Vegan ice cream shop in London!

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London, I know I haven’t been the kindest to you when it comes to celebrating your vegan credentials. I’ve said you are behind the times. I’ve moaned about your lack of plant-based eateries. I’ve jetted off to all manner of glamorous locations in order to have my compassionate consumer needs met.

And now you do this. I feel so guilty, like I didn’t believe in you.

On Wednesday March 2, 2016 you are getting your very own 100% vegan ice cream, froyo and shake shop right in the middle of Soho. Can you handle this news?!

Yorica! is a revelation. This Wardour Street space is set to serve decadent ice cream flavours, mountains of toppings, frozen yoghurt tubs and some of the most outrageous shakes you will see anywhere. The toppings include gummy bears, marshmallows, cookies and sprinkles.

Every single thing served by Yorica!, from the cones to the cream, will be vegan. The company is crafting their creamy treats with rice milk and the entire range in store will be nut and gluten free.

Check out some of the photos being posted by the company on social media in the lead up to the grand opening.

Stunning.

Here is what you need to do:

  • Follow Yorica! on Twitter and Instagram
  • Attend the opening of the store this week (location on their website)
  • Take photos
  • Make me insanely jealous by tagging me on social media

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Chef doesn’t like vegans

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Being vegan for most people comes from a selfless, compassionate place. We are not looking inward. It’s not about clear skin, weight loss or shiny hair. Our choice to live as vegan as we possibly can is directly informed by our desire to reduce suffering. Our actions in the supermarkets/restaurants/kitchens of our planet can help alleviate a fraction of the unfathomable and systemic suffering levelled at non-human animals.

This kind of dedication to the reduction of suffering is surely fit for no purpose other than ridicule and cheap joke making, right?

As you have probably seen reported elsewhere (and click the link above if you haven’t), chef Gordon Ramsay was asked by a Twitter user if he is allergic to anything.

Ramsay came back with a one word zinger. Vegans.

The ‘joke’ here relies heavily on the tired assumption that vegans are the worst people to have walk into your restaurant. We are bothersome and needling individuals who work to make the life of a professional chef hell with our ridiculous demands. Oh, how we inconvenience the cook with our insistence that no living creature was boiled, decapitated or dehorned for a dish.

If we dig a bit deeper of course we can unpack the real motivation behind Ramsay’s joke (and the countless others just like it that we vegans come to expect).

That reason is the undeniable truth and a nagging sense of culpability.

It is easier to joke about the weird outsider than to confront your participation in an industrialised system that causes excruciating pain to billions of animals. Ramsay is a smart person who would obviously understand that a baby cow wouldn’t really want to be torn away from its parents, nor would any chicken want its throat slit before being dunked still alive into boiling water.

Of course he understands on a deep level that this behaviour is obscene at best.

But he has been socialised to see this as a necessary evil that keeps food on tables and maybe more importantly to this discussion, money in his bulging bank account.

This short piece of writing isn’t designed to call Ramsay out on his vegan bashing ways. I want it to act more as a support letter to other vegans who feel targeted by cheap jokes and the near-constant ridicule of their compassionate choices.

Remember that when Ramsay or anyone talks about your veganism in a derogatory, flippant or dismissive manner it is a sign that they are attempting to protect themselves from the truth. By pushing the ‘vegans are annoying’ agenda, it gives them some breathing space and takes the heat off their own deep-rooted feelings of complicity.

In his calmest and most self-reflective moments, not even Gordon Ramsay would truly believe that vegans are horrible people. It’s just that he needs those jokes and line of thinking to help him hide from the painful and confronting truth.

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UK brewery announces vegan label

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One of the fastest-growing beer companies in the UK has recently announced it will start labelling its vegan-suitable brews with The Vegan Society trademark.

To call BrewDog a runaway success would be a severe understatement. Since the business opened its first bar in 2010, it has expanded at breakneck speed and now has thirty retail outlets and bars across the UK.

Add another 14 international outlets to the mix and even more openings in the pipeline, it is clear that BrewDog has firmly established itself as boozy force with which to be reckoned. Heck, even the beer specialist on my street here in Mexico City stocks BrewDog!

It is exciting to see such a successful enterprise take veganism seriously and with BrewDog announcing it will start including The Vegan Society trademark on their bottles and tap handles, the job of compassionate drinkers and shoppers all over the world just got that little bit easier.

vegan brew dog

Click here to see if a BrewDog shop or bar is near you and look out for the newly-labelled bottles in supermarkets and beer retailers everywhere.

Now, if they could just get rid of the three non-vegan beers in their line-up (Jet Black Heart, Dogma and Electric India), I’d invest in their Equity for Punks scheme in a heartbeat.

Read about BrewDog labelling vegan beer here.

Follow BrewDog on Twitter and Instagram. Like BrewDog on Facebook.

Find out about The Vegan Society trademark here.

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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.

Read more

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?

Read more

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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