UK

Support one of London’s true vegan originals

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Here is a quick post to tell you two things.

  1. I need to remind you that GreenBay Supermarket in Fulham still exists and as one of London’s best independently-owned vegan businesses, you should take a moment shop with them when you have the funds.
  2. GreenBay has just started selling copies of my first ever book. Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t costs £8.99 and if you buy from them online or in the shop, they get to keep half of the money!

Click here to buy it from their online store. While you are there, grab a basketful of vegan groceries and enjoy next day delivery in the UK!

GreenBay is a fully-stocked vegan grocery store located on North End Road but if you can’t get in there, you can shop online and they will bring the good stuff to you.

The shelves are overflowing with all manner of compassionate products including cheese, meats, pastas, personal care items, drinks, yogurts, chocolates, and pretty much anything you could want or need.

You can follow GreenBay on Instagram.

Vegan yoga retreat in Dorset

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My friend (and all-round vegan yoga superstar) Louise Wallis is hosting an amazing yoga retreat in May 2019.

And you wanna get booking because space is limited and these retreats ALWAYS book up super quickly.

Celebrate the May Day Bank Holiday weekend and the first stirrings of summer with 4 days and 3 nights of yoga and delicious vegan food in an idyllic location. Take a dip in the indoor heated pool, walk to the beach, or sit by the campfire (or wood burner) and relish every moment.

Treat yourself to:

  • 4 x days and 3 x nights full-board stay in a beautiful eco-Retreat
  • Exclusive use of the venue & all facilities, including heated pool (see photo below)
  • 8 x Yoga / Meditation / Relaxation classes
  • Delicious vegan meals prepared by the resident Chef (mainly organic, local produce)
  • Complimentary gift bag
  • Free WiFi and parking

The venue

Bonhays Retreat Centre is a magical place. A secluded sanctuary, nestled in Dorset’s rolling hills between Bridport and Lyme Regis, and just 2 miles from Charmouth beach. With its heated pool, comfortable accommodation, valley views, and tranquil location it’s the perfect getaway.

If you are interested in finding out prices, accommodation types, and the yoga schedule for this May 3 – May 6, 2019 retreat, see all the information online now.

London university bans live animal displays

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Shayna Weisz and fellow students at Middlesex University have won a hard-fought campaign to have live animal displays banned on their campus.

This inspirational story shows what hard work and a belief in being kind can achieve. I am thrilled for Shayna to tell the story in her own words below.

Reindeer on display at Middlesex University

Our victory by Shayna Weisz

I am thrilled with this news.

It’s taken such a lot of hard work over the past year. They really didn’t make it easy for us – I joined Middlesex University in North London last year, and as soon as I heard about their upcoming Christmas market featuring live reindeer, I started off writing politely to the event organisers about my concerns and encouraging others to do the same. They simply dismissed us, so I decided to organise a peaceful but powerful protest where myself and others stood with signs and handing out leaflets surrounding the reindeers’ pen at the event, where the poor animals stood with no stimulation for 8 hours straight, surrounded by the noise and the crowd. We also noticed that they were transported to and from our campus in the back of a van.

Student protest at Middlesex University

Most people attending the event easily saw the validity in what we were doing as soon as we explained it, and agreed with our stance – including teachers and professors who stopped by and praised us for what we were doing. This was very encouraging, so following that we started a university-wide petition – although there were so many rules in place for how and when and where we were allowed to collect signatures, that it took a full 6 months to gather the required amount for it to pass.

We were informed that it was the biggest petition ever run at the university, and that the motion now had to go to a referendum. So we had to campaign again, but finally, with 60% of the students voting in favour of our motion, it passed just last Friday – specifically calling for a ban on all live animal use as entertainment on campus. For the first time in 12 years there were no reindeer at their annual Christmas market and this will also eliminate the future use of owls who are usually chained to little stands on World Book Day and caged exotic reptiles on Easter.

Reindeer on display at Middlesex University

Moving forward

For more information about the suffering of reindeer at festive events, you could check out Animal Aid’s recent campaign where they’ve done a while undercover exposé of the industry, and have lots of facts about the detrimental effects on the animals’ health and wellbeing.

I’m over the moon that all this hard work has paid off and that my University won’t be having live animal events anymore, but I really think it’s also important to get the word out there about this important step they’ve taken, in the hope that other institutions will be inspired to do the right thing and follow suit.

Fundraiser for vegan business in UK

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Launched late 2017 by partners Liam and Tilly, Seitan’s Grill is known for being a vegan catering company producing handmade sustainable faux meats.

Liam and Tilly have launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to create a new kitchen space to develop recipes and service the local public.

They are ready to take Seitan’s Grill to the next level.

For the last 14 months the business has been home based within their kitchen, producing everything they sell. Growing organically has been steady but they want to reach more people, produce more products and ultimately provide quality handmade vegan produce to the masses.

They need your support to help fit their commercial production kitchen, featuring a hatch for serving locals.

You can click here to check out the fundraising campaign and see the rewards on offer for backers.

You can follow Seitan’s Grill on Instagram.

Help a vegan business in London

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Got any spare cash?

Picky Wops is a much adored pizza business in London that is currently experiencing severe upheaval and they require community support.

Due to a series of bad experiences that include closing their Fulham branch, Picky Wops is looking for a new home. As you know, London is a brutal place to do business and that becomes infinitely more difficult when you are an independent vegan business.

Picky Wops are trying to raise £60,000 to secure a new restaurant location so they have turned to the goodwill of their vegan community.

If you can afford to spare some cash, please click here to donate.

There are some fantastic rewards on offer including pizza making classes and private catering from the founders.

You can also follow Picky Wops on Instagram.

Vegan in south east London

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Vegans and vegan-curious of south east London. Get ready.

Two fab-looking vegan happenings are taking place in the Peckham/Nunhead area in an event location called Space at 61.

Space at 61 is available to hire for parties, art galleries and now it seems even vegan pop-up food events. Two vegan events are taking place before the end of April, so let’s get stuck into the details.

Event the first.

Yep. The flyer above says it all but to recap…

This is a two-day takeover by Core of Life featuring smoothie bowls, waffles, breads, cakes, and plenty of drinks.

The takeover is set for Tuesday April 25 and Wednesday April 26, 2017. Food is served between 10am and 4pm both days.

And the next pop-up at Space at 61?

The V Spot is showcasing a new spring menu featuring some of their favourite seasonal British vegetables on Saturday April 29, 2017 between 7pm and 10pm.

The 3-course, all vegan homemade menu is as follows:

Starter-Aparagus & sorrel salad with mustard aioli
Main- Garlic Fried Samphire, Courgetti & Chilli Pasta
Dessert- Rhubarb Cheesecake

There will be a welcome drink served and you are permitted to bring your own beverages for the main meal. The V Spot will have herbal tea and water available.

Tickets are not refundable, but they are transferrable. You can buy them online here.

There you have it. Two reasons to get involved in Peckham/Nunhead.

Click here to see the exact location of Space at 61 thanks to Google Maps. Follow Space at 61 on Facebook to find out more about future vegan events.

Art for animals

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Up to forty artists are set to show their work in a London gallery to advocate for animal rights.

Here are all the details you need.

Artist Aisha Eveleigh has organised an art exhibition in central London to raise awareness of animal exploitation and its consequences.

The name Behind Closed Doors refers to the way our mistreatment of animals is hidden from the general public. Most of us have little idea what happens to animals behind the doors of factory farms, slaughterhouses and vivisection labs.

The exhibition seeks to bring these issues into the light, changing the way we think about animal rights.

For this reason, Aisha views the Behind Closed Doors exhibition as a form of activism. Vegan artists like Dana Ellyn and Sue Coe will be exhibiting their work, whilst YouTubers Earthling Ed and Vegan Geezer are among those giving talks.

The exhibition will take place at the Strand Gallery in London. It will be open from the 26th to the 29th of May, with an open event day on the 27th. On this day, there will be a variety of talks and performances, along with creative workshops to get involved in.

If you’d like to support this inspiring project, make a donation via the Indiegogo fundraising page. Donating £5 gets you unlimited entry into the exhibition, while donating more gets you added perks. Even if you can’t make it to the event, donations will no doubt be very much appreciated!

For more information on the exhibition, visit the website.

You can also RSVP and invite friends on the Facebook event page.

Temple of Hackney update

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After taking London by storm and firmly establishing themselves as darlings of the mainstream tabloids, vegan fried chicken shop Temple of Hackney has just celebrated one month of trading.

So, how are they doing?

Is business still thriving as the grand opening frenzy fades into the past?

I caught up with owner and Temple of Seitan founder Rebecca McGuinness to find out exactly how the situation is for London’s first vegan fried chicken shop a little over a month in:

Congratulations on such a tremendous opening period. Just how busy has it been in the shop? Has it surpassed your expectations?

Thanks so much! It’s been unbelievable, we never thought in a million years we would be this busy and we are so grateful for all the support. It’s been a lot of hard work but to have this response in just a month as a small business is so surreal and we feel so lucky. We have acquired a second kitchen to keep up with demand and have gone from 4 staff to 13 in a matter of weeks!

What is the general feedback you and the team have been getting from customers?

General feedback has been really positive, the homemade meats have been met with great response, but the surprise dish is the mac and cheese – I would say it’s as popular as the chicken!

We also notice a lot of feedback about the friendliness and great service from our team. We definitely have to give them a shout out as they truly are the nicest and hardest working bunch around!

Do you have any sense of how many non-vegans are eating with you? What has their reaction been like?

We have had a lot of non-vegans come through that are trying to cut down on meat consumption but also some that come out of curiosity or along with vegan friends. We have had people say they prefer seitan chicken on several occasions which is obviously the highest honour! Haha.

The mainstream press has really taken to your story in a big way. How does all that attention feel and how are you managing the PR demands while running the shop?

It can be very full on and unfortunately due to this we aren’t as quick to get back to everyone at present – but as I say we are so lucky to have this kind of press as a small business and certainly wouldn’t be enjoying the instant success we have had without it.

Do you have any upcoming developments or top secret news you would like to share with my readers? What can they expect from Temple of Hackney in the future?

We do! We are working on a new menu that we plan to reveal very soon, including some exciting dishes we have shared early on in our Instagram feed. The menu will still have the “chicken shop” vibe, but will feature some new junk food favourites. We can’t wait to share them with everyone! We will also have extended opening hours shortly.

Finally, do you have a message for your loyal customers who have helped make the opening such a success? I’ve seen photos of them lining up out the door in the rain and snow!

We really do have the most incredible customers and are constantly in awe of their patience and kindness. From those who have been with us from our first stall in Brixton, our weekend stalls in Brick Lane to the new friends we have met in Hackney, we cannot thank you all enough. This first month of opening has been very challenging and we have learned so much in such a short space of time- but to have the support and understanding of the community made our transition from street food pop up to store a dream come true. We couldn’t have come this far without you. We say this often but the UK has the most incredible vegan community and has been so welcoming and friendly to a couple of junk food fiends from down under.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

New vegan ice cream

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Fry’s Family Foods have been at the forefront of vegan chilled and frozen grocery items in the UK for years.

The brand has a loyal following of consumers (me included) who adore their meat alternatives.

Those fans have suddenly got a whole lot more to celebrate as Fry’s Family Foods have now released their very own vegan ice cream range into the UK.

Yep. Another vegan ice cream brand!

As you can see, there are five flavours to get involved with and they are all currently exclusively available via Ocado. I’ve been assured that it won’t be long until they are also stocked by Holland & Barrett.

The coconut based ice creams are available in Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean Espresso, Madagascan Vanilla Bean, Toasted Coconut and Tons of Cookies varieties.

How excited are you to have another vegan ice cream option in the UK? Have you tried these tubs by Fry’s? How were they?

You can visit Fry’s online on Facebook.

Viva La Vegan

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Here is a spot of news not only for people attending my Vegan Christmas Market this weekend, but for those looking for quirky, cute and fun clothing accessories with a bold vegan angle.

Voted Best Vegan Fashion Brand 2015 and 2016 in the UK Vegan Awards and Best Vegan Clothing in the Vegfest Awards 2016, Viva La Vegan is an upbeat vegan statement wear brand of apparel and accessories.

The company was born from their love of animals, a desire to positively promote veganism and a commitment to do their bit for the planet all while looking good. The VLV team are a committed bunch of vegans and eco ambassadors who tell me they are not interested in stereotypes, just a love of style and contemporary fashion. And helping animals!

Of course you can shop with Viva La Vegan via their website, but you can also get your hands on their cute Xmas-themed badges, greeting cards and their regular (and very popular) clothing at Vegan Christmas Market this Saturday in Hackney (December 17, 2017).

You can also follow Viva La Vegan on Facebook and Twitter.