London vegan news, reviews & events
Nothing warms my heart quite like news of a vegan market.
I have recently been telling anyone who will listen that vegan street or farmers markets are the way forward, so I’m thrilled to hear that the first ever event of its kind for Leicester is taking place next month.
As the flyer says below, a diverse range of products will be available as well as lots of delicious plant-based food on June 12, 2016.
The best part? Leicester Vegan Market is being staged smack bang in the middle of the historic town centre, meaning it will enjoy extremely high visibility and will help expose a lot of locals to vegan choices.
You should RSVP to the Leicester Vegan Market Facebook event and make plans to get along to support this wonderful initiative.
There is not a lot more to say other than GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN.
Online UK grocery giant Ocado has added a huge range of vegan products from Italian freefrom company Valsoia. The web-based selection includes pizza, ice cream, chocolate spread, whipping cream, ice cream sandwiches and more.
My greedy head is actually spinning.
See some of the products below and click here to see the entire range online.
Apologies for the copy and paste job below, but Asparagasm‘s description of their upcoming event in central London didn’t need any help from me to be appealing.
Get a ticket. Get fed well. Be happy.
Tuesday 21st June || Music: 6.30pm | Dining: 7.30pm
VENUE: St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, London EC1V 8AJ (Map)
TICKETS: £40 includes canape, 5 courses and welcome cocktail or cordial sparkle
ADVANCE BOOKING: Online at www.asparagasm.com | EventBrite
GROUP BOOKINGS: For group booking rates email dine@asparagasm.com for a booking form
Modsummer Madness with ASPARAGASM as Chef Jay Halford presents ‘CORE VALUES’
A five-course vegan and gluten-free fine dining event for vegans, vegetarians & everyone!
There’s a very modern taste-maker coming to town as we celebrate the longest day in London with Chef Jay Halford on Tuesday 21st June at St Luke’s Community Centre, Islington.
While Asparagasm sets a monochrome tone for a Modsummer Madness, Jay’s menu for ‘Core Values’ promises to deliver a colourful expression of great vegan flavours:
Trained at Michelin starred Lords of the Manor Jay Halford is founder and Chef at the Core in Cheltenham. Asparagasm loves his values and passion for food and his work to make juicing, raw superfoods accessible to people means his food is great looking, nutritious and so tasty:
“My background as a chef and in catering has meant that for me, taste always comes first. I believe that you should recognise every ingredient that is used in a recipe; how they are best combined to create the ultimate taste.” Jay Halford
With live music from talented artists who have emerged from the Key Changes hospital and community programmes, Core Values is a night fusing food, music and good mood. Proceeds from the night support Key Changes award-winning programmes promoting positive mental health through music.
With welcome canapes and drinks join an open mic session from 6.30pm. Dinner is served from 7.30 with an extra helping of live music served at dessert.
Vegan fairtrade and organic spirits are served from the FAIR bar along with Asparagasm pale ale and biodynamic wine and cordially sparkling organic drinks from Elderbrook.
Tickets are available online at www.asparagasm.com via EventBrite or email Kate at dine@asparagasm.com if you wish to arrange a group booking.
Hold on to your faux feather stuffed fedoras, London.
An Italian restaurant has ditched meat and dairy entirely from its menu, becoming a 100% vegan pizza, calzone and pasta specialist in the process.
I have been raving about the vegan options at FED by Water for a long time. The East London restaurant has developed a reputation for having some of the finest vegan food on the planet and their calzone alone makes me happier than almost any food on the planet. Even as an omni restaurant they excelled in using seitan and vegan cheeses in order to create mouthwatering Italian delicacies.
FED by Water really have taken care of us plant eaters, supplying us with our own incredibly-extensive vegan menu that was actually mind-boggling.
But now everything is vegan. EVERYTHING!
I’m shocked and delighted. I reached out to Fabio at FED by Water to find out what powered this monumental change and this is what he had to say:
After almost 2 years running FED BY WATER with multiple options as a way to leverage on the omni/veggie menu to educate people to veganism, last weekend we decided time has come to cut off meat, fish and diary options completely and focus only on 100% plant based Italian gourmet. We will still educate people to veganism but without the “safe” options for omni customers to rely on as their primary choice.
I have to admit it is working well and non-vegans are quite relaxed in trying out other options. It helps that it is all delicious. The label vegan might scare some people off but luckily our new team (fully vegan also) is putting a lot of effort into educating the public about the revolutionary culture we have been embracing and pushing forward. So… VEGAN is LIFE!
I don’t know about you, but this is some of the best news I’ve heard in years.
100% vegan Italian restaurant serving meat/cheese platters, calzone, pizzas, bread bowls, pasta, raw pasta and so much more? It’s a dream come true.
Get to the FED by Water website, like the restaurant on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and visually devour their posts on Instagram.
And when you stop by for a meal, tell them FGV is back in town come July so they’d better be ready!
London vegans, I need you to get together and support this event in large numbers.
Erin reached out to me with the hope that I would tell you all about a charity gig she is running on Thursday 26th May at Briki on Exmouth Market, East London.
The event is in memory of Erin’s friend Katie who sadly died recently due to mental health issues. All the money raised will go directly to two small charities who supported Katie during her life.
The whole event is entirely vegan – there will be amazing Korean food by street-food artisan North or South, vegan desserts and drinks sponsored by Fentimans, Orchard Pig, Orbit Brewery, Track Brewing Co., Partizan, and Bramley & Gage.
The evening’s entertainment will include performances from Echo Trails’ lead singer Dimitra Tzanakaki, Joe Boyle on double bass, Gareth Kerr on cajon and Clerkenwell band The Futuristic.
Tickets and further information about the charities being supported are available by clicking here.
If you cannot attend but would like to help Erin honour Katie and support these crucial charities, there is an option to donate money on the ticket page.
If you can’t support the event in either of these ways, please share this post as widely as you possibly can.
Ever find yourself racing to work and wishing you could grab a quick coffee and a slice of vegan cake?
If your commute takes in Piccadilly Circus station in central London, your dreams have been answered.
My pal Kay sent me the following photos from her recent trip through the historic and extremely well-used Underground station. A new compact coffee shop called Sapid has sprung up and one of their tasty treats comes in the form of a vegan carrot cake.
If you are a coffee aficionado, you might very well know Sapid for their Stoke Newington location where they trundle out quite a bit of vegan-friendly food and drink.
You can visit Sapid Coffee online to view the opening hours for both Stoke Newington and Piccadilly Circus.
Sorry for the late notice but this news only came to my attention today.
If you are in London on Tuesday May 24, 2016 you might want to think about making your way to The Salisbury Hotel in Harringay, North London.
Newly-launched vegan food creators This Is What We Are Made Of are taking over the kitchen of this popular pub for a night of totally vegan food.
Check out the menu below:
You can RSVP to the event, invite friends and get more details over on Facebook.
How often do you get a totally vegan menu in a pub? Get along, people!
A super quick post to let you know about these three new vegan chocolate bars available at UK retail giant Marks & Spencer.
Have you tried them? Are they any good? Any mention of ethically-sourced ingredients? How is the price point?
BIG thanks to Gill for use of this photo.
My buddy Bob emailed a few days ago to let me know about these gorgeous looking pots of goodness hitting the UK right about now.
Check them out!
I am a HUGE fan of Coconut Collaborative products so I’m sure these Little Choc Pots are not to be missed.
Excited by the sight of these pots, I popped over to the Coconut Collaborative Facebook page and saw a post for these other new delights.
Has anyone tried these? They look splendid.
Get shopping at places like Waitrose and Whole Foods Market for these new products. Tasty!