Tear down the arches

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Why are McDonald’s restaurants closing all over the UK?

I was walking along the high street of my new neighbourhood when I noticed a shop front that looked to be recently vacated. Staring carefully at the place where the business sign used to be, I could make out the outline of the word McDonald’s.

closed mcd

How fantastic! Any McDonald’s closure is a good thing for animals. This particular branch had minced up and sold dead animals for more than 30 years and now it was gone. But why are these stores closing and does it even mean people are eating more compassionately?

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City growing

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If you are not planning on attending London Vegan Festival on Sunday August 17th, 2014  I can only assume you will be learning to be an inner city organic food grower over in Hackney.

Made In Hackney is putting on a wonderful crash course on urban organic growing. The following is taken from the event description:

Interested in growing your own organic food in the city but not sure where to start? Got a patio, window sill, balcony or garden and want to start growing food in it? Then this community class is for you!

In this two hour session MIH founder Sarah Bentley will teach you the basics of growing – you’ll even leave with a herb plant to get you started!

The two hour class commences at 1pm and takes place on a patchwork farm in Hackney. The cost to attend is left up to attendees with a minimum suggestion of £5, which is incredibly decent value for a two hour class in London.

Head on over to the Made In Hackney site for more details and booking.

More vegan cider

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We are all slowly recovering from the shock news that Rekorderlig cider is not, and has probably never been, vegan. The silver lining is the recovery process just got a whole lot rosier thanks to älska cider.

On a recent drinking session in Camden, I was intrigued by the colourful bottles and tempting flavours of älska cider. A quick virtual trip to Barnivore informed me the brand is vegan, so I wasted no time and dove head first into a bottle.

The company makes three flavours; Lemon & Ginger, Strawberry & Lime and Nordic Berries. The Strawberry & Lime was incredibly difficult to put down and I can see it making a few more appearances on my dance card before the end of summer.

alska

But apart from bars in Camden, where can you find this delicious drink?

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London Vegan Festival

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London is just a week away from the return of its longest running vegan event as London Vegan Festival descends on Kensington Town Hall on Sunday August 17, 2014.

This much-loved event is a showcase of vegan food, companies, caterers, activists, educators and charities. Visitors can eat themselves happy, get educated at one of the informative talks on offer or sign up to lend a helping hand to an animal rescue sanctuary.

Festivities kick off from 11:00am and run right through to 8:00pm. A measly £2 will get you through the door and if you are younger than 12, you get in for free. It is an eye-opening experience for anyone considering transitioning to veganism and a completely celebratory day for us old timers.

Some extra info for people considering heading to London Vegan Festival this week…

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Portobello after hours

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Get ready for one of the rarest occurrences on the London vegan scene. That’s right. I am hosting a vegan pop up supper club in West London! Join me on August 28, 2014 at 8:00PM for a 3-course meal that will leave your taste buds in a spin.

Portobello After Hours is an incredibly special food event on one of the most visited and revered thoroughfares in London, Portobello Road. This bustling street is home to one of the most famous markets in the UK and people flock from all corners of the planet to stroll its length.

after hours

Our event is set in in a gorgeous shop front on Portobello Road, just a few minutes on foot from Ladbroke Grove Underground station. Diners will be seated at both inside and outside tables unless it rains, hails or snows. In the instance of wet weather, diners will be seated in both the inside and downstairs dining areas.

Portobello After Hours is a collaboration between Fat Gay Vegan and LOTUS Cucina Vegan. LOTUS chef Marta has crafted a hearty and delectable menu that will surely excite all vegan food fanatics.

 

The menu includes:

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Wanna chat?

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I get emails every day from people wanting information about where to eat/shop/visit and as much as I love to help, there is only one FGV to go around.

So I hatched a plan.

I decided to create a space on my blog where anyone could register and share information about their favourite vegan topics.  I wanted to make it possible for visitors to my blog to have as much useful information as possible at their fingertips.

That’s why you can now be a part of FGV Forum.

The FGV Forum has areas for users to share info on topics such as:

  • best places to eat around the UK, Europe and the world
  • vegan deals in UK supermarkets
  • vegan alcohol brands
  • recipes
  • demonstrations and petitions

In addition, there is a place for users to introduce themselves and chat about any topics related to veganism.

The FGV Forum is brand new and will probably experience a few teething problems. For instance, Hotmail email addresses are experiencing sign up difficulties but this problem is being worked on.

I would be delighted if you could assist me in making it an important hub for new and longtime vegans alike. The more information we all post, the more valuable the forum becomes.

Head on over to the FGV Forum now and get posting!

Hummus Bros love

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I was totally blown away by the fabulous people who came along to my pop up vegan event in Clerkenwell last night.

Everyone was super friendly and chatty. That could have possibly had something to do with the mass amounts of Asparagasm beer being guzzled in between tasty bowls of savoury food served by Hummus Bros.

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Animal tours of London?

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London is being overrun by walking tours. You can slink around east end alley ways as you trace the steps of Jack the Ripper, skip through green spaces on foraging adventures and crane your neck skywards on tours focussing on the capital’s architecture.

London has plenty of walking tours, but how about a guided tour for those of us keen on animals? You got it!

You can now book your spot with the good people who have put together an interesting guided walk called London Animal Tours.

Here is a little about the tour from the company:

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Oddbins are nice to vegans

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Have you shopped for wine in Oddbins lately? It’s time to start!

I strolled into my local Oddbins store a few days ago looking for vegan wine without really knowing if the high street chain would be accommodating.

After browsing the overwhelming selection for a minute or two, I was approached by the store server who wanted to know if they could help me. It is at that exact moment where I had to decide if I would say the ‘v’ word. You know how it is sometimes, right? I’m not embarrassed and I’m often outspoken about wanting plant-based options, but sometimes you are just not up for the hassle.

But I went for it and I’m super glad I did.

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