London

Overeat with friends

by

A recent trip to Loving Hut Archway resulted in a mammoth amount of vegan food being ordered. Seriously. So much food.

I was hanging out with Ange and James of glorious ethical boutique The Third Estate and we were all hungry. Even though we all knew we would be unable to show any form of restraint, we boarded the 390 bus in the direction of north London suburb, Archway. We ate everything.

James has spent the most part of the time I have known him raving about the vegan duck rolls at this Loving Hut location. He had convinced me my life was a devalued experience without them. I succumbed and it was the first thing we ordered. Old Jimbo might just be onto something. The build-you-own pancake rolls were tasty.

But the food didn’t stop there.

For some reason we ordered three types of crispy vegan chicken, a sizzling dish of vegan beef, side of rice, a vegan chicken burger with fries and a vegan fish burger. We all had to pull together as a team to chomp through the mound of deliciousness placed before us. Vegans united in greed.

Check it out below.

Read more

Who in London

by

Exciting news for pop music fans. Properly exciting news.

Remember when I raved about vegan pop performer Betty Who? You don’t? Go here and here to remind yourself of how I lost my heart to Betty Who.

betty-who-press-2013-650

Now that you are up to speed, hold on to your cruelty-free hats as I drop the latest.

Betty Who is performing in London on May 27th, 2014!

Fresh from topping the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with her hit Somebody Loves You, the Australian singer has locked in a date to perform in east London. The venue appears to be rather intimate so I strongly suggest being quick when tickets go on sale this Wednesday (March 5th, 2014). You can buy here.

See you at the gig. I’ll be the FGV in the front row.

Chicken and rainbows

by

My Instagram account got a good workout today. I spent a large part of the day in north London and managed to snap a few photos of things that caught my attention.

Here are two of my favourite things from Saturday March 1, 2014.

Plate of vegan chicken at Loving Hut, Archway – deep fried balls with sweet & sour sauce, smoked chicken and salty chicken
Super cute rainbow cardigan in ethical cotton made by Komodo – seen in The Third Estate boutique, Kentish Town

 Follow me on Instagram!

Breakfast was lovely

by

So much has been going on since I returned home from Mexico City. It has been a whirlwind of activity.

But certainly one of the highlights for me since arriving back in the UK was hosting the mammoth London Vegan Breakfast Club in conjunction with Shambhu’s Vegan Catering.

40 people packed into the kitchen and canteen known as The Food Chain in King’s Cross to enjoy one incredibly satisfying morning meal. The plates were piled high with vegan breakfast delights such as fried bread, baked beans, sausages, greens and hash browns. Attendees guzzled record amounts of fairtrade coffee, tea and orange juice while the organic olive leaf tea was a smash hit, too.

Many thanks to all who came along. It was a wonderful community event.

Huge thanks to the companies involved in feeding the masses. Please click through to follow these people on Twitter and let them know how much it means that they support the vegan community: Fry’s Vegetarian (sausages), Mr. Organic (baked beans), Soyfoods (tofu), Vx (discount vouchers) and Mirabilia Olive Leaf Tea (tea, obviously!).

Finally, enjoy the photos below!

Nishma of Shambhu's serving Soyfoods tofu and prepping Mr Organic baked beans
Nishma of Shambhu’s serving Soyfoods tofu & prepping Mr Organic baked beans
We served a LOT of sausages on the day
We served a LOT of sausages on the day
The scramble was a hit
The scramble was a hit

On demand

by

I used to think I knew what my favourite pastime was… and then I got an email from vegan sweet food producer Scoff asking if I would like to sample their creations. Now my favourite pastime is eating Scoff treats.

Based in Brixton, this new vegan sweet treats provider is changing the game for cruelty-free eating in the UK forever. Their truffles and fudge are decadent, delicious and irresistible. I haven’t often experienced melt in your mouth moments, but the Scoff vanilla fudge took me to that place instantly.

The company does sell at local markets (check the website for locations), but the real thrill is their mailing service. Why leave the comfort of your house when you can have dark chocolate and Amaretto truffles delivered straight to your door? No need to get wet and cold by exposing yourself to the elements. Scoff will post bags of creamy ginger fudge directly to you.

Almost as nice as the food is the care and attention given to making the food look lovely. The fudge bags feature the super cute Scoff logo while the smart truffle boxes are held closed by ribbons. Obviously perfect for gift giving.

Did you hear I like getting gifts? 😉

Gorgeous presentation
Gorgeous presentation
Dark chocolate & Amaretto truffles
Dark chocolate & Amaretto truffles
Gorgeous fudge
Gorgeous fudge
Coconut truffles
Coconut truffles
Scoff of Brixton
Scoff of Brixton

Scoff is the future. Order online now!

Follow Scoff on Twitter

Like Scoff on Facebook

Post Saf

by

We are living in a post-Saf Restaurant & Bar world. It is a tough fact to face, but it’s the truth. London lost one of its finest vegan eateries and London Vegan Drinks lost a dependable source of pre-drinking dinner.

Attendees to London Vegan Drinks will now need to turn to Whole Foods Market and its food providers for sustenance. Here is what you can look forward to eating during the February event.

  • vegan pizza with vegan cheese
  • vegetable quesadillas without cheese or sour cream
  • veggie burger & chips without cheese (these are not cooked on shared grill or deep fryer)
  • jacket potato without cheese
  • vegan beer, vegan wine, vegan cider

As for the WOK station counter, they will have the following vegan options:

  • Tofu with peanut sauce (Sweet Chilli Sauce, Peanut Butter, Gluten Free Soy Sauce, Lemon Juice, Water and Rice Vinegar)
  • Broccoli (seasoning with Gluten Free soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Cooking Sake, Sugar, Sichuan peppercorn and Dried Red Chilli Peppers)
  • Courgette (seasoning with Gluten Free soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Cooking Sake, Sugar, Sichuan peppercorn and Dried Red Chilli Peppers)
  • Aubergine with hoisin sauce (soybeans, sugar, water, salt,  vinegar, garlic)
  • Mixed vegetables (bean sprout, carrots, sweet corns and edamame)

Not a bad eating line up at all, right?!

See you at London Vegan Drinks this Thursday.

Italian comfort dinner

by

You all know my friend Sara runs vegan supper clubs and is hired as a private chef, right? So you will also know everything is inspired by her Italian heritage and is 100% vegan, yes?

Check out her upcoming Italian Comfort Food supper club taking place on Thursday February 20, 2014. The menu sound ridiculously amazing. The only excuse you have for not being at the dinner is that you will be with me at London Vegan Drinks instead. You must choose. Choose now!

Check out the menu for Sara’s dinner:

STARTER * Farinata * – baked chickpea pancake with red onions served with handmade vegan mayo and homemade Focaccia

MAIN COURSE * Handmade Italian Flag Tagliatelle with Porcini mushroom sauce * – red, white and green coloured tagliatelle handmade with spinach and beetroot home-squeezed juice served with homemade tomato and Porcini sauce

SECOND COURSE * Homemade Beetroot Burger * – served with vegan Stroganoff sauce 

DESSERT * Caramel Tiramisù * – vegan caramel Tiramisù

Amazing! You can book tickets online.

 

Look of love

by

Are you one of those people that likes to mark Valentine’s Day with a special meal and a bottle of wine? That task becomes all the more difficult when you throw being vegan into the mix, right?

You can stay home and challenge yourself to create a fancy meal or you can head into the wilds of London looking for a vegan dinner amongst a sea of carnivorous eating options.

Recently-closed Saf was set to host a gorgeous dinner on February 14th, but you clearly can’t count on that option. So let’s help each other out. Jump into the comments section below to sound off about the best London location for a romantic vegan meal this Friday.

I am half the world away in Mexico but I would like to get the ball rolling by suggesting tibits on Heddon Street in Mayfair. This vegetarian restaurant used to be home to London Vegan Drinks and is a favourite of vegans and their friends.

Sietta & tibits
Sietta & tibits

On Friday February 14th, tibits will be transforming their food boat (where all the food is held) into a vegan wonderland. They are removing all non-vegan items for the day so your romantic meal can be cruelty-free. People who like to drink will also be happy with a selection of vegan beers, wines and cocktails (make sure you ask for vegan wine options to be pointed out).

That’s my tip for Valentine’s Day 2014. Now I want to hear yours!

Closed in Kentish Town

by

First it was Mella Cafe, then it was Saf Restaurant and Bar. Now a vegan friendly restaurant and coffee house in north London has also disappeared.

If you ever got the opportunity to dine at Muya Ethiopian Restaurant, you undoubtedly loved their cuisine. It was irresistible. It wasn’t a vegetarian restaurant but they had a separate vegan menu that was unrivalled in the capital.

But they have closed and London vegans are the poorer for the loss.

Closed
Closed

The vegan menu featured delicious traditional Ethiopian stews packed with vegetables and spices, served with a seemingly never-ending supply of injera. A vegetarian platter was always more than enough to fill us up and truth be told, we often struggled to finish.

I phoned the number listed on the Muya website and a recorded message instructs callers to keep checking the website and Facebook page for updates on where the company will show up again. I hope they resurface soon.

Did you ever eat at Muya? Share your memories below.

 

Can the can

by

I was talking with my friends at the Cool Chile Co a few days ago about the different brands of seitan available in the UK. Following our chat, I went on a quick exploration of my usual shopping haunts to see if any new wheat meat products had passed me by recently.

And one had. Wheat chunks in a tin!

Wheat meat in a tin
Wheat meat in a tin

I am not sure how long this canned seitan product has been available in the UK, but my discovery in Vx last week marked the first occasion I had laid eyes on it.

Sadly, I am yet to taste the Nuvale Vegetarian Cubes as I flew out of London for Mexico City before I could attack the product with a can opener. Have you tried the chunks? What are they like? What is your favourite ready made seitan?