Vegan food in Essex

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There is a vegetarian bistro in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex that has been popular with vegans for a long time and it is just about to get a second location.

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The menu of The Oak Tree Bistro is packed solid with vegan dishes and meals that can be altered to become vegan. It would be fab if the eatery adopted a fully plant-based approach but I’m sure vegans in the area are grateful for a line up that includes Japanese curry, grilled asparagus, garlic mushrooms, bangers & mash, lasagne and mac ‘n’ cheese.

You can click here to see the full menu.

But what of a second location?

Take a 30-minute drive northeast (if the traffic isn’t typically UK snarled) and you’ll land in Brentwood, Essex. This is the site of the soon-to-open second location of The Oak Tree.

Essex, you have some find vegan food to chose from! Follow the new Brentwood location on its own dedicated Facebook page for news and updates.

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Vegan and gluten free beer

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I’m hoping this beer gets some decent distribution and starts moving around the planet.

Vida Latina is a brand new Mexican beer made from agave that is both gluten-free and vegan. I picked up a few bottles in my local supermarket in Mexico City today for less than £2 per bottle.

Brand new beer made from agave by @vidalatinamx that is both #vegan and gluten free.

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

I get asked about gluten-free vegan beer all the time, so it is great to see a new brand on the market.

If you know of any vegan and gluten-free beer brands, please list them below so we can all get a taste. And let your local beer retailer know about Vida Latina and let’s see if we can get this Mexican vegan beer in your region/country.

You can follow Vida Latina on Twitter.

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

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Extra for non-animal milk?

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I’m looking for reader input with this blog post.

The following information was sent to me by Isabel, a reader based in Leeds who is a bit annoyed that her local café charges her 30p extra for soya milk in her coffee.

Check out Isabel’s gripe below:

I know you’re quite familiar with Leeds and you may know the ‘Opposite’ cafes – there is one Opposite the University steps and another in the Victoria Quarter nowadays. I went to the Uni branch for a coffee this morning and asked whether soya milk was available. I was told yes, but when I paid was told there is a 30p surcharge. I have had a conversation with the manager about this. He says that the soya product they use (which is Bonsoy) is over three times as expensive as the organic cow milk they use, so they have to charge extra. I would have thought that having vegans and dairy-free people as customers would outweigh this, but apparently not! It makes me so sad to feel I’m being charged extra for being compassionate, and especially as they sell vegan flapjack and cake, this should be one place which takes a small financial hit in order to embrace vegans as customers.

Thanks for the input, Isabel. If you live in Leeds and would like to join the discussion with Opposites, have a word on Twitter.

And now to ask for your input.

If you have a local coffee shop that does NOT charge extra for plant-based milks, we all wanna know about it. Post names and links below so we can build up a list of affordable coffee vendors.

I would also be keen to hear from business owners who have found a way to make it financially viable to not charge extra for soya, rice, almond and/or coconut milks.

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Vegan banana split

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I know the majority of readers are based in the socially, politically and financially crumbling UK so I thought I would offer you some pure vegan food escapism to brighten up your bleak week.

During my trip to Los Angeles last week, I had the extreme pleasure of visiting a completely vegan soft serve frozen yoghurt store located in Glendale.

Yoga-Urt is a gorgeous experience from top to bottom. Friendly people, delicious yoghurt (old school, isolationist UK spelling!) and a delightful selection of vegan toppings.

Take a look at the stunning banana split below and tell me if you can even handle it!

flavours sign toppings fruit toppings gummy toppings chocolate sauce vegan banana split yoga urt front

Save your devalued Pounds and get to California for some frozen goodness at Yoga-Urt.

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Is Brexit already affecting vegan business?

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This email was sent out to customers of online vegan grocery retailer, Veganstore.co.uk, following the E.U. Referendum results.

I have reproduced it with kind permission.

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Latest news from veganstore.co.uk

Dear Friends,

As a non-political company it was never my intention to enter into any of the debate on the Brexit issue.

Each of us is entitled to our viewpoint. Unfortunately, it looks like the outcome will have an impact on some of our products.

The vote will mean a lot of change as we’ve all seen already in the financial markets.

The exchange rates are some of the lowest that we’ve seen since we started trading 17 years ago.

A lot of your favourite products are manufactured outside the UK. There’s the obvious ones that we import from the US, such as Go Max Bars, Primal Jerky and The Vegg.

The amazing alternatives we get from within the E.U. include Pernigotti Truffles, Soyatoo Whipping Cream, Topas Chorizo, Vivani Chocolate and Vantastic Foods Parmezano.

Even UK companies, such as Goody Good Stuff, Freedom Marshmallows and some of our own brand products are made in the EU, when we can’t get the suppliers here.

So why am I telling you all this ?

Well almost overnight the cost of products has gone up potentially as much as 10% and what that unfortunately means to us all is that prices will also rise.

We are holding our prices for now but they will inevitable increase over the next few weeks.

I wish it could be different but we will keep working to bring you the best vegan products from wherever they are in this world.

Best wishes,

Lisa

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Veggie Pret staying open all summer

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A lot of vegans are happy with the selection of animal-free sandwiches on offer at the Veggie Pret pop up shop in Soho.

News sites have been busy telling the world how well the temporary store front has been doing financially and that the vegan options have been some of the best-selling menu items.

Well, it appears the vegetarian version of Pret a Manger is staying around a little bit longer than originally planned. The company announced today that the Broadwick Street vegetarian shop will be staying open throughout the entire summer.

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If you dig a little further into the Pret website, you will find this page dedicated to the animal welfare policies of the sandwich chain.

Now, my intention isn’t to start a shit storm over this but I find this greenwashing a little tough to swallow. Yes, I believe some people within the company are pushing for better treatment of animals and possibly some of the workers are vegan. But I don’t appreciate a corporation using terms like ‘happy cows, happy milk, moo’ when we all know how milk is produced.

Even if a cow gets to strut about a green field all day, she still needs to be forcibly inseminated to become pregnant on time every time in order to be a lucrative milk producer.

And then there are sections of their website on happy pigs who are deliriously ecstatic before being slaughtered for bacon. Or what about the farm bred fish or line caught tuna? Line caught means being flung onto the deck of a boat and then suffocating.

You can all come at me with ‘we should be grateful for what vegan stuff we get’ and ‘a no meat shop in Soho is incredible’ but I’m from the old-school train of thought that victories are hard won, not handed to us. I’m interested by the shop’s success, but I’m not about to allow the rest of the animal-suffering they engage in go unnoticed.

Pret have made this decision to keep this shop open because vegans are making them money. We get this same ‘know your food’ routine from places like Whole Foods Market and we need to realise that these changes are because campaigners have worked hard for decades, vegans make their consumer voices heard and groups such as The Vegan Society talk non-stop to businesses like Pret. 

Shop with them for their vegan options if you choose, but don’t let greenwashing campaigns like this stop you from asking for more plant-based food and less animal suffering. Say thank you for the vegan stuff if you want but follow it up with a ‘you can do more’.

Use your vegan clout. Pret are obviously taking notice.

Extra note: this is not an attempt to shame people who shop at Pret for their vegan options. I do it sometimes when I am in London. Rather it is a post to acknowledge the latest news regarding the vegetarian pop up while asking people to realise we don’t have to stop saying ‘more vegan’ whenever someone throws a plant-based bone our way.

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Jobs in London

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I truly appreciate the work carried out by Made in Hackney. The food justice charity is all about bringing vegan food knowledge, availability and expertise to people in low income, at risk and hard to reach situations.

If you haven’t heard about the project before, you need to get to their website to read about their outstanding work and book yourself in to one of their cooking classes. The money you pay will help Made in Hackney carry on with their vital support work.

If I have sold you on how fab they are, maybe you would also consider working with the group. There are currently two positions looking to be filled with Made in Hackney.

Here are the brief job descriptions lifted from the website.

1) Project Manager – Programmes

£28,000 pro rota – 28 hours/week (4 days)

This is an exciting role leading the key projects and operations at Made in Hackney. The successful candidate will work directly with two other Project Managers, a Project Coordinator (Public Health) a Finance Manager, a Venue Manager, freelance cookery teachers, apprentices and a large network of volunteers whom deliver Made In Hackney’s varied programme of cookery classes.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a cross section of the social enterprise, charity and/or public sectors, as well as education and/or community health. They will be an experienced project manager, skilled at multi-tasking and will feel as comfortable presenting to a panel of Public Health professionals as getting stuck in with clearing out the compost bin or solving an IT problem. A detailed understanding of, and passion for the health and environmental issues underpinning Made In Hackney’s food policy (local, seasonal, organic, planet based) and mission is essential. Experience/knowledge of food growing and environmental issues preferred.

The experience of working at Made in Hackney is varied, unique and very rewarding.  There is no ‘typical’ day and we are looking for someone who is flexible to work out of the normal office working hours (for example at weekend market stalls etc.) There is plenty of room for the successful candidate to be creative and bring new ideas for developing existing programmes and activities.

2) Newly created vacancy for a Venue Manager 

£24,000 pro rota – 7 hours/week (1 day)

This is a newly created role responsible for organising the day to day kitchen venue and office space at Made in Hackney in Stoke Newington. The ideal candidate will have experience managing a community venue, project or kitchen, (eg. nursery, restaurant) taking client bookings and working in education and/or community health. They will be experienced project managers, skilled at multi-tasking and will feel as comfortable meeting potential new kitchen hire clients as getting stuck in with clearing out the compost bin or solving an IT problem.

The closing date for applying for these jobs is July 15, 2016. Click here to get more information on applying.

Yay for Made in Hackney!

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Vegan MP resigns from Shadow Cabinet

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It is sad to lose a vegan voice from the Shadow Cabinet.

Posted on Twitter earlier:

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Horses are not for Pride

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I feel like everyone should be on the same side when it comes to this, but apparently not.

I attended Mexico City LGBTQ Pride March yesterday and was dismayed to see horses being ridden along the crowded, noisy parade route.

Then today I woke to the following tweet by comrades SuperVegan:


Yep, it seems that horses are not only being used as a pinkwashing marketing tool by a huge corporation, but are also being forced into distressing situations.

Do I need to list all the things wrong with this? OK, here goes:

  • Companies such as Wells Fargo should not be in a Pride parade. It is a fucked appropriation of a social movement crucial to the survival of queer people. It is icky and exploitative.
  • Horses are sensitive animals who can be startled and injured in crowd settings. Traffic, noise, calamity, heat and the general intensity of the streets of NYC is NEVER a good place for a horse.
  • If you want to make an argument for times gone past when horses pulled carts on farms so it is OK for them to pull wagons on city streets, slap yourself with a sloppy piece of tofu. You need to wake up.
  • The Wells Fargo horse pulled carriage attraction is called Stagecoach. This is old school romanticising of frontier life that is not a progressive or inclusive way to market in 2016. It’s some wild west, taming-the-savage-landscape type of bullshit that makes the USA look like a place where white people used to be happy in simpler times. It does. Don’t argue with me on this one.

If you are concerned about horses being used as a corporate marketing tool in LGBTQ parades, tweet Wells Fargo here. This attraction is being rolled out at Pride events all over the place. If your Pride event is on the list, tell organisers it is not acceptable.

Even if you don’t give a shit about queer people but still care about the horses, check out this MASSIVE list of upcoming events and parades across the USA where these horses are being forced to appear. Then tweet Wells Fargo. Then get the fuck off my website.

If all of the compounded reasons I list above have you filled with anger and/or despair, share this blog post and start raising awareness in your area.

Stop appropriation of queer events by big business, stop exploitation of animals and stop the perpetual romanticising of violent colonial history.

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Facebook Live

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Have you seen the new Internet broadcast tool called Facebook Live?

This nifty way of publishing on the social network allows people to interact in real time, with the page author video streaming while readers comment below.

I have done two of these Facebook Live streams on my page now and I’m getting a lot of enjoyment from them. Actually, I’m hooked!

You can watch two of my Facebook Live streams here and here. Yep, once each live stream has ended Facebook instantly saves the video meaning people can watch it back anytime.

If you don’t already like my Facebook page, do it now!

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