No matter if your Valentine’s Day is going great or less than desirable, this news is guaranteed to make it better.
Superstar purveyors of plant-based comfort food Young Vegans are launching a bottomless vegan brunch at their pizza restaurant in Bethnal Green, London!
What is a bottomless brunch?
Don’t worry, you get to keep your pants on. Bottomless brunch means you get to drink and eat as much as you can/want from a selected menu for a set amount of time.
The Young Vegans bottomless brunch features unlimited pizza AND unlimited Prosecco or beer for 90 minutes for a flat rate of £30 per person!
The bottomless brunch is available only via advanced bookings on the Young Vegans Pizza Shop website or Open Table for times between midday and 5pm every Sunday, starting on Sunday February 16, 2020.
Some of the rules for the bottomless brunch:
You must eat everything (no leftovers/takeaway)
Doesn’t include any side dishes
Only one pizza at a time per two people
I love the sound of this bottomless brunch!
The drink menu also features organic wines and cocktails (such as a gorgeous Bloody Mary), Aperol Spritz, gin and tonic, and their special Hackney Mule for extra cost. The beers are from Hackney Brewery, which brews just 15 minutes from the restaurant.
OmNom is a new vegan café and yoga space located in Islington, London.
The café founders have this to say:
Everything we do is focused on journeying together to an enlightened lifestyle through serving your Body, Mind and Soul. OmNom brings you delicious, fresh vegetarian/vegan food that acts like yoga for your belly. As well as this we offer yoga, mindfulness and meditation sessions so you can connect with the real you. As you may have guessed by now, we’re all about giving, and as a Conscious Charity every meal you have at OmNom will feed a meal to a child less fortunate across the globe.
I like the sound of a meal going to a hungry human in exchange for every meal purchased in the café.
Sandi from OmNom clarified further:
Our mechanism is pretty straight forward. With every meal/yoga class that we sell, we will pay for one child to be fed. We work with a number of charities, including Annamrita who serve 1.2 million meals to children across seven Indian states every day.
If you want to see the sort of food being served at OmNom and check out some of their classes, get over to their website now. They have some great opening specials and discounts featured online.
You can see the exact location of OmNom in the flyer above or online thanks to Google Maps.
Beer company BrewDog has announced an exclusive deal with vegan fried chicken pioneers Temple of Seitan to feature their signature seitan wings and burgers in BrewDog Bars across the UK available from Tuesday January 14, 2020.
I’m thrilled to hear my friends at Temple of Seitan are experiencing this phenomenal success.
But I’m not a BrewDog fan.
I genuinely hope BrewDog has morphed into a much more considerate and compassionate company following on from some of their thoughtless and unkind marketing campaigns and controversies of the (not too distant) past.
See examples here (sexism) and here (using dead animal bodies as promotional tools) and here/here (transphobia) and here (they were taken to an employment tribunal) and here (they sold a half meat/half meat alternative burger) and here (sexism mixed with misogyny) and here (explicit sexism and misogyny) and here (pay disputes and suggestions of intellectual property mishandling).
I will never personally drink a BrewDog beer again in my life however I wanted to report this news on behalf of my friends at Temple. I do not support the BrewDog company due to ethical and political reasons, but I love and support Rebecca and Patrick of Temple of Seitan even though I personally would have made a very different decision.
I wish they had found a less problematic beer brand for a partnership. I know this blog post makes me sound like a hypocrite by saying I don’t support BrewDog but here is some information about BrewDog.
I’m not the boss of vegans so I’m giving you the info and you can do what you want with it. Perhaps you can walk into a bar and only buy the Temple food? LOL.
And perhaps by reporting this news spliced with commentary on their shitty marketing, I might get BrewDog to take a little bit of notice. Perhaps it will encourage other vegan consumers to say ‘thanks for the vegan wings from a legendary vegan company but please be better people as well’.
If you are a BrewDog customer and are excited to dine with Temple of Seitan while in one of the bars, perhaps you can also take the time to voice your opinions to the company whenever they do something shitty.
Patrick from Temple of Seitan said they were sold on the deal due to BrewDog paying Living Wage to their employees.
BrewDog is launching this partnership with Temple of Seitan in their UK bars before expanding the supply to their European locations soon.
Temple of Seitan has been featured in ‘best of’ lists across numerous publications – from Time Out to Easyjet Traveller. In 2017 Temple of Hackney won the best UK restaurant in the public voted VegFestUK Awards and in 2019 the ‘Nashville Hot’ burger was the number one selling vegan item on Uber Eats, London.
Legendary vegan bakery Ms. Cupcake of Brixton are now stocking Mabel’s amazing vegan Yorkshire Puddings. They are the ONLY place in the country to get these for Christmas.
The Yorkshires come pre-made in a batch of four, which you can keep frozen until you need to bake them off.
In Mabel’s own words, these Yorkie’s “give you that authentic flavour, with a crispy top, a soft bottom, shaped perfectly for you to pour gravy into.”
As an added bonus they are palm oil free and use compostable bio-plastic packaging.
Get down to Ms. Cupcake quickly to pick up a pack or two for your festive meal. It’s the perfect excuse to get some cake in, too!
Follow Ms. Cupcake on Instagram and see their exact shop location thanks to Google Maps.
London. Do you need more vegan pizza in your life?
Superstar vegan pizza makers, Picky Wops, have just announced they are opening a restaurant on Brick Lane in East London. Huge news!
Picky Wops have been wowing people around London with their gourmet take on pizzas for a few years now.
A recent kitchen takeover at a pub in Brixton has been a runaway success, as have all their appearances at outdoor markets and events around the capital. People can’t get enough of their unique flour mixes, gourmet toppings, and good vibes.
If you aren’t familiar with what Picky Wops do, read on.
Picky Wops pizza bases are all fully customisable and each dough has a different colour, texture and flavour. Available bases include burnt wheat and turmeric. Pizzas can be served cheeseless or with vegan cheese, and a mouthwatering variety of toppings are available.
If pizza isn’t your thing (really?!), classic Italian sides such as garlic bread, dough balls, and a variety of vegan pasta dishes are also featured on the menu. A firm favourite is their carbonara which comes complete with meat free bacon bits. Carb loving Londoners will also appreciate the innovative loaded fries, topped with Italian inspired sauces such as pesto and bolognese.
Ingredients used by Picky Wops are high quality and plant-based, while all dishes are made from scratch. Founders Cristiano Vitelli and Andrea Moro are both trained in the art of pizza making in their home country of Italy, meaning their food remains authentic.
Enough chit chat. Where is the new Picky Wops location?
You will be able to find the restaurant at 53 Brick Lane from their opening date of Friday December 13, 2019. You can see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.
For December only, visitors can sample a festive white pizza aptly called The White Christmas. This special is topped with spiced sweet potato mash, roasted brussel sprouts and walnuts, seasoned soya, sweet cranberry jam, vegan mozzarella and a light sprinkling of parmesan.
It is a place to eat. It is a place to socialise. It is a space in which you can feel supported and celebrated, no matter who you are. It is a supportive space for independent vegan chefs to take risks with pop up events.
Black Cat is one a crucial component of the London vegan scene and an important supporter of local Hackney communities.
The food at the café is sensational and the people keeping it all running are even nice.
I hope you will join me in wishing Black Cat the very best as they celebrate their 5th anniversary. How incredible!
Black Cat is celebrating this huge milestone with an even huger party, including the launch of a new menu at their second location (yes, keep up friends!) kitchen takeover at Roadtrip & The Workshop on Old Street in Hoxton. This venue is a late night hangout with gorgeous cocktails and exciting events.
So much info to give you so let me start with the party aspect.
To celebrate 5 years of being awesome, Black Cat are throwing a fabulous party at their pop up kitchen venue at Roadtrip & The Workshop from 7pm on Wednesday November 27, 2019.
Entry is free with a suggested donation of £8 if you can afford it.
There is a super cool line up of entertainment across the evening including:
7pm Gaea
7:45pm Zek
8:20pm Immigranti
9pm Arboricidio
9:45pm Surya
10:30pm Awate
As part of the celebration, Black Cat is launching a new menu which you can check out below.
Grandma’s meatballs: house made sausage meatballs cooked in a rich white wine gravy 6.50
Croquettes : deep fried thick béchamel fritters with leek and mushrooms 5.50
Arancini: risotto croquettes with house made marinara and filled with vegan cheese 5.50
Dan Dan Cauliflower: crispy battered cauliflower coated in spicy sesame, soy and siracha sauce topped with pickled cucumbers and carrots and crushed peanuts 6
House wings : chicken style seitan tossed in our signature bbq spicy sauce, served with blue cheese sauce
Garlic prawns: vegan prawns marinated in a spicy smoked paprika, white wine and chilli flakes. Served with grilled sour dough 7
Burgers and sandwiches ( served in brioche bread and sour dough bread )
The roadtrip hot dog: moving mountains sausage, jalapeño jam, house sauerkraut, cheap mustard 8.50
The beef style burger: house made beefy patty, horseradish mayo, lettuce, grilled onions, burger sauce, gherkins. Black Cat best seller for the last 5 years, tweaked for the occasion 8.50
The Cuban: smokey tempeh, seitan ham, melted cheese, dill pickles, herby mayo in grilled buttered sour dough 8
Buttermilk corn crusted chicken style burger: tofu and seitan patty tossed in our very own scotch bonnet spicy sauce, blue cheese, lettuce, beef tomatoes and herby mayo 8.50
Get along to the Black Cat 5th anniversary part at Roadtrip & The Workshop in Hoxton on Wednesday November 27, 2019 from 7pm. You can see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.
Get along anytime after the party in the future to try the gorgeous new menu.
Be sure to visit the original Black Cat location in Hackney. See the exact location thanks to Goole Maps.
Fried chicken chain Chick ’n’ Sours has launched a range of plant-based sandwiches and sides.
The restaurant chain wanted to recreate their K Pop Sandwich in plant-based form and have included all the same flavours in a vegan version. The protein they’re using is seitan.
To emulate the flavours of their K – Pop sandwich, they built up a sandwich on their original bun (which is vegan already) with a vegan Gochujang mayo, the seitan patty (coated in a crunchy coating), chilli vinegar, and a reworked ‘slaw dressing’ to replicate the flavours but without the fish sauce. They top the burger with vegan Sriracha mayo.
The menu also includes plant-based nuggets called No Way Nuggs. These are a different protein using pea and soy that is coated in breadcrumbs. They coating the nuggets in a vegan ginger miso mayo and sprinkle with spring onions, pickled ginger, and sesame.
They can now offer a completely vegan meal on the new menu and have re-engineered versions of their famous sides to make this happen. This set menu includes House Pickles, No Way K-Pop, No Way Ginger Miso Nuggs, Bang Bang Cucumbers, Pickled Watermelon Salad, Fries (without dripping), and plant based Gochujang mayo and vegan Sriracha mayo.
Chick ’n’ Sours now has four branches across London: Haggerston, Seven Dials, Islington and Spitalfields.
Please note that Chick ‘n’ Sours is a restaurant that also serves meat and dairy. Their website and social media reflect that fact. If you are looking for a fried chicken experience that is completely vegan, you can dine with Temple of Seitan in Hackney and Camden.
London Vegan Beer Fest was created back in 2013 because the UK capital didn’t have a lot of large scale socialising events targeted just at vegans. Actually, outside of events such as VegfestUK and the Animal Aid Fayre, there weren’t many ways I can recall to celebrate with a vegan beer in your hand.
Following on from a visit to the original Los Angeles Vegan Beer Festival (created and run by Nic Adler and Quarrygirl), I was inspired to create something similar for London that was completely plant-based and focussed around beer.
It started as a small garden party in Bethnal Green for 200 people and over the next six years grew into one of London’s biggest annual vegan parties, welcoming thousands of revellers.
In addition, Vegan Beer Fest UK events were launched in Manchester, Glasgow, Sheffield, and Coventry.
But here we are in 2019 and the vegan landscape has changed drastically. No longer is a moderately-sized vegan event with curated food, beer, and wine offerings such a unique occurrence.
Just as Hackney Downs Vegan Market found itself unwanted due to the mainstreaming of veganism, Vegan Beer Fest UK events started to feel a bit superfluous in the current climate.
People can buy vegan beer in every single shop, supermarket, and pub in the country while High Street restaurants have made veganism more than normal and common. Large scale music festivals are even showcasing entire vegan food and drink sections.
Josh and I are extremely proud of the events we put together and hosted over the past six years and are sad to be wrapping them up, but it is important to be realistic about how the climate for these types of events has changed.
Vegan Beer Fest UK events are not planned for 2019. Who knows? Maybe you will see them return in a different format in the future.
Josh and I would like to personally thank a number of people who helped make these events fun and valuable community happenings over the past half decade.
Much love to the businesses, breweries, and food traders who traded with our events around the UK. Some of you travelled great distances to be a part of these special days and all of you worked tirelessly to prove that veganism does not mean something substandard.
We have eternal gratitude to our host venues. Thank you for taking a chance on us and giving our little vegan beer events safe and special homes over the years.
I can’t express how important the people are who helped us stage and run the events. Some of you were paid and some of you helped simply out of the goodness of your hearts. All of you understood the value these events added to our community. Thank you.
Follow Your Heart has been associated with our events for several years and this California company specialising in vegan cheeses and salad dressings (including the legendary Vegenaise) made our events possible financially. If you saw some of the margins we were running on most years, you wouldn’t underestimate the importance of Follow Your Heart‘s support. We send all of our love and gratitude to them. They are a big company that truly cares.
I send personal and heartfelt thanks to my dear friend Ricardo who has worked on the event design and posters for several years. He is an extremely talented designer and helped us forge a unique personality for Vegan Beer Fest UK events. His ideas will live on in the hundreds of t-shirts and tote bags bought by attendees during the last few years.
These events would have been impossible without all of the wonderful people who attended each year. Thank you for supporting us and for partying alongside us. You drank beer, you devoured street food, and you helped us raise approximately £1,000 for our featured charity Isla Urbana (securing clean and safe water for people in Mexico) through our Charioke rooms at the beer events. We couldn’t drag people away from those amazing charity karaoke sessions!
Lastly, I want to state just how grateful I am to Josh for the support he showed my initial idea of launching a beer festival. In addition, he needs to be thanked for the ridiculous amount of work he put into making these events happen each year. There were early mornings, long days, car journeys from one end of the UK to the other to meet deadlines, karaoke hosting duties, clean ups, stall building tasks, door and ticket collecting duties, and probably about two dozen more jobs that I can’t recall.
Honestly, running these events on our own was emotionally and physically challenging like few experiences I’ve had.
Josh did them all alongside me because he believed, as I did, that we were making special places for people to feel celebrated in their vegan lifestyle.
Vegan Beer Fest UK events were our way of helping to improve outcomes for non-human animals by making people feel good about their compassionate choices.
I look to the future with memories of these events firmly and fondly in my heart.
Hospital food has had a bad reputation for decades. Never mind vegan hospital food, which I’ve never had to try and find before now. I recently had an operation which required an overnight stay in a London hospital. Ahead of time I contacted the hospital to put in my request for vegan meals and hoped for the best.
They confirmed vegan meals would be provided for me but couldn’t give me exact details of what would be available. I had the lowest of expectations and asked my loved ones to be on standby to source a packed lunch from outside if needed!
The day came, the operation was a success and this was my post-op meal, a combination of lunch and dinner due to the timings on the day.
They brought me round a jacket potato with double beans, a hummus sandwich on brown bread with crisps and a side salad. Dessert was a fruit bowl with melon, grapes and pineapple pieces. I was impressed! Nothing here was groundbreaking but it was thoughtfully put-together, healthy, tasty and filling.
Even my visitors were impressed! Though perhaps this was because there was no need for anyone to do an emergency dash to the nearest food retailer.
The real fun came the next morning when breakfast arrived. They brought me avocado on sourdough toast, a large bowl of porridge with maple syrup, another round of toast with peanut butter and another fruit bowl.
It’s one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had, which was extra welcome in the circumstances!
