Vegan Quarantine: Day 91

Welcome to Vegan Quarantine: Day 91. This daily video series is my way of keeping spirits high within the vegan community while also supporting independent business, charities, and musicians.

Links for everything discussed are included below.

Shop for music via Bandcamp on Friday June 19, 2020 to help raise funds for NAACP Legal Defense Fund:
https://bandcamp.com/

Knave’s Kitchen in Leeds, UK is starting with food delivery again via the usual apps on June 24.
https://www.oportobar.co.uk/knaves-kitchen/

Follow Knave’s Kitchen on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/knaveskitchen/

Plant Soles is a new vegan Instagram account to follow, detailing the latest vegan footwear:
https://www.instagram.com/PlantSoles/

Recipe of the day. Get excited about vegan jelly!
https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-jello/

Music recommendation of the day. Me Voy by Julieta Venegas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8rBC6GCUjg

Vegan Quarantine: Day 52

Welcome to Vegan Quarantine: Day 52. This daily video series is my way of keeping spirits high within the vegan community while also supporting independent business, charities, and musicians.

Links for everything discussed are included below.

Bath Vegan Food Bank is looking for donations and volunteers to help vulnerable people. Donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bathveganfoodbank

Cogs of Coventry is doing veg box deliveries around Coventry. Message via Facebook for delivery slots and stock list:
https://www.facebook.com/cogsCoventry/

PUNK in Leeds is gorgeous food available via Just Eat and UberEats. Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/punk.vegan/

Cake Cult London is doing local vegan cake orders and deliveries. Details in Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7be5Glx9Q/

Happy Maki in Brighton is open for delivery and takeaway. Follow on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thehappymaki/

Recipe of the day. Choc chip cookie dough balls:
https://tinyurl.com/yc23kf39

Music recommendation of the day. Strike Me Pink by Deborah Harry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Axdu1V4K4

You can donate to my PayPal to help keep these daily videos on track:
https://paypal.me/pools/c/8oikSipsfP

Vegan Quarantine videos

A lot of us are locked indoors due to the global pandemic, so I thought I would post daily (hopefully) videos on Facebook.

I want us to have some social interaction while we try to do some good in the world.

I’m also sharing the videos here on the blog if you prefer to watch here, so check back daily.

Here are some of the links mentioned in today’s episode:

Ms. Cupcake is closing down. Read my emotional blog post here:
https://tinyurl.com/vfy9wvn

You can order from Ms. Cupcake for home or work delivery for a few more days. Read about it here:
https://tinyurl.com/w29l5j6

London vegan food business bar dei baci have been forced to supply via Deliveroo only. Follow them on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bardeibaci/

Knave’s Kitchen in Leeds is STILL open and do pick up and delivery options. They will also organise contact free delivery:
https://www.oportobar.co.uk/knaves-kitchen/

Made In Hackney Community Cookery School in London has cancelled all of its classes. They are running a fundraiser to transform into an emergency food delivery service for at risk people:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/made-in-hackney-4

I am listening to this cool band called Beach Bunny. Read about them and listen to their album Honeymoon:
https://www.beachbunnymusic.com/

Read my piece on how the global pandemic is hurting freelancers and low waged people like me:
https://tinyurl.com/rgod9en

Revisiting an old favourite

Longtime readers of my blog will know how much I love the northern city of Leeds. Last night Josh and I found ourselves staying with a friend as we passed through overnight on our way to Vegfest Scotland. What better way to spend our 12-hour stopover then getting delicious vegan takeaway from one of my favourite Leeds restaurants?

The Grove Café has an extensive vegan menu which I’ve talked about previously. Last night we went a bit overboard and ordered the following: vegan cheeseburger and fries, naan bread, onion bhajis, mushroom rice, basmati rice, saag aloo, tarka dahl, chana masala and pasanda curry. Phew! Check out the photo from my Instagram feed which shows the amazing spread that we enjoyed:

Visit The Grove Café online

Extra note: this photo originally appeared in my Instagram feed.

nye-2017

Extra for non-animal milk?

I’m looking for reader input with this blog post.

The following information was sent to me by Isabel, a reader based in Leeds who is a bit annoyed that her local café charges her 30p extra for soya milk in her coffee.

Check out Isabel’s gripe below:

I know you’re quite familiar with Leeds and you may know the ‘Opposite’ cafes – there is one Opposite the University steps and another in the Victoria Quarter nowadays. I went to the Uni branch for a coffee this morning and asked whether soya milk was available. I was told yes, but when I paid was told there is a 30p surcharge. I have had a conversation with the manager about this. He says that the soya product they use (which is Bonsoy) is over three times as expensive as the organic cow milk they use, so they have to charge extra. I would have thought that having vegans and dairy-free people as customers would outweigh this, but apparently not! It makes me so sad to feel I’m being charged extra for being compassionate, and especially as they sell vegan flapjack and cake, this should be one place which takes a small financial hit in order to embrace vegans as customers.

Thanks for the input, Isabel. If you live in Leeds and would like to join the discussion with Opposites, have a word on Twitter.

And now to ask for your input.

If you have a local coffee shop that does NOT charge extra for plant-based milks, we all wanna know about it. Post names and links below so we can build up a list of affordable coffee vendors.

I would also be keen to hear from business owners who have found a way to make it financially viable to not charge extra for soya, rice, almond and/or coconut milks.

VBF-TWCover

Vegan jellies

A lot of great food and drink happened to me in Leeds during my recent trip north, including this cup of gorgeous fruit tea with vegan jellies.

I was walking through a small shopping arcade when I was shocked by the sight of the ‘v’ word. You know that little thrill mixed with panic you experience when you see ‘vegan’ written somewhere unexpected?

iocha bubbletea is an independent bubble and fruit tea outlet in Leeds city centre. Their collection of vegan jellies for adding to the teas is extensive and the servers were only too happy to indulge my need for conversation. I was so excited, I chatted them up for ages about how fab their shop was while they just smiled and made drinks for customers.

store frontvegan signiced tea with vegan jellies

Do you have a favourite bubble tea shop in your area?

You can follow iocha bubbletea on Twitter and Instagram.


Xmas 15 bottom advert

Worst photos ever

This isn’t going to be visually pleasing. I’m sorry in advance.

Do you love taking photos of your food during a night out? If so, how do you feel when those perfect snaps are ruined by fancy restaurant lighting? You know the sort. The kind of lighting that is meant to be atmospheric but in reality just stops you from seeing what is on your plate or who is across the table.

This was exactly the scenario during my visit to a vegan-friendly (but dimly lit) 100% gluten free restaurant in the northern UK city of Leeds.

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Sunday glory

Leeds is on fire for vegan food.

You’ve seen my recent post about the wonderful fry-up I enjoyed a few weekends back and now I’m revisiting the northern city to let you know about probably the finest Sunday roast you are going to get anywhere in the country.

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Amazing vegan breakfast

You might think it would be an easy task to find a decent cooked vegan breakfast in the UK, but sadly we don’t have a lot of noteworthy contenders.

For some mysterious reason, we are experiencing a lean period for outstanding fry ups.

This lack of hot morning meals forces me to search high and low across the country and when I find a decent breakfast, I like to shout about it.

Check out this glorious selection I recently enjoyed in the northern city of Leeds.

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