Moo Free named Most Ethical Dairy Free Manufacturer

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Moo Free has been named “Most Ethical Dairy Free Manufacturer” at the 4th annual Food & Drink Awards hosted by LUXlife.

The family owned, UK based free-from manufacturer, which was founded in 2010 by husband and wife team Mike and Andrea Jessop, scooped the award in recognition of its hard work in ensuring all aspects of the business are based on the highest ethical standards.

All of the organisation’s chocolates are organically certified and vegan certified meaning that you can be sure that no animals were harmed during the manufacturing process. Each product is made using natural, high quality ingredients including single origin, organic cocoa mass from plantations in the Dominican Republic.

What’s more, Moo Free’s factories send zero waste to landfill and none of its chocolates are made using any animal derived products. And because all of the company’s chocolates are made from raw ingredients in its own free-from factories, they are 100% dairy free, gluten free and soya free.

Moo Free believes that everyone should be treated equally and this is reflected in its work force. Men and women are paid equally, relative to their role and skill level, while the organisation works with several charities to provide employment for people who have difficulties finding a job and as a result around 20% of its workforce is autistic.

This was one of Mike and Andrea’s key motivations when they founded Moo Free and their goal moving forward is to set up a charity to help support children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and their parents. These children often desperately need a diagnosis in order to receive the educational and emotional support they deserve, while their parents often need support, advice and a shoulder to lean on.

Mike and Andrea said:

We would like to thank all of our amazing staff and everyone who works with us that helps us to maintain our high ethical standards. A big thank you must also go to our wonderful customers and supporters, we couldn’t do it without you! When our customers buy our chocolates they are making a difference to so many lives. It enables us to help support and employ lots of wonderful people, many with ASD, in an area where opportunities are limited.

In addition to all of the above, Moo Free is one of the chocolate brands recommended by Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List. This list helps consumers locate companies not sourcing their chocolate from child labour and unfair working conditions.

Yay for Moo Free! Visit their website and follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

The power of saying “No thanks, I’m vegan’

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Did you know that I write a monthly column for Vegan Life Magazine? The following is one of my past columns. If you want to subscribe to the mag, you can find out more online here.

The power of saying “No, thanks. I’m vegan”

We’ve all been there. That awkward moment when you are out with friends, work colleagues, family members or even people you don’t know all too well and somebody offers you something to eat or drink that isn’t vegan.

There can be an uncomfortable silence and you can often feel a huge desire to not want to offend people or come across as a difficult vegan.

Well, I’m here to tell you it’s OK to say no to non-vegan offerings with a friendly confidence.

Actually, it’s more than just OK.

Learning to love saying “I’m vegan” gives you confidence in your beliefs, affords people a super quick insight into the type of person you are (i.e. kind!) and acts as a form of outreach to help spread your compassionate message of caring for animals.

For some people, becoming confident and comfortable with the decision of going vegan and being vocal about it takes time. One of the best ways to become assured of your own veganism is to talk about it and this can include something as simple as turning down non-vegan food.

I strongly believe a confident vegan is an attractive friend prospect to most people, not just other vegans.

When it comes to picking my friends and the people around me, there is nothing more important or admirable than a person who believes strongly in something positive and takes an unwavering stand on that topic.

You are going to look like a person of your convictions to those around you if you employ a zero-tolerance approach to non-vegan food items. I’ve been vegan for twenty years and one of the things my friends say they love about me is my commitment to the causes in which I believe.

A confident person who can be unapologetically vegan with a smile on their face is not only an admirable person, they are also the best form of activism.

When a kind and approachable vegan stands firm and friendly in their convictions, it is the best advertisement for veganism. When people see you sticking to your beliefs yet still getting on with life and enjoying the company of those around you, it can be the inspiration they need to start thinking about taking that step themselves.

It’s not being preachy to say “No, thanks. I’m vegan.” It’s being true to yourself and it is just one of the ways you are working to improve outcomes for animals.

The majority of vegans you know haven’t always been vegan, so they must have had a first time hearing about the lifestyle.

Think of how many people’s first time you can be if you find a way to say no to non-vegan food. By politely but assuredly turning down non-vegan food and drink, you might just be positioning yourself as the seed that will one day sprout and take someone on their compassionate journey.

Seeds sprouting into compassionate journeys? Yes, even my metaphors are vegan.

Of course it isn’t always plain sailing when you are the only vegan in your social group. People can sometimes take your vegan stance as an attack on their choices or even come to see you as a ‘sanctimonious inconvenience’ (yes, that happened to me and still stings).

It can be a tricky balancing act to manoeuvre within certain groups of friends and family, but it is completely OK to stand your vegan ground even when some individuals will see your lifestyle choice as a challenge.

It’s completely understandable how the concept of veganism will be met with some resistance when you consider how ingrained the use of animals is in our society. Heck, they are even in our money!

But that is exactly why we are vegan. We want to help enact a change in these attitudes and practices in order to cause less harm. A little social awkwardness is surely a small price to pay as we find our vegan feet and save the planet.

You can gently yet firmly reassure people that your choice to not consume animal products is based on how you feel about the world around you (and animals!) and is not an attack on their personal consumption of ribs, rumps and legs. You can do this in a good-natured way that doesn’t have to lead to offense being taken.

It’s your decision and your life being affected, not theirs. Being self-assured and happy with your choices is one of the best parts of living vegan. Learn to enjoy it.

You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Vegan pop up grocery store in Colchester

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Colchester. You have a super fabulous vegan pop up shop.

Get involved!

Vool is the brainchild of my buddy Annastasia who started the project in November 2017 after realising rates were too high to open a vegan shop in Colchester.

Annastasia wanted to make it easier for vegans and the vegan-curious to access those harder to find goodies and groceries. A year of fairs, festivals , and a weekly pop-up at the Good Souls Bakery followed and now Vool has become a major part of Annastasia’s (and Colchester’s) life!

Check out some of these photos showing the gorgeous groceries being sold by Vool.

Vool is on Colchester Market every Friday, there is an online shop offering worldwide delivery, and the Shop-in-a-Suitcase makes a regular appearance at Colchester Vegan Drinks.

This is some real frontline grassroots vegan stuff going on here. Annastasia is getting vegan groceries into her community by any means necessary and helping people go and stay vegan. She actually carries vegan groceries around in a suitcase!

Follow Vool on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Ottawa International Vegan Film Festival 2019

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The 2019 Ottawa International Vegan Film Festival has announced its list of 26 nominated films.

The event will showcase a collection of the finest vegan-themed short and long format films from this year. The awards will be announced at the Festival’s Premier event on October 6, 2019 at The Chamber Theatre in Ben Franklin Place in Ottawa.

The Door

The Festival received 40 film submissions in 2019, up from 28 last year. The films that have been selected have been submitted from 14 countries around the world. 60% of the films are from female directors.

Category and Films:

Lifestyle Category:

· Apollo: Rise of the Poly-Vegan Soldier (New Zealand)

· A Strange Trial (Switzerland)

· Gold Doesn’t Rust: Animal Testing and its 21st Century Alternatives (USA)

· Let us be Heroes – The True Cost of our Food Choices (Singapore)

· Pig Man (New Zealand)

· The Hunter and the Girl with Pokemon (Belgium)

· Bad Vegan: The Original Recipe (Canada)

· Double Decade Vegan (Australia)

Health and Nutrition Category:

· H.O.P.E. What You Eat Matters (Austria)

· Code Blue: Redefining the Practice of Medicine (USA)

· Multiple Seasons (USA)

Animal Welfare Category:

· Casa de Carne (USA)

· Reclaim (Canada)

· Cow’s Milk? (Germany)

· Cows Come Home (USA)

· Bucking Tradition (USA)

· Coming Closer (USA)

· The Cube of Truth (New Zealand)

· Why Not Me (USA)

· The Door (Denmark)

· Hami Shelter (Iran)

Environmental Protection Category:

· Diet Change Not Climate Change (Germany)

· The Farm in My Backyard (Canada)

· The Man of the Trees (Italy)

· #Powerplant (Netherlands)

· Planet Vegan: Episode One (USA)

Tickets for the festival can be purchased online here.

Vegan pop up for Tottenham

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Tottenham Social Pop Ups is an ongoing series of seriously tasty food events at Craving Coffee on Markfield Road, Tottenham.

The next best reason why you should get along is taking place from Thursday September 12 until Saturday 14, 2019.

Superstar vegan food traders Marli’s Kitchen are running their soul menu takeover and the menu sounds exquisite. Check this out.

These Tottenham Social nights have been running since June 2015. Craving Coffee have been inviting street food traders to take over their kitchen with diverse cuisines from around the globe while their Tottenham Social bartenders serve a range of bespoke cocktails craft beers, choice wines, and boutique soft drinks.

The Marli’s Kitchen return is set to be hugely popular. They are a vegan food trader on mission to get carnivores eating vegan food, and to satisfy vegan cravings for junk food with a conscience.

Details you need:

  • Thursday September 12 until Saturday September 14, 2019
  • Fully licensed bar 5pm – 11pm
  • Happy Hours 5pm – 7pm
  • Food 6pm – 10pm
  • Book via tottenhamsocial@gmail.com
  • Walk-ins welcome!

Book to avoid disappointment.

Be sure to follow Marli’s Kitchen on Instagram.

5 best vegan beers at Hackney Downs Night Market

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Do you need a night out with stunning vegan street food and refreshing vegan beer?

Get along to the final Hackney Downs Night Market for 2019 this Friday September 13 from 6pm. They asked me to help turn it vegan!

Not only do we have a fabulous vegan food line up (read about it here), but we also welcome All Good Beer who will be on hand pouring irresistible vegan beer.

What beer should you look forward to drinking? I asked All Good Beer to tell me their top 5 for this Friday night.

Elliot from All Good Beer said:

The two beers on tap will be from Cloudwater brewery who are based in Manchester. They modestly picked up the ratebeer.com award for being the #2 brewery in the world!

We’ll also have cans available from our personal favourite brewery, Verdant Brewing Co. who hail from Falmouth in Cornwall. They were voted #1 brewery in the UK so our vegan beer selection on the night is not too shabby at all!

Make sure you RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event for Hackney Downs Night Market.

You should also follow All Good Beer on Instagram.

Vegan fried pizza pocket menu

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If you have been to any vegan events or markets over the past year or so, you would have probably encountered Bar Dei Baci.

This independent vegan food business has forged a unique place and a strong following for itself within the London street food scene.

Not only are the owners some of the nicest people on the planet, the food has people leaving rave reviews. But what is so special about the Bar Dei Baci menu?

Fried pizza, that’s what.

These fried pizzas, or Frizza as they are called by the food creators, are decadent savoury dough parcels crammed with fresh and handcrafted ingredients.

It’s like an entire pizza is folded over, stuffed with the toppings, and then fried!

If you get along to our Hackney Downs Night Market on September 13, 2019 from 6pm, you will be able to enjoy the full frizza menu from Bar Dei Baci.

Hackney Downs Studios asked me to turn the market vegan and I couldn’t invite Bar Dei Baci faster!

Check out the menu for the evening below and be sure to follow Bar Dei Baci on Instagram. You can read about the market line up here and RSVP/invite friends on the Facebook event.

Low waste low packaging store in London

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Re:Store is a packaging-free shop in Hackney where customers bring their own containers (or grab a spare one in store) to refill, to reduce use of unnecessary plastic!

The low waste store is located at Hackney Downs Studios, the place where we used to do Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

Customers can refill store cupboard and household essentials as well as some special treats.

Re:Store works with small, local producers and companies such as Kompassion Kombucha brewed in Hackney Wick and the’artyvegan fresh tofu made just across the road.

The store also has an exciting new addition in the form of a candle refill station from small business Every Origin. You can bring an old candle or jar and get it refilled with a new delicious smelling candle, with three options to choose from.

If you want to check out Re:Store AND have a fab night out, get along on Friday October 13, 2019 as Hackney Downs Studios celebrate the last night market of the year.

This version of the Night Market has been turned vegan by me and will include a bunch of vegan food traders plus Re:Store will be open until 9pm for all your refill needs, plus they’re adding some new vegan goodies so come along and be the first to try them!

Click here to read about the Vegan Night Market and be sure to follow Re:Store on Instagram.

Low alcohol vegan CBD beer

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Hop & Hemp Brewery Co have just launched the first vegan CBD low-alcohol (0.5%), low calorie beer. Wow!

The brewery describes the beer as great tasting, low in alcohol, low in calories, full flavoured, and vegan. Each beer contains 8mg of hemp-derived CBD.

Are you excited, UK friends?

The two drinks currently available:

Easy Times IPA (0.5% ABV): a full-on IPA that delivers aromas of grapefruit and lemonade from the triple addition of American hops. This then doubles down on the fruitiness and brings in flavours of biscuit and honey (not that type of honey, vegans). It’s big on taste, without the alcohol.

Lowdown Lager (0.5% ABV): a crisp, golden pilsner style lager that hits the palate with a gentle, spicy hoppiness and follows with notes of citrus and a lingering sweetness.

The brewery assures me they use only best-in-class CBD from the very reputable folk over at The Drug Store – it contains absolutely 0% THC (the part that makes you high) so it’s completely legal.

Find out more on their website. Follow Hop & Hemp Brewery Co on Instagram.

What is CBD?

Also known as cannabidiol, CBD is a safe, legal, naturally occurring compound found in hemp and other strains of the cannabis sativa plant.

Vegan comedy night in London

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On 18 September, 2019, a line-up of vegan comedians take to the stage in a vegan venue to raise money for international development charity, Child.org.

The Funny Thing About Vegans at Karamel in North London will see Carl Donnelly, Chris Stokes and Adele Cliff give up their time and talent in support of Child.org’s evidence-based projects to improve the lives of children in some of the world’s poorest communities.

This all-vegan line-up in an always all-vegan venue is believed to be the first of its kind in London.

The event is organised by Robb Masters, a participant of Child.org-affiliated “Charity Fast-Track 2019” (a year-long training course on all aspects of the charity sector) and organiser of London Vegan Meetup (a free social group for vegan and the vegan-curious, and the current home of FGV-founded London Vegan Drinks). This is his second fundraiser for Child.org, after he and a group of friends embarked on the “Sukuma Wiki Challenge” earlier in the year – spending a week eating just five plant-based ingredients.

Tickets for The Funny Thing About Vegans are £10 online here, or £15 on the door.

Who are the comedians on the night?

Carl Donnelly has twice been nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, won a variety of other awards, appeared on a selection of TV shows (Mock The Week, Russell Howard’s Good News, etc.) and travelled the world performing at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, The Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The New Zealand Comedy Festival, and pretty much every other comedy festival there is. He is co-host of the Two Vegan Idiots and Babysitting Trevor podcasts.

Chris Stokes is an award- winning comedian who “was a comedian, then a van driver and now I’m a comedian again”. He has supported Milton Jones on UK tours (Milton Jones is Out There, and Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft) as well as appearing on BBC Three, Dave, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5Live – and performing at an Annual General Meeting of The Vegan Society.
Chris has been described by The New Statesman as “One impressive comic”, and the British Comedy Guide as “Laid back, disarming and very funny”.

Adele Cliff’s jokes have been featured in The Top 10 Jokes Of The Fringe for four years running (2016-2019). With regular appearances on the BBC, Funny Women describes Adele Cliff as “consistently intelligent, witty, and (most importantly) very funny!”, while The Huffington Post called her a “must-see” act.

Book your tickets for The Funny Thing About Vegans online now.