UK

Exclusive at Vegan Christmas Market

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My first ever Vegan Christmas Market is coming up close at a rapid speed and I’m beyond thrilled with the fabulous vendor line up I have gathered together.

If you missed the initial announcement of food traders, you can get updated by clicking here.

But this blog post belongs to only one piece of news.

In a London exclusive, award winning vegan meat company Sgaia will be trading at the Vegan Christmas Market in London on Saturday December 17, 2016.

Sgaia is nothing short of a phenomenon. This company burst onto the UK vegan scene only a short while ago and has quickly developed into one of the finest brands on the planet.

But what will they be selling at the Xmas event?

You will be able to get your hands on their brand new festive fillet. This gorgeous looking slice of vegan meat is perfect for rolling and filling with your favourite filling as a roast dinner centrepiece.

Check it out!

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In addition to this AMAZING festive fillet, Sgaia will also be selling ready to consume sandwiches stuffed solid with all sorts of tempting seasonal fillings.

sandwich_smlI predict a stampede for this food. Sgaia will also be selling other packs of their incredible slices and burgers, so bring a few shopping bags.

Get over to the Facebook event for Vegan Christmas Market, invite your friends, dress warm and get there early on the day so you don’t miss out.

You also need to follow Sgaia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Order your own home delivery of their food via their website if you can’t join us on the day.

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Vegan brownies

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I just found out about these vegan brownies called 100% Natural and they look so delicious, I just had to share.

What better way to get you up to speed than to ask the company to personally fill us in? This is what they said:

A mother and daughter duo, Jess and Charlotte began making raw brownies at their kitchen table at home in Brighton. Passionate about creating products that taste good and do good, their delicious brownies are made only from the finest, ethically sourced, organic and vegan ingredients. All of our products are free from wheat, gluten and dairy but they are first and foremost delicious and have been awarded multiple stars in the Guild of Fine food Great Taste awards.

100% Natural is now stocked in the likes of Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic and London’s prestigious Sourced Market as well as independent delis and health stores around the UK. More recently you can find them at Curzon Soho which we see as a huge achievement. Now you can watch great films with great snacks!

100% Natural told me the raw brownies can even be fried up in some coconut oil before being topped with coconut ice cream.

I’m sold!

Check out these fab photos of the vegan brownies.

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These look fabulous.

You can find out more on the 100% Natural website.

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Rabbit in Exeter

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This is beyond fabulous.

The UK city of Exeter has just gone and gotten itself what I believe to be its very first vegan café. Is that right? Is this the first?

Not only is Rabbit the first fully vegan place to eat, is has the cutest logo I have seen in a long while.

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I’ve been watching the food roll out of Rabbit for a few weeks on social media and everything looks exquisite.

The café is serving up mouthwatering cakes, toasted sandwiches, cheeseburgers, sundaes and more. And from the amount of furry friends I’m seeing in photos, the place must be completely dog-friendly too.

You had best believe I absolutely want this breakfast muffin!


Doesn’t it look scrumptious?!

What about this?

Get over to the Rabbit Instagram account to keep track of all the deliciousness they are serving and like their Facebook page. You can eat with them from Tuesday until Saturday each week, between 10am and 4pm.

Extra note: this café is run by the same fab people running Exeter’s vegan grocery store, Seasons. I wrote about that a while ago. Click here to read! The café is only a few hops away (get it?) from the store. See the location on Google Maps.

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Second location for London legend

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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 only – please 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

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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

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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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