Leeds

The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival

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This is some enjoyable news, indeed. Congratulations to Leeds on welcoming the first ever Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival.

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After quickly browsing the event website, it looks like it is going to be a solid show. The organisers have promised 100+ stalls, cooking demos, food samples, informative talks and more. It is all happening on May 10, 2014 right in the heart of Leeds city centre.

There is a general call out for presenters, stall holders, businesses and volunteers so do get involved if you would like to make The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival and event to remember.

Anyone planning on attending?

Check out the website for full details

Follow the festival on Twitter for updates

Like the festival on Facebook

Demise

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I saw one of the most joyous things ever today. I had been in Leeds visiting friends over the weekend and was making my way to the train station this morning for my return journey to London when I spotted this sight. I don’t know what to attribute it to, but behold this completely empty Burger King in Leeds city centre. Amazing! Not one single person in the entire place at approximately 10am. Good going, Leeds.

Leeds has gone global

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I get a lot of stick for giving bad reviews to restaurants. Some people are of the mind that it is detrimental to veganism to publish negative reviews of vegetarian establishments that serve sub-standard vegan food. Maybe they think a cafe deserves credit for just trying to include us. That attitude doesn’t fly with me.

Why shouldn’t we expect the best when paying for vegan goods and services? Why shouldn’t we speak up when we think what we received was less than the best?

Restaurants and cafes deserve to know and I have the right to voice my opinion in any way I see fit. And when a veggie restaurant serves me delicious and well-made vegan food, I’m the first one to get the news out. I don’t complain for the sake of complaining.

All I do is tell it like it is and the way it is in Leeds at the moment is very promising indeed! A new vegetarian cafe has popped up in this Northern city and their commitment to vegan options could teach many vegetarian eateries more than a thing or two.

Global Tribe Cafe in Leeds
Global Tribe Cafe in Leeds

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We love you LEEDS! LEEDS! LEEDS!

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In some parts of the world, it can be a struggle to be a vegan.

If you are located a long distance from a major city, plant-based foods and cruelty-free supplies can be difficult to track down let alone finding a vegan social event in your neighbourhood. London spoils me for choice, but I never forget what it was like to live in smaller, less vegan-friendly locations. Heck… I was even situated (for a short period) in Rockhampton, Australia. If you care to investigate, I believe you will discover Rockhampton is considered the beef capital of Australia.

For isolated vegans, the light at the end of the lonesome tunnel often takes the form of a local vegan/veggie support group. Likeminded individuals get together to share advice, recipes, food, friendship and interests. Your local support group can often be the only time your choice to be cruelty-free is taken seriously.

There are a huge number of veggie/vegan support groups all over the UK but as Leeds is close to my heart, I would like to focus on the Northern city for a moment… specifically the Leeds Vegetarians and Vegans group.

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London happy, Leeds sad

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The Third Estate in Leeds

This news is simultaneously good and bad. The phenomenal clothing and footwear retailer The Third Estate has announced its final days trading in Leeds city centre and the subsequent move they are making to London. Like I said, happy London but sad Leeds.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will recall a story I did on The Third Estate back in January. This shop has been a haven for vegan shoe shoppers for many years and also has been one of the most comprehensive stockists of cruelty-free footwear the UK has ever seen.

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Grove is in the heart

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Can’t decide between pizza and curry? Don’t know if you should grab a samosa or a plate of savoury rice? Eating can be a real dilemma. Well, one restaurant is making it easy for vegans to have all of these dishes and more.

Grove Cafe in Leeds

Vegans often don’t get a huge choice when it comes to eating in the world of pizza, fried foods and home delivery. The Grove Cafe located in Headingley, Leeds is turning this upside down by offering a delectable range of dishes suitable for cruelty-free diets.

On a recent weekend visit to the city, I made sure I ate my fill of delicious rice, garlic bread pizza and Indian starters. I need to do each dish justice, so forgive me for taking my time here.

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Something strawberry and vegan for the weekend

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The UK is alive with excitement. The sun is out in full force, the temperature is rising and people are wearing a lot less clothing. I arrived in a bustling, blistering Leeds today just in time for a long, long weekend and I’m more than ready to have a good time. I’m sure you know nothing says ‘good time’ quite like vegan cider and the vegan cider is better still when it is strawberry-flavoured and in a can.

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Sex without cruelty

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If you wanna get freaky, you don’t want to do it with animal products on your private parts. Do you?

Condoms are probably the last thing on your mind when you think of veganism. Of all the products to be considered for animal ingredients, these safer sex devices don’t often get a second look. The truth of the matter is most big name brands do contain ingredients of non-human animal origin and/or that have been tested on non-consenting creatures.

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Not so amazing

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I’m not usually one for disrespecting meat-free establishments, but neither will I pretend they are all fabulous havens of delectable and mouth-watering food.

Roots and Fruits - could be improved

If you find yourself stranded in Leeds for the day, places to eat vegan food are not easy to come by. If curry is your thing, make haste to Hansa’s and you should be satisfied with most things on offer. Feel like a quick snack or a tummy filler? Out Of This World stocks delicious vegan sandwiches, pizza slices and fudge to meet your needs. But if you are craving uninspired and uncreative dishes that are slightly overpriced, head on down to Roots and Fruits.

I know it would appear to some as slightly counter-productive for a FGV to ctiticise a vegetarian restaurant, but Roots and Fruits doesn’t make the grade in my book.

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Cruelty-free curry

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Leeds city centre isn’t exactly drowning in vegan food choices, but there is a special eatery that has  been keeping our lot nutritiously-fed for over 20 years.

My meal at Hansa's in Leeds

Hansa’s Gujarati Vegetarian Restaurant is every bit as much an institution as it is a success story. Hansa Dabhi is an accomplished chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, travel guide and business person. She has been at the forefront of quality dining in West Yorkshire for more than two decades and her North Street location employs an all-female staff. Hansa has made many appearances in support of her first cookbook and has been rigorously promoting her second.  Charities supported by Hansa and her customers include Saraswati Vidayala, an organisation committed to constructing schools in India. As you can gather from this paragraph, Hansa is a busy human… and I haven’t even described her food yet.

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