Imitation croc skin bags

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Vrocskin. Yep, vegan croc skin bags and clutches.

If you admire the beauty of animal skins but can’t fathom the idea of killing a creature for fashion, this collection of U.K.-made bags, clutches, and pouches by Wilby Sustainable might appeal to you.

The company describe their items as ultra lightweight, vegan and sustainable croc skin bags made from cork leather in the U.K.

I don’t know a lot about fashion but Wilby describe these fashionable and kinder pieces as being suitable for formalwear or any occasion.

There is a seasonal sale on over at their website and they currently offer free U.K. shopping and they ship worldwide for a fee if you are further afield.

Click here to see the full range.

Buy 3-pack bundles of vegan chocolate

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If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen me post quite a number of times about No Whey Foods.

This US company makes some of my all-time favourite candy and chocolate products.

It is difficult to get my hands on these products when I am in the UK, so it is good news to my ears to find out that No Whey has started selling online via Amazon.

The three products available right now are shown below, with more to come over weeks and months.

And in even better news, the candies above are available as lots of three. Yes, you order three packets at a time!

Click here to visit the No Whey product page on Amazon.

Extra note: some of these products are also starting to show up in independent vegan grocery stores and online shops around the UK. Please make it a priority to support these businesses before shopping with Amazon if you can.

Extra extra note: I have just realised that No Whey are in the ‘can’t recommend’ section of the Food Empowerment Project chocolate list. This list documents responses from companies related to their ethical and fair trade chocolate practices. You can see the full list online here.

Vegan business attacked online by trolls

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The owners of UK vegan BnB Loaf have recently experienced targeted online trolling and hate comments.

Loaf is a bed and breakfast located in Northumberland that lists its selling points as the glorious countryside, nearby coast, lovely rooms, log fires, and of course the fab vegan food.

The comments directed at the owners and vegans in general are hateful and vile.

You can see them below in a series of screengrabs shared here with permission from Loaf co-owner Karen.

As you can see, the comments are not only anti-vegan but also anti-Muslim and homophobic.

All of this because a vegan company shared a photo of vegan food on their own Facebook page.

I asked co-owner Karen if she could share how she felt about the abuse.

This is what she told me:

Sadly this is not uncommon. In the past I have deleted or hidden these sort of comments, almost feeling the shame the writer should have. I think it’s time we all stop dismissing online abuse as ‘just trolling’ and recognise it for what it is. Hate speech. The lowest, most cowardly form of bullying, hidden behind a social media profile. I think it’s time we all start calling people out on this. It shames us all and social media platforms should have a zero tolerance to this sort of behaviour. I also have to question why an ethical choice to do the least harm causes so much anger to some people.

I would like to express my sincere solidarity with Karen and Loaf and offer my support. I implore you to show your support for Loaf by booking with them and following them on social media.

You can visit the Loaf website here to view their rooms and book a stay. You can support independent vegan business AND holiday in beautiful Berwick-upon-Tweed close to the Scottish border.

Please follow Loaf on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Gorgeous vegan food in Mexico

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Here is a super quick blog post to share news of a fab vegan eatery in the Mexican city of Querétaro.

Located about a 3-hour drive from Mexico City, Querétaro is a gorgeous cities overflowing with historic buildings and inviting courtyards.

It is inside one of these courtyards that you will find Taco Green.

Taco Green showcases a mouthwatering menu featuring tacos and burgers. Take a look at food from my visit below and follow Taco Green on Instagram.

See the exact location of Taco Green thanks to Google Maps.

New vegan chef training course

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There was a recent newspaper article sating that the UK was facing a vegan chef shortage as the population took plant-based eating to heart.

This announcement couldn’t have come at a better time for a new vegan chef school launching in London.

The Vegan Chef Institute is open for business and taking bookings.

Co-founder Chef Day Radley says of her desire to elevate vegan cuisine within the UK:

As a newbie vegan chef I expected to dive into a world where my fellow chefs adored their work; creating dishes with love, pushing back the boundaries of cruelty free food. How wrong I was. It was 2010 and I was working in my first pro-chef job. The kitchen was a maelstrom of grumpy, tetchy chefs, barking at each other whilst churning out food with as much care as a factory robot. Any love for food resided solely with me.
The rest of the ‘team’ were not vegan or vegetarian and couldn’t care less about cross contamination. They were grown boys stuck in a career that was the best of a limited choice given them at age 16; work as a mechanic, builder or chef. For many, becoming a chef seemed like the easy choice. The long unsociable hours, minimum wage and sweaty, greasy conditions soon makes it clear that it is far from easy. This is a persistent problem in UK kitchens and one that adds to our terrible reputation for a severe lack of culinary finesse. When you pair that with the vegan movement the consequences could be even more severe; it has the potential to limit the growth of veganism. As a vegan chef you are acutely aware that the dish you serve may convince someone to become vegan or help them to remain vegan. Each good plate of food adds weight to the vegan choice, it says ‘this is delicious, you are not missing out, so yes, you can do this’. For people on the vegan cusp that single plate could mark the deciding moment. For the V-curious, wanting to dip a tentative toe, if that dish is bland they will ascertain that ALL vegan food is bland and steer clear of it in the future. The culinary art of vegan, sustainable and compassionate cuisine needs to be showcased by talented vegan chefs.

Radley continued:

This is the reason I have created The Vegan Chef Institute with co-founder and health coach, Chantal Di Donato. The Institute launched on November 1st, World Vegan Day. Our mission? To provide the vegan movement with a progressive centre of learning and innovation so that we can develop a cuisine that it truly deserves and needs. We kick off the Institute with a fast-track vocational course designed to propel keen home cooks into their first job as a professional vegan chef. The combination of careful and personal tutelage, with an internship element to the course, will give students everything they need to take that first exciting step on the cooking career ladder.

The course runs from January 13th, every Sunday, for 12 weeks. Their kitchen site in Battersea, South London allows each of their 8 students their own station and hobs, with plenty of space to make and create. They will celebrate and showcase the work of the class at a student-led supper club. Family, friends and the vegan community will be invited to eat with the class.

You can find out more and book a place onto the course online.

You can follow the Vegan Chef Institute on Facebook and Instagram.

Special vegan Christmas menu with SpiceBox

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SpiceBox has just announced their menu for a very spicy Christmas that will be available at their test kitchen at the Hornbeam Cafe in Walthamstow from Thursday November 22 until Friday December 21, 2018.

The menu features their extra special Crimbo curry packed full of seasonal vegetables plus stuffing ball koftas and rich, decadent spices. Their parsnip pakora starter with cranberry chutney is the ultimate fusion dish and it wouldn’t be a Christmas celebration without mince pies so they are doing homemade chai-spiced mince pies with coconut ice cream!

Guests can choose two or three courses from the attached menu for £20 or £30 and that cost also includes a selection of their sides, breads and rices! And they also have some extra special cocktails including rum chai and a mango bellini.

Bookings can be made via their website or hello@spicelabs.co.uk. They will also be running their standard menus throughout that time period.

You can follow SPiceBox on Instagram.

Game changers at Temple of Seitan

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Super brief blog post to tell you about TWO very solid reasons why you should visit Temple of Seitan during November.

Reason the first is all about their special of the month. Take a look at this burger.

Vegan egg yolk, anyone?

Temple are magicians when it comes to food and this Brekky Burger is next level conjuring. You can buy it at both Temple of Seitan locations (Hackney and Camden) as well as the FGV section of Venn Street Market each Saturday.

News the second?

Temple is now stocking limited quantities of the best vegan donuts in the UK. Originating from Chester, the filled donuts by The Vegan Food Pod are the best you can buy and it is fabulous that they now have a permanent London home.

You can also find The Vegan Food Pod at the FGV section of Venn Street Market every Saturday.

Yay for tasty food!

Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

Follow The Vegan Food Pod on Instagram.

HUGE Follow Your Heart giveaway

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London. This is HUGE news.

Superstar vegan company Follow Your Heart is teaming up with the original and best vegan market for a super sized vegan food giveaway this Sunday November 4, 2018.

Come along to Hackney Downs Vegan Market from 11am on Sunday and grab some of the finest vegan food products on the planet. FOR FREE!

There will be hundreds of Follow Your Heart products available for absolutely no charge, but you will need to be early to get the best pick.

The company has kindly sent the following:

  • Organic Vegenaise
  • Sriracha Vegenaise
  • Garlic Aioli Vegenaise
  • Pizzeria Blend Shreds
  • Cheddar Shreds
  • Organic Coleslaw Dressing

The products are not just great tasting, they are some of the best on the planet and are produced by one of the most ethical businesses you will ever see.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market Sunday edition traders will also be thrilled to see you, so please take a look at the line up online here and start planning your Sunday shopping and eating (the Saturday version is on as well if you want to make a full weekend of it!).

RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

See the full Follow Your Heart range online and be sure to follow the superstar vegan brand on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Christmas party menu at Pho

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Pho, the Vietnamese street food restaurant, have just announced they will be launching a fully vegan Christmas set menu in some of their restaurants.

You can book their vegan set menu, which launches on 26th November, in six of their London restaurants plus Brighton, Cambridge, Guildford, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford and Reading.

The meal itself kicks off with rice crackers (and Christmas crackers!) before guests choose from a variety of their spring and summer roll starters. They also have a great range of mains to choose from, from their classic pho noodles soups to curries and other rice dishes, and wok-fried noodles, all served alongside mounds of lovely greens to share.

Even Pho’s Prosecco is vegan!

Get all the info and book your group reservation online here. The Vegan Christmas menu is available for groups of five or more.

And the Christmas set menu is available here as a PDF.

This sounds like the perfect place to go for office lunches, Xmas get togethers, and absolutely anytime you want tasty vegan food!

In their other restaurants, they will be serving their main menu as normal – which is already over a quarter vegan.

World Vegan Day dinner event in Leeds

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Launched in 2018 as part of the newly refurbished legendary Leeds dive bar Oporto, Knave’s Kitchen has quickly become one of the cities go to places for delicious vegan food with their seitan kebabs, fish finger wraps and ambitious specials bringing eaters of every persuasion to the late-night haunt all hours of the day.

Kanve’s is very special vegan food, indeed.

This week welcomes the first of three gorgeous upcoming events with Knaves. 

The multi-course dinner on November 1st (World Vegan Day to the uninitiated) will feature five Halloween themed vegan dishes and five specially created Oporto cocktails & themed drinks paired with them all for just £31.

There will also be prizes for best fancy dress and spooky decor. Be quick to book now.

Did I mention this was only the first event in a line up?

The second event, taking place on New Years Eve, will be an altogether more fabulous affair.

Vegan bubbly will welcome guests to their table which will be reserved for the evening, their will be the usual Oporto fun with top DJs accompanying a three-course vegan celebration with some extra special surprises all for just £29.95pp. Tickets for that event are available now.

Book for NYE now.

Vegan food opportunity number three from Knave’s?

Knave’s have also unveiled their first ever Christmas menu, which will be served from the 1st of December and features dishes like ‘Christmas Wurst and Parsnip Bacon Bun’ as well as ‘Boozy Shallots, Root Hash and Lambs Lettuce Truffle Crunch’, ‘Peruvian Jack Fruit Ceviche, Corn Croquettes, Sweet Pepper Aji’ and ‘Yorkshire Seitan and Wild Mushroom Wellington, Rosemary Roasties, Mulled Cabbage, Buttered Greens and PROPER Gravy’ alongside lots more tasty options.

Knave’s Kitchen head chef Sam Thomas said, “All the tinsel, trees and brandy-soaked puddings in the world couldn’t come close to getting me as excited for the festive season as this menu. It’s got it all: spicy deep seasonal punch, delicious nutritious wild ingredients and enough cheesy crass pomp to fill a French fromagerie four times over. At the same time as being Yorkshire as f*ck and holding true to the real Knave’s Kitchen Junk Food vibes”.

Tickets for Knave’s Kitchen events as well as Christmas bookings are available from their website.