vegan Hackney

Arancini Brothers at the market

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This week has been a big week for Arancini Brothers and a big week for vegan London.

The fast food chain is celebrating all three of its bricks and mortar locations having finally become 100% vegan.

It started as somewhat of an experiment at their Old Street location which saw the outlet switch to a fully plant-based menu for Veganuary, however the decision swiftly followed to turn all three locations vegan.

Forever!

To help Arancini Brothers celebrate its first week as a fully vegan business, we have invited them to trade at Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday with their food truck (Saturday March 3, 2018).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bftg0lWA8ZT/

The gorgeous food truck will be selling fresh risotto balls and succulent burgers.

If you haven’t enjoyed the Arancini Brothers experience, this Saturday is your chance to make it happen.

You can see the full trader line up for Hackney Downs Vegan Market online here.

You can read about the new in-store vegan menu by Arancini Brothers online here.

You can follow Arancini Brothers on Instagram.

Black Cat Hackney has reopened

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Here is some brief (and good) news for you all.

Black Cat Café in Hackney has finally reopened for business following a period of refurbishment.

I make no secret of my love for Black Cat.

This 100% vegan café is a beacon of fairness and compassion. It is run as a workers cooperative, meaning the owners share all responsibilities and profits. I’d love to see more vegan business in London using this model.

The café supports its local community in wonderful ways, including allowing space for fundraising events.

Get along to Black Cat Café as soon as you can to congratulate them on their reopening. Follow them on Instagram as well.

Sneak preview of a vegan donut shop

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The countdown is on.

London, your very first 100% vegan donut and coffee shop opens on January 17, 2018.

Lauren of Dough Society asked me to share a few quick glimpses of what the interior of the shop looks like ahead of their grand opening.

Check it out. So gorgeous!

The Dough Society donut and coffee shop is located on Mare Street in Hackney. It’s almost exactly half way between Temple of Hackney and Black Cat Hackney. That part of town really is exceptionally vegan friendly.

Click here to see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

To celebrate their opening, Dough Society will be giving away one donut to the first 100 customers through the door on Saturday January 20, 2018. (Grand opening is a few days before this giveaway, so get in for one of the early preview days to avoid the rush)

Be sure to follow them on Instagram to stay updated on all their delicious shop news and donut flavours.

Food giveaway

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This isn’t an FGV-run giveaway, but it is happening at my Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday (January 13, 2018).

To find out how you can win some exclusive vegan fried chicken from trader Greedy Khao, you need to check out the details in the description of this Instagram post below.

Get entering and I hope you win!

You can see the full line up of traders for this Saturday’s market online here.

Adored vegan eatery relocates to London

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The Brook in Wallington, Surrey is one of those places that I never stop hearing about.

People who love this eatery REALLY love it. It definitely ranks in the top ten restaurants that I am contacted about by people wanting me to mention it.

The Brook has been a vegan staple of its community but that very community is now feeling sad due to the planned relocation from Wallington to Hackney.

Yes, bloody Hackney! LOL.

I asked owner Thea to give me a little info about the move. This is what she said:

We’re moving to Hackney in the new year (opening 18th Dec). We have a temporary space for 6-12 months. After four years in Surrey we’re itching to bring our food and drink to the London peeps. And from there we’re planning world domination… naturally.

We are also the headline sponsor at Vegan Life Live at Alexandra Palace in February, running the main bar, a catering stand and the live music stage, so it’s going to be a busy new year!

Take a look at some of these food, cake and cocktail photos below and be sure to follow The Brook on Instagram and Facebook.

And here is a cheeky little graphic to show you the new Hackney location for The Brook.

One year down

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I’ve only just recovered from the mammoth three-day Hackney Downs Festive Vegan Market held at Hackney Downs Studios.

Not only was the market a great opportunity for people to buy some of the best street food in the UK, it also marked our one year anniversary of hosting the market in this location.

I want to say a massive thank you to Eat Work Art for giving this market a home.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market has become one of the most iconic and loved destinations for vegans and their friends on the planet.

Thank you to all the attendees who have visited during 2017 and of course extra special thanks to our traders. Until you have done a day on the market, you can’t imagine how hard they work to bring fresh and exciting food to thousands of people each week.

The market returns weekly on Saturday January 6, 2018.

Buy a bag

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I am super proud of Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

This now-weekly street food market has taken London by storm. It has a whole bunch of imitators and it has developed a strong, loyal following of attendees.

I’m writing this post as we drive home from day one of the three-day festive version of the market and I couldn’t be happier with how it went. Food vendors sold out and visitors left with smiles on their faces.

If you are coming along on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24, please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Trading starts at 10am and runs until 6pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday.

Please stop by my stall to say hello to me and Josh, and pick up one of the official Hackney Downs Vegan Market tote bags made from organic cotton.

They are gorgeous and cost £5 each.

See all the trader info for the next two days by clicking here.

Vegan soup kitchen at Black Cat

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Black Cat in Hackney is one of my favourite vegan places to eat in London.

Not only is the food tasty and served in generous portions, but the people who run the place are the some of the nicest people you will meet anywhere.

Check out this latest endeavour by the compassionate eatery.

Hackney Soup Kitchen on Friday December 22, 2017 from 5pm until close

Nobody will be refused food and for those that can afford to pay for it, they’ll have a donation pot available to support the work of a local Food Not Bombs group who do great work by finding surplus food, making tasty meals, and distributing them on the streets.

Please help Black Cat spread the word so they can feed as many people as possible and provide a warm space for the evening where people can escape the cold.

Black Cat want to give a special shout-out to some of their suppliers that will be supporting the evening by donating food: Ted Veg, Clean Bean Tofu, Growing Communities, and E5 Bakery. These suppliers have been donating stock throughout the year for other fundraisers and benefits Black Cat has hosted.

Black Cat

a cooperatively run, 100% vegan café

76A Clarence Road, Hackney, E5 8HB
www.blackcatcafe.co.uk

Like them on Facebook

Follow them on Instagram and Twitter

Fields Beneath joins Hackney Downs Vegan Market

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Superstar vegan coffee shop and café The Fields Beneath is now a regular trader at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

This is BIG NEWS.

The Fields Beneath is a truly adored coffee shop that switched to being a 100% vegan business earlier this year and it has gone from strength to strength ever since.

The business is currently fundraising to open its second location (you can donate online here for fab rewards) and now they have also committed to serving their loved coffee every Saturday at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

You can visit the current permanent location next door to Kentish Town West station and follow The Fields Beneath on Instagram.

Click here to see all the details of Hackney Downs Vegan Market including full trader line up.

Breaking News: donut diner to open in London

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London. You are on a roll and your city is getting more vegan-friendly by the day.

Take this fabulous news as the latest example of your vegan excellence.

Superstars of the vegan donut scene, Dough Society, are set to open London’s first-ever vegan donut café in early 2018.

Dough Society has become famous in the capital for the decadent glazed donuts they serve up at events around the city, including Hackney Downs Vegan Market most Saturdays. They are so adored it has become a rare occurrence when the donut stall doesn’t completely sell out of stock within a few hours of trading.

The days of disappointed donut fans who turn up to markets late in the day  are soon to be over as the business readies the grand opening of London’s first donut and coffee shop in Hackney Central.

I spoke with Lauren of Dough Society to get a little insight into what is coming up:

When can we expect to see the shop open?

We plan on opening in January. We’ll announce the exact date nearer to the time but we have some fit out work to do in the space to get it up to scratch and are hoping for around the middle of January 2018.

Why are you setting up in Hackney?

East London is the only place we have ever traded on a regular basis so it feels like the natural place to settle. It’s easily accessible for a lot of Londoners and in being close to the station it’s super easy for tourists too!

Will the shop only sell donuts?

We’re primarily a coffee & donut shop. We’ll have around 20 different donut flavours so the spotlight will definitely be on that and quality coffee. We will be offering gooey cheez toasties as a savoury option as well. We have big plans for brunch on weekends shortly after we open (think Donut French Toast 😱!).

What will the inside of the shop look like?

The shop has a kind of semi-industrial look to it with a concrete ceiling and flooring, minimalist lighting but we’ll have lots of plants and wood to keep things light and airy and we’ll have seating for up to forty people. We want to create a space people can go that’s relaxed, chilled, and inclusive where you can meet with friends or enjoy a couple of coffees while you work. We’ll also have a large outdoor area for seating that we hope to use when the weather starts getting warmer!

Congratulations on your first 100% vegan donut shop, London.

While you wait for the doors to be flung open, you can follow Dough Society on Instagram.