Wanna invest in vegan pizza?

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Ever since I adopted a vegan lifestyle over 20 years ago, I’ve been searching for the best plant-based pepperoni pizza.

We didn’t have a lot of pepperoni pizza opportunities in Australia when I was younger and by the time I got to the UK where they were more popular, I was vegan!

But hey, guess what, people? I think I’ve found the vegan pepperoni pizza of my dreams… and you can invest in the company responsible for bringing it to the UK capital.

NXT LVL PZA is a fast food concept that was pretty easy to fall in love with.

I stumbled upon the NXT LVL pop up restaurant in Soho just over a month or so back and was swept up by excitement and greed. The brand is all bright colours and video game imagery while the menu is 100% plant-based.

The idea of the concept is to give hungry people (like me) the food they desire while doing good stuff for the planet and animals. I saw so many people getting excited about the pizza before they realised it was plant-based and that excitement didn’t let up when they started eating.

The pizza from NXT LVL is extremely tasty.

I think what NXT LVL PZA has got right is not trying to invent the wheel when it comes to ingredients that other people do incredibly well already.

The brand has created partnerships with leading plant-based companies such as Beyond Meat to create pizzas with toppings that can’t be, er.. topped!

This is why the pepperoni pizza has got me all hot and bothered.

The Spice Invaders pizza (see photo above) features the mouthwatering pepperoni slices of Verdino Foods. This is by far the best plant-based pepperoni I have ever enjoyed. My childhood dreams are coming true!

Following on from a trial delivery kitchen near Battersea over the past few months, NXT LVL PZA is ready to take their delicious vegan menu across London via a series of delivery kitchens. I think they plan on opening ten delivery kitchens as a starting point!

And if you like the sound of getting a slice of the action (get it?), you can invest in their expansion via a crowdfunding campaign. Of course you need to know that any sort of investment opportunity carries risk, no matter how much some chubby Australian blogger loves vegan pepperoni pizza.

Click here if you want to discover more info about investing in a chain of vegan pizza kitchens.

You can also follow NXT LVL PZA on Instagram.

Extra note: keep a close eye on my social media announcements in the coming week. I love NXT LVL so much, there might just be an FGV pizza party sponsored by the brand coming to London and you will definitely want to be a part of it.

Help a vegan business rebuild

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Life is never really easy, but the past few years have been a struggle and a half.

We have all been through a lot and some of us have experienced immense pain and hardship, so it is nice to know we can still reach out to help each other in times of trouble.

During the afternoon of February 18, 2022, storm Eunice collapsed a very large chimney stack onto the kitchen roof of vegan cafe The Plant Base in Tunbridge Wells. The sound was reportedly impressive and the damage was definitely extensive.

The vegan business does have insurance but that will only go so far and they really don’t want to be starting from scratch again for the second time in a year, so they are asking very nicely for anything we can do to help.

CLICK HERE to donate to the emergency repair fund for The Plant Base.

As the only 100% plant based restaurant in the area, The Plant Base customers travel from far and wide to eat with them and they want to reopen as soon as possible.

You can also follow The Plant Base on Instagram.

Special vegan Valentine’s dinner in London

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If you know anything about vegan food in London, you’ll be aware that Essential Vegan is one of the best places to get plant-based cuisine in the city.

Vanessa has established her vegan Brazilian food business as a real leader on the food scene over the past few years and now you can celebrate Valentine’s Day 2022 with a special set menu.

Tapioca dice with homemade sweet chili chutney
Palm hearts and plantain moqueca with basmati rice

The 3-course Valentine’s Day dinner is available for one night only at Essential Vegan, inside Dalston Superstore, on Monday February 14, 2022 from 5pm.

The menu is priced at £25 per person and includes:

  • tapioca dice with homemade sweet chili chutney
  • palm hearts and plantain moqueca with basmati rice
  • Brazilian donuts with guava paste

This is an incredible line up of dishes that is going to have you all loved up!

You can choose the time that suits you with bookings starting from 5pm. Click here to make a booking.

The full Essential Vegan menu will also be available on the night, as it is 7-days a week.

If you like the sound of the Valentine’s Day dinner but can’t get along, think about getting along to the Essential Vegan Dalston Superstore drag brunch that takes place every Saturday and Sunday between 12pm and 5pm. You need to book in advance (same link as above) as this event sells out most weeks.

You can follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

Order vegan cheesecakes

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I was recently gifted this salted caramel vegan cheesecake by the kind and talented people behind @wildhealth_los café and cocktail bar in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend.

How on Earth did they get this hefty cheesecake to me in London? Wild Health now has a nationwide delivery service so you can get a dairy free, soy free, and refined sugar free cheesecake delivered to you.

My gifted cheesecake was DELICIOUS and I got a lot of slices from it.

Other cheesecake flavours include:

  • Mocha
  • Pecan pie
  • Peanut butter
  • Chocolate Orange
  • Ginger nut lime
  • Matcha pistachio
  • Triple chocolate
  • Black Forest
  • Cherry Bakewell
  • Raspberry & white chocolate
  • Blueberry & white chocolate
  • Strawberries & cream
  • Lemon swirl
  • Pumpkin pie

To order you can go to wildhealthshop.com

And don’t forget to visit the Wild Health café next time you are in Southend for a huge range of tasty treats including coffee, juices, smoothies, soups, sandwiches, and more!

Vegan company moves to plastic free

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Oumph! is phasing out plastic in preference for recyclable cardboard packaging. The multi award-winning Swedish plant-based food producer is rolling out the new cardboard packaging into all markets where Oumph! is sold, starting with the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands.

“Our food is a progressive choice and we wanted the packaging to match that. With our new recyclable packaging the aim is to further further limit our environmental impact”, says Linda Arnason, Global Brand Manager at Oumph! which is one of the LIVEKINDLY Collective’s brands.

Arnason, who is leading Oumph!’s packaging project continues:

“There are certain challenges in creating a more sustainable packaging for frozen food, and we are pleased to announce that we’ve found a solution with recyclable cardboard packaging. Not only is it better for the environment, but we’re also receiving positive feedback from retailers because the packaging is easy to stack, and requires less freezer space.”

The new Oumph! packaging is now available in the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands, and will be rolled out in Sweden, the Nordic countries, Germany, Ireland and South Africa this spring.

The new packaging is designed to match Oumph!’s bold brand attitude, and it has received good feedback from consumers and retailers alike.

“Oumph! has an edge as a brand and we want that to be reflected in the packaging. We believe the new design will stand out in the supermarket freezers for consumers to easily find their favourite Oumph! product”, comments Anders ‘Ankan’ Linden, Co-founder, Corporate Chef and Head of Innovation at Oumph!

“With several new product launches planned for this year, the new cardboard packaging plays an important part as we continue to develop tasty, appealing and innovative plant-based food products.”

Visit Oumph! online.

Dining at Stem & Glory

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HUGE thanks to @stemandglory for sponsoring me to try their current menu today.

This 100% #vegan restaurant is usually an eye-opening and tastebud-pleasing experience, with today being no exception.

The kimchi pancakes and Korean ‘fish’ tacos were packed with flavour. I especially loved the mini blue corn tortillas for the tacos.

The large bowl of Szechuan aubergine (with side of kimchi rice) was a fascinating mix of sweet and spicy tastes.

Before today I’d never heard of Swede gnocchi and I was impressed. The creamy sauce featuring roasted chestnut mushrooms, spinach, and spiced walnuts took it to another level.

The @stemandglory dessert game is no joke, either. Pick from sticky toffee pudding with custard or warm cherry crumble with ice cream. Or be like me and get both.

Get over to stemandglory.uk to book a table at the London or Cambridge locations of @stemandglory and watch for a second London location soon.

Take a look at the Instagram video below to see all the delicious dishes!

Veganuary at Danish bakery

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As far as Veganuary menus go, this Danish bakery chain has torn ahead of the competition in the UK.

It’s that time of the year when us vegans get inundated with extra options. There are so many plant-based options in January it can be tough to stay on top of it all.

@oleandsteenuk sponsored me to come along to try their Veganuary menu and I was blown away.

The passionfruit slice was heavenly and mousse-y and I want ten more. The berry slice was just as delicious.

I slurped every last drop of the curried sweet potato and coconut soup.

Toasted focaccia sandwich with nduja paste, cheese, and spinach? Perfect.

And… the absolutely stunning raspberry and almond swirl pastry. My life is never gonna be the same. It is buttery and creamy and flaky and my new best friend. I ate two of them.

@oleandsteenuk has 15 London locations and one in Oxford.

Big thanks to @oleandsteenuk and their PR team for the invite.

Watch my Reel from Instagram below!

Vegan carbonara for the win

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Just in case you can see the text within the post above, here it is again.

Do you need easy to prepare vegan carbonara that is so foolproof even the most-challenged chef would succeed?

You gotta order this vegan carbonara kit from @pastaevangelists for home delivery. I’m not just saying that because they sponsored this post. It really is that fabulous.

Pasta Evangelists joined forces with award-winning plant-based meat producers @this.uk to recreate their Carbonara of Dreams for vegans.

Their creamy cashew sauce blends with crispy ‘bacon’ lardons from @this.uk to make a dish that is heavenly.

This kit can be ordered and delivered to your house THIS WEEK ONLY so hurry if you want it.

Go to pastaevangelists.com and use code VEGANUARY for 50% off your first order.

Guest on a vegan podcast

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Did you know that Vegan Life Magazine has a weekly podcast hosted by the hilarious Jake Yapp?

AND… did you know that I was invited to be a guest on said podcast this week?

Listen to the episode below or if the player isn’t working on this page, click here to listen.