Second location for London legend

This is grand news.

Cookies & Scream, one of my favourite places in London to grab sweet delights, now has a second location in the capital.

Screamers thank you so much for coming out to our little shop of treats! Y’all have a good night now #hollowayroad #veganbakery #glutenfreebakery

A photo posted by Cookies And Scream Vegan/GF (@cookiesandscreambakery) on


If you love what they have been doing at their Camden Lock location for several years, you really should get along to the new 100% vegan shop front on Holloway Road in North London.

Expect all the usual glory such as decadent shakes, cookies, ice cream sandwiches and the all-time champion of the universe… the Wookee bar. All gluten free too, if that is what you need.

Click here to see the store location on Google Maps and follow the bakery on Instagram. And tell them FGV loves them when you visit!

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Vegan Christmas Market

This is your early warning to save the date.

Don’t say you didn’t know to keep Saturday December 17, 2016 free from all other engagements.

I am teaming up with Hackney Downs Studios to bring you Vegan Christmas Market.

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This is a teaser post to get you excited. Did it work?

More details to follow.

In the meantime, RSVP to the Facebook event to get all the updates and to invite friends.

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Come on through, Oatly!

Have you seen these two new incredible products from dairy-free enthusiasts Oatly?

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Yep, that’s correct. A tub of crème fraîche and a carton of vanilla custard.

I’m not sure if these products are available widely throughout the UK at the moment, but there are reports of them both being sold by Tesco.

Have you seen them out in the wild? How do you rate them?

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Buy bulk vegan cheese

Is there such a thing as too much vegan cheese?

Not when you speak to the friendly people over at Coffee & Cheese.

Coffee & Cheese is a catering supplies company specialising in (do I really need to say it?!) coffee and vegan cheese. Yep, that’s pretty much their entire game plan and to be honest they are doing a grand job of spreading vegan cheese across the entire UK.

The company mainly deals with getting non-vegan cafés and restaurants to add vegan cheese such as Violife to their menus, instantly transforming their offerings and increasing the quantity of their plant-based dishes.

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Coffee & Cheese owner Pedro doesn’t just sell bulk packets of Violife to restaurants, he also takes the time to explain the demand for veganising menus and demonstrates the best way to cook with vegan cheese.

If you have a local café or restaurant you think would be open to expanding their vegan offerings, put them in touch with Coffee & Cheese.

You can also buy from this fabulous catering supplies company if you want to save money by purchasing your vegan cheese in bulk for your own home, if you run a vegan catering business or if you need vegan cheese for a large function you need to cater.

Other products you can source from Coffee & Cheese include huge tubs of vegan mayo, plant-based milks, vegan hot chocolate powder and, of course, everything you need to make and sell coffee.

All contact details for Coffee & Cheese can be found on their website.

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Job in vegan joint

Hey kids.

Check out what my buddies at Kabaret @ Karamel just sent through.

Job Advert – Join the Karamel Crew

Kabaret@Karamel, London’s award-winning vegan venue & restaurant, is looking for a creative, committed and versatile multi-tasker to join the team.

In 2 years, we’ve built a small, and close-knit crew of full and part-timers who work really well together, and now we’re looking for a new member.

Someone who loves to cook for others, can hold their own in the kitchen and keep a level head under pressure. Who can jump behind the Bar at a moment’s notice, greet customers, serve coffee, beer, and cocktails, & assist where needed.

You need to be conscientious, professional and proactive, with a warm and friendly personality.

You must have previous cooking/catering and customer service experience, in a professional or semi-professional role. Also essential, is experience of collaborative team-working in a pressured environment. You will need to give details of this experience in your application, and tell us how it relates to Karamel.

It’s a demanding job: you will need to work hard, and at weekends, when we can get very busy. But it’s a rewarding and fun one too. Creating a wonderful food and entertainment experience is a buzz – and more so if you’re vegan, and keen to spread the love.

Kabaret@Karamel is unique, there’s nowhere like it. Live music, comedy gigs, art and theatre shows, club nights, private parties, socials, meetups and weddings. We do it all! This is a great chance to work in vibrant vegan venue with like-minded people, and to learn firsthand about the arts and hospitality sector.

30 hours a week. (Shift times, and rate of pay to be negotiated).

Key qualities: Committed, Reliable, Flexible, Self-motivated

Desirable Training/Qualifications: Level 2 – Food Safety & Hygiene

HOW TO APPLY: Application deadline: Friday 28th October 2016. Application by email onlyplease follow these instructions carefully:

Email Louise Wallis bookings@karamelrestaurant.com attaching the following:

  • Your CV (maximum 2 sides of A4) including two referees (please give their name, address, telephone number, email address)
  • 1-side of A4 outlining your reason(s) for applying, and your relevant experience of (cooking/catering, customer service and collaborative team-working

www.karamelrestaurant.com

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Egg is the new jackfruit

Vegan food trends move through the Internet at breakneck speed.

I remember when nobody in the UK had thought of using jackfruit as a pulled pork substitute but suddenly it was everywhere. Aquafaba is getting close to peak saturation as people find inventive ways to use chickpea water.

Yep, us vegans love a good food innovation and I predict the next huge thing that will have you all swapping recipes and Instagramming in a frenzy is fried egg.

I said eggs, people!

Making plant-based ingredients look like real eggs is all the rage and two UK food providers have got it down to an art form.

First up, check out this egg, bacon, cheese and beef burger made by hot food superstars Temple of Seitan.

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There is realistic and then there is a FREAKING VEGAN EGG THAT LOOKS LIKE AN EGG!!!!!

Also contending for best imitation egg is the glorious Sgaia of Glasgow. Check out what they were recently serving up at a vegan festival in Scotland.

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Wow. Sgaia know about food, alright.

Have you tried either of these groundbreaking fried egg variations in real life? What did you think? Look out for both companies serving their vegan fried egg at upcoming events around the UK.

Please post links for vegan egg recipes below so we can all get up to speed with this latest food fad.

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Vegan sandwiches to go

We are making big leaps and bounds when it comes to plant-based foods in the UK, but one area that needs development is ready-to-consume sandwiches. You know, the pre-packaged wraps and boxes you get everywhere from Tesco to your local café.

Thankfully, superstar food company Tofurky has set its glare on this very area.

The North American plant-based pioneer set up a vegan sandwich shop in London this week at the giant catering and food trade show called LUNCH.

This show is a coming together of food industry leaders and Tofurky wanted to demonstrate to them what they were missing out on by not selling ready-to-consume vegan sandwiches and snacks.

Check out this incredible selection they put on display.

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Could you even imagine seeing a vegan fridge like that in a UK shop?!

I asked Tofurky to elaborate on what they are trying to achieve with this new way of packaging their delicious plant-based meats, and they told me the following:

After the successful launch of our products in the UK retail market, it has occurred to us that there is a large gap in the huge UK Grab and Go sandwich market which lacks tasty plant based protein options for vegans, vegetarians and the 4 in 10 Brits who are now reducing their consumption of animal based proteins. We were impressed and amazed by the tremendous response to the 6 vegan Tofurky sandwiches and salads displayed in this chiller at the LUNCH show this week and hope to soon be offering these throughout the UK. For more information: info@tofurky.com.

Oh, yes.

How amazing would it be to start seeing these options pop up around the country?

Tofurky have been hard at work convincing UK companies to run with the concept in their stores but we as consumers can also help.

Share this blog post via social media or email with as many food retailers as possible. We can let them know that we want vegan choices in supermarkets, motorway services, cafés, universities and anywhere ready-to-consume food is sold.

Want some more photos?

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Get hassling those retailers, people. We need this! Animals need this!

You can visit Tofurky online, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram and like them on Facebook.

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New vegan cheese launch

London, hold steady when you read this news.

One of the best vegan cheeses I have ever tasted is launching in the capital tomorrow (Saturday September 24, 2016) and you will be kicking yourself if you don’t make an effort to get some.

I first tried Mouse’s Favourite at the Viva! show in Brighton a few weeks back and was beyond blown away. Their Camembert is probably one of the finest vegan cheeses on the planet.

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Rarely do you get a plant-based product this outstanding and now you can buy some of the good stuff for your very own.

Get along to GreenBay Supermarket on Saturday for a world exclusive as the makers of Mouse’s Favourite cheese set up a tasting station from midday and sell their finery in a retail setting for the first time ever.

Check out what the company had to say about the launch event:

This Saturday at GreenBay we are giving out samples of Mouse’s Favourite for customers to try. The samples on offer will be our newest cheese, Camembert, as well as our Cider Washed Rind, Almond Pyramid, Original Cream and Smokey Cream. This is almost our complete range except for the Rich Aged Dulse which won’t be aged in time.
We are very excited about Saturday because it will be the first time ever that our cheese is available in a shop, and not just any shop, we couldn’t be more delighted that it’s in GreenBay the newly opened 100% vegan store. All the above cheeses will be available for purchase (again except for the Rich Aged Dulse – but it will be in the future).
Having Mouse’s Favourite in GreenBay is the culmination of 5 years of research and development by Gabrielle to produce the finest quality ‘cheese’ made from the best possible ingredients. The production processes and techniques mirror the traditional craft of hand made cheesemaking wherever possible.  We have both been vegan for ten years and believe that you don’t have to sacrifice anything or feel like you are missing out. As well as perfecting the taste and texture, we have tried to make a product every bit as alluring and beautiful and varied in range as dairy cheese. Vegetarians often cite cheese as the one food that they couldn’t do without, the one thing stopping them becoming vegan. It’s a gratifying thought that our cheese could help people along on their journey.

Wow. Let’s take a look at some of those other cheeses.

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From top: Almond Pyramid, Cashew Cream Cheese and Washed Rind Cashew Cheese.

Be one of the first people in London to get your hands on Mouse’s Favourite at GreenBay Supermarket tomorrow from midday. Be quick. This stuff is going to fly out the door, especially that Camembert.

You can visit Mouse’s Favourite online, follow them on Instagram and like them on Facebook.

You can also get details about GreenBay online and follow them on Twitter or Instagram, as well as like them on Facebook.

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More vegan Quorn products

It seems the major vegetarian food brands are in a race to bring out more and more vegan products. The tide is turning at a rapid rate for plant-based supermarket products and I can hardly keep up.

A few days ago I reported on new vegan soups by Quorn while only yesterday I posted about new products suitable for vegans by Linda McCartney Foods.

Now Quorn are back at it again with these new breaded fillets, popping up in mainstream supermarkets everywhere this week.

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Have you tried this new item? What did you think? Sound off in the comments below!

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Quorn launch vegan soups

Oh!

I’ve never eaten vegan Quorn but seeing as news of their brand almost broke my blog last time, I figured you would all want to know about this development.

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The Quorn Facebook page states these are available in Sainsbury’s right now.

Both of these soups feature the vegan Quorn pieces. This is a perfect example of how huge corporations are responding to vegan demands. If it makes money for them, they will do it.

What do you think?

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