London vegan news, reviews & events
Are you up early on this fine Saturday morning with no idea how you can get the most out of life?
I have the answer.
The story of a pop-up owl cafe in London’s Soho has been everywhere this past week.
More than 60 000 people have apparently registered for one of the limited spaces during the temporary venue’s week-long run and a huge number of concerned individuals have voiced their concern for the welfare of the birds involved via social media, newspaper editorials and an online petition with 5000 signatures. Even I got in on the act with a blog post.
One of the more surprising parts of this drama was the statement by the organiser that they had the support of registered charity and bird rehabilitation organisation, The Barn Owl Centre. I was not alone in being shocked that a bird protection group would give their blessing to, and agree to receive proceeds from, an event that is far from being in the best interest of owls.
Here is where the story starts to unravel.
The Twitter account for The Barn Owl Centre was inundated by countless tweets ranging from surprise to condemnation. Their response to this onslaught was at first confusing, muddled and aggressive. It didn’t make sense or clear up if they were involved or not.
Fast forward a few days and you’ll find the founder of The Barn Owl Centre featured in an interview with the Gloucester Citizen, the local paper for the area.
In the article, founder Vincent Jones states he wants nothing to do with the pop-up event and feels persecuted by social media activists. You can read the full article here.
Curiously, the Annie the Owl pop-up cafe website still lists The Barn Owl Centre as a partner and fund recipient. This goes against what Vincent stated in his newspaper interview.
I wanted to set the record straight about where the birds for the event are coming from and if the owl centre was still involved. I just ended a 45-minute phone conversation with The Barn Owl Centre founder Vincent and following is some of the information I discovered.
Here is some exciting news for our northern neighbours.
A classy restaurant in Edinburgh is offering a three-course vegan menu tonight and then once a month going forward. How fabulous!
Check out the menu from last month below:
There is a series of events and talks relating to dogs during wartime and I think some of my readers might very well find it interesting.
The Bishopgate Institute located in the City of London (you all know what I mean by that, right?) is host to this fascinating collection of presentations and conversations about canines during the First World War.
Topics covered include:
I don’t just write nonsense about overeating and drinking gallons of vegan beer. Sometimes I attempt to write meaningful text for other platforms.
One such diversion, and one I feel particularly proud with which to be associated, is T.O.F.U. magazine.
I’ve never been the best vegan I can be because I’ve never taken the time to make my own tofu.
This could all change thanks to an exclusive ‘make your own tofu’ class being staged soon (April 11, 2015) by Korean BBQ restaurant, Yijo.
Check out what they have to say about the class:
When an opportunity comes along to help a vegan business, it is our duty to seize it.
The Mighty Food Fight is a super fun food truck parked in Bristol that has been serving up 100% vegan treats to locals since October 2014. When I mentioned I was traveling to Bristol for a business trip a few months back, I was inundated by people telling me I must track down this truck. It is a much-loved resource in the city.
The food truck is the brainchild of Hannah and Isabel, two dedicated and compassionate people on a mission to bring quality plant-based foods to the Bristol masses. They work tirelessly to give their customers a cruelty-free option and they have won many adoring fans in the process.
For all the above reasons, you simply have to support The Mighty Food Fight in their time of need.
The truck is currently in a garage, waiting on repairs. Repairs cost a lot of money, you know. To get The Mighty Food Fight back on the road is going to set Hannah and Isabel back approximately £750.
That is certainly a lot of money for a small, independent vegan business but not that much when you combine the awesome power of our community.
Let’s break it down like this.
75 people could donate £10 and the truck could be repaired. How about 150 people fronted up a fiver to get the job done? It is completely reasonable to believe there are 750 compassionate humans out there willing to part with just £1 each to make sure the world doesn’t lose this incredible vegan food truck.
To me, this is a no brainer. If every single person reading this gave at least £1, Hannah and Isabel would be back on the streets of Bristol in record time. If you don’t buy one coffee or tea this week and give the loose change to this cause instead, they will reach their goal easily.
Click here to donate now. Do it! It is a kind and thoughtful act of selflessness, plus you are giving cruelty-free food a much-needed boost in the UK.
Please follow The Mighty Food Fight on Twitter.
Have you got plans for this Thursday? You have now!
Check out this message from celebrated vegan chef Sara Mittersteiner.
You can dress it up any which way you like, but using animals in a retail or entertainment setting is the equivalent of a zoo. It is the exploitation of animals for human enjoyment, often under the guise of conservation or animal protection.
My critique of the cat cafe in east London drew a huge number of responses, ranging from people who thought it was an unacceptable use of animals for profit through to those who branded me a cat-hating lunatic.
Now, almost a year on from that post, I find myself scratching my head at news of an owl-themed pop-up cocktail bar set to open in Soho.