London vegan news, reviews & events
Now, here’s one for the history books.
Mark this as probably the first time you have read about vegan Chianti wine that is produced, bottled and packaged with the strict exclusion of animal products.
Yep, even the glue on the label and the tape on the cartons has been sourced for their vegan status.
Hey kids. FGV is on a rant.
Have you noticed the rise in bloggers and commentators trying to tell us that when we draw a line in the sand with our veganism that we refuse to cross, we are doing a lot of harm to the vegan movement? Some of these bloggers even go as far to suggest to that being an inflexible (i.e. dedicated) vegan contributes to the suffering of animals.
How do they arrive at this conclusion?
The idea some pundits are spouting runs something like this: if we make veganism appear a difficult choice to embrace with rigid humourless rules, people won’t want to go vegan therefore we are responsible for them eating animals.
Enough of this bullshit!
This is a bit late seeing as the event has almost sold out, but below is the 5-course vegan menu I am serving at my 4th annual Day of the Dead dinner on November 1.
Aperitivos: Mini tortillas with guacamole, salsa verde & pico de galloFirst course: Esquites with Vegenaise, epazote, fresh lime juice and chile powderSecond course: Black bean & lime soup with smoked paprika, chipotle and cuminThird course: Flautas filled with chorizo and potato served on a bed of lettuce, drenched in salsa verde and topped with marinated onionFourth course: Albondigas de lentejas (lentil meatballs) with adobo sauceFifth course: Chocolate cake with sticky spiced chocolate sauce, served with vanilla ice cream and hibiscus-chile sprinkle
The vegan message is spreading all over the UK!
If you are anywhere near Kent this weekend, get along to the first ever vegan festival held in the region.
You can get all the details on the Kent Vegan Festival and let them know you are coming over on the Facebook event page.
Have fun!
Sadly, I can’t join you as I will be at the West Midlands Vegan Fest where I will be judging the Vegan Bake Off.
Check out these fab new crunchy snacks I discovered in my local Co-operative supermarket.
They are not stunning, but they are cheap and cheerful. I didn’t stop eating once I tore the bag open, but I’m not sure that is a yardstick for quality.
You can also look out for the new lentil curls in the same range which will probably be sitting next to these on the shelf.
Have you tried these new snacks? What do you think?
How much money have we raised for Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary so far?
Watch the video below for an update!
Make sure you have the sound on to hear my hilarious voiceover right at the start.
Donate to our Hugletts campaign here.
One of the best parts of running this blog is finding out about awesome vegan things that I would never otherwise know.
Take the following as an example.
I received an email this week from a friendly person in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Jose wanted to share news with me about a vegan group he is a part of and I was super impressed, so I asked him to write the following for you all.
Carabrecol was born out of the necessity of having more vegan places around the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria. The only vegan options in bars and restaurants in the city tend to be potatoes with mojo (Canarian sauce), Padron peppers and salad. So a group of friends decided to start doing vegan nights in various venues. So far we have managed to do many vegan nights, and we have sold vegan tapas at gigs and cultural events.
Carabrecol is a totally voluntary DIY project, and the organizers receive no payment. Any profits are put into a fund to do more vegan nights and to bring bands to play in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
People seem to like the project and are supporting it very well.
To date, we have been able to bring Active Minds, Brian Curran, Kronstadt, and Zounds. Doom are coming in January, and we have more bands lined up. We are hoping that we can do more vegan nights and bring loads more bands in the future.
You can checkout our Facebook page or our website here.
Wow. How fab does this group sound?
Not for profit, vegan tapas and bands! I adore activism like this.
Make sure you check out their pages if you are heading over for a visit. Get involved if they have an event on during your stay.
There is a vegetarian restaurant in Soho that for many years has been a favourite hangout of London vegans. Mildreds on Lexington Street has just enough plant-based dishes to keep compassionate eaters coming back for more, year after year.
There normally isn’t much to report about Mildreds. It serves the same few vegan dishes. Some people adore it. Some people think it’s kinda OK. A lot of people moan about the rude head server (honestly, so rude on occasion but then other times can be pleasant).
But finally there is something new to share.
Check it out, people.
The words ‘Fat Gay Vegan’ have been emblazoned across the cover of the latest issue of Vegan Life Magazine.
I was recently interviewed by editor Maria Chiorando about my blogging history, vegan food in the UK, why I do what I do and so much more.
This issue is now available via the Vegan Life app which can be downloaded here.
Physical copies of the issue will be hitting shops on Thursday. You can find Vegan Life Magazine in Sainsbury’s, WH Smith and many independent and chain newspaper stores.
In addition, check out this story about my monthly Dear FGV advice column starting in Vegan Life Magazine this December!
How is this for a guest post?
Alex has written in with a stunning review of The Hidden Treasure Tea Room in Exeter.
I don’t want to go there, I need to go there.
Take it away, Alex.