Being vegan ain’t all cupcakes and chickpea meringue, sadly.
My friends at The National Anti-Vivisection Society have asked me to share this news with you. Please take a few minutes to read and get involved if you can. For the monkeys.
So tasty
I scuttled down to Chelsea today to ensure I got my hands on some of Sara’s vegan pizza. Her Pomodoro E Basilico business was serving up as part of the Startisans indoor food market.
Watch the video below to check out the line up of deliciousness!
Which one would you have gone for?
Of course I didn’t settle for just one slice, ending up with the Napoli and the Cisa.
Follow Sara on Instagram to find out where she will be serving next.
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Vote for vegans
Vegan food and compassionate eating. You can’t escape it in the UK. From huge festivals to tiny pop-up dining experiences, plant-based awareness is skyrocketing.
So let’s get veganism some more attention!
The 12th Annual Observer Food Monthly Awards are now open for voting.
There are categories just screaming out for us to pop in the name of our favourite vegan food creators, photographers and writers.
I’ve included some of the categories I feel suit our vegan concern, plus some suggestions for each category. Of course I hope you have your own ideas, too.
- Best cheap eats – Mr. Falafel Shepherd’s Bush, Loving Hut Archway, Painted Elephant Newcastle
- Best Sunday lunch – Black Cat Café Hackney, Fortify Café Maidstone
- Best food personality – ahem…. Fat Gay Vegan!
- Best place to drink – Vegbar Brixton, tibits Mayfair, Kabaret @ Karamel Wood Green, Stereo Glasgow
- Best independent retailer – Vx King’s Cross, Ms. Cupcake Brixton, Unicorn Grocery Manchester
- Best food blog – another ahem… Fat Gay Vegan
Click here to vote in the awards now.
Let’s get veganism even more on the map than it is already!
Plane labelling
I love sharing tales of airplane meal glory and sorrow with you all. The stories always get a huge response and I think it taps into an experience with which most vegans can relate… being stuck somewhere with nothing to eat.
The latest instalment of Food In The Air comes courtesy of my partner, Josh, who just enjoyed this meal service between London and Istanbul.
Check out Josh’s meal below and then keep scrolling to find out what he has to say about it.
Pizza in Chelsea
You all know my pal Sara of Pomodoro E Basilico, right?
Sara has created a huge following thanks to her gorgeous supper clubs and handcrafted cuisine such as pizza, pasta, cream filled donuts and tiramisu.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of sampling Sara’s food, you will want to get yourself to Chelsea this Wednesday (April 22, 2015) for the Startisans Indoor Market in Duke of York Square (nearest Underground is Sloane Square). Sara will be hosting her first ever market stall and from the look of the photos she sent me, you won’t want to be anywhere else.
The market runs from 10am until 4pm and the Pomodoro E Basilico stall will feature pizza slices containing Sara’s homemade versions of chorizo, Mortadella ham, Stracchino cream cheese, mozzarella and ricotta. 100% vegan pizza by the slice!
Now for the photos. Don’t freak out.
Upsetting news
This blog post is extremely upsetting.
My friend Indira is an amazing vegan food creator. She has been trading at street markets and supplying cafes over the past year as Tickled Tastebud Co. Indira’s vegan pies are the best I have ever tasted in the UK. I even had the pleasure of hosting a supper club with her on one occasion which resulted in rave reviews.
I spoke with Indira yesterday and found out why she has been silent on social media for a few weeks. She asked me to pass on the following information to anyone who has been missing her food.
Indira is a breast cancer survivor, but sadly she has recently become incredibly unwell again. She is pregnant with her second child, which initially led doctors to think her symptoms were connected to her pregnancy.
This was not the case.
After three weeks in hospital, Indira was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer of the liver and has been told her condition is terminal.
I am terribly saddened for Indira and her family. Her wonderful, supportive husband and darling daughter both welcomed me and my partner Josh into their home last year for a wonderful evening of fine food and company.
Indira is one of the most compassionate and caring people I have met.
When I put a call out for food to be handed out to my Vegan Coach Trip passengers, Indira worked overtime to donate dozens of vegan cheesecakes and took hours out of her day to personally deliver them to me in central London.
Indira walks the walk when it comes to caring for animals. Her vegan food business that she has poured her heart into is now put on hold as she manages her physical health. I know Indira had recently secured a grant to expand her business and had even teamed up with a business mentor to help her with future plans.
It is very telling of her considerate nature that Indira’s main motivation for asking me to share this news was not wanting to disappoint her customers who have come to love her food. She is saddened to think of people who might feel let down or confused by her sudden withdrawal from her food business.
Please take a moment to leave a comment of support and appreciation for Indira below. You might also consider sending a short message of support via her Twitter account.
I am fundamentally saddened by this news and wish to thank Indira for the compassion she has extended to me over the past few years. I am incredibly proud of and thankful for the wonderful vegan food her company provided to London and surrounding areas.
My thoughts and love are with Indira and her family as they move forward.
Infinite love and sadness.
Club Mexicana
I adore getting emails from vegan businesses when they are contacting me with positive news.
Check out what Club Mexicana founder, Meriel, had to say to me today.
Runaway success
The first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegan Brunch was a rollicking runaway success yesterday.
Music was played. Beer was guzzled. Food was devoured.
A million thanks to Dave and the team at Vegbar for helping me bring this wonderful event to life. Chef Christian deserves a standing ovation for his mouthwatering soul food plate. Several guests declared it the best brunch they have ever eaten in London.
Check out this pic my buddy Jhenn posted on Instagram.
The biscuits and gravy were a smash hit. Every single attendee raved about them.
Much love and appreciation to Clarkshaws for coming along to set up a beer sampling station, especially as they have a big party to plan for in the near future. Their vegan beers were adored by everyone who got a chance to try them and I’m happy they are now permanently available at Vegbar.
What a wonderful event.
If you missed out this weekend, don’t stress. Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegan Brunch is now a full time concern for hungry Londoners. It takes place every single Saturday between 10am and 3pm.
Come along!
Cheese spread
Hooray for vegan cheese!
Violife has been sweeping the country as people react positively to having a plant-based range of cheeses in the UK that taste good and melt superbly.
The rise in popularity of Violife has been swift, thanks mostly to how darn easy it is to buy. I’ve seen the slices in Tesco stores, the blocks in independent health food stores and even the smoked flavour in vegan shop Vx.
Despite this massive march of the vegan cheese brand across the country, I struggled to find their cheese spread known as Violife Creamy. Until yesterday, that is!
Vegan chicken sandwich
As a vegan in love with sandwiches, I do get a bit tired of my main option being hummus or some variation of hummus.
Thankfully, Alara Health Store is on the scene to liven up my Central London sandwich experience. Check it out!
Even though this wrap has just five components, it is tasty and an absolute breath of fresh air on the sandwich landscape. More like this please, food-to-go producers.
My days of soggy carrot and hummus sandwiches are hopefully behind me!