Queer Vegan Yoga

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Queer Vegan Yoga is here.

Following on from many talks I’ve had with friends and people I’ve met at events around London, it became clear to me that our city needs a body positive yoga class designed for the LGBTQ+ community and our friends.

I also wanted it to be delivered and taught by a vegan.

Queer Vegan Yoga is a collaboration between Fat Gay Vegan, yoga teacher Tatum De Roeck, and venue The Well Garden located at Hackney Downs Studios (home of Hackney Downs Vegan Market).

Starting as a special event on Saturday March 10, 2018, Queer Vegan Yoga is an affordable space for people to explore what yoga can do for them even if they have felt excluded from other yoga classes in the past.

Spots are £12 and you can book for either 1:00pm or 2:30pm by clicking here.

This class is for all body types with a ‘vegan lesbian yoga teacher’ who is committed to inclusive teaching. Here is a little bit about Tatum:

Tatum was a Londoner living in LA picking up lots of jobs and cliches, she was an actress/waitress and a vegan lesbian yoga teacher. Then she got some cancer and her relationship with yoga changed. Her mat became a place of sanctuary, she couldn’t do all the poses but her mat was a place that accepted her even when bald, itchy, tired and sore. She now lives in London and is passionate about creating fun classes in which everyone can be themselves. She believes we don’t need to adapt our bodies into yoga poses but rather yoga should adapt to each of us.

Tatum and FGV

Queer Vegan Yoga is a class committed to exploring yoga that is beneficial to each individual regardless of body size, gender identity, or sexuality.

The first sessions of Queer Vegan Yoga will take place at The Well Garden on Saturday March 10, 2018 at 1:00-2:00pm and then 2:30-3:30pm. You can book a spot for either of these classes online now.

You can also RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

You can now go to an inclusive yoga class AND the best vegan food market in London on the same day!

Vegan in Altrincham

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I love when I hear about a vegan food business that has been thriving for years before it even crosses my radar.

How wonderful to think that there are possibly dozens of undiscovered vegan eateries out there, just waiting for me to experience.

One example of this type of stealth vegan food business is Güd in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

This fab-looking eatery has been serving up tasty plant-based food for a few years inside Altrincham market but I only found out about it a few days ago when owner John reached out to me.

This is what he had to say:

I’ve been trading at Altrincham Market since 2015, starting with a weekend market stall and moving to my current permanent unit at the market a couple of years ago. Back when I started doing the stall there just wasn’t really any casual, good quality vegan options in the area so I decided to put that right and do it myself. I’ve got a small menu with certain things like the black bean burger and tarka dal being on from day one, and then I occasionally change things up and put new things on. Korean BBQ tofu is a current favourite. I serve my burgers and wraps in a flatbread which I make myself every day and roll fresh to order. It’s a small place and I do mostly take away but there is some outdoor seating, which is pretty popular in the summer. I do weekly changing soups and smoothies. Vegan options are still quite thin on ground in Altrincham so I’ve got quite a good core of regular customers.

Follow Güd on Instagram and take a look at some of this gorgeous food below.

UK chain turns completely vegan

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BREAKING NEWS.

London fast food business Arancini Brothers is set to transform its entire business vegan by the end of the month.

Following on from the runaway success of their Old Street location turning vegan, David Arkin has made the monumental decision to veganise his entire business.

In what is a world first, all three locations of Arancini Brothers plus their food truck will all be completely vegan eateries by the end of February 2018.

I caught up with David to get the scoop on this incredible transformation.

Here is what he told me:

Your entire business and all your locations are about to become vegan. Why have you made this decision?

It’s been our goal to go vegan for the past three years. The interest in veganism we saw in 2017 showed us we could do it and Veganuary was the perfect time. Old St was a test but we had full confidence in our flavours and recipes, knowing that our customers would still come back. The support we have received over the past six weeks has been amazing and February hasn’t slowed down.

Does it feel like a risky move?

Any big change in a company that has been running for as long as we have feels risky. We employ a lot of staff. We have rents and taxes to pay. But I have never felt so good and confident in our decision. Veganism is here to stay and we hope people love our food enough for us to be around for a long time.

Some of your regular customers are used to buying meat products from you. What is the reaction you are seeing from them?

We have lost some customers but the reaction has been good and to be honest our food is better than it’s ever been before. Our meat replacements are amazing and really tasty and are going down well with our meat eating customers. They are also telling us they are happy they can have a meal that keeps them going all day and helps them eat less meat.

Are you seeing new customers who have never been Arancini Brothers regulars since you started raising your vegan profile?

We are seeing a lot of new faces at all three locations, most of who are meat eaters looking for a tasty meal. The vegan community has been amazing and the support and feedback we are getting just builds our confidence in our decision to be a 100% vegan company.

Your location on Old Street has been vegan for just over a month. Has the success of that changeover made your decision easier? How successful has it been?

January is traditionally one of the quieter months of the year. As a company we have had a record month and Old St is up about 30% on last year. It has beaten all our expectations.

Kentish Town and Dalston aren’t going vegan at the same time. Can you give us a timeline outlining your vegan switch?

Kentish Town will have its soft launch this weekend (February 17, 2018) with a new 100% vegan brunch and dinner menu only available at that location and Dalston will be 100% vegan by the end of the following week.

This is phenomenally inspiring news.

Congratulations to Dave and the entire Arancini Brothers team for making this commitment to veganism.

I was asked in an interview a few weeks ago if I thought veganism was a fad and I answered no. It isn’t a fad, it is a social shift and Arancini Brothers is on the front line of this shift.

London, you are about to have your very own vegan fast food chain. Get hyped!

Follow Arancini Brothers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. See all their locations over on their website.

Vegan pop up in Sheffield

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By all accounts, the most recent pop up food event by Hot Pear was phenomenal.

This Sheffield based food provider has now put together another stunning menu and tickets are on sale now for their next event on March 14, 2018. Take this as a serious warning because it WILL sell out.

Check out this menu!

Six courses and all of them fabulous!

The cost is £35 plus booking fee. All courses are gluten free with the exception of number four which can be made gluten free on request.

You can click here to book your ticket and follow Hot Pear on Instagram.

Julio

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If you have been a reader (or Patreon supporter) around these parts for a while, you will know about my dear friend Julio.

Julio and I have been close friends ever since the first time we met in 2009. I love him dearly and couldn’t ask for a better friend. He is one of the reasons why I live part of each year in Mexico City.

Some of the rewards I had been sharing on Patreon (and on here) were cooking videos starring the two of us. Julio and I loved making them, mostly because we got to goof around together.

But sadly Julio became very unwell last year and our videos together came to a sudden end. I tried to carry on by myself for a while but it just wasn’t the same.

Thankfully, Julio is now feeling a lot better and this photo was taken of us last night. As you can tell, we had a marvellous time laughing and catching up.

I am really keen to get more videos made for you all as a sign of my appreciation for all the support you give me in keeping the Fat Gay Vegan show on the road.

Julio and I plan on getting creative again for you soon. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the delay on videos.

I’m sure you’ll agree that the most important thing is that my friend is happy and smiling again. Julio is one of the most important people in my life and I’m so thankful that I get these opportunities to share him with you.

You can see all of our videos together online here and you can pledge a small monthly amount via Patreon to help me keep putting my energies into being Fat Gay Vegan.

Vegan food in Mexico City

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When I mention to people that I live in Mexico City part of each year, more often than not I am met by a comment about the city being tough for vegans.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

To start with, many of the staples of Mexican cuisine are vegan suitable or easily veganised. Beans, corn, mushrooms, fruit, nuts, seeds, and so on.

On top of that, a huge number of vegan eateries have popped up creating fabulous vegan takes on traditional and common Mexican foods. There is food for vegans to eat all across the mega city.

I’ve been back in the Mexican capital for about a month now, so I wanted to take the time to share some food photos with you. Of course this doesn’t come close to representing everything I’ve eaten over the past few weeks, but it will give you something to sink your teeth into.

Provecho.

FGV at a festival

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I’m doing my best to spread the vegan word and my latest collaboration is going to spread it to a lot of people to whom I’ve yet to spread it.

I have been invited by the good people of Bestival to curate a vegan food corner!

What is Bestival?

Bestival is a multi-day festival combining live music, DJ sets, performance, art, visuals, and so much, much more. It is billed as the most colourful show on Earth and it has something for everyone… and then some!

The 2018 outing of Bestival takes place at the stunning Lulworth Estate in Dorset on August 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The musical line up is fantastic with announced acts including Grace Jones, M.I.A., Plan B and London Grammar.

But what about FGV and this vegan food corner?

Each year, Bestival hosts a food tent called Feast Collective and this year they are adding a vegan corner curated and hosted by me! I’m so thrilled to be asked to bring a handful of my favourite vegan food traders together in one spot to make sure no vegan at the festival is left behind.

It will also be a wonderful way for me and the traders to do a spot of sassy vegan outreach to non-vegan festival goers who will be tempted by an amazing line up of succulent things to consume.

If you have always wanted to go to a summer music festival but were worried there would be nothing to eat, Bestival 2018 is for you.

The four-day event is obviously centred around camping (like all good summertime festivals) and there are plenty of options to explore in this regard. I will be on site for most of the festival and would love your company.

Click here to visit the official Bestival website where you can explore entertainment line up, tickets, payment plans (yes!), and all other relevant information.

Extra note: I forgot to mention this earlier but I will also be presenting a talk in the Bestival Literary Tent on one of the days. It will be loosely based on my book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t.

Good times!

You can also follow Bestival on Instagram.

Gourmet vegan cake for Valentine’s Day

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The super talented Lizzie of Heart of Cake is famous in London for her glamorous and irresisitible cake creations.

Her layered cakes and macarons are exquisite and she is now offering the best of everything she does in a run of exclusive mini cakes especially for Valentine’s Day.

These Valentine’s Day mini 4″ sharing cakes are perfect for your partner(s)/best friend/yourself!

Each cake is individually crafted and includes macarons, chocolate ganache, flowers and fruit. There are even gluten free options, too.

Priced at £27 and available for collection on February 14 in Stoke Newington, these cakes are limited so contact Lizzie via heartofcake@hotmail.com to lock in your order.

 

Support independent vegan business. Share cake with loved ones. Everyone can win!

Follow Heart of Cake on Instagram.

Vegan eatery coming to Doncaster

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Doncaster!

Yes, Doncaster.

If you are unfamiliar with this northern town, Doncaster is situated in Yorkshire just about an hour south of Leeds.

I’ve been to Doncaster a few times in my life and I never remember anything close to a vegan restaurant existing in the town. In fact, I would not have named Doncaster if you asked me to list unlikely locations that would soon have a vegan eatery.

So, I am thoroughly delighted and pleasantly shocked to hear about the soon to launch The Greenhouse Eatery.

The Greenhouse Eatery has been sharing food teasers for a few weeks ahead of their highly anticipated launch night on Valentine’s Day.

The set menu launch dinner taking place on this loved up day has actually sold out for the later sitting, but if you HURRY you can book some spots for the 6:30pm meal. Click here to see this special menu on Facebook.

Before I share some of the glorious food photos from this new vegan eatery, please take a moment to follow The Greenhouse on Instagram and Facebook.

You can see the exact location of The Greenhouse Eatery thanks to Google Maps.

Now, here’s that food.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbSYU6PAAf4/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BajVLDFA6th/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaWYOlng3US/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaOYTrMgUES/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaJ7SBpAhJ5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaJ6iDGgXsx/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaJ6M2dgtQz/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaJ6b3cgE1S/

Vegan wine from London

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One part of learning to live vegan that comes as a surprise to a lot of people is needing to shop carefully for wine.

Yes, that’s correct. Wine is often not suitable for vegans.

Animal derived products such as egg albumen, casein and isinglass are used as fining agents to clarify the wine before bottling.

But there are more and more vegan-suitable wines hitting shelves all the time, including this boutique brand from London!

Forty Hall Vineyard makes a few varieties, including this Brut they are selling and shipping in time for Valentine’s Day.

A little about the vineyard: 

Forty Hall Vineyard is an exciting social enterprise which has established a new 10 acre organic vineyard in north London. Run and managed by local people, the vineyard is the first commercial scale vineyard in London since the middle ages. The vineyard produces and sells quality English still and sparkling wines.

A bit about the Brut:

  • Believed to be London’s first Sparkling Brut
  • Made in the traditional Champagne Method
  • ‘Single Estate’; Produced exclusively from grapes grown on Forty Hall Vineyard
  • Certified Organic
  • Natural and unfiltered
  • Vegan and produced using biodynamic practices
  • 11.5 % Vol

You can order your own bottle (or case) of the Forty Hall Vineyard Brut by clicking here.

You can also follow Forty Hall Vineyard on Instagram.