Look of love

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Are you one of those people that likes to mark Valentine’s Day with a special meal and a bottle of wine? That task becomes all the more difficult when you throw being vegan into the mix, right?

You can stay home and challenge yourself to create a fancy meal or you can head into the wilds of London looking for a vegan dinner amongst a sea of carnivorous eating options.

Recently-closed Saf was set to host a gorgeous dinner on February 14th, but you clearly can’t count on that option. So let’s help each other out. Jump into the comments section below to sound off about the best London location for a romantic vegan meal this Friday.

I am half the world away in Mexico but I would like to get the ball rolling by suggesting tibits on Heddon Street in Mayfair. This vegetarian restaurant used to be home to London Vegan Drinks and is a favourite of vegans and their friends.

Sietta & tibits
Sietta & tibits

On Friday February 14th, tibits will be transforming their food boat (where all the food is held) into a vegan wonderland. They are removing all non-vegan items for the day so your romantic meal can be cruelty-free. People who like to drink will also be happy with a selection of vegan beers, wines and cocktails (make sure you ask for vegan wine options to be pointed out).

That’s my tip for Valentine’s Day 2014. Now I want to hear yours!

Vegan airways

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A quick little post to continue my thematic entries about food I eat while up in the air.

The meal featured below was served to me during my recent flight with British Airways between London and Mexico City. Vegans are only too aware of how erratic flight food can be, but I give serious dues to this meal. It was a solid effort.

I eyed my tray suspiciously
Liked all good vegans, I eyed my tray suspiciously
The cous cous was tasty
The cous cous was tasty
Mixed pulse salad
Mixed pulse salad
Fruit with compote
Fruit with compote

As you can see, I did alright!

I would love to feature your meals in the sky if you are keen to share your experiences. Just let me know.

Closed in Kentish Town

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First it was Mella Cafe, then it was Saf Restaurant and Bar. Now a vegan friendly restaurant and coffee house in north London has also disappeared.

If you ever got the opportunity to dine at Muya Ethiopian Restaurant, you undoubtedly loved their cuisine. It was irresistible. It wasn’t a vegetarian restaurant but they had a separate vegan menu that was unrivalled in the capital.

But they have closed and London vegans are the poorer for the loss.

Closed
Closed

The vegan menu featured delicious traditional Ethiopian stews packed with vegetables and spices, served with a seemingly never-ending supply of injera. A vegetarian platter was always more than enough to fill us up and truth be told, we often struggled to finish.

I phoned the number listed on the Muya website and a recorded message instructs callers to keep checking the website and Facebook page for updates on where the company will show up again. I hope they resurface soon.

Did you ever eat at Muya? Share your memories below.

 

Try your potluck

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London Vegan Potluck is legendary.

When I started this food event back in May 2011, I never thought it would become the runaway success it has. On the first Wednesday of every month, up to 100 vegans and vegan curious people converge on our Holborn location to share homemade food.

It has been a true thrill to watch the potluck grow from its humble beginnings of just 20 people inside Brixton market to the huge crowds it now attracts. We have enjoyed a record attendance of 110 people while most potluck nights come in around the 80 mark.

London Vegan Potluck gives attendees a chance to show off their culinary skills and learn from others. A strength of the event is the friendly competition that has sprung up, encouraging people to come up with inventive, tasty and unique meal ideas. It encourages and inspires potluckers.

The potluck is also a safe and friendly space for new or potential vegans to investigate plant-based eating. Long term vegans and newbies interact, share recipes and give each other tips on how to make the best vegan food they can.

The following photos were taken at the February 2014 London Vegan Potluck. These dishes were just a sliver of the amazing range of food being shared.

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Mexican chocolate

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As you might know, I am currently in Mexico City where I am eating up a storm.

Stay tuned here or to my Instagram feed for lots of shots of delicious vegan food from the Mexican capital.

Photo above shows a bag of giant dark chocolate and almond treats I bought in the nearby grocery store. They are fabulous.

 

Can the can

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I was talking with my friends at the Cool Chile Co a few days ago about the different brands of seitan available in the UK. Following our chat, I went on a quick exploration of my usual shopping haunts to see if any new wheat meat products had passed me by recently.

And one had. Wheat chunks in a tin!

Wheat meat in a tin
Wheat meat in a tin

I am not sure how long this canned seitan product has been available in the UK, but my discovery in Vx last week marked the first occasion I had laid eyes on it.

Sadly, I am yet to taste the Nuvale Vegetarian Cubes as I flew out of London for Mexico City before I could attack the product with a can opener. Have you tried the chunks? What are they like? What is your favourite ready made seitan?

M & S

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I know that Marks and Spencer have for a long time shared a list of products that are suitable for vegans (usually available in a pdf format), but I’ve never noticed them using the ‘v’ word on any actual grocery packaging.

Until now.

Josh sent me the following photo taken to his recent stroll through the M&S Ealing Broadway location. The word vegan can clearly be seen on this houmous packaging.

hummus

I am not sure if this is the start of a new trend by the retailer or a one off. The only products I have previously seen marked vegan in store were bottles of wine.

Do you buy anything from Marks & Spencer that carries a vegan label?

Tiramisu

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Vegan tiramisu

Cookies & Scream in Camden isn’t just one of the best bakeries in the UK. I’d put my money on it being one of the finest on the planet.

This point of view was only strengthened today by my discovery of their new tiramisu creation. I was gobsmacked. The pie filling was decadent, gooey and delicious, while the cream topping was second to none.

Buy this pie.

You can follow me on Instagram for more photos on the go.

The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival

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This is some enjoyable news, indeed. Congratulations to Leeds on welcoming the first ever Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival.

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After quickly browsing the event website, it looks like it is going to be a solid show. The organisers have promised 100+ stalls, cooking demos, food samples, informative talks and more. It is all happening on May 10, 2014 right in the heart of Leeds city centre.

There is a general call out for presenters, stall holders, businesses and volunteers so do get involved if you would like to make The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival and event to remember.

Anyone planning on attending?

Check out the website for full details

Follow the festival on Twitter for updates

Like the festival on Facebook