Three weeks until LVBF

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With just three weeks to go until the 6th annual London Vegan Beer Fest, I wanted to drop by and give you an update on what is happening on Saturday July 14, 2018.

London Vegan Beer Fest is taking over Hackney Downs Showroom, Hackney Downs Studios and TEMPLE GOODS cafe for one hell of a party.

Some of the attractions include:

  • MASSIVE indoor beer hall hosted by superstar brewery Brass Castle
  • Outdoor food and beer market featuring some of the best vegan street food in London and breweries from all over the UK
  • Indoor food and beer hall run by Temple of Seitan
  • Sponsor Follow Your Heart sampling products
  • Karaoke performance room
  • Face painting (yes, for adults!)

This is going to be a party you don’t want to miss.

We are currently selling early bird tickets for just £5 plus booking fee. If we have space on the day, tickets will be £9. Almost 50% of tickets have already gone, so be quick.

Click here to book now and RSVP to the Facebook event page.

New vegan restaurant in Kensal Rise

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Located in vibrant Kensal Rise, Comptoir V brings international vegan cuisine to the heart of west London.

The restaurant descibes itself as having an international, plant-powered menu with decor inspired by the souks of Marrakech. Comptoir V aims to make plant-based eating and drinking exciting for everyone in a beautiful yet relaxed environment.

Some of the menu favourites with diners are the Tempura ‘Shrimp’, Barbecue Mushroom ‘Ribs’ with Vegan Mac and Cheese, the Tagine Special and Oreo ‘Cheesecake’.

Comptoir V also has a large selection of vegan wines, beers, soft drinks and superfood lattes.

Click here to visit the Comptoir V website and view their incredible menu. You can see their exact location here thanks to Google Maps.

Follow Comptoir V on Instagram.

World Cup and vegan street food

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Are you interested in watching the England/Belgium World Cup game AND eating vegan street food at the same time?

Yes? Well, I have some good news for you!

Hackney Downs Studios is the location where I host Hackney Downs Vegan Market and London Vegan Beer Fest.

Each year, the Studios host a massive open day event and this year’s celebration is coming up on Thursday June 28, 2018.

But what is so special about this Open Studios event and why should you care?

Let me list the fun attractions:

  • jewellery workshops
  • weaving demonstrations
  • digital and interactive experimentations
  • life drawing
  • talks
  • exclusive sample sales
  • film screenings
  • installations
  • live music and comedy
  • food, drinks and dancing

PLUS, the Studios will be screening the England vs Belgium World Cup game on screens around the site so you don’t need to miss out on your sports if you are that way inclined.

I was asked asked to curate some food options for the evening (which runs from 6pm until 10pm) and you are going to adore this list of vegan traders who will be there at the Open Studios event:

PLUS Temple of Seitan will be running a vegan BBQ out of their on site cafe Temple Goods. (Please note that there might be some non-vegan traders on site but we definitely have these 6 traders for you who are all 100% vegan)

This is a huge party that comes around only once a year. It has it all. Food. Drinks. Music. Football. BBQ.

You can RSVP to the Facebook event here (where you can also see the itinerary) and claim your FREE TICKET by clicking here.

Yes, that’s right. You can get a free ticket but you need to book it now.

Ethical vegan market in Essex

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The Feel Good Fair has been running monthly since the beginning of 2017 and is the first of its kind in Essex. All products are 100% vegan, traders are local and independent, and all are working towards or currently use environmentally sustainable packaging and production.

This sounds wonderful!

The market has a teaching focus for visitors each month. Past months have focused on zero waste, teaching about composting, demos on making tofu and plant based milks, make-do-and-mend with sewing machines and electrical repairs.

Organisers of The Feel Good Fair told me the focus for the event is on building a sense of community and togetherness. People get along and hang out for hours just chatting at the large communal coffee shop table with books to browse or in the street food section sharing recipes and kind living tips.

The event is free to attend and is run completely by volunteers. It takes place once a month in the town of Coggeshall near Colchester. Click here to see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Follow the Facebook page for latest news and dates. The next monthly event is this Sunday June 24, 2018.

New issue of T.O.F.U magazine

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My buddy Ryan publishes an informative and educational magazine called T.O.F.U. and the new issue is out now.

Here is a little bit about the latest issue:

After covering physical and mental health issues in the previous two releases, T.O.F.U. Magazine’s latest (T.O.F.U. #13) focuses on veganism and disordered eating. With articles on struggles with bulimia, anorexia, orthorexia, and other eating disorders (EDs), as well as pieces about recovery and an interview with Muffy J. Davis, the issue seeks to further conversations both for those with EDs and the community in general.

You can order the 60+ page colour magazine as a download now from the T.O.F.U. website.

The suggested price for the issue is $5 Canadian and you are able to name your own price.

Ryan works tirelessly to bring together this insightful magazine packed with useful articles. Get behind his efforts and pay for a copy today!

UK has a vegan shake diner

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Hold onto your vintage petticoats because this is some hugely fabulous news.

The Essex town of Colchester has just welcomed a 100% vegan, 50s-style diner that has a distinct rockabilly vibe.

It looks marvellous!

You need to follow Shakers Dairy Free on Facebook and Instagram. You can click here to see the exact town centre location thanks to Google Maps.

Not only do I adore the idea of a completely vegan diner selling ice cream, shakes, and sandwiches, but I’m also in love with the fact that Shakers are using 100% compostable packaging.

Yay for vegan Colchester! There is definitely a fabulous compassionate scene building in strength in that part of the world.

Vegan business in Sri Lanka

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I recently enjoyed a wonderful email exchange with a vegan business owner in Sri Lanka.

Instead of me trying to give you all the details, I’ve asked Tashie Roberts to give you all the inside information on her venture called Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar:

Three and half years ago I became a vegan and because I missed cake and goodies, I learnt to bake vegan brownies. My non-vegan family and friends loved the brownies I baked and many people suggested that I sell a few brownies from home. The rest is history. Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar was born! It took off and people (not just vegans) loved my brownies and it got bigger and I realised I could no longer do it from home. I took a small place and decided to start up my own café. I invested every last cent I have in to opening up the café. Now, even though I do have a regular amount of business coming in from people that order my brownies and cakes for delivery, it isn’t nearly enough to run the café. Sri Lanka is a fairly poor country meaning not many people simply walk into the café off the streets. In the past month (34 days to be exact) that I have been open, I have noticed to my surprise that the majority of customers walking in have been vegan tourists that have found me on HappyCow. I am also the admin of Vegan Sri Lanka, the vegan community here in Sri Lanka where we discuss veganism, help vegan tourists with where to eat, what to eat and how to order, and many other things. The vegan community in Sri Lanka is tiny but there a lot more of us than when we first started our Vegan Sri Lanka journey three years ago. It is growing and we are seeing so much progress in Sri Lanka!

What an amazing story.

We can help Tashie and the vegan movement in Sri Lanka by liking and sharing the Smokey’s Facebook page. You can also follow them on Instagram.

If you are in the area, the exact address of Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar can be seen here thanks to Google Maps.

Pride month

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As June is Pride month, I am thrilled to find myself listed on not one but two lists championing LGBTQI+ vegans.

  • You can click here to see 11 Vegan LGBTQIA+ Activists You Need To Know About thanks to LiveKindly and writer Kat Smith.
  • In addition, you can read the 20 Highly Influential LGBTQ+ Vegans list put together by Emily Court over on Plant Based News by clicking here.

Thank you for the inclusion on your lists.

I truly hope a lot of FGV readers will take a moment to discover some of these queer voices mentioned and work hard to help elevate and amplify what they have to say.

Follow this vegan band

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One of my favourite bands out of Australia is Love Like Hate.

Heather and Sonja write, record, and perform irresisitible and atmospheric pop music.

I was encouraged to remind you about them after I saw the following Instagram post from the band.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkD-EBrF1Ra/

Love Like Hate isn’t just a vehicle for fantastic music, the people involved are also fierce social justice advocates. Both Heather and Sonja are long term vegans and both are continually using their platform to speak out against injustice.

Please take some time to listen to Love Like Hate over on Bandcamp.

Follow Love Like Hate on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Zero waste vegan market for London

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London will soon welcome its first ever vegan, zero waste market.

Set to take place between 10:00am and 5:00pm on Saturday September 29, 2018 at the beautiful palm tree filled Conservatory (at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington), Zero Mkt London will involve zero animal products, zero single-use plastics and zero waste. Everything will be edible, reusable, recyclable or compostable. Guests will have an array of stalls to explore, ranging from vegan food and drink, eco lifestyle products, and sustainable clothing items.

Abigail Penny and James Morgan – founders of the market – describe this as a “celebration, where together we can bask in plant-based goodness, explore sustainable products, and begin to live more consciously”.

When asked what inspired them to set up the event, they added: “As consumers we can choose to have a positive impact on this world. We’re on a journey of discovery ourselves and want to share our experience with others. Animal agriculture, non-recyclable plastics, and throwaway fashion each have devastating impacts on our environment, so we hope that by bringing exciting alternatives to our community we can empower and equip others to change their habits and perspectives too!”

Zero Mkt London has partnered with City Harvest who will redistribute surplus food to London’s homeless community and any profit will be donated to Animal Equality, a leading animal protection organisation.

Zero Mkt London founders recognise that many stallholders will need to travel to the venue, so they will be planting trees as part of a carbon offsetting mission.

Visit EventBrite to buy your ticket online here.

Stallholders will be announced nearer the time – keep an eye out and follow the handle Zero Market London on Instagram and Facebook.