united kingdom

London Vegan Potluck 4 review

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The London Vegan Potluck is becoming something of a phenomenon. On the first Wednesday of each month, London food enthusiasts are coming together en masse to create one of the best vegan social events in the UK.

This FGV is incredibly proud that what started as a simple idea has blossomed into a thriving monthly night. I am even prouder to know the event this month was just as big a success as the first three potlucks even though I was busy eating the vegan treats of Barcelona and couldn’t be there.

Kip of the fabulous, must-read The Messy Vegetarian Cook blog has kindly written a review of the potluck. Much love and thanks for doing this in my absence, Kip. In addition, devoted potluck attendees Linda and Andrea helped run the evening with Andrea managing to capture a few images of the mouth-watering food on offer. Thank you!

I’m sorry to have missed this event, but nothing will keep the FGV from the next potluck scheduled for September 7. Take it away, Kip!

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Tell your friends we’re the most

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If you haven’t been investigating the in-house range of beauty products and toiletries at UK high street mega-retailer Superdrug, then you have been missing out on a staggeringly-comprehensive range of cruelty-free items.

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1847 was a very good year

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You would think gifting the world with Morrissey is enough but no, Manchester just can’t stop giving. This time it isn’t a whip-smart, whimsical lyricist being served up by this generous Northern city but vegetarian and vegan delights in a stunning setting.

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Western Ghats what I’m talking about

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Sagar vegetarian Indian restaurant

Something has been troubling me and I had no other choice than to bring in a guest. Many months ago Josh and I dined in a West London vegetarian restaurant. I was underwhelmed by the Indian food and have not been inspired to write a review about our experience.

Although much time has passed, Josh kindly agreed to write his first ever blog entry and has recounted our night at Sagar in Hammersmith as a FGV guest contributor. Take it away, Josh.

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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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Pushing the night into the daytime

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Long before I was fat and vegan (gay always), I spent a lot of time in a seaside town that Australia forgot to close down. My friends and I constantly lived on the verge of adventure and despair as we dodged the equally-dangerous obstacles of local thugs and mediocrity. The main attractions were an almost-dilapidated pier, a skate park and many drive through liquor stores that asked very few questions of disengaged teenagers with a few dollars to spend. We would walk through the idling cars filled with older-than-us locals buying cartons of ice cold beer before boldly placing our orders for the cheapest drinks in the store.

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