Moo Free Chocolates has launched a brand new premium assortment of chocolates aptly titled ‘marvellously moreish’, and has revealed the first two products in the line up – Sea Salt & Caramel and Dark 65 Easter eggs.
Carefully crafted with their infamous multi-award winning ‘milk’ chocolate and a brand new organic 65% dark chocolate, these two organic Easter eggs epitomise the marvellously moreish range with their velvety richness, luxurious inclusions and ethically-sourced ingredients.
“These two premium Easter eggs – the first of the marvellously moreish range – are like nothing else on the market right now”, says director and co-founder Mike Jessop.
“Easter eggs were our first product at Moo Free, so it’s fitting that this new assortment of ethically-sourced luxurious chocolates should begin with Easter eggs too”.
Following on from my jaunt around Europe thanks to Vegan Travel’s NYE cruise on the Rhine, I’m slowly catching up with reporting on some of the food places I visited.
After the cruise, Gil and I got a chance to spend a few days in Paris.
One of my food highlights from the city of lights was VG Pâtisserie, a super cute vegan patisserie located just a few steps away from the Voltaire Metro station in the 11th arrondissement.
The handcrafted patisserie items at VG Pâtisserie were exquisite and we had a difficult time trying to pick a selection. The cafe was absolutely bustling and seemed to be the most popular business on its block.
Check out the photos below to see what we ended up with and be sure to follow VG Pâtisserie on Instagram to stay updated with their gorgeous offerings.
I recently had 12 hours to hang out in Amsterdam and I made damn sure that I made time to dine with Deer Mama.
Deer Mama is a relatively new burger and shake bar located just south of the central canals of Amsterdam. It’s close enough to walk from the centre, or you can whizz down there via a tram in minutes.
I had been reading about the restaurant for a few weeks before my visit, meaning my anticipation was high and my excitement levels for decadent burgers, boozy shakes, and vegan soft serve were at fever pitch.
Sometimes being THAT excited about a new vegan place can kinda set you up for disappointment, but I’m happy to say that I walked out of Deer Mama one extremely satisfied customer.
The burgers were some of the nicest I’ve tasted in recent years and the baked-on-premises cookies, cakes, and cinnamon scrolls added an extra layer of delicious temptation.
Check out my photos below and be sure to drop in next time you are in Amsterdam.
The exact location of Deer Mama can be seen thanks to Google Maps and you can follow the vegan restaurant on Instagram.
I am thrilled to share news of my collaboration with Time Out Mexico.
The magazine asked me to help with their January vegan issue and I’m pleased to say we were able to promote many independent vegan businesses in the Mexican capital.
the top ten places to shop for vegan groceries in Mexico City
five reasons why a person should go vegan
If you are not in Mexico City and unable to get your hands on the magazine, you can download a PDF version online here.
I am quite emotional that I have been able to share the vegan message via such a huge platform, especially as it is directly supporting independent vegan business.
We’ve seen plans for cat cafés and owls in bars, now we have Queens Skate Dine and Bowl in West London promoting an ice skating event featuring live penguins.
I believe most fair-minded and compassionate people understand that live animals are not ours to use for entertainment and penguins do not belong inside a skating rink that doubles as a bar/restaurant in Central London.
The venue describes the event as follows:
To celebrate Penguin Awareness Day 2019, QUEENS will be making a donation to birdlife.org and we need your help! We feel that the best way to understand how wonderful these flightless birds are is, to get to meet them & their loving handlers – so we’ve invited a raft of penguins to join us on on SATURDAY 19TH JANUARY from 4pm till 8pm.
Penguins are amazingly adapatable creatures, some are at home on beaches of South-Africa and others rule over the Antarctic ice. We are excited to see them make QUEENS ice rink their home for the afternoon!
All profits going to birdlife.org – look at what amazing job they are doing.
Enough is enough of this bullshit.
Live animals do not belong inside entertainment venues, they do not belong in a London skating rink, and they deserve to not be used by a for-profit business as a form of greenwashing in order to get publicity.
How will be the penguins be displayed? The venue website states:
The area the penguins will be situated, will a purpose made 20 metre x 4 metre insulated platfrom sitting atop of the ice.
barriers will be around the the penguin at all time
These animals are endangered in their natural habitat. The birds who will visit your educational encounter have a special CITES exemption that allows them to be exhibited.
Being a highly intelligent animal, the penguin responds very positively to regular training. This provides good behaviour enrichment and reduces stress.
There have been no recorded instances of stress in this company’s keeping of penguins.
These birds are regularly inspected by specialist zoo vets.
It is this company’s belief that exhibiting these fantastic animals in this way draws attention to their plight in the wild. They are the ambassadors for their wild cousins.
To suggest that the penguins will be guaranteed to not feel any sense of distress or upset as people skate around them is simply disingenuous. There is no way the organisers can know this.
To add insult to this flimsy attempt to claim these animals are being cared for in the name of entertainment, the on site restaurant at Queens features a menu filled with numerous animals including chickens, cows, and pigs.
The idea that the lanes are claiming penguin welfare as a priority while turning a profit from the death of other animals is hypocritical and completely diminishes their so-called concerns for looking after penguins.
Promotional images used by the venue
Circuses and shows featuring live animals are rightfully becoming a thing of the past all over the planet as humans become more aware of the trauma associated with putting animals on display for entertainment.
Queens need to be dragged into 2019 by being reminded that raising money for penguins is not a good enough excuse to exploit them. Live animals are not entertainment, not even when it is in the name of fundraising.
You can ask Queens to reconsider hosting this event via their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. You can see their page about the penguin event online here.
Update:
The venue has now cancelled this event as a result of public pressure. See their tweets below.
The Vegan Candy Company believes that yummy sweets should be enjoyed by everyone.
Founded by Joanna and Lorraine, The Vegan Candy Company has created their own vegan sweet supply store. They believe vegan products shouldn’t have to come with a premium price tag and they’ve worked hard to bring their customers affordable vegan pick n mix at a sweet price.
Joanna and Lorraine are building their business in order to give back to animal rescue charities and to make plant-based confectionery the norm. As they grow, they intend to choose a selection of charities to which they will donate a portion of their profits.
The Vegan Candy Company currently offers its vegan pick n mix range with over 40 varieties of sweets that can be delivered straight to your door.
You can learn more about the company and order your own vegan pick n mix by visiting The Vegan Candy Companyonline here.
The pick n mix can be purchased in a 500g box, a 1kg box, and a 1kg monthly subscription box.
January means Veganuary for a lot of people, so premium frozen food brand Thyme is taking part in the celebrations by supporting its UK customers by going entirely meat-free for the month of January including the launch of their first Thyme To Try Vegan meal box.
Thyme told me their mission is simple: to make it easier, to eat better.
A lack of time, recipe inspiration and know-how are often cited as reasons why it can be difficult to successfully navigate and maintain a purely meat-free regime.
Thyme aims to make real, honest, slow-food a lot easier, much quicker and far more convenient simply by using the freezer. They are taking out the roadblocks for people who feel eating vegan is too difficult or complicated.
Thyme creates deliciously fresh food under its own label as well as supporting upcoming independent brands through its online market place. Food is delivered frozen, directly to their customer’s door.
Satisfying the hunger of Britain’s fastest growing food phenomenon (yes, I’m talking about plant-based eating!) the Thyme to Try Vegan Box provides 3 meals and 3 sides including wholesome Blackbean & Sweet Potato Chilli, Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry, Roasted Root Vegetables and Crispy Chilli Potato Bakes all for just the special offer price of £10.
The Thyme To Try Vegan box is available for £10 throughout January when using promotional code ‘try for 10’. Usual price £20.
Thyme has announced they will become a meat-free brand forever if the January meat-free trial is successful.
“It’s time for change,” said Thyme Managing Director Heidi Thompson. “Will Thyme be meat-free? Our fate is in our customers’ hands and we’re very excited to see where they take us.”
What do you think? Are you going to order some Thyme cuisine? Click here to order and don’t forget to use ‘try for 10’ to get the special price.
Extra note: Thyme paid a fee in order for fatgayvegan.com to share this news. 10% of this fee is being donated to Isla Urbana, a water security initiative in Mexico City.
Here is a quick and cute post to let you know about a wonderful vegan café and bakery in Paris called Cloud Cakes.
Cloud Cakes is nestled away just a few blocks to the north of the world-famous Louvre museum.
The café features a case packed full of gorgeous patisserie and fresh croissants.
I headed along for a recent Sunday brunch and was blown away by the quality of the cuisine. The scramble was perfect and I’ve never been as happy as I was when I was devouring the warm croissants with a glass of orange juice.
Check out my photos below but before you do, take a moment to follow Cloud Cakes on Instagram. See the exact location of the café thanks to Google Maps.
Superstar vegan restaurant chain Arancini Brothers now has a fourth location in London, this time south of the river!
The 100% vegan restaurant chain is famous for its Sicilian risotto balls, flavoursome wraps, and decadent burgers. With much-adored outlets in Old Street, Kentish Town, and Dalston this fast and nutritious food chain has already established a solid hold north of the river.
Owner and founder Dave told me:
“We are opening our fourth location at Arch 34 Maltby Street, Bermondsey. We have come such a long way since we started with a simple street food concept in Brick Lane Market almost ten years ago!”
You can eat with Arancini Brothers at their Maltby Street location between 9:30am and 9:30pm, 7 days a week. The location is good for dining in, taking away, or having food delivered.
In other huge news, Arancini Brothers has become the first ever UK chain to offer a franchise opportunity.
Yes, it is your chance to franchise a vegan restaurant!
Arancini Brothers are now looking for franchise partners to open and run versions of their wildly successful business all over the UK and the planet.
If you think you have what it takes (including the funds!) to open a location of this popular vegan food business in your area, click here to read more about the franchise opportunity.
Be sure to get into the Bermondsey location as soon as you can in order to eat some amazing vegan food and congratulate Arancini Brothers on their deserved success.
Extra news: to help Arancini Brothers celebrate the opening of their fourth London restaurant, I am running an Instagram follower drive. I am trying to get them to 15,000 followers! They are just short of 10k so we need to work hard to get them there. Follow them on Instagram now.
I need to remind you that GreenBay Supermarket in Fulham still exists and as one of London’s best independently-owned vegan businesses, you should take a moment shop with them when you have the funds.
GreenBay has just started selling copies of my first ever book. Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t costs £8.99 and if you buy from them online or in the shop, they get to keep half of the money!
Click here to buy it from their online store. While you are there, grab a basketful of vegan groceries and enjoy next day delivery in the UK!
GreenBay is a fully-stocked vegan grocery store located on North End Road but if you can’t get in there, you can shop online and they will bring the good stuff to you.
The shelves are overflowing with all manner of compassionate products including cheese, meats, pastas, personal care items, drinks, yogurts, chocolates, and pretty much anything you could want or need.
