I am thrilled to announce that FGV is collaborating with Walthamstow Sunday Social to bring London a new weekly vegan market.
Launching on March 3, 2019 Walthamstow Sunday Social is set to be a weekly celebration of independent business, entertainment, creativity, and of course food. It is one of the biggest local markets in Europe!
Walthamstow Sunday Social is an initiative to bring vibrancy to the local area and to show people the value of their high street.
The FGV section will be on the high street alongside craft, vintage, and fresh fruit/vegetable traders, just steps from major transport links in Walthamstow Central.
The vegan section will feature ten traders including some of the best hot food traders in the capital.
More details are coming soon but in the meantime you can follow Walthamstow Sunday Social on Facebook and Instagram. You can see their website here.
As always, follow FGV on Instagram for visual updates about our traders.
In addition to every Sunday in Walthamstow between 10am and 4pm, we also present the FGV at Venn Street section in Clapham every Saturday between 10am and 4pm.
If you are north of the river or south of the river, we have you covered!
One of our most popular traders from the now-defunct Hackney Downs Vegan Market is now trading as a pop-up inside Westfield Stratford.
Vegan Delice helped make our weekly Hackney market one of the most popular vegan destinations in the UK, and now Chanel and her team have launched a counter inside the massive Stratford shopping mall.
Chanel’s cupcakes, tray bakes, and cookies are the stuff of legend and now you can get hold of them INSIDE Westfield until March 11, 2019.
This is a huge opportunity for Vegan Delice and I’m thrilled to see a fiercely independent vegan business getting this platform. Nobody works harder than Chanel when it comes to promoting veganism through tasty food.
Get along to support Chanel and make yourself happy with cake! Follow Vegan Delice on Instagram.
Vegan Life isn’t just the name of the monthly magazine featuring my column. It is also a massive vegan lifestyle show that celebrates everything plant-based.
The annual London version of the show is taking place at Alexandra Palace on March 9 and 10, 2019 and I will be there selling copies of my book, chatting to people, and enjoying the show.
You will be able to find me at Stand 5. I would love to see you there.
If you are keen to come along and enjoy the cooking demos, food court, new product displays, and informative talks you can get 2-for-1 tickets at this online link.
Visit the Vegan Life Livewebsite to get full show details.
If you are trying to discover more ways to explore your vegan lifestyle, why not invest in some vegan fetish gear?!
Leather is obviously a standard for fetish wear, but Gilded Fetish has made it possible for vegans to experience an alternative.
Handmade in a workshop in London, the vegan leather utilised by Brett at Gilded Fetish is actually cork sourced from Portugal.
The vegan range comes in a “One-Size fits all” range with three styles at the moment: Classic Bulldog Harness (H-style), Spartan Harness (single shoulder) and Bicep Strap.
Key features of the One-size design include Silver Side-Release buckles (quite unique in the available range of male fetish wear, apparently), and an adjustable size range from Small to XXL.
The vegan leather is currently available in 15 colours from basic black, through fuchsia pink, candy red, and Black + Gold spray.
Brett and Gilded Fetish have future product developments planned including further styles and colours including a very special rainbow edition cork.
You can shop online for the vegan Gilded Fetish range now.
Extra note: Gilded Fetish also have a partnership with Fetch – Clapham’s only fetish wear store. Full product range is available to view and buy in store.
The UK’s first cheesemonger is working together with their suppliers to bring you the UK’s most delicious, decadent and inspired plant-based cheese selection.
Rachel and Charlotte Stevens (sisters from South Wales) have found inspiration from being vegan (Rachel) and lactose intolerant (Charlotte) and now it is time for them to share their passion for cheese with the masses.
La Fauxmagerie has cheeses for every purpose: melting, grating, spreading, relishing and devouring! They also offer a range of plant-based preserves, breads, and accoutrements to add the perfect final touches to your cheese banquet.
If you have hung around these parts for a while, you will know that I have long been singing the praises of my superstar chef friend Steph and her gorgeous food brand, Ponga.
Ponga has moved around the southeast of England, spreading gorgeous food far and wide, but now has a pop up home in Chatham, Kent.
Tearoom with a Twist is situated INSIDE a gorgeous antiques shop and is opening this Saturday February 9, 2019!
The tearoom popup be be open from Thursday to Monday each week during the day, with the idea of opening seven days once they make it permanent (fingers crossed that vegans support this pop up!).
There will also be a few pre-booked supper club nights during the pop up period, too. Steph’s long-term aim is to create a cosy tearoom space by day where people can work, socialise, and relax. By night, it will transform into an event space with a Gin Palace vibe hosting a number of nights including live music, comedy, vegan talks/film etc.
Get involved with this gorgeous space. You can’t get finer vegan food than Ponga and this antique shop is the perfect venue.
Follow the Ponga pop up on Instagram. Buy tickets for the exclusive opening night celebration online now.
Extra note: Popcorn the Beagle lives on site and is AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL.
Just when you think we’ve reached peak veganism, along comes Blackout with their unique dark dining experience in Las Vegas.
This concept is rather unusual, but also highly enjoyable.
Diners eat their 7-course vegan dinner in complete darkness. Not semi-darkness where eyes can adjust after a few minutes, but rather total darkness.
On arrival, guests read and sign a waiver before locking phones and all light emitting objects into a secure locker.
Each group of diners is assigned a server just as you would be in any regular restaurant. At Blackout however, the servers wear night vision goggles in order to navigate the room and serve food and drinks.
Gil and I were invited down by the restaurant to try the menu and our server Anthony was a true delight. He was obviously our eyes for the night but he was much more than that.
Anthony talked us through each dish, gave directions to cutlery, and kept us feeling relaxed through the hour and a half experience.
The entire experience was amazing, a little nerve-racking, and something that I will never forget.
Anthony gave us minimal details on the ingredients of each dish, allowing us the freedom to explore the flavours on our own.
Gil and I had a great time trying to work out what we were eating. You don’t realise how much your taste is influenced by sight until you find yourself trying to deconstruct the flavours in a 7-course meal!
Hearing the other diners talk, laugh, and sometimes smash a glass (!) is surreal and has you questioning so much about your senses.
When we got outside, Gil said it was like I had been inside his brain for an hour and a half. How awful for him!
You are allowed to view the menu AFTER you finish your meal but you are not permitted to read it aloud nor can you photograph it.
Blackout prides itself on offering the experience as a complete surprise for diners and they don’t want it ruined by menu leaks.
In addition, the restaurant does not advertise as vegan even though all food and drink is completely plant-based. Imagine the thousands of non-vegans having this fun experience only to discover at the end of the night that they were eating vegan food.
That is some seriously stealth vegan activism!
You MUST try Blackout Dining in the Dark when you are in Las Vegas. You will love the food AND the dark dining room.
It’s been a few years since I last dined with Pancho’s Vegan Tacos and my visit this week reminded me instantly why this is one of the best places to eat in Las Vegas.
With a location about 4 miles off the world famous casino Strip, Pancho’s is the perfect place to load up on Mexican comfort food.
But be warned. The portions are HUGE.
Gil and I were almost outdone by the giant loaded fries… seriously, these things were almost too much.
The rest of the menu reads like one of my dreams. Quesadillas. Pozole. Tacos. Burgers. Cake. Agua frescas.
Follow Pancho’s on Instagram and watch out for extra locations (like Henderson and a mobile truck) and others coming very soon.
Nothing satisfies me quite like vegan comfort food. Give me a solid burger and some crispy fries to see me at my happiest.
I’m currently in Las Vegas and found my way to The Modern Vegan, a restaurant in a strip mall located not too far from the airport that left me grinning from ear to ear.
The menu is stacked with classics you’d expect in a comfort food place including loaded fries, buffalo burgers, shakes, and waffles.
Gil and I ate as much as we could but these were BIG portions.
Check out the photos below and follow The Modern Vegan on Instagram.
