vegan

Liverpool gets a new vegan eatery

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Remember when I wrote about GIVE Kitchen and their vegan food delivery service? 

Well it seems things are going well for the food enterprise as they are set to open the doors to their very first vegan eatery in Liverpool.

Check out what the official press release says below (and drool over the photos):

The UK’s first, award winning, one for one giving, plant based, whole food, online delivery service are expanding by opening their first Inspiration Centre, Eatery and Organic Shop in Liverpool, next month.

The doors to GIVE Kitchen’s first One for One giving, Inspiration Centre, Eatery and Organic Shop, will officially be open to public at 10am on Monday 4th April, 2016.

For every meal sold in the new eatery, one will be given back to a homeless person in the UK or a starving child abroad through their registered charity (No.1164433) the GIVE2040 Foundation, which aims to eradicate hunger, poverty and disease by 2040, through donating plant based nutrition to those in need.

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GIVE Kitchen’s Inspiration Centre aims to spread the word and educate on the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits that come from leading a plant based lifestyle. The stylish eatery has been designed as a welcoming and comfortable space for guests to relax and enjoy a wide selection of delicious, plant based, whole food breakfasts, large and small plates and desserts, inspired by flavours and spices from around the world.

The original and creative menu has been developed by their spiritual and soulful Head Chef and will be hand-made in their state-of-the-art kitchen and prepared with ‘love and vitality’.

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Co-Founders Paul Hampson and Dario Curcillo’s own-branded, organic, fair trade certified coffee, along with a selection of quality, vegan beverages will also be on offer. The on-site shop, which benefits from ample, free car parking will stock a wide range of fresh and frozen, healthy, vegan and organic groceries.

Co Founder Paul Hampson said. “GIVE just want a greener, cleaner and more caring planet and to give back to those who really need it. We hope that our guests will leave not only feeling satisfyingly full but also great knowing that they’ve really helped someone out who is less fortunate.”

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Co Founder Dario Curcillo added, “We’re extremely excited to be opening GIVE Kitchen’s first of many Inspiration Centre’s, Eateries and Organic Shops, particularly in Liverpool where we’ve received an overwhelming and positive response from people, since announcing our expansion. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming in our guests and treating them to GIVE Kitchen’s unique and delicious, plant based, whole food experience.”

GIVE Kitchen is based at Unit 5, Glacier Buildings, Harrington Road, Brunswick Dock, L3 4BH.

Opening hours are Monday to Sunday 10am to 10pm.

You can follow GIVE Kitchen on Twitter and visit them online.

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Vote for a vegan restaurant

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Let’s put our collective vegan power behind this cause.

Lovely vegan restaurant El Piano in York has been nominated for a mainstream food award and you can vote for them by clicking here.

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What are you still doing here? Get voting!

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Hottest new vegan burgers in London!

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Post by:

josh panel

A couple of weeks ago I saw something on Twitter about a new veggie burger pop-up at Brick Lane. I reached out to Hot Boyz Veggie Burgers and discovered that they are 100% vegan. Their food looks delicious – check out some pics from their social media channels:

The Hot Boyz are in Town! If your around come down!! Brick Lane Upmarket #vegan #vegetarian #foodies #foods #foodie #foodporn

A photo posted by Hot Boyz Veggie Burger Joint (@hotboyzvburger) on


Hot Boyz Veggie Burgers will be at the Sunday Upmarket in Brick Lane this Sunday from 10am-5pm. Go along, check out their burgers and report back!

Like Hot Boyz on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram.

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Review: Bar Bombón in Philadelphia

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Post by:

josh panel

Last month I was in Philly and was keen to visit a vegan Puerto Rican/Latin-inspired restaurant that opened last year called Bar Bombón. A browse of the menu sounded promising so I headed downtown together with my brother, sister-in-law and two nieces.

We had a hard time picking from the menu so quickly did the most sensible thing and ordered pretty much everything available. There was five of us and we were hungry. Don’t judge! Here’s a breakdown of what we had:

Bar Bombon - dips and chipsSalsa Roja, Salsa Verde y Guacamole with fried corn tortillas.

Bar Bombon - fried yucaYucca Frita with Maduro sauce

Bar Bombon - empanadasEmpanadas de chick’n and beef

Bar Bombon - tequila seitanTequila Seitan Skewers

Bar Bombon - enchiladasEnchiladas de ‘pollo’

Bar Bombon - brussels tacosBrussels Sprout Tacos with fried avocado

Bar Bombon - broccoli tacosBroccoli Tacos

Bar Bombon - cubano clubCubano Club Sandwich

Bar Bombon - galletteAnjou Pear & Squash Gallette

Bar Bombon - tres lechesTres Leches Cake

Bar Bombon - arrozXocolatl rice pudding

I wish I could say that everything was delicious but we all left feeling slightly underwhelmed with the food. There were some standout items (the fried yuca, Cubano club sandwich and the incredible Tres Leches cake) but everything else seemed to be somewhat lacking in flavour and composition. I hate to be too critical because I’m sure that much time and love has gone into creating these dishes but I really didn’t feel like my expectations were met at Bar Bombón.

Add to that the Center City Philly prices, and I don’t think any of us would head back there in a hurry.

Except for that Tres Leches cake which was truly memorable.

Visit Bar Bombón online, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter or Instagram.

Plant based with eggs?

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Much excitement was experienced when I got this photo tweeted at me this morning:


Wow. A plant based bar and restaurant opening this month in London. I was giddy with joy.

Giddy until I went over the the Instagram page of Farmacy.

Their definition of plant based is slightly different to mine in that it seems to include eggs. Eggs aren’t event close to plants, right?

I have commented below one of the Farmacy Instagram posts to ask if they are using ‘real’ eggs. I suppose there is a very slim chance that they have created a plant based food stuff that looks exactly like chicken egg when cooked, but I’m not hopeful.

So it seems you have ANOTHER almost vegan eatery to add to your list, London. Farmacy is set to be located on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill.

Click here to follow Farmacy on Instagram. Scroll past the egg photos, of course.

Extra note: here is a link explaining why we shouldn’t eat eggs, even eggs from rescued birds in backyards.

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Chef doesn’t like vegans

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Being vegan for most people comes from a selfless, compassionate place. We are not looking inward. It’s not about clear skin, weight loss or shiny hair. Our choice to live as vegan as we possibly can is directly informed by our desire to reduce suffering. Our actions in the supermarkets/restaurants/kitchens of our planet can help alleviate a fraction of the unfathomable and systemic suffering levelled at non-human animals.

This kind of dedication to the reduction of suffering is surely fit for no purpose other than ridicule and cheap joke making, right?

As you have probably seen reported elsewhere (and click the link above if you haven’t), chef Gordon Ramsay was asked by a Twitter user if he is allergic to anything.

Ramsay came back with a one word zinger. Vegans.

The ‘joke’ here relies heavily on the tired assumption that vegans are the worst people to have walk into your restaurant. We are bothersome and needling individuals who work to make the life of a professional chef hell with our ridiculous demands. Oh, how we inconvenience the cook with our insistence that no living creature was boiled, decapitated or dehorned for a dish.

If we dig a bit deeper of course we can unpack the real motivation behind Ramsay’s joke (and the countless others just like it that we vegans come to expect).

That reason is the undeniable truth and a nagging sense of culpability.

It is easier to joke about the weird outsider than to confront your participation in an industrialised system that causes excruciating pain to billions of animals. Ramsay is a smart person who would obviously understand that a baby cow wouldn’t really want to be torn away from its parents, nor would any chicken want its throat slit before being dunked still alive into boiling water.

Of course he understands on a deep level that this behaviour is obscene at best.

But he has been socialised to see this as a necessary evil that keeps food on tables and maybe more importantly to this discussion, money in his bulging bank account.

This short piece of writing isn’t designed to call Ramsay out on his vegan bashing ways. I want it to act more as a support letter to other vegans who feel targeted by cheap jokes and the near-constant ridicule of their compassionate choices.

Remember that when Ramsay or anyone talks about your veganism in a derogatory, flippant or dismissive manner it is a sign that they are attempting to protect themselves from the truth. By pushing the ‘vegans are annoying’ agenda, it gives them some breathing space and takes the heat off their own deep-rooted feelings of complicity.

In his calmest and most self-reflective moments, not even Gordon Ramsay would truly believe that vegans are horrible people. It’s just that he needs those jokes and line of thinking to help him hide from the painful and confronting truth.

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Masterchef finalist hosts vegan pop up

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Asparagasm is delighted to welcome MasterChef 2012 finalist and founder of ‘Koj Cooks’ Andrew Kojima for a vegan Japanese themed feast.

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Andrew Kojima is a British-Japanese chef based in the Cotswolds.

After reaching the pinnacle of amateur cooking success in the final of MasterChef 2012, he embarked on his life as a professional chef beginning with a fast track training programme in the kitchens of chefs such as Michel Roux Junior, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal.

Koj teaches, promotes and demonstrates Japanese cookery through pop ups, cookery schools and food festivals and is one of of the UK’s most naturally talented and imaginative private chefs. With a monthly column in Crumbs Magazine he has also contributed to Spear’s and Cotswold Life, and is a judge at the prestigious Great Taste Awards.

Koj has cooked Japanese style food for everyone from The Queen to Hollywood royalty and Asparagsm Nailsworth is thrilled to welcome him as a guest chef as he joins them on Saturday 5th March to present this tantalising vegan menu.

MENU BY KOJ

Sake, Rhubarb, Ginger & Fennel Fizz

Maitake Mushroom & Jasmine Tea
with Ganmodoki (Pumpkin, Hijiki & Tofu Fritters)

Sushi & Sashimi 
Red Pepper Nigiri, Avocado Maki, Beetroot Sashimi, Apple, Spring Onions, Wasabi Emulsion

Nasu Dengaku 
Aubergine with White Miso & Edamame, Carrot & Sesame, Millet, Cauliflower & Brown Rice

Chocolate & Blood Orange Trifle 
Blood Orange Jelly, Orange Polenta Cake, Chocolate Sorbet

Two time-slots available for dining, due to the anticipated popularity of the event.

Tickets for the first sitting of 6pm – 8.30pm are £40 /pp

Tickets for the second sitting of 8.30pm – 10.30pm are £40 /pp

For all bookings and enquiries please call 01453 839352 or email dine@asparagasm.com so that you don’t miss out on this special dining experience!

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event.

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Vegan night in Edinburgh

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Did you know that a non-vegan restaurant in Edinburgh holds a vegan night once a month?

The Bread Street Brasserie offers three fancy courses for just £17.50 on the first Wednesday of each month. That means your next chance to book yourself in for this monthly food event is next week (Wednesday March 2, 2016).

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The menu for next week is a cut above with dishes including bruschetta, curry, burgers, salads, soups and even fruit crumble.

Click here to see the full menu and click here to book a table.

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Ms Cupcake goes savoury

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Ms. Cupcake has got sugar on lock.

The Brixton bakery does sweet treats like no on else and has been at the forefront of cake business in the UK for years. But what if they turned their hand to savoury food?

Well, you can find out this weekend.

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For the first time ever, Ms. Cupcake will be serving sweet AND savoury food across two mammoth stalls at VegfestUK in Brighton and the savoury sounds divine.

Did someone say chilli, mac & cheese and jackfruit? Yes, they did.

I reached out to Ben at Ms. Cupcake  for some info and he told me:

This is the first time we have ever done two stalls at a show. We’re bringing our traditional Ms. Cupcake sweet stand as well as a hot food stand to VegfestUK Brighton this coming weekend.
On the catering stand, customers will be able to choose from vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Pulled ‘pork’ Jackfruit and Tex-Mex Chilli. There will be a range of mouthwatering toppings available such as hot peppers, sauces and more. There will also be a range of other savoury snacks on the stall to compliment the main dishes.

In news almost as big, we are bringing our homemade vegan lemon curd to the sweet stand as well as branded merchandise for die-hard Ms. Cupcake fans.

Listen to me carefully, readers.

You gave got to get some of that lemon curd in your life. I haven’t had Ms. Cupcake lemon curd for years and I still dream of it.

Sounds like the Ms. Cupcake stands are going to be extremely crowded at VegfestUK this weekend.

Get info on VegfestUK Brighton by clicking here.

Visit Ms. Cupcake online.

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Vegan Japanese luncheon

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Book a spot for this gorgeous vegan meal in a hurry.

My buddy Jhenn is once again rolling out a fabulous multi-course vegan Japanese luncheon for limited guests in her very own London home this Sunday (February 28, 2016 from 1pm).

Jhenn is a culinary hero in the capital and I haven’t met a person who has walked away from one of her meals feeling anything less than completely satisfied.

What is Jhenn serving on Sunday?

Read more