London vegan news, reviews & events
Here is some excellent news.
Birmingham (in the UK, not Alabama USA) is about to get a brand new vegan retail outlet. This will be the second 100% vegan shop in the city. Geez, Birmingham. Don’t be so greedy!
Get a sneaky look inside the still-being-built shop below and read what the owner has to say about the new outlet which just happens to be named Vegan Store. Catchy, right?
I found a new food love today.
Sainsbury’s has launched a new range of tortilla chips and two of the flavours are marked as being vegan. You can see the two packs in the photo below.
It has taken me a while to get around to posting these photos, partly because I didn’t want to be reminded of the fact that this stunning food is served daily on the opposite side of the world.
If you have room for a new goal on your bucket list, scribble ‘Gracias Madre Los Angeles’ on a scrap of paper and throw it onto the pile of things you must experience before you kick it.
Gracias Madre is a 99.9% vegan restaurant (honey in some cocktails… don’t get me started!) located in West Hollywood with an original location still operating in the San Francisco area. We visited the WeHo outlet during a recent trip to Southern California so we could satisfy our cravings for vegan Mexican food.
Let me give the page over to the photos as I believe they don’t need much help in conveying the glory of the food crafted and served by Gracias Madre.
I adore the name of this raw cake business. Paradise Unbakery. Unbakery! Get it?!
The gorgeous creations of this independent business first caught my eye a few weeks back and I meant to let you all know about it sooner, but it slipped my mind until I was browsing my photos today.
Check out these gorgeous raw vegan chocolate and cherry cakes.
Do you want to eat one of these fabulous vegan cupcakes made to celebrate London Pride AND raise money for a charity helping LGBT homeless youth at the same time?
Yes?
Read on!
Benjamin John Power is a leading force in the field of electronic music. He enjoys a celebrated partnership with Andrew Hung under the band name Fuck Buttons and has recently released a solo project album.
Power on his own goes by the name Blanck Mass and his latest collection of tracks, Dumb Flesh, was unleashed upon the world last month. Since the release, Power has been frantically working to keep up with the demands of promotion and touring so I was thrilled when he agreed to answer a few questions for little ol’ me.
But why would FGV wanna talk to a electronic music champion? It just so happens that Benjamin John Power is a dedicated vegan.
Check out what he had to say.
One of my favourite things about being in the vegan community is when people come together to help others.
It happened recently when readers of this blog helped raise funds to get Veg Instead back to trading, it happens daily when millions of vegans join voices to sign petitions like this one and I’m hoping it will happen again to assist a vegan restaurant in the UK with expenses related to redecorating.
Painted Elephant is a vegan restaurant in the Northern UK city of Newcastle. The business owners took a huge personal and professional leap when they decided to open the first 100% vegan eatery in this part of the country and I’m sure it has been tough work to get through these first few months.
But Painted Elephant has survived and is happily still serving up delicious plant-based meals and desserts to appreciative vegans and omnivores alike.
I am grateful for the dedication shown by places such as Painted Elephant and that is why I don’t mind helping financially when I can. They save animals by serving alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy so they deserve a helping hand when they ask for it, in my humble opinion.
The owners of Painted Elephant opened their restaurant on a shoestring budget but have now decided they would like to decorate to ensure the location can compete with every other non-vegan place in the city when it comes to presentation and decor.
They are only asking for £500 to make this happen and I know £1 from 500 people is a realistic target. Let’s get Painted Elephant looking good as a thank you for everything they do for promoting vegan food and animal protection.
Click here to contribute.
If you are not in the position to contribute, you might consider supporting this restaurant by sharing news of the fundraiser.
Extra note: you can join me at Painted Elephant on July 23, 2015 for Vegan Roadshow. Australian vegan band Love Like Hate will be performing a gig inside the restaurant. Book tickets here. (strictly limited space)
Vegan-friendly fast food chain Just Falafel is not having a good run.
First of all the Covent Garden location shut down, followed by the Fulham Broadway outlet disappearing and now I’ve seen the following noticed pinned to the front door of the Hammersmith branch.
The Just V Show (used to be called the VDelicious show but changed its name) is heading back to London for a 3-day stint at Olympia across July 3, 4 and 5, 2015.
Whatever its called, the show is a huge collection of vegan (and non vegan) companies all in one spot and is a real thrill for plant-based food obsessives like me.
Some of the big names involved in the Just V Show this year include Fry’s Family Foods (I’m helping them set up their stand), inSpiral, Dee’s Wholefoods, Cocoafeliz, Rebel Kitchen, Paradise Unbakery, Rubys of London, The Vegan Society, Viva! and The Raw Chocolate Pie Company.
In the biggest news ever, Follow Your Heart has a stand this year. FYH are the makers of the most glorious vegan product on the planet, Vegenaise. It is fantastic news that they are making serious inroads into the UK market.
My blog post title promised free tickets to this event so here you go. Head on over to register for your free ticket now: www.justvshow.co.uk/go/fatgayvegan
See you at the show!
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This weekend found myself and my little vegan gang at a little festival called the Green Market, a small festival which happens three times a year.
The ‘summer edition’ took place next to the river Spree (in part of the former Berlin border strip, for any other history geeks out there!).
And though it may be small (about 30 stands?) the market has quality over quantity, as in addition to vegan clothing, shoes and accessories, there were tons of delicious things to eat.
Plenty of burger and wrap trucks, an ice-cream stand by Kontor (reviewed previously), and – behind a crowd of excited vegans – a new doughnut company called Brammibals, who are currently seeking crowdfunding for a new shop.
So without further ado, check out the following food photos: