Fry’s Vegetarian

Vegan get together with Fry’s

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You all know about Fry’s when it comes to amazing frozen vegan meat replacements in UK supermarkets and online stores. If you don’t, you should visit their website to get acquainted.

Now you are up to speed, you need to know about this big vegan event the superstar food brand is hosting in London at the end of July 2017.

Check out this event.

The Fry’s AGM is a showcase of food, activist information and international speakers. Money from ticket sales is being donated to the campaign by Animals Asia to care for bears rescued from bile farms.

My buddy Carl Donnelly is a stand up comedian who just happens to be vegan and he is the MC for this day long event taking place.

Speakers on the day include:

  • Tom Kuehnel from Grown Green
  • Heather Russell – dietitian from The Vegan Society
  • Tammy Fry of Fry’s

Food is included in the ticket price and it looks superb. The legendary Cook Daily will be providing a special Fry’s lunch bowl for the event and Bexfest is providing her pots for breakfast.

You can click here to book your ticket.

Fry’s goodbye

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It is time to say goodbye to a family who have single-handedly revolutionised the UK vegan scene.

Patrick and Lisa Drummy have been at the forefront of getting meat replacements to hungry people for well over a decade. From humble beginnings with an often broken-down van, Pat launched a distribution company to spread the Fry’s Vegetarian range of vegan products all over the UK.

Due to Pat’s hard work and commitment to compassion, the South African produced products quickly became a staple freezer item for many veggie households. Pat poured his entire life (and livelihood) into the business and his dedication helped countless people make the transition to a meat free life.

Pat’s daughter Lisa joined him not long after this runaway success, making Fry’s UK a true family concern. Between them, they positioned the products in some of the biggest retailers in the country including Holland & Barrett and Ocado. They infiltrated huge catering distributors helping to get vegan food served in hospitals, schools, prisons and pubs all over the UK.

Lisa and Pat are two of the most respected people in the vegan community.

Year after year they tirelessly threw themselves into making Fry’s one of the leading vegan meat brands in Europe. I’m sure they couldn’t recall how many early starts there were or how many thousands of hours were spent spreading the vegan message throughout the country.

They have been friends to so many charities and outreach groups. Pat generously sponsored several of my events such as my Sea Shepherd fundraisers and the London Vegan Beer Fest. Dozens or maybe even hundreds of local animal welfare groups came to love Pat and Lisa for their generosity and honest desire to make the world a better place.

As Pat and Lisa step away from the business and hand the UK distribution back to the parent company, it is evident that our community is losing two of its staunchest supporters.

Pat and Lisa asked me to share the following statement with all of their friends and customers:

After 13 successful years of increasing choice for ethical consumers by introducing vegan foods to the UK market, we have lived to see Fry’s being stocked by health food shops, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and 3663. We’ve worked hard, met some truly great people and had a lot of fun along the way, but sadly, the team behind Fry’s Distribution UK is closing its doors on 31st October as it’s time for us to retire. Pat and Lisa would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, your hard work, your business and, most importantly, your friendship.

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I can’t express what these people have done for vegans and animals in the UK.

Please leave a comment for Pat and Lisa below.

Free vegan food in Brixton

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If you didn’t know, I run a PR business. I only work supporting vegan companies or products. As a rule, I try not to promote my clients on this blog but if my blogger and PR roles ever intersect I make sure it is very clear.

The reason I have decided to post the following information regarding my client Fry’s Distribution is that I want as many people as possible to be aware of this event where free vegan food will be given away. Yes, my business interest is to help them but my personal interest is to support the spread of veganism.

With that disclosure out of the way, will you be coming along for a free vegan sandwich? I’ll be serving!

ENORMOUS FOOD GIVEAWAY SET FOR BRIXTON 

Brixton locals are set for a free dinner next week as leading vegetarian food company Fry’s Distribution undertakes massive food giveaway on Coldharbour Lane.

Join frozen vegan food giants Fry’s Distribution on Thursday August 29th, 2013 from 6:00pm as they cook up and serve hundreds of mouth-watering sandwiches for the people of Brixton.

Pat Drummy of Fry’s spoke of the motivation behind the event:

“At Fry’s, we pride ourselves on reaching out to local communities in order to show them how easy, tasty and healthy meat-free eating can be. Our message is about doing what is best for your family, animals and the planet by reducing the amount of mass produced animal products you consume.”

Pat continues:

“2013 has been an incredible year for our company with record increases in sales due to meat scandals and our entire range has recently been listed with online supermarket Ocado. People are coming around to the idea of not having meat with every meal and we want to show the people of Brixton how it can be done.”

The giveaway is taking place inside the much-loved Ms. Cupcake bakery located at 408 Coldharbour Lane. The owner of the bakery, Mellissa Morgan, spoke of her support for the event:

“I am always looking for inventive and interesting ways to give something back to the Brixton community. When I was approached by Fry’s Distribution about using my shop to host this giveaway, my initial reaction of saying yes was based on what a great thing it will be for the people in the area. As a vegan business owner myself, I also look for opportunities to spread information about kinder and more environmentally friendly food.”

More than 300 sandwiches will be given away on a first come basis and the event will commence at 6:00pm sharp.

Fry’s products can be purchased at Brixton Wholefoods in Atlantic Road.

When they’re halfway down your gullet…

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Loving Hut in Camden is a good place to go for cheap, tasty food. Like all of the Loving Hut locations worldwide, the food is plant-based and the menu never breaks the bank. I have written about it previously here and here.

So, how could this vegan eatery with cheap prices and tummy-filling vegan food get any better? Read on and then start planning your next trip…

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Petition time!

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CLICK HERE TO SIGN or read on for more details

Do you remember when we all joined together as one vegan superpower and got Holland & Barrett to reverse their decision to not stock the Fry’s Vegetarian frozen vegan product range?

Fry’s Vegetarian original vegan burger

Well, we are about to flex our collective plant-based consumer muscle once again to ensure the same vegan food options are available all over the UK… in Sainsbury’s!

What is this campaign all about?

Consumers choose foods free of animal products for many reasons. Scientific evidence suggests the production of plant-based food contributes significantly less to environmental damage and climate change than animal farming.

Many religions require devotees to adhere to meat and dairy free diets during certain celebrations. People often choose a diet free of animal products for ethical reasons as they don’t agree with modern factory farming methods. Health is another major factor. A plant-based diet is completely free from cholesterol.

With plant-based food choices becoming increasingly popular amongst UK consumers, it is time for major food suppliers such as Sainsbury’s to answer this call for more vegan choices in their aisles. Brands such as Quorn and Linda McCartney have monopolised veggie shelves in UK supermarkets but very few of their items cater to people who want animal-free food. Quorn and Cauldron have the biggest presence of any veggie brands in the UK. The trouble is, they are the same company and clearly have little interest in serving the vegan community. Most of their products are not animal-free and those that are, are not even labeled suitable for vegans.

We don’t want egg in our food. We want burgers, pops, pies, schnitzels, sausages, sausage rolls, chunky strips and everything else made by Fry’s Vegetarian because it is all vegan!

Fry’s Vegetarian traditional vegan sausages

What can you do?

Click here to sign the petition to urge Sainsbury’s to carry vegan food by Fry’s. The petition will be sent to Sainsbury’s on your behalf.

Add extra steam to the campaign by emailing the following Sainsbury’s contacts to strengthen your request:

sarah.lich@sainsburys.co.uk Category Product Developer
alison.atkin@sainsburys.co.uk Buyer
richard.hall@sainsburys.co.uk Head of Frozen
andy.phelps@Sainsburys.co.uk Category Manager

Post a link to this page everywhere. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Google+. Tumblr. Post it on message boards and your own blogs. Email it to family and friends and enemies. Get everyone you know to take one minute out of their day to sign the petition. Use any part of the text on this page in any way you see fit.

Leave a comment below letting us know if you have emailed/signed the petition/heard back from Sainsbury’s. Like all big businesses, they are not going to take notice unless we have big voices.

Let’s do it!

Imagine this in your local Sainsbury’s supermarket!

Keep it kosher

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I don’t plan my eating around religious concerns, unless you consider indiscriminate vegan overeating a religion. My food consumption, like all areas of my life, exists outside organised religion.

But my food atheism certainly doesn’t prohibit me from benefiting from belief systems that instruct devotees to separate their animal products when eating.

Enter Kosher Kingdom of North London.

Kosher Kingdom of Golders Green

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Some hope and some despair

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It is no secret that I eat extremely well… and by well, I mean a lot. Food is a passion of mine and I am always seeking and searching for new experiences.

Enter Vgango.

Vgango of Battersea

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Or just make pies all day

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This January is an exciting time to be in the UK. The days are slowly getting longer, Spring is in the not-too-distant future and Fry’s Vegetarian are unleashing a slew of new vegan products onto the masses.

You probably already saw my posts about the ridiculously-delicious vegan popcorn chicken and the Louisiana tenders, right? Well, put down your faux-chicken appreciation pennants for just a moment as I show you two of the best vegan pies available on the planet.

Pepper steak style vegan pies
Country mushroom pies

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Love me tender

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There is a vegan food revolution sweeping the world and I’m making sure I have a front row seat.

Fry’s Vegetarian have already established themselves as one of the world’s finest vegan food companies in the world. The South African-based, family-owned business produces absolutely stunning vegan meats that are peerless. Readers of this blog will be familiar with my love of Fry’s and my recent story about their stunning new vegan popcorn chicken.

Now the vegan wonder company are taking the good eating thing to another level with the unveiling of their brand new Louisiana Tenders. Seriously, you must check these beauties out.

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Vegan popcorn chicken

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Have you ever had a dream about something so wondrous, you simply push it to the back of your mind because it would probably never come to fruition? Yeah, me too. One of my long-held food fantasies has been to taste the crunchy, savoury goodness of vegan popcorn chicken. My FGV nights have been spent tossing and turning, waiting for these mythical balls of compassion to materialise.

And you know what comes next, right? Yep. The wait is over!

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