A little while ago on my blog I gave a shout out to a vegan soap producer who donates profits to charities and community organisations.
Bars of Hope sell a gorgeous range of artisan bars that will leave you feeling squeaky clean and all warm and fuzzy. Not only are you buying fab vegan soap, every purchase will contribute much needed funds to a local charity or community organisation.
The organisation of choice being supported by Bars of Hope in April 2021 is The Outside Project.
The Outside Project is an LGBTIQ+ Community Shelter, Centre and Domestic Abuse Refuge in response to those within the LGBTIQ+ community who feel endangered, who are homeless, ‘hidden’ homeless and feel that they are on the outside of services due to historical and present prejudice in society and in their homes.
Services of The Outside Project include:
Provision of identity responsive housing and spaces for the LGBTIQ+ Community
Professional and ‘knowledge by experience’ peer-led support to LGBTIQ+ people in crisis
Advocacy for LGBTIQ+ rights and needs within wider systems and services
Promoting improved ‘social health’ and sobriety within the LGBTIQ+ Community
Developing relationships with services to strengthen support for the LGBTIQ+ Community
Sharing knowledge to educate others on the unique and complex needs of LGBTIQ+ people
If you have some spare cash, please treat yourself to gorgeous vegan soaps from Bars of Hope and direct some much-needed financial support to The Outside Project. Shop now.
Follow Bars of Hope on Instagram to stay updated on new products and to see who they will be supporting in the future.
If you think you or someone you know would benefit from being in touch with The Outside Project, visit their website. If you want to support the group financially without buying soap, donate online here.
Did you attend Hackney Downs Vegan Market back in the day?
If you were a regular attendee, you will fondly recall the glorious cakes, bakes, and cookies from Chanel of Vegan Delice.
Chanel was always the friendliest person on the market and customers would come from all over London to chat with her AND to buy her amazing vegan baked goods.
A little while back Chanel rebranded and her empire of sugary delights is now known as Cake Cult London. The online store is overflowing with treats that you can have delivered to you around the UK (or collect if you live locally).
There are so many wonderful things from which to choose, however I’m jumping on here today to tell you about the vegan afternoon tea for two.
Chanel sent me one of the boxes to try for myself and of course it was as delicious as I remember all her stuff being. Check it out below and see the contents of the vegan afternoon tea listed as well.
Afternoon Tea for 2 Menu
2 x mini cheese & onion pasty
2 x mini Sos rolls
4 x Scones
Plain & Cherry with Clotted cream and Strawberry Jam
Baby cake cults
2 x Lemon drizzle
2 x Red Velvets
2 x Shortbread fingers
Order your very vegan afternoon tea for two from Cake Cult London now for delivery!
I’m dropping by to let you know that I am BACK on the podcast airwaves… weekly!
During the first 100 days of lockdown in 2020, I posted daily news roundups via Facebook Live. Those roundups were my way of putting something positive into the world at a very trying time, while also creating a way for our vegan communities to stay connected.
Those daily videos were very DIY but also time consuming. Doesn’t mean I don’t miss them, though!
As the world is still struggling with the global pandemic and things are nowhere near close to how they were before 2020, I am inspired to reach out again and create a weekly show highlighting all the latest news from the world of veganism.
I love connecting and wanted to create a new way of supporting independent vegan business. It also helps that I love the sound of my own voice!
The first episode has just gone live and you will be able to stream across a number of platforms. It is a brief 10 minute listen, so why not give it a try?!
See all about the show and find links for streaming (including Spotify) on my podcast homepage.
This blog has been running for more than 10 years and it is made possible thanks in no small part to the kind support of the people supporting me on Patreon. If you would like to pledge a monthly contribution to help keep the FGV dream alive for a second decade, visit my Patreon page.
My buddies at Young Vegans have been elevating the good eating game for a while now and their expanded online shop is just another imitation feather in their pleather cap.
Say hello to Young Vegans Superstore!
The Young Vegans Superstore is packed full of all the very best handmade treats from the brand, as well as carfeully selected products from other artisan vegan makers.
Take a look at their webshop and discover vegan cheeses, pies, pizzas, coffee, sweets, condiments, beers, cider, and drinks. It is a one stop shop for everything delicious and compassionate.
If you live near the London NW5 postcode, you can opt for collection to save on shipping charges. Otherwise you can get free UK shipping on orders over £40.
I picked out five fabulous products from the Young Vegans Superstore to give you a taster of what you can find over there.
Check out my list below and be sure to follow Young Vegans on Instagram.
Essential Vegan – Aged Smoked Vegan Cheese – A hard and sharp golden cheese with a deep, smoky richness. This mature cheese is perfectly paired with grapes, crackers and chutney. This artisan nut cheese is handmade using only the best organic ingredients to give you a complex and sophisticated combination of flavours. The cheese is crafted utilising a cultured cashew nut base, meaning the range is raw, dairy and gluten free.
Minor Figures Latte – Nitro Cold Brew Coffee – At their microbrewery in London, the Minor Figures crew source, roast, grind and brew the best in-season coffee for over 18 hours before blending with oat m*lk. The result? A delicious, dairy-free iced latte.
Young Vegans – Chickun Katsu Vegan Pie – The only chickun katsu vegan pie in existence and a personal favourite of Young Vegans. Succulent vegan chickun cutlets in a traditional style Japanese curry sauce all encased in their lip smacking short crust bases and buttery puff pastry lids. All ingredients are 100% vegan and handmade at their kitchen in Camden Town, London.
Young Vegans – The Godfather Vegan Pizza – The big daddy of them all and their take on pepperoni pizzas the world over. The bestselling Godfather is a vegan feast of their signature seitan based vegan pepperoni, handmade vegan mozzarella and marinara sauce all on their 24 hour fermented, hand stretched dough for that “pizzeria at home” vibe. 100% vegan pizza hand made with love at their kitchen in Camden Town, London.
Young Vegans – Vegan Apple Pie – Cooked British apples mixed with spices and filled generously in their lip smacking buttery pastry. Careful, these apple pies are moreish as hell! Perfect hot with ice cream or custard oozing over it. All their apple pies are 100% vegan and handmade at their kitchen in Camden Town, London.
Have you got a few non-vegans in your life in need of some compassionate encouragement?
Tell them that the Animal Aid Summer Vegan Pledge is BACK!
The Summer Vegan Pledge is a month-long pledge hosted by Animal Aid that encourages non-vegans to try a vegan/plant-based diet for the month of June. Those who sign up to the pledge receive all of the help, advice, and support they need including access to exclusive social media groups and one-to-one support if they need it.
In previous years thousands of people have taken part with a majority of them stating they will remain vegan afterwards in a follow up survey (in 2018 53% of participants said they would remain vegan while in 2019 57% said they would).
If you or someone you know would be keen to take on the Summer Vegan Pledge this June, get all the information on the official website.
It has been over three years since my very first book was published, so I thought it might be a good time to revisit and take stock of where things stand with the paperback. My little baby is all grown up.
Happy 3rd birthday to Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t.
It had been a dream of mine to publish a book ever since I was a child. I grew up in a family with not a lot of money and books were my only escape. It was pre-Internet and pre-cable TV, so most of my education of the world came from books.
The day I opened my email account as a chubby, hairy adult pushing middle age to find an invitation to meet with Nourish Books was a wonderful day.
The months after I signed my contract were a whirl. I was writing so much. Daily word count targets kept me on my toes and I loved the journey of mapping chapters and filling in the framework of the book.
I think the writing process took more or less six months and then there was a few ‘colourful’ discussions with my copy editor in order to beat the text into a presentable final product.
I loved seeing the cover take shape ( I asked for the colours to be gayer) and when the book was finally in the world, I took it on a mini book tour which included a reading in Los Angeles.
The UK mini tour was fabulous fun and I was blown away by how many people showed up to the Coventry stop. We even had the BBC on hand to interview me and some of the attendees for a radio show on veganism.
One memory that will stay with me always is getting to present the book and take questions at the event at Stories bookstore and cafe in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Standing up in front of a few dozen people in a courtyard in California to chat about a book with my name on the cover really happened!
Another highlight of my book experience was being asked to record the audio book version in my own voice.
Two full days in a Central London recording studio left me with a sore throat and plenty of unforgettable memories. My producer regaled me with stories of famous people he had recorded in the past and I was chuffed to discover insider tips, gossip, and secrets.
And what about all the money I made? That wasn’t really the case, but I’m happy enough with that part of the process. The desire to spread my message of compassion was my main drive.
I was paid a small (but typical) advance to write the book. It wasn’t a lot of money (let’s just say my understanding is that first time authors get paid an advance between £1,500 and £2,500 usually and mine was within that range) and my contract stipulated I couldn’t earn any further royalties until my advance was recouped.
Recouping that investment doesn’t sound too tough, right?
The tricky part is that my advance needed to be repaid from MY share of profits on each copy sold. This amounts to a few pennies per book.
Three years later and I just got word that my advance has been paid back in full! If for any reason my book climbs to the top of the best sellers list, I’m going to get some cash. I won’t plan my future around it but it’s nice to think it COULD happen. Maybe! LOL
The audio version of my book is currently number 670,364 in the Audible chart and 496,762 on the regular Amazon book chart. If you want to help me inch a little higher to celebrate finally settling my advance debt, Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t is available for less than £5.00 in both paperback and audiobook at time of writing this blog post.
If Amazon is not your cup of tea, many independent bookstores around the planet would be so very happy if you ordered my book via them. HIVE is a UK web shop that fulfils book orders via independent retailers. Click here to see my book and ebook on their platform. Or shop with your fave local bookstore. They will order the title in for you.
Three and a bit years after my book was published is a strange time to reflect. I don’t owe any money to the publisher, veganism is EVERYWHERE, and the world is still in the midst of a global emergency. It feels like a million years since my book hit the shelves but it was only three years.
So much has happened since my childhood dream came true. Maybe it’s time to start putting another dream into action.
UK’s first plant-based pizza restaurant Purezza set to open in Manchester’s Northern Quarter!
Purezza, the UK’s first vegan pizzeria, is launching its Manchester branch in May 2021. Following a year of growth, having also launched branches in Bristol, Brixton, and Hove, Purezza’s 6th branch will open in Manchester’s Northern Quarter at 75-77 High Street, M4 1FS (this was previously the site of Dough Pizza Kitchen).
Manchester’s pizza lovers will find plenty to get excited about at Purezza. The pizzas are renowned globally, having won National Pizza of the Year in 2018 and received awards at the World Pizza Championships in 2019. Purezza is also a 100% plant-based and vegan restaurant, for which it holds further accolades including Vegan Restaurant of the Year 2020.
Purezza’s range of creative Neapolitan-style pizzas feature its own signature plant-based mozzarella, a unique whole grain sourdough, and carefully selected organic ingredients. The menu consists of classics such as the Margherita, to unique pizzas like the award-winning Parmigiana Party which uses aubergine parmigiana and vegan sausages as toppings.
The restaurant also serves a full gluten-free menu, including pizzas which are indistinguishable from regular sourdough. There is a wide range of creative cocktails and organic beers and wines. Food will also be available via local delivery services.
Sustainability is at the forefront of Purezza’s values, and this comes across in more than just the food. The restaurant is fitted out with reclaimed and upcycled furniture, and decoration has been completed with eco-friendly and organic paints.
Tim Barclay, co-founder and co-owner of Purezza has said, “Manchester has been on our agenda for years now. We’ve had more requests to open in Manchester than any other city in the UK, and it’s truly a pleasure to honour those requests and to finally make it happen. We’re really excited about this, and we can’t wait to welcome you through our doors.”
Purezza’s Manchester branch will be opening in May 2021. Address: 75-77 High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1FS.
Purezza has been operating in Brighton since November 2015, and opened a London branch in March 2018. It subsequently tripled the size of its Camden restaurant in February 2020. Purezza went on to launch branches in Bristol and Hove in Q3 2020.
The restaurant has become a household name among vegan and vegetarian foodies, with diners travelling from all over the world to eat there. The restaurant has won multiple awards, including National Pizza of the Year 2018.
Purezza specialises in plant-based alternatives to classic Neapolitan pizzas. Purezza is renowned for developing its own range of vegan cheese exclusively for its restaurants. Purezza has also launched a factory in Brighton & Hove to provide its cheeses and pizzas to retail later this year.
Purezza also launched its first recipe book in January 2020.
Like Meat have just released their Like Mini Drumsticks in the UK and they sponsored me to share news with you.
Now available in Tesco stores, these crunchy delights are soya based and, just like all Like Meat products, gluten free. What I love about products like this (apart from deliciousness) is how versatile they are. You can eat them on their own, in a wrap, or as the star of a tasty dinner plate.
Last night my partner served them with rice and tangy, stir-fried vegetables.
You can fry or oven bake the new Like Mini Drumsticks. The recommended retail price is £3.
Eat up!
You can see the full Like Meat range on their website and be sure to follow them on Instagram.
It has not been a good run for Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner lately.
Firstly, there has been the very public and slightly mysterious departure of the London restaurant’s founders. For their part, the investors currently in charge of operations claim no ill will or underhandedness has gone on, however this post from co-founder Matthew doesn’t make it sound like a bed of roses.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLU0HXKJyZE/
In the instance you are unable to view the above post, I have copied the text below:
Dear All, Rudy and I have decided that we need to issue a short statement about our current situation. – We cannot go into details at this time, but I can confirm that Rudy and I are no longer affiliated with Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner, or Rudy’s Vegan Diner, or Rudy’s Vegan Butcher and we have not been involved with the businesses since the beginning of January 2021. – As we are sure you know we set up these businesses and we put our heart and soul into creating the business and all of its associated products. We were very sad to leave behind our creation, but as many of you know, we were never in it for the money, our driving force was always the welfare of the animals and the planet. We would like to extend our eternal thanks to all of our customers who have supported us so loyally over the years. It’s our hope that one day in the future we will start again from scratch and open a business which can continue to make a difference. Much love to all, Matthew and Rudy
It is sad news.
Independent vegan business can be brutal and this past year has stretched many owners beyond their emotional and financial limits.
I don’t know what has gone on between the founders and the investors, so I won’t speculate.
I just hope it all works out for the best for them. They have done so much to promote vegan lifestyles in London and they deserve professional and personal success.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move onto problem the second.
What the heck is going on with the Rudy’s Instagram account?!
I have no idea who is running the show over there but they need some crucial emergency interventions around inclusive language, sexism, and customer interactions.
Check out this Instagram post from yesterday, International Women’s Day 2021 (the post has since been deleted by the account following customer complaints):
In the instance you can’t see the post, it features a photo of a vegan burger and the text, “Happy Women’s Day to all the beautiful women out there that look as gorgeous as this Dirty burger’.
Right. Are you ready? Let’s begin.
This is one of the most inept and inconsiderate social media posts I have ever seen from a vegan company. It is simply contemptable.
I struggle to understand how a brand can miss the mark so badly and in follow up comments even go further to dig themselves into a hole. The screen grab above shows an interaction between the account and a customers in which their point of view is defended because their delicious burgers are, just like women, fundamental.
I am not often left speechless but this had me staring at my screen for a long time, mouth agape.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
So, nothing about celebrating gorgeous women and comparing them to juicy vegan burgers then? No?
This type of bullshit needs to be called out, especially in the London vegan community.
Many of us work hard to challenge this sort of harmful nonsense because we care about women. Our compassionate lifestyle choice is not a platform from which to launch misogynistic missives in order to sell food for a profit.
I haven’t seen an apology or statement of understanding from the people currently running Rudy’s.
The brand removed the offensive post and replaced it with this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMKNjNvhfLt/
Happy International Women’s Day? This date is the publicly recognised collective front for global women’s movements to redress violence, sexism, economic disparity, and misogyny. It is a day to raise the voices and achievements of women.
It is not a catchphrase to help you shift plant-based protein.
This post reads like a lazy attempt to fix the previous terrible take. Kind of like piling a spoon of sugar on top of a steaming shit.
You don’t have to look too far to find further evidence of how women are framed in the world of Rudy’s social media. Take a look at this atrocity of an Instagram post from yesterday (yes, also on IWD 2021).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMHgAU1BVal/
I will admit this one is as confusing as it is offensive. Is the cow giving a look that things are about to get Dirty AF? Is this the sexualisation of a dairy cow statue in order to sell vegan cheese sticks?
Carol J. Adams, where are you? This one is too much for me.
London, if you are going to spend your money with companies like Rudy’s you need to also hold them accountable for harmful advertising tactics. It is the VERY LEAST we can do. The bare minimum.
We don’t need to accept the use of sexist advertising in our community. We really don’t and we shouldn’t.
Rudy’s. Get it together. If you are unsure of how and why you can do better, listen to your customers when they tell you… and they have been telling you.
Just dropping by to share some fun news with you all.
I was the guest on the latest episode of Two Vs & A Pod podcast!
It was a great chat that left me longing for future travels and food adventures. I can’t wait until I can get back on the road.
Here is the overview of the episode:
Join Issy and Ben this week for all things Travel! Earlier this week it was announced that we should be able to go and visit some of our favourite countries this summer, and for some of you it might be your first time going abroad as a vegan. Issy and Ben share their travel stories and top tips for eating abroad. They’re also joined a real travel expert; Sean O’Callaghan (AKA @FatGayVegan) to discuss his vegan cruises and vast experience around the world as a vegan.
