London vegan news, reviews & events
I don’t really enjoy teasing with food photos from a country you might not live in, but I just can’t help sharing these delights.
Check out these stunning candy bars I picked up in a Whole Foods Market store in Los Angeles yesterday.
Who knew Amy’s Kitchen had jumped into the world of sweet treats production? Do be careful with grabbing these in a supermarket though as the range does include some non-vegan bars.
How do we get these in the UK? Try tweeting Amy’s here and here.
If you had to pick just one…
Amazing choice of vegan dressings and sauces by Follow Your Heart on the shelves of Whole Foods Market in Los Angeles.
I was wondering which one you all would pick if you could only have one. Answers below!
Click here to discover more info about Follow Your Heart and go here to read about the company sponsoring Vegan Beer Fest UK events in London, Glasgow and Manchester.
Did you know I adore the band No Doubt?
I might even be what is called a superfan. Travel back in time and you would discover I was a member of the No Doubt fan club and I travelled to see the band live many times including shows in Brisbane, London and Houston.
The music they have created (and hopefully will continue to create) has been a huge part of my life soundtrack.
So I have established I love No Doubt. So what, right?
A few days ago I spotted a social media post by founding member, bassist and songwriter Tony Kanal. The post detailed a meeting between Tony and another musical hero of mine, Prince.
As the post was to do with Tony’s vegan journey, I reached out to him to ask if he was happy that I shared the post on here with you all.
Tony was happy.
I hope you appreciate this insight, memory and compassionate awakening as much I as did.
Please follow Tony on Twitter and Instagram.
Maybe while you are there, you can thank him for being kind to animals and for many years of fabulous music.
This is a super interesting idea for raising the profile of a new vegan food business.
Thunderclap.
A person named Justin is currently drumming up interest in a new vegan project set to open in London. Justin is planning to launch a frozen banana dessert bar called Nanabar and wants to use social media to get word out about it.
The campaign involves asking people to register a social media account and on July 4, 2016 a message announcing the project will be sent simultaneously from all participating Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts.
It’s a smart way of spreading the news of a new vegan business to hundreds of thousands of people all at once.
Click here to hear from Justin, sign up to help spread the word and be part of a unique promotional event for a new vegan venture.
Roll up. Roll up.
UK restaurant chain The Stable Pizza & Cider Bar has launched vegan pizza options at all of their 14 locations around England and Wales.
The Stable has the following information about their vegan options on their website:
Diners following a vegan diet can eat with ease at all fourteen Stable locations across the country. By choosing any of the vegetarian options on the menu, the chefs can make a simple swap for a vegan-friendly cheese to make it completely animal-free. Alternatively, diners are welcome to customise any of The Stable’s signature pizzas on offer to suit their dietary needs.
Pictured above is the permanent vegan pizza offered by The Stable, called Billy The Kid.
The Head Executive Chef, Andy Briggs, says of their vegan offerings:
We introduced vegan cheese to our menu simply because we realised the popularity of veganism as a way of life. I am really pleased at how well it has taken off and the reaction from our customers has been superb.
I prefer Andy’s assertion that vegan is a way of life. It ain’t a diet!
You can find out more information regarding vegan pizza at The Stable here and you can follow the company on Instagram here.
The Stable has restaurants in Bath, Birmingham, Bridport, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Falmouth, Fistral Beach, Plymouth, Poole, Southampton, Weymouth, Whitechapel, Winchester and a soon to open location in Kew.
Are you getting tired of me raving about vegan food in Mexico City?
Apologies, but I can’t stop when I keep discovering more and more exquisite plant-based delicacies around every corner.
A few days ago, Josh and I headed to a gorgeous bistro called Coco y Chia and it has been a long while since a vegan eatery has impressed me to this level.
Firstly, the restaurant is gorgeous. Set opposite one of the prettiest public parks in the city, Coco y Chia is sweetly decorated with a shaded courtyard.
Then there is the food. Food on another level.
See the photos below showing a bowl of tortilla soup, tofu scramble with refried beans, sweet potato enchiladas with squash flowers and finally a raw cheesecake topped with luscious lychees.
A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on
A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on
Pretty special, right?
You can follow Coco y Chia on Instagram and Facebook. The food photos are exceptional.
Extra note: these photos originally appeared on my FGV Instagram account.
Is this the best vegan sandwich on the planet?
Please post a link to any sandwich you think is superior.
Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is vegan lasagne inside a roll. If you look carefully you will also see fresh green beans.
I recently devoured this glory thanks to Los Loosers, the pioneering vegan food business in Mexico City that delivers all orders via bicycle. I’m fairly certain this was the finest sandwich I have ever been served.
Even if you have no current plans to visit Mexico City, you should follow Los Loosers on Instagram to keep track of their beyond delicious creations.
Extra note: this photo originally appeared on my Instagram account.
I have been known to become a bit indignant when talking about Linda McCartney releasing more and more vegetarian products in place of vegan food, but this latest debacle takes the cake.
Is the company being immensely and mind-boggling shortsighted or are they being purposively antagonistic? I honestly can’t tell anymore.
Behold the brand new Linda McCartney Vegetarian pulled pork-style 1/4lb burgers. Yes, the company has borrowed a food innovation that has taken the vegan world by storm over the past decade (made with jackfruit originally) and made it vegetarian by adding one completely unnecessary ingredient.
Honey.
Can you even believe it?!
With veganism breaking sales and growth records all over the world and UK newspapers trumpeting information about huge increases in people who identify as vegan, Linda McCartney made the decision to add one of the most redundant ingredients possible to what would otherwise be a market-changing vegan product. You can see the ingredients list here.
Do they have a marketing team with no critical thinking skills? Does the company not appreciate the potential value of an additional 200,000 or 300,000 retail customers? Is the company deliberately antagonising vegans by adding honey?
I can’t make sense of it. At all. Please put your theories in the comments below or tweet them to Linda McCartney here.
Also… would you like to know why honey is not vegan? Click here.
How about flying your vegan flag proudly while at the same time supporting an amazing art show in London?
Check out these details sent in by Louise:
ANIMUS is an international group show exploring human treatment of other animals, as well as the vegan identity and what it means to see with ‘our’ eyes. The aim is to support animals hidden from the public gaze to be seen. Animals will feature in all works, and provide the overarching theme.
We’re showing some of the most celebrated vegan artists, like Sue Coe (Graphic Artist/UK & US), Jo-anne McArthur (Photographer/Canada), Roger Olmos (Illustrator/Spain), and Amy Guidry (Surrealist Painter/US) whose painting Mother Nature is the featured image for this campaign and will be an exhibit. Also Philip McCulloch Downs (Painter/UK), Matthew Maran (Photographer/UK), and Jana Schirmer (Digital artist/Germany).
To celebrate this exhibition, we are hosting a magical evening at the Private View at Kabaret @ Karamel on Friday July 29, 2016 with speakers, a party later with DJs, and of course the chance to take in the exhibition itself, and mingle with fellow art lovers.
We’ll also be hosting representatives from our supporters: The Vegan Society, and Vegan Life magazine.
The official opening party for this groundbreaking exhibition – the first by Vegan artists- is entry by INVITATION ONLY – which you get when you contribute £10 (or more) to our crowd-funding campaign. A free glass of wine & nibbles are included! Click here to donate & secure your invitation.
We can’t wait for this exciting event and look forward to meeting you there!
Click here for the Facebook event for the launch party and even if you cannot attend, donate now to help this show happen!
You can support the making of these videos and get early access and downloadable PDF copies of the recipes by becoming an FGV patron – click here.
Here’s the recipe!
Makes approximately two cups/serves four
Ingredients:
Instructions:
*Remove the seeds from the chile if you don’t want your Salsa Roja too spicy!
Serve on its own with tortilla chips or use it as a topping for your favourite dishes. Salsa Roja is often served together with Salsa Verde and Guacamole as the standard condiments with a Mexican meal.
Recipe and photo remain property of Sean O’Callaghan and Julio Alcantara and may not be reproduced without permission. © 2016 fatgayvegan.com
