London

Vegan Thanksgiving in London

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I’m not a huge fan of traditions, especially when many traditions are inextricably linked to the subjugation and death of animals. Christmas and other various traditional celebrations often culminate in humans feasting on the flesh of non-human animals. There is no wondering why I usually walk a different path.

But something exciting is happening in London this month that is allowing me (and other vegans) an insight into what a celebratory feast is like. Vegan food creator The Vegan Ronin is planning a showstopping Thanksgiving feast without hurting anyone. Check out her food plans below.

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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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Amazing cheese now in Camden

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Remember how I went on and on about Vegusto vegan cheese? You don’t? Surely you recall when I announced it to be amongst the finest in the world. No? Take a quick trip back in time to refresh your memory here and then hold onto your fedora with a faux feather because I have some exciting news for you.

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Here we go, I’m hanging out in Camden

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Camden is famous for a lot of cool, outsider culture that eventually works its way into the mainstream. The historical Camden Market is now a must-see for thousands of tourists every year, the underground music scene exploded out of the borough in the 90’s spawning the Indie craze and more recently, the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse has been inextricably linked to the area as her Back to Black album became the highest-selling release of recent times in the UK.

It is understandable when members of minorities bemoan their insider knowledge being shared with the world. To have something intimate blown up to a global scale can be extremely challenging and confronting. However, there is one alternative happening coming out of Camden that I hope continues its explosion into the mainstream… vegan dining.

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An expensive lesson

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The Gate Restaurant of Hammersmith

How much would you pay for a meal? When dining out in a fancy restaurant, do you set yourself a budget or do you sometimes allow yourself to splurge on fine food?

If you don’t mind distributing your wealth now and again, I have some advice for you. Think twice before distributing it to The Gate Restaurant, a vegetarian eatery located in Hammersmith, London. I am going to be blunt and brief. I found it to be over-priced, over-dependent on dairy and severely lacking in vegan options.

The restaurant itself is rather pleasant, if a bit grubby. My seat afforded me a lovely view across the restaurant to the massive feature window. Unfortunately I was also next to a wall that was riddled with bizarre scuff marks and scratches. I’m not above eating in a venue with a bad paint job, but after viewing the prices on the menu I would expect The Gate Restaurant to splash out on a lick of paint now and again.

Speaking of prices, I have never paid so much money for such unexciting, unadventurous and downright dull food.

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Hyper when I ventilate

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There is no big mystery here. I love Ms. Cupcake and I love all of her delicious treats and temptations. I have eaten every imaginable variety of mini cake from the bakery but today I got served. That means I was taught a lesson. A lesson where the learning intention was the tastiness of the watermelon cupcake I devoured.

Delicious. Moist. Super sweet. Frosting outweighing sponge.

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Take me to the places that I love best

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Hampstead Heath is just about as famous/infamous a location as you can get in London. The stunning inner-city parkland is a historical, picturesque expanse of greenery dotted with reservoirs and woodlands. People make the trip to the park from all over the city to take in the glorious skyline views, admire the wildlife and engage in sexual activities.

Oh yes. Sex. The Heath has long been a destination for men seeking casual and anonymous encounters. Of course, its most famous cruiser is George Michael who allegedly shouted “Fuck off! It’s part of my culture” to a snooping tabloid reporter as he unashamedly went about his business.

But aside from Hampstead being a visual treat and a place for the interested to meet, it is also a charming and surprising must-visit location for vegans.

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Seitan rejected my soul

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I love a good piece of meat… fake, that is and fake meat rarely comes better than a chunky slab of seitan. Seitan is a meat substitute made of wheat gluten originating from China and it is particularly chewy. It is perfect for cooking with sauces and marinades as it sucks up liquid and flavours expertly.

I don’t see a lot of quality seitan in the UK so it was with immense delight that I watched Josh produce a jar of the good stuff from his grocery bag recently. Lima seitan is a quality wheat meat that is easy to carve and is barely flavoured, making it perfect to absorb any sauce you throw at it.

It doesn’t appear to be available in many stores but the Lima website does have a list of suppliers and retail outlets. It is apparently available in countries as far spread as the Czech Republic, Bahrain, Croatia, Spain, Israel, Slovenia and Iceland. Their availability reads like the Eurovision finalist list! We didn’t have to travel that far to nab our jar as Josh made his purchase in Alara Health Store located on Marchmont Street in Bloomsbury.

So what did I make with this wonder product?

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To market, to market

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Do you want to get involved in one of the most exciting vegan projects that has ever taken place in London?

Peter from October Cafe is developing a multi-vendor market in the heart of the city! I won’t waffle on too much as I want to give Peter the floor to explain how it works. Let’s just say it is a dream of mine to shop at an all vegan market and I will be first in line to see what the cruelty-free vendors have on offer.

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Say vegan cheese

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Every now and then something so revolutionary comes along, it turns the vegan world upside down. Vegusto is one of those things. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Vegusto display at VegFest 2011

During the last few months I have been enjoying a new vegan cheese range known as Vegusto. It isn’t easy to find in the UK but when you do get your hands on it, you won’t soon forget. The plant-based cheeses are made in Switzerland and are slowly working their way around Europe. I spoke with representatives at the recent Bristol VegFest who assured me they are toiling away with plans to get the range into health food stores around the UK as soon as possible.

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