Masterchef finalist hosts vegan pop up

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Asparagasm is delighted to welcome MasterChef 2012 finalist and founder of ‘Koj Cooks’ Andrew Kojima for a vegan Japanese themed feast.

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Andrew Kojima is a British-Japanese chef based in the Cotswolds.

After reaching the pinnacle of amateur cooking success in the final of MasterChef 2012, he embarked on his life as a professional chef beginning with a fast track training programme in the kitchens of chefs such as Michel Roux Junior, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal.

Koj teaches, promotes and demonstrates Japanese cookery through pop ups, cookery schools and food festivals and is one of of the UK’s most naturally talented and imaginative private chefs. With a monthly column in Crumbs Magazine he has also contributed to Spear’s and Cotswold Life, and is a judge at the prestigious Great Taste Awards.

Koj has cooked Japanese style food for everyone from The Queen to Hollywood royalty and Asparagsm Nailsworth is thrilled to welcome him as a guest chef as he joins them on Saturday 5th March to present this tantalising vegan menu.

MENU BY KOJ

Sake, Rhubarb, Ginger & Fennel Fizz

Maitake Mushroom & Jasmine Tea
with Ganmodoki (Pumpkin, Hijiki & Tofu Fritters)

Sushi & Sashimi 
Red Pepper Nigiri, Avocado Maki, Beetroot Sashimi, Apple, Spring Onions, Wasabi Emulsion

Nasu Dengaku 
Aubergine with White Miso & Edamame, Carrot & Sesame, Millet, Cauliflower & Brown Rice

Chocolate & Blood Orange Trifle 
Blood Orange Jelly, Orange Polenta Cake, Chocolate Sorbet

Two time-slots available for dining, due to the anticipated popularity of the event.

Tickets for the first sitting of 6pm – 8.30pm are £40 /pp

Tickets for the second sitting of 8.30pm – 10.30pm are £40 /pp

For all bookings and enquiries please call 01453 839352 or email dine@asparagasm.com so that you don’t miss out on this special dining experience!

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event.

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Vegan night in Edinburgh

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Did you know that a non-vegan restaurant in Edinburgh holds a vegan night once a month?

The Bread Street Brasserie offers three fancy courses for just £17.50 on the first Wednesday of each month. That means your next chance to book yourself in for this monthly food event is next week (Wednesday March 2, 2016).

vegan-evening

The menu for next week is a cut above with dishes including bruschetta, curry, burgers, salads, soups and even fruit crumble.

Click here to see the full menu and click here to book a table.

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Ms Cupcake goes savoury

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Ms. Cupcake has got sugar on lock.

The Brixton bakery does sweet treats like no on else and has been at the forefront of cake business in the UK for years. But what if they turned their hand to savoury food?

Well, you can find out this weekend.

ms cupcake savoury

For the first time ever, Ms. Cupcake will be serving sweet AND savoury food across two mammoth stalls at VegfestUK in Brighton and the savoury sounds divine.

Did someone say chilli, mac & cheese and jackfruit? Yes, they did.

I reached out to Ben at Ms. Cupcake  for some info and he told me:

This is the first time we have ever done two stalls at a show. We’re bringing our traditional Ms. Cupcake sweet stand as well as a hot food stand to VegfestUK Brighton this coming weekend.
On the catering stand, customers will be able to choose from vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Pulled ‘pork’ Jackfruit and Tex-Mex Chilli. There will be a range of mouthwatering toppings available such as hot peppers, sauces and more. There will also be a range of other savoury snacks on the stall to compliment the main dishes.

In news almost as big, we are bringing our homemade vegan lemon curd to the sweet stand as well as branded merchandise for die-hard Ms. Cupcake fans.

Listen to me carefully, readers.

You gave got to get some of that lemon curd in your life. I haven’t had Ms. Cupcake lemon curd for years and I still dream of it.

Sounds like the Ms. Cupcake stands are going to be extremely crowded at VegfestUK this weekend.

Get info on VegfestUK Brighton by clicking here.

Visit Ms. Cupcake online.

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TeenVGN office

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TeenVGN has got to be one of the most valuable support groups in the country.

If you cast your mind back to when you where a teenager, it was probably fairly likely that you didn’t feel supported in a lot of what you thought, felt and believed in.

This is why TeenVGN is so vital. The group works hard to support and validate the choices of teenagers who wish to live a more compassionate life via their website where they host blogs, information links and a member forum.

TeenVGN is more than an online presence, however.

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Vegan Japanese luncheon

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Book a spot for this gorgeous vegan meal in a hurry.

My buddy Jhenn is once again rolling out a fabulous multi-course vegan Japanese luncheon for limited guests in her very own London home this Sunday (February 28, 2016 from 1pm).

Jhenn is a culinary hero in the capital and I haven’t met a person who has walked away from one of her meals feeling anything less than completely satisfied.

What is Jhenn serving on Sunday?

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Hampstead Heath

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This isn’t something you can eat, but I really wanted to share it with you all.

I’m not often impressed by the idea of a photo book, but this project aiming to capture the beauty and wildlife of Hampstead Heath and turn it into a collectible book is impressive.

Watch the video above and not only will you marvel at Matt Maran’s love of Hampstead Heath, but you will also be impressed by the incredibly high standard to which he works as a wildlife photographer.

Matt has set up a Kickstarter page to fund the production of his photo book and if you love London, or you know someone who does, this is a campaign you should get behind.

The rewards for backers are varied but for just £30 you will receive a hand signed hardcover copy of the 192-page Hampstead Heath: London’s Countryside. 

This is THE perfect gift for wildlife lovers, London lovers and people who like to support independent artists.

Click here to check out all the other rewards and help Matt achieve his goal of producing this stunning book.

Extra note: in case you need a vegan connection to justify taking action, Matt is the partner of vegan chef and caterer Rowena of V-Curious. 

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

So many vegan groceries

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Have you ever seen anything like it?

Last week I went on another ridiculous shopping expedition to the Vegan Ville grocery store here in Mexico City and I came out one very happy FGV indeed.

Scroll down to see the huge bounty in photo form.

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Beer and food night

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beerboutiqueSouth west London, you don’t get a lot of vegan events but this one will make it feel worth the wait.

Weird Beard Brewing Co has teamed up with The Beer Boutique of Putney to stage a one-off beer and food event called Weird Vegans.

What’s in store for the vegan and vegan-sympathetic who venture down to the beer specialist this Tuesday (February 23, 2016)?

Here is a short description of the event:

Weird Beard hero and affirmed beardless veganist Natasha will be joining us to drink beer and talk veganism for an evening of fine foods and cracking ales. To say this will be a guilt free event would be a lie, as the days of the prototypical emaciated vegan are long gone – and we welcome the rise of the sleazy vegan, the sporty vegan, the greasy vegan, the gluttonous vegan, the sneezy vegan, and the intoxicated vegan.

Tickets are priced at just £15 and can be bought online here.

Have a ridiculously-good time if you decide to go along!

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C-A-L-F cash

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Vegans and animal-friendly people are rallying hard around C-A-L-F Sanctuary in North Yorkshire.

When it was announced that the sanctuary needed £80,000 to survive following an impending closure notice (yes, £80,000!), a lot of people felt a sense of doom for the animals housed at C-A-L-F. How was it going to be possible to raise such a huge amount of money?

With the help of compassionate people, that’s how!

C-A-L-F supporters have dug deep and at the time of writing this blog post, more than £40,000 has been raised for the campaign.

help

This is heartening. More than 50% of the target met means C-A-L-F can raised everything they need with a little more of a push.

Here is how you can help:

  • donate whatever spare change/cash you have to the campaign (if everyone who visited this blog in a month gave £1, the target would be met in no time at all)
  • make vegan cupcakes, sell them and donate the profits
  • do a collection at work, school and home for donations
  • sell some unwanted goods/clothes on eBay and donate the money
  • share this blog post far and wide
  • follow C-A-L-F on Twitter and Facebook
  • buy something from the C-A-L-F online shop
  • buy a gift for someone else from the online shop

Come on. The target is huge but not insurmountable if we all stick together.

Do it for the rescued farm animals who deserve a forever home.

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