London vegan news, reviews & events
Get ready to sink your teeth into this brand new vegan sandwich from one of the most widespread High Street chains in the UK.
Yes. Pret has unleashed another vegan sandwich, this time in the form of a baguette filled with grilled artichokes, red tapenade and spinach.
With almost 300 stores scattered across the UK, this tasty-looking sandwich shouldn’t be too far from you right now.
Have you tried? Did you like?
Extra note: this photo originally appeared on my Instagram feed.
London. It just got amazing for vegan pizza lovers.
Check it out.
Firezza is a London-wide chain of pizza shops specialising in handmade, chewy bases with fresh toppings and, from this week, vegan cheese as an optional topping.
PeTA reached out to me earlier in the week to let me know the owners of Firezza had made the decision to include VioLife as an optional extra across all 17 locations. This is surely the biggest chain of pizza restaurants in the UK to be offering a vegan cheese pizza.
Very fortunately for me, one of the 17 Firezza locations is situated just a few minutes walk from my house. This was my experience today.
Super special guest post by Hanna. Thank you!
My partner and I are just back from spending a few days in Vienna, which was quite easy to be vegan in. We found many places had clearly labelled vegan options, a wurst place that did a vegan sausage and a 100% vegan ice cream parlour. But the stand-out experience was Swing Kitchen.
It is an entirely vegan, diner-style establishment. On our first encounter we had a schnitzel burger, vegan nuggets with “chilli-tomato-tatar” sauce, tiramisu and kirsch soda. All of it was fantastic. The nugget coating with it’s sesame seeds was delicious and the sauce had a surprisingly refreshing taste. The tiramisu was creamy and slightly orangey, which worked really well. Of course, we had to go back for our last Vienese meal and both had the cheese burger, which is the best vegan burger I have ever had – you could really taste the cheese!
Anyway, I thought I’d give you a heads up, just in case you or any of your guests on the NYE cruise had the time or inclination to visit Swing Kitchen on your brief stop there.
Thanks, Hanna!
You can like Swing Kitchen on Facebook.
I don’t know why I don’t live on the East Coast of the USA. The food is on another level. Well, I do know why I don’t but I’m trying to be dramatic in order to convey how seriously they take their vegan food over there.
Take Blackbird Pizzeria of Philadelphia as just one example.
This pizza restaurant is everything you could ever hope for and more. Huge pizzas, crunchy fries, cheesy calzones, seitan wings and a 100% vegan status will make you think you have landed in plant-based heaven.
Check out the photos of my recent take out order from Blackbird. The pics below show (in order) a slice of Haymaker pizza (featuring seitan sausage, red onions, garlic butter, tomato sauce, Daiya cheese and fresh oregano) I ate as I waited for my takeout order, calzone with oozing cheese, sticky root beer seitan wings, rustic fries and a Brunchbird pizza (featuring tofu scramble, crispy seitan bacon, sautéed spinach, garlic butter, Daiya cheese).
Stunning.
My recent trip to Paris was a vegan eye-opener. I hadn’t been to the French capital for almost a decade and I didn’t hold many fond memories of plant-based food availability.
Things have changed, people.
I am delighted to report that the Paris vegan scene has exploded. You can choose from Asian cuisine, a vegan grocery store and baked goods. There are even a smattering of health food supermarkets through the city selling a decent range of vegan products.
Out of this new surge of animal-free options, one of the best places to emerge is a cute fast food joint called East Side Burgers. Burgers, hot dogs, fries and soda are just the tip of the food pile. The cosy outlet serves up a whole manner of savoury delights such as quiche by the slice as well as sweet treats (including my favourite chocolate on the planet, Moo Free).
Of course I am disappointed the place isn’t completely vegan. Actually, I can’t get my head around why it isn’t. I can only hope that is a goal they are moving towards because apart from the animal products served, East Side Burgers is one fabulous place to eat vegan.
Visit East Side Burgers online
Follow East Side Burgers on Twitter
Like East Side Burgers on Facebook
What the world (and this FGV) deserves is vegan fast food. People need to be able to access cruelty-free comfort food on a grand scale. I like to think it is just a matter of time until a global-reaching fast food chain takes on the cruel and unhealthy giants of conveyor belt eating. I also have a hunch it could very well be Veggie Grill.
This chain of plant-based restaurants is remarkable not just for the delicious food served, but also how mainstream and accessible it all is. Locations are dotted around Southern California in strip malls, plazas and markets. The interior is low key and tasteful while the staff offer the kind of service you would expect from a polished, speedy turn-around fast food joint.
Veggie Grill is always on my to do list when I visit Los Angeles and I made sure I stayed true to this pattern during my last vacation. My meal at the Veggie Grill in the Los Angeles Farmers Market was superb. Let’s run through my order:
During a recent trip to Portland to attend Vida Vegan Con 2011, I was overwhelmed by vegan food choices. Every restaurant appeared to cater thoughtfully to my type, no matter if they were a veggie establishment or not. The picturesque city was packed wall to wall with cruelty-free dining options.
By far my favourite dining experience was the Homegrown Smoker food truck. Actually, it was so stunning I dined with them three days running. Everything I ate was tasty like I’ve never known, the staff were incredibly welcoming and I adored the concept of ordering my meal from a mobile kitchen parked up on a city sidewalk.
I must warn you the following pictures could lead to growling tummies. I make no apologies.
Camden is famous for a lot of cool, outsider culture that eventually works its way into the mainstream. The historical Camden Market is now a must-see for thousands of tourists every year, the underground music scene exploded out of the borough in the 90’s spawning the Indie craze and more recently, the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse has been inextricably linked to the area as her Back to Black album became the highest-selling release of recent times in the UK.
It is understandable when members of minorities bemoan their insider knowledge being shared with the world. To have something intimate blown up to a global scale can be extremely challenging and confronting. However, there is one alternative happening coming out of Camden that I hope continues its explosion into the mainstream… vegan dining.
Brighton is a shining star for vegans looking to brighten their lives with some cruelty-free dining. Unfortunately the shine has been dimmed a whole lot with the sad closing of a vegetarian supernova.
Red Veg was a fantastic idea. As a vegan I often longed for the type of fast food that is usually only sold by mass-murdering corporations. Red Veg took that concept of burger, fries and a drink and rescued the cow. They weren’t a completely vegan company, but they did have many tasty options suitable for vegans and their burgers couldn’t be beaten. I am hesitant to sing their praises too loudly as it will only make you (and me) miss them all the more.
