Win some food with FGV

Here is a super rapid Instagram competition where you can win some food and hang out with a bunch of vegans and vegan-friendly peeps.

On the first Wednesday of each month, I host a London’s best party for compassionate people. Get excited for London Vegan Social!

London Vegan Social is the place to meet people, sing karaoke, eat delicious food, and sip refreshing cocktails. Spread across three floors of the Old Crown Pub at 33 New Oxford Street. It’s perfectly located halfway between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn Underground stations.

The monthly party runs between 6pm and 10pm on the first Wednesday and this month I am giving away a food and drink package for two. The event is tomorrow (May 4) so get reading below about how you can win!

This food and drink prize is supplied by resident vegan kitchen Vetomeato and host pub The Old Crown.

Here is what you need to do to win:

I’ll be picking a winner at 5pm on Wednesday May 4th, 2022. The prize can be claimed at London Vegan Social that same night!

The prize does not cover any travel expenses but the winner will get the following:

  • 2 burgers
  • 2 fries
  • 2 Mac n cheese bites
  • 2 vegan cocktails

Click here to visit and comment on the Instagram post.

Don’t forget to follow Fat Gay Vegan and Vetomeato on Instagram.

A monumental shift in thinking

Yesterday felt like one of the most significant days of my life.

I hosted City Vegan Lunch Market on Guildhall Yard in the City of London. The City of London is also known as the square mile and is the financial, trading, and banking heart of the UK capital.

I was nervous ahead of this event, but not in the usual way.

Every event I put on takes a lot of hard work and I often find myself nervous about every aspect running smoothly.

This City event had me fearing something else. What if nobody came? What if a fully vegan lunch time market in an area known for extreme wealth and steak lunches just wasn’t ready for what we had lined up?

My fears weren’t just based on my own own feelings being hurt.

A failed event in the City would see all of our traders losing money. It would feel like veganism just wasn’t at the level we thought it was. And it would have made me feel like I wasn’t able to pull it off for the animals.

But you wanna know something incredible?

People did come to this market and they came in huge numbers.

A large number of our traders sold out of food completely and all of them had an incredible trading day.

This is the part of the blog post where I get a bit sappy.

During the height of the market yesterday, when there were hundreds of City workers scrambling for vegan lunch, I had to take myself around the corner and have a little cry. I was deeply and profoundly overwhelmed by emotion.

I spend almost every waking hour consumed by the job of promoting veganism as a fun and accessible lifestyle that can make a difference and redress the immense suffering we inflect on non-human animals. This job is not your typical job and it can be gruelling.

Like a lot of old school vegan activists and organisers, I have lived through many years (decades in my case) of seeing tiny advances being battled for and won. We have put every ounce of energy we have left into saving animals and it takes its toll on us physically, financially and emotionally.

We used to journey across London to support local health food stores that just happened to have some vegan products. We have petitioned mainstream markets for decades to increase their vegan offerings. We have put together grassroots events in towns, cities and villages all over the UK to support each other. When they was nowhere else to socialise, we opened our dining rooms and back gardens to each other for informal gatherings.

Along with Josh, I ran London Vegan Potluck every month for four years just so vegans and vegan-friendly people could have a space to meet on a regular basis. There was very little else. This was all before vegan markets and parties had taken over London.

We also ran London Vegan Drinks (which is still going!) every month for four years. VegFestUK has been with us for much longer than a decade. Animal Aid, The Vegan Society, and Viva! Campaigns have done immeasurably crucial work to plant the seeds of compassion that we are now watching blossom in 2018. Veggies Catering have traveled all over the UK to feed people food, knowledge, and understanding.

During some of these years it did feel like we were making slow progress but that veganism would always be seen as a ‘weird’ thing outsiders did just to be different or difficult.

But I’m here to tell you that all of those years of blood, sweat, and tears have changed the consciousness of the UK public for the better and for good.

City Vegan Lunch Market was the most stark and startling example I have seen of how accepted veganism has become.

Hundreds and hundreds of office workers waited patiently in the scorching heat for vegan food when they had animal products waiting for them in shops, cafés, restaurants, and supermarkets all over the neighbourhood.

Hundreds and hundreds of office workers enthusiastically devoured pizza, burgers, curries, ice cream, salads, wraps, donuts, and ramen and all of it was vegan.

People could be heard raving about the food. People could be heard talking excitedly about the market. Dozens of people asked me if I could make this market a monthly or even weekly event.

After decades of working to improve the visibility and accessibility of veganism in order to help lessen animal suffering, there I was surrounded by more people than I could count who all were excited to buy vegan food in the middle of the City of London in a 100% vegan market.

My mind raced with the memory of the thousands of vegan activists and event goers I have met over the years. I thought about the years people have given up in the name of animal protection. I remembered all of the pioneers who put their own interests on the back burner in order to support vegans and protect animals.

And it all became to much for me. I walked behind a wall and the tears wouldn’t stop. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

It is very rare to be somewhere when measurable change occurs, but I witnessed it yesterday with my own eyes. Even a few years ago I would have been laughed out of the City of London for suggesting such a market but there I was hosting a fully vegan lunch market on Guildhall Yard.

This market wasn’t just a fun event. It was a signpost. It was a signifier of how vegan activists have managed to shape the consciousness of an entire country of people. We have fought and struggled and this market was a victory.

It was a sign of just how far we have come and shows that our society has been irreversibly changed when it comes to thinking about veganism. I did not see one raised eyebrow. I did not hear one single snide remark. Bacon jokes? Nothing.

Listen. We still have a lot of work to do to make the world somewhere even close to completely compassionate, but this is a moment where we can give each other a hug and take some time to reflect on success.

Heck, maybe you wanna cry a few tears by thinking of all the dedicated people who have made this possible and all the animals they ave saved from suffering along the way.

Extra note: a victory like this means nothing without recognising the incredible contributions of minority vegans who help us everyday and who contend with multiple oppressions within our society but still work to improve outcomes for non-human animals. City Vegan Lunch Market was also an opportunity for us to celebrate businesses owned and run by people from marginalised groups including women of colour, LGBTQ+ community members, disabled people, and BME people. Extreme gratitude to these business owners who took part in our event.

Vegan food event in London

KERB is a company focussed on organising and hosting large scale street food events around London and the UK.

Their next event that will be of great interest to vegans, especially vegans who like a LOT of food.

Livin’ on the Veg is a showcase of eight vegan food specialists and the twist of this event is that you get something from EACH trader when you buy a ticket. Yes, eight portions of food!

The mammoth food party is taking place in King’s Cross on Friday August 18 and Saturday August 19, 2017. There are different sessions you can book and from what I’ve heard, there aren’t many tickets remaining so be quick.

For £30, you get a cocktail plus ALL OF THE FOLLOWING FOOD:

  1. Biff’s Jack Shack – double fried jackfruit buffalo wings speared on sugar cane bone with maple bourbon hot sauce, blue cheese, toasted almond kale slaw and a fresh seared peach
  2. Petare (Bucket List reigning champ!)- Venezuelan ‘chip butty’ arepa stuffed with cassava chips, sweet fried plantain, “feta”, avocado and garlic sauce
  3. Lemlem Kitchen –  Timtimo split pea afro-taco, served on injera with a red cabbage and ginger slaw, and pickled chillies and seeds.
  4. Eat Chay – Korean BBQ Bahn Mi baguette filled with crispy seitan, mushroom walnut pate, pickled carrots, parsnips and sriracha mayo
  5. Spice Box – charred makhani-smothered tandoori cauli steak with coriander chutney and homemade pickles on a grilled naan
  6. Temple of Seitan – fried ‘chicken’ slider in an agave mustard glaze
  7. Greedy Khao –Thai red curry tofu and butternut squash pillows on soy sesame slaw and hom mali rice
  8. Young Vegans – chocolate peanut butter mud pie brownies

Can you handle all of this?!

In addition to the food you are swamped with, there will be extra food to buy if you need it as well as a bar and games. It sounds like a whole lot of delicious fun.

Click here to book your ticket.

Extra note: the Saturday sessions of Livin’ on the Veg are on the same day as Hackney Downs Vegan Market. Check out the line up we have for that monthly event here.

Vegan Burns supper in London

Do you know about Burns Night?

You can read in more detail here, but the short version revolves around a dinner or supper held to mark the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert Burns.

This celebration is something I always see people talking about on social media throughout January, usually people I know in Scotland.

But now there is some good news for those wanting to commemorate the revered bard’s birthday in London.

There is a vegan supper club happening in London on January 22, 2017 that is billed as an alternative Burns Supper fusing Scottish and Indian cuisine.

Tickets: £35 for 3 courses including a cocktail and entertainment
Venue: The Joker of Penton St, Angel, London
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm

The good people putting this night together go by the name of Ruby and Pickles, and they are known for hosting some very special and unique food events. Did you miss their vegan Indian-style afternoon tea on a canal boat in Victoria Park? Never fear, they plan to revisit that event during 2017 due to overwhelming popularity.

In the meantime, you need to be extremely fast if you want to secure a spot for the Alternative Burns Supper.

Tickets are on sale now via Edible Experiences.

Keep up to date with future Ruby and Pickles happenings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Kebabs with FGV

You’ve heard all about the incredible vegan döner kebabs being served up by What The Pitta in Shoreditch, you’ve drooled over the countless Instagram posts flooding your phone and you’ve made a promise to yourself to get to this brand new food venture ASAP.

Well, friends. The time has come.

Monday-Deal

Join food lover extraordinaire Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!) for a night of kebabs and socialising as he celebrates the launch of What The Pitta with a Monday night party that will be the talk of the town.

Between 6pm and 9pm on Monday August 22, 2016, What The Pitta will be launching an exclusive Monday night meal deal.

For just £9 you will get:

– a döner kebab

– a cold drink

– a piece of baklava

I’m not sure where else in London you are going to get a deal like this. We are even paying the booking fee for you. All you pay is £9 for a wrap, a drink and a sweet when you book online.

Amazing value, indeed!

This launch event is strictly ticketed only and space is limited to 100. Book your ticket now and we will see you on Monday. Fat Gay Vegan will be on hand across the three hours of the event to check you in and hand you a meal deal token. Swap the token at What The Pitta for food, drink and sweets then join the party.

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW FOR JUST £9!

Once you have your online ticket, you can drop in anytime between 6pm and 9pm on Monday August 22, 2016. Stay for as long as you like, or grab your food and run. It’s up to you!

Follow What The Pitta on Instagram.

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event and invite friends.

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