London vegan news, reviews & events
A brand new vegan cake company is taking part in a Christmas fete inside a vegan bar and nightclub.
This is pretty cool. Check it out.
Laurianne’s Raw Cakes has launched in Scotland and one of the first outings for the company is The Flying Duck’s Big Christmas Fete taking place tomorrow in Glasgow (Saturday 19th December, 2015).
Look at these glorious treats that will be available.
Vegans and animal lovers all over the UK and the world have been surprised by the new #TerryTheTurkey advertising campaign employed by phone company Vodafone in the lead up to Christmas 2015.
The advert is a unique concept for a TV commercial.
The short film shows a family having a turkey living with them, jumping through time to highlight how the bird is growing larger as the seasons change.
Just when the viewer thinks the winter snow and a trip to the garden shed is a sign that Terry is to be killed and plated for Christmas dinner, the twist emerges to show the family have used their Vodafone-powered technology to source a nut roast recipe thus saving the life of the family turkey.
Great news, right?
Photo: VodafoneUK
I didn’t find many like-minded people online when I voiced my concern that this advert was problematic in that it was still using live animals for the purpose of profit-making dressed up as entertainment.
Many of my Facebook followers expressed the opinion that this advert was a positive message, yet after reading their insights I still thought it was more loaded than just the nice message of saving the life of an animal.
I decided to find out a little more about the ad-making process and reached out to the people who made the #TerryTheTurkey advert.
Following is a short Q&A I carried out via email with Vicki Maguire. Vicki is the Deputy Executive Creative Director at Grey London, the agency charged with devising the Vodafone Christmas campaign.
Vicki kindly took time out of her extremely busy schedule to answer the following questions I put to her:
1. Your advert has given a lot of compassionate people something to smile about as it shows a turkey being given a second chance at life when a family opt for nut roast. How was the concept first devised? Was it inspired by any vegans in the office or by a team member’s personal life perhaps?
Christmas is the season of goodwill. Vodafone’s technology brings people together. We thought we’d take a different tack.
Our dad uses technology to rear a turkey, by the time Christmas comes around he’s part of the family. Sometimes technology gets bad press for making people self obsessed. This ad demonstrates that couldn’t be further from the truth.
We were sitting around talking when Howard, a guy in our team, told us a story of how a friend of his had become vegetarian when his family found a live chicken. I think there’s something about being that close to an animal that brings out your protective instincts.
A couple of us are vegetarian and two are vegan, but non of us are having turkey this year! Our Director Kevin Thomas is a die-hard veggie, that’s why the script appealed to him.
2. What a lot of people don’t know is that Terry is actually played by eight different birds throughout the advert. Did all of these animals come from the same place? How did your team source the turkeys for the campaign?
We picked an accredited British breeder who had turkeys at various stages of development. The story goes from young Terry to fully mature Terry. I’ll be honest and say I used to think turkeys were ugly, but now I love them. They are actually very smart and they love playing football.
3. The happy ending for the eight Terry turkeys is that they are now all living a life of peace on Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Warwickshire. How did the team decide where the turkeys would end up?
As soon as we picked up the phone to Farm Animal Rescue we knew they were the ones to give our Terrys a good home. Their love for their charges really shines through!
4. Even though the advert has only been live for a few days, the online reaction has been phenomenal. Apart from helping your client raise awareness for its brand, is there anything else you hope for from #TerryTheTurkey campaign?
We’ve been blown away by the reaction to the campaign. It’s funny when you see it in an ad break also selling turkey for £3 a kilo. It makes you think about what really matters at Christmas.
In all seriousness we are having nut roast! A turkey is for life, not for Christmas.
Watch the video above and let me know what you think in the comments.
I am grateful to know the turkeys used in the advert now live in a sanctuary and that many people are being exposed to the idea of compassion for animals.
However I am staunchly opposed to the use of live animals in entertainment and advertising, especially when the animals in question have been sourced from a professional breeder. Buying or sourcing animals from breeders creates demand and puts money into the pockets of people profiting from commodifying animals.
What do you all think? Does the good done by the #TerryTheTurkey advert outweigh the negatives or as vegans should we always have a strong stance against the use of animals in advertising?
Would your opinion be different if the product being sold to us via the advert was actually a vegan product (such as the nut roast) and not a phone service?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
I like to buy vegan food and I have the perfect excuse. This blog.
When I see something new in the supermarket, I usually justify the expense by telling myself I have a duty to my readers to share the information.
It is rare for something I want to not end up in my shopping basket and you are all to blame!
But yesterday I hit a wall. Would you pay the asking price for these seasonal chocolates? I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
My dear friend Mirel sent me the following photo this morning (get ready to pat your tummy and lick your lips):
Have you seen this vegan roast in your nearest Tesco yet? Have you eaten it?
I can’t wait until I get my chubby mittens on it!
One of my favourite things to do in a supermarket is to trot down the seasonal aisle. You know the one. The aisle rammed with novelty gifts and food products related to whatever time of year it is.
It’s where the shops cram the latest gimmicky toys at Christmas time or the One Direction mugs with chocolate eggs in them leading up to Easter.
This aisle is often the site of vegan junk food finds, especially if you are cruising the seasonal aisle at your local Sainsbury’s. Remember when I snapped up these vegan sweets at Halloween time? They were in the seasonal aisle.
The lucky dip that is the seasonal aisle of my nearest Sainsbury’s coughed up some new, never-before-seen vegan snacks for me yesterday and I only bought them in order to share with you all. Of course.
Manchester, here is something fun and tasty for you to take part in next week. For people reading this from other parts of the country and the world, organise cool vegan events like this!
A group called The Flanagan Collective is presenting a super fun-sounding dinner show with a tasty vegan menu. You can enjoy an interactive performance of one of the most-loved traditional tales as you eat and drink.
Sounds fun!
Read below for the finer details about the event, including the menu:
I am a bit of a fan of the chain of cafes called Le Pain Quotidien. They are not a vegan company but they do have an impressive range of permanent dishes suitable for plant eaters on their menu. I often pop in to my local LPQ for the creamy cashew butter parfait and a vegan muffin.
As you might recall, I recently hosted a vegan baking class at the LPQ location in Borough. It was a runaway success, with the available spaces booking out in record time and attendees singing LPQ‘s praises across social media.
My favourite thing to come out of my partnership with LPQ was the sneak peek they gave me of their tasty-sounding vegan Christmas menu. Yep. That’s right. A London-wide chain of non-vegan cafes has a dedicated three-course dinner for vegans in the month leading up to Christmas.
Check it out below.
Join me as I take over The Gallery Cafe for a night of festive food, stellar company and vegan drinks.
Frequent visitors to my blog know I don’t celebrate Christmas but I always say I do celebrate delicious food. When I was approached by The Gallery Cafe to host this event, I took about one second to squeal “Yes!”.
On Friday December 13, 2013 from 7pm, this east London eatery will be closed to the public for a private vegan Christmas dinner that you will not want to miss.
Attendees will be welcomed with a warm cup of mulled wine before being served a delicious 3 course dinner directly to their table. The menu for the evening is mouth watering:
Welcome drink – cup of homemade mulled wine
Starter – wild mushroom pate served with toasted sourdough bread, locally sourced chutney and a salad garnish
Main – homemade nut roast A walnut and brazil nut roast served with roast potatoes, glazed root vegetables, seasonal greens, cranberry stuffing and a good glug of gravy
Dessert – mince pie served with brandy cream
Entry to the event is for ticket holders only. The restaurant will be closed to the public for the evening. You must buy a ticket to secure your place.
All food is included in the price of £25 plus booking fee. Additional drinks including vegan beer, wine and cider can be purchased throughout the evening at additional cost.
Buy tickets from here: A Very Vegan Christmas
Bah humbug, indeed!
Some things are an acquired taste and whether you like them or not can depend on where you grew up. When I was a child, I adored Vegemite. I understand why people from outside Australia might not like it, but I couldn’t get enough of this savoury cousin of Marmite from down under.
I recently spoke with someone who couldn’t imagine anything more disgusting than fruit cake with marzipan frosting. I would eat so much of this at family weddings back in Brisbane that I would have to be carried to the car. The UK seems to share this history of wedding/Christmas cakes and I couldn’t be more pleased to discover Lazy Day Foods have launched this loved product in an accessible way.
My trip to As Nature Intended in Ealing Broadway a few days ago was a triumph in both nostalgia and deliciousness. Lazy Day have taken a slice of my childhood and turned it into vegan, gluten-free, finger-sized delights.
Get into your local health food provider or spend some time perusing the free from aisle in the supermarket to snap up these delights today. And when you are settled in with a few bars of marzipan-topped fruit cake and a cup of tea I want you to sit back, smile and think of FGV eating himself sick as a young wedding attendee back in Australia.
Visit Lazy Day Foods online
Like Lazy Day Foods on Facebook
I don’t celebrate Christmas but I do celebrate eating delicious, cruelty-free food.
On a recent trip to the Whole Foods Market location in London I spied with my vegan eye a vegan sign near the back wall of the lower ground level. On closer inspection, I discovered a display containing every single ingredient you would require to bake a mouthwatering nut roast. From the yeast extract to the egg replacer, everything needed to create a turkey-free main was on display. What’s more, Whole Food Markets were supplying a recipe card for vegan nut roast with instructions on how to use all of the fine ingredients on show.
I know it is easy to be cynical about Whole Foods exploiting one of their target demographics, but it is still a thrill to see this in a large supermarket in central London. So whether you want to celebrate Christmas without meat or (like me) just want to eat continually in non-believing style, Whole Foods Market on Kensington High Street can hook you up.
Whole Food Markets The Barkers Building
London, W8 5SE UK
Nearest Underground station: High Street Kensington