London

Animal talk

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Super fast post.

If you are in London, UK this Friday (March 22) and you are interested in matters of academia and animal testing, you should be no place else.

‘Bred for purpose – the inherent, situational and pathogenic vulnerability of animals in contemporary biomedical research’ is a lecture given by Dr. Jane Johnson of the Department of Philosophy, Macquarie University Australia.

I am assured everyone is welcome to attend.

Full details are in the picture below. The location is a brief four minute walk from Mile End Underground station.

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Breaking: Jamie Kilstein heads back to London

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As you may be aware, I am proudly involved with a mammoth vegan festival heading to London Olympia this October. VegfestUK is the biggest vegan festival in the world and is now, for the first time in its long history, heading to the capital.

The line up of talent and respected performers/speakers/specialists is growing weekly and there has been a slew of recent announcements around the personalities heading to VegfestUK London for the weekend of October 5th and 6th, 2013. But as far as I’m concerned, here is the major reason to make sure you are at the event come October time…

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The only thing that helps me pass the time away

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Josh has once again stepped in with a guest post, although I have a suspicion the only reason he volunteered to write for me was to make me jealous… he knows I ADORE potato!

Take it away, Josh.

For those of you with desk jobs, you probably know that feeling… it’s getting close to lunch time, it’s chilly and raining outside and the thought of a trek to the supermarket to battle it out with the lunchtime crowd just doesn’t appeal. I wanted something quick, cheap, tasty and filling. Sure, I am surrounded by great vegan options all just a short walk from where I work: Hummus Bros, The Vegetarian’s Paradise, Amico Bio etc. but none of them as convenient as the vegetarian cafe in The Mary Ward Centre on Queen Square, WC1.

This place is about a 50 second walk from my building so last week I grabbed my umbrella to shield me from the rain and grey skies and took the short walk up the street to this hidden gem.

The place is simple and inviting. You order and pay at the counter and there are about 20 small tables to sit around and take respite from the central London hustle and bustle. That day though, I just wanted to get back to the comfort of my desk so I got my lunch to takeaway.

The Mary Ward Centre
The Mary Ward Centre

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You can crush us

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You think you know a place and then BAM! You turn a corner and suddenly you realise how big and complex a city like London can be. The greatest wonders may very well have been under your nose the whole time.

I was surprised in just this manner during a recent food jaunt around the inner city London neighbourhood of Brixton. Strolling around like a vegan food-consuming superhero, I didn’t expect to be bowled over by a gorgeous juice bar serving plant-based drinks, sandwiches and salads.

Situated inside the bustling Market Place of Brixton Village, The Oracle’s Organic Juice Bar is a green oasis in a sea of shops and stalls offering all manner of animal products.

Oracle's of Brixton Village
Oracle’s of Brixton Village

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Four good reasons

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Do you need another reason to visit the Ms. Cupcake vegan bakery in Brixton? Well, I have four reasons under my FGV belt that will convince you to get down there. Enjoy!

1.

The new mint Mini Moos by Moo Free Chocolates
The new mint Mini Moos by Moo Free Chocolates

2.

The new Thumbs Up candy bar by Go Max Go Foods
The new Thumbs Up candy bar by Go Max Go Foods

3.

Vegan biscotti
Vegan biscotti

4.

Lovely people
Lovely people

Meet you there?

Follow Ms. Cupcake on Twitter

Like Ms. Cupcake on Facebook

Visit Ms. Cupcake online

 

 

And I don’t even know what’s the tea!

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Prepare for another level of indulgence as Fat Gay Vegan invites you to join the feasting and oppulence that is London Vegan High Tea.

Vegan supper clubs do not come a lot finer than what is being presented forLondon Vegan High Tea. An afternoon of plant-based culinary delights await, handcrafted by one of the finest vegan bakers in London. The Vegan Tart is adored by fans of fine eating familiar with his popular market stall and now it is your turn to sample his wares during this decadent event.

High tea is an indelible part of British life and has been enjoyed by food fans for decades. Unfortunately, the tradition of serving clotted cream has kept vegans longing to take part in this ritual at bay. Until now!

Purchase a ticket for London Vegan High Tea and you will experience the splendour of a full British high tea with all the trimmings.

Four Course Menu

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Or probably more like hanging around

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If you follow my ramblings online, you could not have missed the news of your friendly neighbourhood Fat Gay Vegan hosting a Google+ Hangout a few days ago.

Kip from Messy Vegetarian Cook and Laura from VeganSaurus joined me and a handful of other interested people to talk about living life as a vegan, eating out in London and why we choose plant-based diets.

The Hangout was a lot of fun and it has given me the idea to make it a regular event. What sort of guests would you like to see me interact with and what are the main topics you would like to see covered? It should be noted I will never agree to swimming pool/topless interviews.

To give you some inspiration to answer those questions, here is the full video of my recent Google+ Hangout, originally streamed live online. Enjoy!

BIG news about Vegfest UK

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I like to break big news when I can get it and it rarely comes bigger than this.

As you know, Vegfest is a wildly successful food, music and lifestyle festival that takes place every year in Brighton and Bristol. Well, that used to be true. The huge news released just today by the organisers involves the festival expanding to a third location. London.

That’s right, people. One of the biggest and best healthy living events in the world is setting up shop this October 5 and 6 in London. The sprawling Olympia site will be taken over for the two day event featuring cookery demos, celebrities, live music and much more.

And if that isn’t enough to impress your vegan socks right off your feet, more staggering news has been leaked concerning the Bristol Vegfest event taking place on 24-26 May, 2013.

Legendary Mancunian band The Happy Mondays have been confirmed to appear at the Bristol stop of the festival, which is officially the world’s biggest vegan event. Also joining the Mondays will be Peter Hook (New Order), The Farm, 808State, Caravan Palace, The Abyssinians and Macka B.

Get all the finer details from the official press release below. If you are planning on attending the London leg of Vegfest, tickets go on sale February 13. If you are interested in hosting a stall at the event, be SUPER quick in contacting the organisers as the availability is sure to shrink rapidly.

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What does a FGV sound like?

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Here is an interesting turn of events for the coming week.

On Tuesday January 29, 2013 at 7:00pm (London, UK time) you will be able to watch me host a global video chat on Google +. That’s right! No matter where in the world you are situated, your Internet connection will allow you a front row seat so you can see and hear a real life FGV in action.

But what’s it all about?

Google + Local in London have asked me to host a Hangout (video chat) for new vegans and people considering trying a vegan diet on for size. They didn’t have to twist my chubby arm too much, especially when they agreed I could bring two friends along for the ride.

Helping me field questions on the evening will be Catherine ‘Kip’ Dorrell of Messy Vegetarian fame. As a lot of you already know, Kip’s blog is one of the best on the entire planet for creative plant-based cuisine and recipes.

Also joining us will be vegan blogging megastar and all round publishing busy person Laura Hooper Beck. Laura is probably best known to readers of this blog as the founding editor of one of the most popular (and awesome) vegan blogs out there today…. Vegansaurus!

How does the Hangout work?

If you have a Google account, head on over to the event page and sign up. Once there, you can add questions you would like our panel of vegans to answer.

If you don’t have a Google account but would still like to be involved, visit the event page as the Hangout is taking place and there will be a link for the live video stream. Anyone can watch, with or without a Google account.

Click here for the event page on Google +

Hope to see a lot of you in cyberspace!

Eat and be charitable

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I love announcements and I especially love announcements featuring a whole lot of vegan food. If the news can also contain a bit of info about a cool animal charity too, I am giggling with delight.

This month, London Vegan Potluck will be hosting a raffle on behalf of Moo Free Chocolates. The company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for new chocolate making equipment in order to expand their business.

Any money gathered from the raffle will be added to the Kickstarter fund. Moo Free are supplying us with a selection of their delicious and tempting treats for the competition. Read about my love for Moo Free Chocolates here and here and here and here.

FGV approves
FGV approves

As Kickstarter requires fundraisers to reach their full target before collecting any of the money, Moo Free have indicated they would like the raffle funds to go to The Farm Animal Sanctuary in the instance of their target not being reached.

Find out about and donate to the Moo Free Kickstarter campaign here

Follow Moo Free on Twitter

Discover The Farm Animal Sanctuary here

Like The Farm Animal Sanctuary on Facebook

Come along to the February London Vegan Potluck. You could win some tasty vegan chocolate. You might just raise some funds for a compassionate company. There is a chance your money will support a wonderful animal sanctuary. And you are certain to eat a whole lot of delicious, homemade vegan food. Winners all round!