolate, a 100% vegan chocolate shop and cafe based in London.
There are three fabulous hampers from which to choose, meaning there is something for that special someone in your life… and there are no rules saying that special person can’t be you!
Choose from the following hampers:
Copperhouse Chocolate gift box £36
Assorted peanut butter cups & caramels
Fudge
Drinking chocolate variety pack, including 3 different flavours to try
2 single origin chocolate bars from our favourite bean-to-bar makers
Milc chocolate gift box £32
Chocolate box: cashew milk chocolates, filled with cashew butter or tahini filling
Madagascar cashew milc chocolate
Solkiki Hazelnut white chocolate
Ombar coconut chocolate buttons
Colombia 55% drinking chocolate
Fudge
Peanut lovers gift box £32
Peanut butter cups
Peanutty bar (our own take on a well known chocolate bar!)
What The Pitta, recently voted the UK’s number one kebab at the British Takeaway Awards, will open its first site in the North as it brings its vegan kebabs to the residents of Manchester.
The site is set to open on January 8, 2021, with delivery, takeaway and eat-in offerings available subject to local COVID-19 restrictions. The menu will be full of all the bestsellers also available at the London and Brighton locations, making sure to stick to classic, much-loved recipes.
The brand has had its sights set on Manchester, aiming to integrate with the city’s vibrant food scene which already has many popular options available for vegans. In the expansion, What The Pitta have also developed new branding with Manchester-based graphic designer Woody Woods, which will be used throughout the new store.
Cem Yildiz, co-founder of What The Pitta, says of the opening: “Manchester feels like a huge step forward for What The Pitta. The site will be our biggest brick and mortar site yet, and to finally open during what we hope is the tail end of this pandemic fills us with optimism for the future for not just us but hospitality as a whole. Manchester is my favourite city outside of London, with such an incredible food scene and we can’t wait to be a part of that and hope the city welcomes us with open arms ready for their vegan kebabs!”
The entirely vegan Turkish-inspired menu first launched in Shoreditch in 2016, the brainchild of Cem Yildiz and Rojdan Gul. The concept came about after Cem decided to go plant-based and was introduced to Roj’s uncle’s vegan kebab recipe. The two saw the value of the recipe and the gap in the market and set up shop at in a small green shed out of Shoreditch, East London.
The food became immediately popular on Instagram and this is where they attribute their cult following to. Their aim is to reclaim the image of the kebab as a greasy 2am meal, bringing a playful spin on a British classic with an ethical twist.
To be the first to hear details of their soft launch offering text WTPMANC to 82228 or sign up to their newsletter online.
You can see the exact location of What The Pitta Manchester thanks to Google Maps.
Opening Hours for the venue in the Northern Quarter will be 11:30am-10:00pm Sunday to Thursday and 11:30am-11:00pm Friday and Saturday.
San Diego-based Plant Power Fast Food, a chain of 100% vegan fast food restaurants, is announcing seven new locations coming in 2021.
That is impressive growth!
The company’s new locations include their first Los Angeles area restaurant in Hollywood on Vine Street near the Paramount Studios, their first Northern California location in Sacramento, and a new restaurant in Laguna Hills complete with a drive-thru, patio dining and even a geodesic dome dining area.
Since its humble beginnings in the Ocean Beach section of San Diego in 2016, Plant Power Fast Food has built a rabid customer base and has seen impressive growth, even in 2020 when much of the restaurant industry has been adversely affected by COVID.
A sampling of the massive growth Plant Power Fast Food has experienced:
· 2020 brand-wide sales are forecast to hit $14 million · 2020 sales are an increase of 46% increase over 2019 · 1172% growth since inception
Next time you are in the area(s), do yourself a favour and eat with Plant Power.
I dined with them a few times when I was in Southern California and I still cherish the memories.
You Me At Six have announced an exclusive ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ vegan hot sauce in collaboration with Lou’s Brews. The sauce is limited to 200 bottles and available exclusively through pre-orders of the band’s forthcoming new album ‘SUCKAPUNCH’, due January 15th via Underdog Records / AWAL. You can pre-order here.
The ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ sauce is the hottest Lou’s Brews have ever made, and was spearheaded by bassist Matt Barnes who said: “We have always loved our hot sauce, especially when we are on tour. It is an absolute must to spice up the super noodles and microwave meals when travelling on the tour bus. The SUCKAPUNCH sauce is a Habanero based chilli sauce with distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It starts with a big punch of spice, before the vinegar and sweetness come through and goes great with anything that needs a little punch of fire!”
Lou’s Brews founder, Lou, said: “I jumped at the chance to collaborate with the guys when I found out they’re all a bunch of spice heads. It’s been awesome working alongside the fellas, playing around with recipe ideas, and I’m stoked for the world to try our delicious little baby.”
The hot sauce follows new single and title track from the band’s forthcoming album ‘SUCKAPUNCH’, described as “transformational” by the Metro, “epic” by the NME and “absolutely huge” by Rock Sound. Their eagerly anticipated seventh studio album will also include ‘MAKEMEFEELALIVE’ and ‘Beautiful Way’, the perfect introduction to their shape-shifting new record, already tipped as “their most radical record to date” by The Sun with DIY confirming, “this is a version of You Me At Six we’ve never seen before”.
You Me At Six are one of the biggest and most prolific British rock bands of recent times. Their 15 year career has seen four UK Gold Records and five Top Ten Albums in the UK, including Number One record ‘Cavalier Youth’. An unparalleled 17 consecutive A-List singles on BBC Radio One, multiple sold-out US headline tours, and a Number One rock song in the UK & Australia, and Top Five Rock Radio track in North America, in ‘Room To Breathe’.
Undoubted heavyweights in the live arena, the summer of 2019 saw You Me At Six play their biggest outdoor headline show to date infront of 15,000 fans at a sold-out Gunnersbury Park. Their most recent UK tour saw 40,000 ticket sales, including three nights at Brixton Academy, selling-out four months in advance in just twenty minutes. May 2021 will see the band celebrate the release of ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ with a string of underplay shows across the UK, including London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum, with support from Saint Phnx. A series of intimate album launch shows across the UK will begin on July 6th at Pryzm in Kingston Upon Thames, preceded by a special socially distanced album release show at Pryzm on January 14th. All tickets are on general sale HERE.
Do you need some baking inspiration for the festive season?
Join Made in Hackney Community Kitchen on Sunday December 13, 2020 between 10am and 1pm for a sensational vegan baking class online (will take place via Zoom with class details sent the day before).
The cost of joining the baking class is £25 (£12 concession) and all funds raised go towards the Made in Hackney community meal service, providing free nutritious, tasty meals to households who need them during these challenging times.
So you’ve got the basic facts and now you want the finer details, right?
Join Bee Berrie (a twice published recipe book author, small business founder (@beesbakery) and expert plant-based baker) to learn how to create incredible plant-based Christmas bakes that look and taste stunning, to enjoy whenever you like during the festive season.
Learn how to make a gorgeous spiced vanilla chai cake
Techniques for making a dreamy vegan white (or dark) chocolate ganache to frost your cake
Make mouth-watering traditional mince pies
Learn how to make your own healthier homemade mince meat with apple and beetroot
You can freeze and enjoy your chai cake whenever during the festive season
Your mince pies will last up to a week in an airtight tin
Opportunity to ask Bee questions
Recipe handout
For ingredients and equipment needed see below
About Bee Berrie
Bee is a twice-published author (Bee’s Brilliant Biscuits and Bee’s Adventures in Cake Decorating), an ex-microbiologist, and the brains behind the best biscuits in London. Bee has supplied bakes to Selfridges and Harrods, become an expert plant-based baker, and transitioned her business to plant-based. She’s also a mother to a bouncy 3-year-old called Joey.
Click here to book a space and check out the ingredients/equipment you will need below.
INGREDIENTS LIST
Homemade mince pies
For the homemade fruit mincemeat:
200 g apples, chopped into small chunks 1 small raw beetroot, finely grated 50g sultanas, currants or raisins 50g dried cranberries 50g dried blueberries 30g chopped almonds the zest and juice of 1 small orange 2 tbsp coconut oil 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 tbsp seeds / nuts of your choice (e.g. chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, millet) For the pastry:
72 g unbleached all purpose flour 1/2 tsp sea salt 160 g coconut oil (scoopable // not liquid)* 45-90 ml ice cold water For the glaze:
50g vegan butter / other vegetable fat 1/2 tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp cinnamon Spiced vanilla chai cake with chocolate ganache
The recipe works well as a layer cake (makes 2 x 8 inch rounds, OR 4 x 6 inch rounds (per image), as cupcakes (makes around 14 – 16) or muffins (10 or so), whatever takes your fancy.
HALVE FOR A SMALLER BATCH!
Ingredients:
300 ml soya or oat milk 3 tsp vinegar 200 g plain (not flavoured) soya yoghurt 380 g caster sugar 250 ml plant, nut or vegetable oil 480 g self raising flour (if GF, use 1/4 ground almonds and 2 tsp xanthan gum) 2 tsp vanilla extract The contents of 2 high quality tea bags, decaf if you prefer 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp ground cloves / allspice 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 3 tsp baking powder Two ingredient chocolate ganache / icing (make ahead of class)
Makes enough to fill the middle and ice the top of 1 x 6 inch layer cake or 16+ cupcakes
Ingredients:
135 ml soya milk 200g dark chocolate OR 200g white, dairy free chocolate (available from health food shops or online) Method:
Melt the ingredients together over a low / medium heat, stirring gently until you have a smooth glossy mixture, do not allow to boil. Chill until needed, for a few hours or overnight for a firmer, spreadable texture. EQUIPMENT LIST
For the cake:
Weighing scales Large bowl Wooden spoon / spatula Whisk Measuring jug Smaller bowl (to mix milk / yoghurt / vinegar) Tablespoon Teaspoon 2 x 6 inch cake tins OR cupcake tray with cases Parchment / oil / pastry brush (for oiling tins) Small pan (for melting ganache) Cooling rack (optional) Cake board (6 in) or serving plate Palette knife For the mince pies:
Weighing scales Large bowl Medium sized pan wooden spoon chopping board Knife Tablespoons and teaspoons Grater / zester Cupcake tin (mini or small is fine) Pastry brush (for oiling tins)
