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.
Vegan Sicily
HUGE thanks to my friend Jo who has kindly offered us this tempting review of vegan Sicily.
Jo is someone who gets a kick out of discovering vegan food in unexpected locations and she certainly has stumbled across some gems in Sicily.
Read and be jealous!
Vegan Sicily
If anyone is looking for a vegan-friendly corner of the Mediterranean for a get-away, I can thoroughly recommend the south-east of Sicily.
The provincial capital city, Catania, is not only close to the airport (about 15 minutes by taxi, car or bus), has Mount Etna as its backdrop and is full of history but it also boasts three exclusively vegan restaurants as well as three vegetarian restaurants with extensive vegan options.
Food in this part of the world is reasonably priced and of super flavoursome. I was told that Catania was particularly vegan-friendly because it’s a university city but vegan food was pretty easy to find outside the city. Ordering a roasted vegetable sandwich or pasta ‘senza fromaggio’ seemed to raise not even a flicker of surprise.
My food highlights were:
- ‘Seitan Alla Piestra’ (which I think translates as ‘medalions of seitan’) at Zenzero & Salvia
- The ‘Anthony Kiedis’ pizza (spicy seitan, tomatoes and vegan cheese) at Haiku (http://www.haiku-ct.it/). It took a while to chomp through the pizza, partly because the mushroom carpaccio starter turned out to be the equivalent of the size of a UK main course but also because the pizza was generously deep filled and automatically comes with a salad. The setting at Haiku is lovely as they have a beautiful courtyard garden. Despite being happy to slowly plough through my Anthony Kiedis whilst enjoying the lovely surroundings I couldn’t manage to finish. They very kindly offered to give me a box to take the rest home. I soon realised that these large portions are the norm in Sicily.
Haiku also runs a small vegan shop next door to the restaurant where you can buy tofu products (including Taifun), nut milks and a vegan version of ‘nutella’
- My meze meal of roasted aubergine, chick pea fritters and seitan schnitzel at La Cucina Dei Colori, (http://www.happycow.net/reviews/la-cucina-dei-colori-catania-23581, washed down with an unfiltered local craft beer called ‘Tari’, and followed by a very rich chocolate and pistachio mousse. This is a vegetarian restaurant but almost all of the dishes were labelled as vegan. It’s a popular restaurant and wasn’t easy to get a table.
Other highlights include:
- Nicosia Winery’s ‘Nero D’Avola’ wine – made from grapes grown in the Etna valley. They sell a red and white wine both labelled as organic and vegan and can be bought in supermarkets.
- Stecco Natura: they sell a large range of vegan ice lollies and have branches in Catania, Taormina and Syracuse. My favourite was the ‘mandorla’ (almond) flavour. Other Gelateria sold vegan gelato and the Sicilian ‘granita’ (a bit like more natural tasting slush puppy).
- ‘Latte di mandorla’: this is a traditional home-made almond milk drink made as a spring and summer cooler drink from almonds grown locally and served in cafes and bars. Some are sweetened with honey though so you need to check
- Maccu – a traditional ‘peasant’ dish made of fava beans and wild fennel. It’s like a thick soup served with pasta;
- Vegan ‘artisan’ chocolate in Modica
My food highlight though has to be Moon restaurant in Syracuse (http://www.moonortigia.com). Not only is it a beautifully-styled restaurant (it felt a bit like sitting in a contemporary art gallery) with a fantastically chilled ambiance and right in the centre but all the dishes are vegan. I had the most delicious seitan ‘kebab’ and almond parfait for desert. They also serve the Nero D’Avola wine and the restaurant doubles as a music venue in the evenings.
Thank you, Jo!
I’m sure I’m not alone in being amazed by these glorious vegan food options in Sicily.
Thank you
I’m taking a moment out of my busy overeating schedule to say thank you.
I was nominated in the recent VegfestUK Awards for the Best Vegan Lifestyle Website category. It was an unbelievable playing field which saw me going up against the giants of the vegan world such as Animal Aid, The Vegan Society, TeenVGN and Viva! Campaigns.
I want to give a sincere and heartfelt thank you to every single one of the 970 people who voted for me, placing me as runner up. This is a tremendous result and it has humbled me greatly.
To be only 200 votes behind a 70 year old society with over a quarter of a million fans on Facebook is staggering and I am moved by the number of people who wanted to put my name on their ballot. Second place feels like first with such overwhelming support from my readers.
Also, thank you to VegfestUK organisers for placing my blog within a field of such hardworking and highly respected groups and organisations.
See you all at VegfestUK Scotland in December!
Winning with waffles
Post by:
The latest addition to Barcelona’s growing vegan scene comes in the form of Väcka, a completely vegan and partly raw restaurant with a Swedish name and Argentine owners. Väcka, which means ‘waking up’ in Swedish, centres its philosophy around awakening compassion and awareness of healthy eating.
I spoke these words
I was invited to talk (by Kim Stallwood) as part of a panel at VegfestUK London this weekend just passed.
The topic I was invited to talk about? What’s the most effective way to campaign for living as a vegan and make vegan values mainstream?
This is a rough version of what I said. It has been transcribed from the notes I took into the talk, meaning it doesn’t include all of the ad-libbing I did such as saying hello every time I saw one of my friends in the audience or any of my hilarious (!) of-the-moment wisecracks.
Halloween delight
I was at a recent Morrissey concert in London when the legendary singer asked a peculiar (and awesome) question from the stage.
He wanted to know where he could buy ‘a vegan wagon wheel’ and of course he was talking about the fabulous Round Up bars made by Ananda Foods.
These gorgeous treats are available in many stores around the UK, including Ms Cupcake and Vx here in London.
I visited the Ananda stand at VegfestUK London yesterday and was delighted to see (and buy and eat) a special limited edition version of the Round Up for Halloween. It was an explosion of biscuit, chocolate, marshmallow and jam.
Look at this fabulous thing!
Yes!
Get on over to the Ananda Foods stand today on the second day of VegfestUK London to pick one up, or reach out to them via their online shop to see where you can find your very own Halloween Round Up.
You can also like Ananda Foods on Facebook and like them on Twitter.
Special guest
Here is some news that has me grinning from ear to ear.
Some people are effective activists. Some people are powerful public speakers. Occasionally, you will find people who possess both of these attributes. Even rarer? Someone with these skills who is also an absolute dream to be around due to the fact they are incredibly friendly, personable and charming.
Yes, I’m talking about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.
To say I am often blown away by Colleen’s capacity for compassion and her ability to powerfully disseminate information is an understatement. I could listen to her talk for hours.
And this news I speak of?
Imagine my absolute joy to be able to announce Colleen Patrick-Goudreau as a very special guest on the 100% vegan cruise I am a part of this Winter on the Danube.
This 6-night cruise between Germany and Austria was already a fabulous situation. All inclusive with only vegan food and drink served on board. Shore stops in some of the most gorgeous and scenic cities in Europe. My annual New Year’s Eve party hosted on the ship as it is docked in Vienna.
And now Colleen!
More than half the cabins have already been booked for this historic cruise and with Colleen on board, I would imagine the remaining suites will move quickly.
You can go here to read more about the cruise.
Visit Colleen Patrick-Goudreau online, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. You will fall in love with her insightful, engaging videos and informative podcasts. Guaranteed!
Dear FGV
Exciting news!
I am thrilled to announce I have been signed on as a regular contributor to Vegan Life Magazine.
My monthly column is called Dear FGV. It is a space for me to dish out advice to readers relating to ethical dilemmas and the struggles associated with living vegan in a non-vegan world.
Expect a bit of sass mixed with lots of goodwill and heart!
I’m hoping to help readers solve problems such as how to date a non-vegan, dining out with meat eaters and how to covertly promote compassion through gift giving. Perhaps you want advice on vegan-friendly holiday destinations or the inside scoop on the best place to shop for cruelty free groceries in your town.
I do not expect to be answering questions about diet and nutrition. If you think writing to someone called Fat Gay Vegan about nutrition is a clever idea, you are beyond any help I can offer!
This column is going to be genuine advice for real world problems mixed with FGV-branded humour.
If you have a plant-based problem and are looking for advice, send your question to maria@veganlifemag.com and it will find its way to my desk.
Look for the debut column from Dear FGV in the December issue of Vegan Life Magazine.
Visit Vegan Life Magazine online, like the mag on Facebook and follow it on Twitter.
New vegan restaurant
This is the sort of scene-changing news that I just adore sharing.
There is a brand new vegan restaurant now open in the picturesque town of Nailsworth in the Cotswolds (roughly 3 hours west of London). Huge news!
If the name of the restaurant looks familiar to you, you are not imagining things.
Vegan t-shirts at VegfestUK
Hey there.
Here is some fab news about VegfestUK London, taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Olympia.
I will also be speaking as part of a panel on Sunday at midday.
So much to see and do at VegfestUK! Are you going?