London vegan news, reviews & events
People in the UK love a cooked breakfast and the number one question I get asked by readers is concerned with that very topic.
Who serves a vegan version of a full English breakfast?
Vegans in Leeds will know the answer to this query. Yep, check out my recent breakfast at Global Tribe Cafe in Leeds city centre.
If you have been living under a rock, I have two things to say to you:
1. What’s it like under there? I’ve always imagined it to be very snug.
2. VegfestUK Brighton is happening this weekend!
VegfestUK is mammoth and legendary. Attendees this year are set to enjoy more than 150 stands showcasing vegan food, products, activist groups, charities and more. Vegan comedians are going to attempt to make the crowd laugh and there will be plenty of vegan beer and cider doing the rounds.
I think there might be just a few of the 10 000 or so tickets remaining, so be very quick and book now.
Of course I didn’t want to be left out of proceedings, so I am setting up a very low key DIY postcard shop at stall Q16 on the ground floor. Please drop in to buy a few cards, pick up my event flyers, sign up to my email list and have a chat.
I will also be hosting a fabulous LGBT Social on Sunday at 1pm as part of Vegfest celebrations. Click here to read more.
And…. there is more.
I am a judge on the new product showcase. I get to be all judgemental! Click here to read about it.
See you soon, Brighton!
Here is some fun news out of Huddersfield.
Vicky took time out of her day to let me know about a special vegan lunch menu being prepared by students of Kirklees College in the northern town of Huddersfield.
The college has a restaurant on site, allowing students of the college to practise and hone their skills in a real world setting. It just so happens that the restaurant, Landings 72, has a special vegan event coming up in April.
This is what Vicky had to say:
Our restaurant at Kirklees College, Landings 72, is having a special vegan lunch menu on Thursday 30th April between midday and 1:30pm. There will be 3 courses available – all vegan, with options for each. It is to train our student catering staff and make them aware of special diets and how to cater for them. Our restaurant is open to the public and I would love as many vegans as possible to come along and try the menu and let us have your feedback – it will all help with their training.
The price will be approximately £9.95 for three courses. If you want to book a table now you can email landings72@kirkleescollege.ac.uk and we will let interested parties have more details on menu as they come to hand.
Just as a note – if you cannot make this date but want to try our restaurant (Tuesday-Friday lunchtimes or Thursday evenings), our students can always make a vegan meal on request.
Go on. Get along and support these food trainees as the develop their vegan skills. It sounds like great value for a fine dining experience.
You can follow Landings 72 on Twitter.
Quick news.
I was asked to contribute to an Evening Standard article listing the best vegan brunch spots in London.
Check it out here.
That is all.
OK. This is what we have been waiting for, people. It is time to put your money where your mouth is and support an independent business as it transitions from vegetarian to 100% vegan.
A few months ago, I put word out that I would like to support any non-vegan restaurants in their quest to turn their menu completely plant-based. My Operation: Go Vegan Stay Vegan plan got a great response when announced and I’m thrilled to say it is now able to lend its support to Fortify Café of Maidstone, Kent.
Following my original post, Fortify head honcho James Hooper got in touch to let me know his team had been contemplating making the vegan switch for a while. Their popular Kent eatery has always featured a focus on tasty, plant-based whole foods created from scratch in their kitchen but dairy was still a component of some of the food and drink.
Until now.
Time marches on, people.
Almost four years ago I started an event that quickly became a staple of vegan London. London Vegan Potluck was established because I couldn’t believe the event didn’t already exist when I arrived to the UK from Australia.
I wanted a monthly food party where vegans and the vegan-curious could make and share homemade, compassionate dishes in a friendly community setting.
What started as a cosy event in the arcade next to the Ms. Cupcake bakery in Brixton soon blossomed into an incredibly busy happening in the longterm location of Faraday House in Holborn. We were even featured on BBC Radio.
A review of the first ever London Vegan Potluck can be seen here. Many thanks must be given to Mellissa Morgan of Ms. Cupcake for her generosity in allowing us to set up next to her business for those formative first six months. Additional thanks to Freedom Brewery who donated beer for the first London Vegan Potluck, thus becoming the first business to support and believe in an event that will have run for four years as it comes to a close in May 2015.
Hey Leeds people and visitors to Leeds. Get tasty vegan tacos and burritos!
I was slipping down a Leeds side-street a few days ago (I was in town to watch Morrissey perform) when I saw the word ‘vegan’ stamped on a cafe window. Of course I investigated.
I think this is a joke. It has to be a joke, right?
Following a run of animal-themed pop-up cafes and events (see here, here and here), someone has set up a page announcing the launch of a fox cafe in London.
I could be wrong, but I call bullshit on this one.
I’m kinda hoping it is set up by an activist group who plan to collect email addresses and send a message to all signups, letting them know what a terrible idea it is to commodify and objectify animals.
I can only hope. Otherwise, I despair.
You ready for some fucking fantastic news?
You can now buy vegan pasta, pizza and calzone in Dalston, London. Get the facts and then get fed!
News of this vegan-friendly eatery in east London arrived to my inbox thanks to Miriam. She wrote to alert me to the really rather impressive and inclusive menu being offered at Fed By Water on Kingsland High Street in E8.
Miriam sent me the following photo she snapped of the vegan pizza menu. Check it out.
Need a reason to visit Brixton? You are about to get a damn solid reason for getting to the south London neighbourhood soon.
A new bar and vegetarian eatery called Vegbar is set to impress when it opens to the public on March 28, 2015. Christian, the mastermind behind the London Vegan Drinks gourmet hot dog night (remember?), is in charge of the menu at Vegbar and it’s safe to say plant eaters are going to be well looked after.
Check out this list of some of the vegan dishes being lined up: