Here’s a quick post to let you know I made it back to my favourite place to eat in the USA and it was perfect.
Native Foods Cafe is a rapidly-expanding restaurant chain in the USA with locations far and wide. News of a huge financial investment deal means they are now set to appear in even more cities over the next few years.
I would be the happiest FGV in the world if they could find a way to open a London branch. I would eat there every day. Honestly.
Follow Native Foods Cafe on Twitter and then check out my most recent feast below. The Oklahoma cheese burger is the stuff of legend and the Native wings are crunchy sticks of irresistible glory. I threw in some polenta bites and lavender lemonade to make sure it was a well-rounded meal at their Santa Monica location.
Los Angeles is the danger. If you are vegan, you need to get to LA to experience what it is like to live without restriction.
I am currently in the area to attend Los Angeles Beer Fest and eat what I can. This city is a vegan mecca and plant-eaters are not sidelined or treated as an afterthought. Vegan is front and centre.
One shining example of LA’s love for vegans is the glorious Viva la Vegan supermarket in the Ocean Park Blvd. neighbourhood near Santa Monica.
This blog isn’t all about too much beer and food. I sometimes like to use it as a platform for other worthwhile topics… and they don’t often come more worthwhile than the crucial work being carried out by NAVS.
Not sure what I am on about?
I have invited Jan Creamer (chief executive of the National Anti-Vivisection Society) to share some important information with you relating to a rare public consultation you NEED to know about.
Read carefully and act on the information supplied.
My bag is packed (almost) and the excitement is starting to kick in. This Friday I am jumping on a flight to Southern California for a brief vacation and lots of sunshine.
I have grand plans that include seeing Steven (one of my longest-serving and dearest friends) who now lives in San Diego, drinking/eating my own weight at the LA Vegan Beer and Food Festivaland taking in some live performances by my favourite artists (Jill Sobule and Suzanne Vega).
This blog post isn’t just to boast about my fun trip. I also wanted to let you know about the special travel-size personal care products I purchased from Superdrug for my journey.
I have written on a few occasions about my love for the cruelty-free value to be enjoyed by shopping with Superdrug but this is my first mention of their travel range.
Almost anything you would want or need for a holiday can be sourced in this mini size. The bottles and containers come in under the allowed volume for cabin inclusion, meaning you can pack them in your hand luggage. This is fantastic if you only want to travel with one bag. No waiting around at the luggage carousel and you still have everything you need.
Of course it is all incredibly inexpensive. You have got to love Superdrug for their commitment to making cruelty-free care products at low prices. Everyone can afford to be vegan on holiday!
If you are in London this week and are not attending London Vegan Drinks, I have two questions for you.
Question the first: why the heck not? Question the second: it’s because you are going to this fabulous vegan Italian supper club, right?
My pal Sara is a much-loved food creator and she has once again put together an eating experience for hardcore foodies. Sara has just arrived back in the UK following a vacation in South Africa and she is fired up, ready to put some serious food on the dinner table this week.
Check out the menu.
STARTER – Farinata – baked chickpea pancake with red onions served with handmade vegan garlic mayo
MAIN COURSE – Handmade Beetroot Ravioli filled with Fava Beans in cheesy cream
SECOND COURSE – Artichoke and Asparagus Gratin
SIDE – Blood Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad served with handmade sourdough
DESSERT – Caramel Tiramisù
Sounds lovely, right? If you are reading this soon after I posted it, you need to act quickly to book your ticket.
A little while back, Josh took over with a blog post about a vegetarian cafe in the heart of the Bloomsbury neighbourhood that serves up tasty meat-free meals during academic term time. Read about his love of the place here and then scroll down below for a shot of my tasty lunch there today.
The Mary Ward Centre Café is a long-standing favourite of students, staff and visitors to this learning complex, as well as visitors and staff from the nearby Great Ormond Street Hospital. The prices are maybe some of the lowest you will find for vegan options in central London.
Here is an Instagram snap I took of my lunch today. I thoroughly enjoyed the borlotti bean pie topped with creamy mash and the lentil stew with crispy potato wedges. Both plates of food just over £4 each.
The Vegan Ice Cream Wars are a brutal battleground and certainly not for those with a nervous disposition. It is a cruel world where creating a product that people enjoy is not enough. The prohibitive cost behind producing, promoting and distributing would make most people not want to get out of bed.
Darrelle and Phil of Razzle Dazzle Ices were brave enough to get out of bed. For the last three years, they have been creating their range of vegan ice creams and tirelessly promoting the products at vegan festivals all over the country.
Razzle Dazzle Ices even came along to my giant bowling fundraiser for Sea Shepherd back in January 2013 and shared their popular treats with attendees.
But the sad news has arrived via a Facebook announcement posted by Phil:
Did you plan on coming along to London Vegan Potluck last night but didn’t make it? These photos are your punishment.
I started this event three years ago and I have watched it grow in popularity since our humble beginnings in Brixton. I think we started with 20 attendees in May 2011 and now our numbers vary between 60 and 100.
I often find the event to be extremely tiring and a lot of work to pull together, but people love it and that is what keeps it going. People get to explore veganism in a friendly space and many attendees have been inspired to take up compassionate eating on a full time basis due to the support and camaraderie they get from events like the potluck.
Many thanks again to the following companies that came on board for our celebrations last night. It would be fab if you let them know via social media how much their support means to the vegan community.
Ms Cupcake donated a pile of brownies for the potluck table as well as a £10 gift voucher for the raffle
Vegusto supplied us with their amazing vegan cheeses as prizes
Moo Free Chocolates handed over some samples for the tables and raffle prize
Veganicity are experts in vegan supplements and they sent some along as prizes
Mr Prempy’s came along to talk to us about their raw cakes as well as hand out samples
Check out some of my Instagram photos from our 3rd anniversary celebrations last night and let me know in the comments what it is you love about London Vegan Potluck. Do you have any fond memories? Has it helped you? Did you meet new friends? Why are events like this important?
I was rushing to a meeting yesterday when I realised I was hungry. How could I possibly get through a professional discussion without some form of sustenance?
The only vegan-friendly store standing between me and my meeting was Marks & Spencer, so I popped inside to see what was good for eating on the run.
I make no secret of how much I adore the Cool Chile Co. This London based business is my main supplier of essential ingredients needed to get my Mexican food fix.
They sell it all. Kits that take the mystery out of cooking the perfect black bean dish. Chiles that are chopped, diced, dried and powdered. Spicy chipotle ketchup. Sweet salsa verde. Their enormous tortilla machine churns out thousands of the soft, round things every week (I wrote about the machine here). They even have a chorizo spice kit that comes with instructions explaining how you can use a meat substitute if you like. I love it!
But something makes the Cool Chile Co. extra special. The people who run it.
Director Dodi and General Manager Kelly are some of the most down-to-earth, unassuming and outright friendly people I have met in London. Even if their Mexican products weren’t the best in the country (which they are by a mile), I would still want them to be a roaring success because of what decent people they are.
Mexican ingredient champions
It makes it all the more enjoyable to announce that I am partnering with the Cool Chile Co. for my huge vegan Mexican dinner taking place this week. Dodi and Kelly are getting behind UNA CITA by making sure we have the freshest tortillas in the country to make my three taco plate a dish you do not want to miss.
Cool Chile Co make this possible
As a thank you to the company for coming on board with my event, I am giving them a pair of tickets for UNA CITA to give away to one fortunate Twitter follower. You need to follow them and retweet THIS tweet to be in with a chance to snap up the tickets for this Friday’s event.
Love Cool Chile Co. and be in with a chance to win!
Limited tickets for UNA CITA also available to buy here.
