Vegan macaron frenzy

by

Do you feel that you are in a bit of a dreary rut? Is your life in need of a push? What would you say to an exciting development that will leave you grinning ear to ear?

Floral Frosting and their vegan macarons are making lives better. Simple.

Selling only online, the mastermind behind Floral Frosting is turning lives upside down with her colourful creations. Charis uses some unknown brand of magic to handcraft the most exquisite fine pastries and then ships them to people everywhere.

Customers need to reach out to Charis via email ( floralfrosting@hotmail.com ), Facebook or Instagram to find out prices and place an order. The macarons are made in the UK but can be shipped anywhere in the world!

Wanna see what I recently ate from Floral Frosting?

Nothing on the planet is as pretty as a delivery of @floralfrostingbakery #vegan macarons. I’m shaking with joy.

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

There is no messing around here. Floral Frosting is getting the job done. No question.

My delivery included:

  • Lemon curd
  • Salted caramel popcorn
  • S’mores
  • Vanilla chai
  • Strawberry & cream
  • Cookie Monster

Why are you still here? Follow the Instagram account! Get ordering!

south of france cruise

New vegan burger bar in Sheffield

by

Book a bus ticket. Check train prices. Charge up the electric car. You are all headed to Sheffield as soon as you possibly can.

Already live there? You have got it made!

Say hello to the newest superstar of the UK vegan scene, Burger Lols.

Holy shit! A brand new all #vegan burger joint in Sheffield. Freak me out!

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

It doesn’t get much cuter than that, right?

Burger Lolz has only been open a week but already it looks to have a solid following of fans. The shop was buzzing when I went in there and I’m not surprised. The menu is like a dream come true.

How a bout a mac n cheese burger featuring onion rings? Maybe a kebab burger with seitan is more to your liking. I know you all want the pulled jackfruit sandwich or the chilli cheese fries.

Check out this photo of what I was able to get my hands on during my recent visit.

Pretty freakin’ impressive. The fries alone are making me consider a move to Sheffield.

Get to Burger Lolz NOW, eat everything you can get your hands on and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Extra note:

Next door to Burger Lolz is the incredible Steel City Cakes.

This bakery has long been a favourite with vegan cake lovers and with good reason. Their selection of vegan cakes is like nothing else I have seen in the UK. I was almost crying from excitement and emotion.

Click on this video below to see just some of the vegan cakes they were selling during my visit. Sheffield is where it’s at!

What?! So much #vegan cake at @steelcitycakes in Sheffield! I’m freaking out!

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

VBF-TWCover

Vegan groceries in Kent

by

What do you do for vegan groceries when you live in Kent, England?

However you answered that question in your head, you can now add Wheat’s The Problem to your list of solutions.

1 - Shop Front

This grocery store is tucked away on an industrial estate in Sittingbourne, Kent and looks to be a vegan grocery oasis.

While not everything in the store is plant-based a huge chunk of what’s on offer is, with the shelves lined with Fry’s Family Foods, Follow Your Heart, Tofurky, Plamil and many, many more vegan brands. I would be here all day if I started listing them and you all know how lazy I am.

As you can tell from the store name, Wheat’s The Problem is also a specialty shopping destination for consumers looking for wheat free groceries with many items being suitable for coeliacs.

Get along to Wheat’s The Problem for vegan groceries and support independent business.

Click here to join the Facebook group for the shop. This is where you can keep track of all the fantastic new products being added each week. You can also click here to see where the shop is located.

south of france cruise

Milk protest

by

Have you seen the signs in Tesco supermarkets suggesting their milk helps care for dairy cows?

The signs are part of a broader campaign in which the supermarket giant is telling shoppers that their cow milk products are fairly sourced, making them the right choice for anyone looking to improve outcomes for farmers and cows.

People who understand the cruelty connected to the dairy industry are not too happy about these signs.

All over the UK, consumer activists are removing the signs from dairy cases and positioning them in front of plant-derived milk products such as almond, soya and rice. Vegans are attempting to subvert the advertising campaign and use the signs to get people thinking about the cruelty of dairy.

Below is a photo I took in Tesco Roundhay, Leeds yesterday. It shows that one of the signs has been moved to a shelf holding almond milk.

It would appear this peaceful action of relocating the signs is gaining momentum, with many shoppers sharing their own experiences on social media of moving signs themselves or having seen evidence that others have done so.

In addition, The Vegan Society has asked Tesco to remove all signs from all store is this open letter.

VBF-TWCover

Vegan jelly in a supermarket

by

Josh and I had just downed a couple of beers in the wonderful Bundobust bar and Indian street food kitchen in Leeds city centre last night when we wandered into the nearest Co-operative supermarket to look for snacks.

As we were mooching along past the pre-packaged fruit, Josh spotted some raspberry jelly cups on the shelf and suggested we check to see if they were vegan.

Being the vile and cynical FGV that I am, I curled my lip and said, “They won’t be vegan”.

I do like being proved wrong sometimes.

What?! Grabbing all the #vegan jelly and fruit cups from Co-Op supermarkets!

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

Yes! Vegan jelly cups in a UK-wide supermarket!

I was too tipsy to eat mine last night but I will be investigating later today. Have you tried this cup? What did you think?

Extra note: This photo originally appeared on my Instagram account.

VBF-TWCover

Caribbean vegan pop up

by

There is a vegan Caribbean food business in Nottingham called Yemọja. You need to know about it, follow it and support it!

Yemọja operate pop up cafés around Nottingham, they support anti-fascist activism and they make mouth watering vegan food.

Check out these pictures from their Instagram page.

Looking fabulous, right?

You can follow Yemọja on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Even if you can’t get along to one of their events, you can still support this wonderful food and activism endeavour by contributing to their GoFundMe page. Click here to donate and help them reach their goal.

VBF-TWCover

Brewery list for Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest

by

If you thought we were messing around with Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest, this blog post will set you straight.

The always amazing William Bros. Brewing Co. is curating the beer bar for our event and the list of participating breweries will leave you drooling.

The line up includes:

Windswept Brewing Company of Lossiemouth, Scotland – visit online
Tryst Brewery of Falkirk, Scotland – visit online
Fallen Brewing Company of Kippen, Scotland – vist online
Pilot of Leith, Scotland – visit online
Jaw Brew of Glasgow, Scotland – visit online
Tempest Brew Co. of Galashiels, Scotland – visit online
The Cromarty Brewing Company of Cromarty, Scotland – visit online
Drygate of Glasgow, Scotland – visit online
Loch Lomond Brewery of Jamestown, Scotland – visit online
Stewart Brewing of Edinburgh, Scotland – visit online
Top Out Brewery of Edinburgh, Scotland – visit online

Of course there will also be a lot of drink from William Bros. themselves as well as the much loved cider of Thistly Cross. Mono will be in charge of wine as well as non-alcohol drinks.

Full beer list will be announced before the event and every attendee will be handed a tick sheet featuring the entire rundown of drinks, as well as collectible branded pint cup to use on the day AND keep forever.

In addition, details of our food menus will be released very shortly with a stunning bar menu by Mono plus several special guest caterers who I know you will all adore.

Add to this some unique musical guests and we have one extremely unmissable event planned for Glasgow on Saturday August 27, 2016.

Buy your cheap advance tickets now and RSVP to the Facebook event page where you can also invite friends.

gvbflarge

south of france cruise

A Bottle of Wine with FGV – Jake Yapp

by

I’ve started a new series of videos on Facebook Live called A Bottle of Wine with FGV.

Yes, all your Internet dreams are coming true. You get to watch me get drunk in real time with a special guest!

First up to take this adventure was my buddy Jake Yapp. Jake is hilarious. His new stand up show One in a Million is playing in Edinburgh throughout August, he publishes lots of funny stuff online and keeps everyone updated with latest news via his website. Oh yeah, he’s also vegan.

Now for the descent into a tipsy haze with Jake and FGV.

 

Beer and food for charity

by

If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Orpington this Saturday (July 30, 2016) you need to make time to get along to this wonderful event.

The Orpington Liberal Club is playing host to a fundraising night called Flap 4 F.R.I.E.N.D.S., with money going to F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Animal Rescue.

13690600_10153649125160811_3077598759240447284_n

The venue always has an amazing selection of quality vegan ales on offer and my friend Alternative Chef Steph sent me a preview of her special food menu for the night.

It includes:

Ponga Harvest Platter

BBQ jackfruit & smoky cheeze quesadillas
Chorizo & potato tortilla
Tomato salsa
Roasted padron peppers

Cheeze Taster Plate

Dragons Breath (chipotle chile cheddar)
Stilton style
Cheddar style

All served with freshly baked bread & home made green tomato chutney

Raw Cake Taster Plate

Bounty
Carrot with lemon cashew frosting
Ginger slice

All of that delicious sounding food is vegan as well as being gluten and refined sugar free.

On top of the wonderful food and drink being sold, the event will feature music and spoken word performances.

It will only cost you £5 on the door, you’ll have a fabulous night out and you will be helping F.R.I.E.N.D.S. carry on with their crucial work.

Get more details and RSVP on the Facebook event page.

By attending this event, you will be directly helping animals like Gary the goat (pictured below). If you are unable to attend this event but would like to support Gary and his friends, you can donate online.
FRIEND+animals+04

south of france cruise

Big Holland & Barrett news

by

News has been announced today of a partnership between two of the biggest retailers on the planet.

Multiple news outlets are reporting on the new deal bringing Holland & Barrett outlets into already existing Tesco stores.

I visited my local Tesco Extra last week and was surprised that its NutriCentre had been shuttered, but it makes sense now. It seems all of these are to be turned into Holland & Barrett stores!

To be clear, I’m not excited about two arms of two multi-national corporations joining forces. However, I think it is rad that this move will drastically increase the range of vegan groceries available to people all over the UK. Holland & Barrett stocks amazing brands such as Fry’s, Tofurky and so many more. It’s terrific news for a lot of these independent vegan food companies as they will have a direct passage to one of the biggest retailers on the planet.

The first Holland & Barret inside a Tesco opened in Dudley yesterday and apparently more are set to open in the next few months in Watford, Coventry Arena, Newcastle, Cambridge and Gatwick. I expect if these prove popular, we will see a lot more in the near future.

Are you excited?

tesco panel

VBF-TWCover