London vegan news, reviews & events
Sweetness is my weakness. Well, so are saturated fats and deep-fried foods but a FGV has to keep a special spot in their heart for sugary snacks. My body craves vegan delights such as chocolate and cupcakes…. and who am I to deny it?
Most of the sweet stuff I consume is made with processed cane sugar but I have recently come to adore an alternative to this regular sweetener. Vegans and vegan-curious, I would like to introduce you to Sweet Freedom.
Are you in the mood to look at delicious, cruelty-free food that is too good to be true? Excellent. You will not be disappointed.
Superstar vegan food producer Redwood Wholefood Company are very seldom matched for quality, range and taste. Their extensive selection of compassionate foodstuff includes deli slices, breaded vegan cheese, bacon rashers, burgers, faux chicken pieces and flavoured desserts. This brief product rundown is not even close to exhaustive… I could go on and on.
Of all the religious celebrations that I opt out of, Easter seems one of the strangest. Can someone enlighten a FGV with atheistic tendencies? Why do people imagine a giant bunny is hopping around leaving chocolate eggs in nests?
As a naive child in Australia, I would fashion beach towels into makeshift nests and settle in for a night of anticipation. Would the Easter Bunny visit my ramshackle egg depository?
I am thankful those days (and sleepless nights) are long gone as I put my trust in more logical ways of thinking. However, the amusing twist in this bunny tale is the fact that I still adore devouring chocolate eggs whenever a vegan version makes its way into my FGV nest.
Cue the wonder and talent of Moo Free Chocolates!
My travels have taken me far and wide. I have enjoyed poolside cocktails in Western Australia and Winter walks through NYC’s East Village. The nights spent drinking in Mexico City gay bars are balanced by the morning train journeys endured between Leeds and Halifax. I have witnessed sunsets in Paris, Narita and Phoenix. City lights and country stars have hypnotised me on several continents. I never want discovery to end.
This insatiable appetite for moving recently spirited me to an unusual place located only 90 miles from Cuba, yet many more miles removed from my reality. Bound by water, Key West turned out to be a bizarre yet lovable town with one of the best vegan cafes found anywhere and a rather vibrant gay scene.
You know I travel a lot, right? I have hauled my hefty frame from one continent to another for many years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The desire to keep moving runs deep in my veins and I’m perpetually plotting and scheming my next journey.
People have often asked me where I would ‘settle’ if I had to and I always answer, “I never want to settle’. But then they get annoyed at me for not playing the game properly so I answer, “Wherever I can purchase and consume Dun-Well Doughnuts“.
Here I go again. The selfish, fat, gay vegan is going to bad mouth a restaurant that makes vegan food. I don’t know how I live with myself. But seriously… I gotta call it the way I see it, right? You wouldn’t want me to be all fake and lovely about a place if it just didn’t set my world on fire.
So here we go. Sorry Earth Cafe of Manchester. Your food and (some of) your service left a whole lot to be desired.
This January is an exciting time to be in the UK. The days are slowly getting longer, Spring is in the not-too-distant future and Fry’s Vegetarian are unleashing a slew of new vegan products onto the masses.
You probably already saw my posts about the ridiculously-delicious vegan popcorn chicken and the Louisiana tenders, right? Well, put down your faux-chicken appreciation pennants for just a moment as I show you two of the best vegan pies available on the planet.
Can we talk? I don’t want to sound nasty, but Philadelphia hasn’t been a model city when it comes to healthy or cruelty-free eating. From cheese steaks to hoagies, the city of brotherly love just loves to pile dead animals up in buns. The food for which Philly is famous for isn’t necessarily creative, either.
But hold on to you faux-suede fedora readers because there is a new sheriff in town. Vedge restaurant is not simply ringing the Liberty Bell for all creatures great and small, they might just turn out to be the finest vegan restaurant on the face of the planet.
The owners of Vedge had nothing to prove in my FGV eyes. They had already run the wildly successful vegan Horizons where the quality of food was of an unusually lofty standard. It’s South Philly location was always packed during my visits and I never left the premises without feeling like I had just enjoyed one of the best meals of my life.
Well, flash forward to a few months past the closing of Horizons and we find owners Kate and Rich have taken vegan fine dining to even more unbelievable levels of greatness.
The recently opened Vedge sits unassumingly behind a brick facade in Philadelphia’s Center City area. As Josh and I entered via the brief stone steps off Locust Street, we were faced with a gorgeous interior and seductive lighting. Some of the friendliest hospitality people I have ever encountered made sure we were comfortable and refreshed in the sumptuous cocktail lounge as we waited for our table to become available. My thirst was satisfied with a cold glass of lager as Josh opted for a scotch on the rocks. We were only on drinks in the bar and Vedge was already stratospheres above its competition.
Once seated we wasted no time in getting down to 5 star dining. A whole lot of world-class, vegan food was consumed by the pair of us and there is no easy way of getting it all down on screen. I’m just going to have to trundle through it, so sit back and experience the culinary delights of Vedge through the following photos.
Marshmallow wrapped in chocolate with a biscuit base.
If the above sentence is the key to my FGV heart, my affections well and truly rest in the hands of Sweet & Sara. This confectionery company has been churning out irresistible snacks for years and are unmatched in the field of vegan marshmallow production. From their entirely-vegan premises in New York City, Sweet & Sara gift the world with chocolate bark, biscotti, macaroons, marshmallows and the world famous smores.
During my recent US vacation, I have taken every Sweet & Sara smores sighting as a sign that I must eat one. My intuition is usually spot on and in this case, foolproof. The smores are chewy and delectable. With their chocolate shell, cookie base and fluffy inside, I can’t think of another compact snack that captures my affections the way this one does. Start picking out your wedding outfits…it is true love.