vegan Hackney

Breaking News: donut diner to open in London

by

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.

Vegan event in Hackney Wick

by

Last minute notification which I apologise for but if you are anywhere near Hackney Wick on Wednesday November 29, 2017 you might want to take part in this one-night-only event.

A 4-course tasting menu is being served at The Yard theatre in Hackney Wick by Omni Collective. 

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

Omni Collective told me they aim to bring out the best of vegetables, using flavours and inspiration from around the world to create new flavour combinations.

Menu

  • A DUO OF PURI – Cauliflower-cumin puri & Jerusalem artichoke and sake puree
  • SOY & SESAME INFUSED BEETROOT – With miso-pickled white beetroot, smoked labneh & mandarin oil
  • CRUSTED TOFU – With a sag puree
  • CARDAMON CRÈME-BRULEE – With ginger-pickled blackberries

They already have a loyal following of regular diners, but they are looking to impress new faces and stomachs with this exclusive menu. Tickets to this event are £30.

Click here to book a last minute spot and follow Omni Collective on Instagram to stay updated with latest news.

Top picks from Hackney Downs today

by

If you weren’t able to get along to Hackney Downs Vegan Market today, I’ve put together a small post showing some of my top picks.

Remember, this market takes place EVERY Saturday (unless otherwise advertised) and you can get freshly made food from some of the finest vegan street food traders in London.

OK. Here are my picks.

Get into this fab vegan pop up

by

Biff’s Jack Shack is a totally fab food company. Remember when I mentioned their burgers, wings and fries at the Camden Town Brewery residency they did?

Now they have a new kitchen residency at Haunt, an all-vegan bar and venue in the Stoke Newington area.

This residency is the first time they have been able to put together a full evening menu and they told me they are super excited by all of the new dishes they’ve been able to launch as a result.

And as well as their evening menu, they’re also going to be offering a ‘vegan AF’ brunch at the weekends, and a Sunday roast burger.

You need to follow Biff’s on Instagram to keep updated with all of their glorious food creations and also keep scrolling to see some of these beautiful food photos highlighting their Haunt menu (pics by Kim Burrows).

Eat ALL of this amazing food. Brownies with ice cream. Cheesecake. Poutine! Salads. Wings. Burgers.

Click here to see the location of Haunt thanks to Google Maps.

 

New vegan café alert

by

I will give you one guess where a new vegan cafe has opened in London.

I would bet any amount of money that you said Hackney?!

Rehab is brand new plant-based eatery situated on Well Street, just a few minutes walk from Temple of Seitan in Hackney Central.

I asked the owners for a little insight into what makes the cafe tick and they told me:

Our cafe concentrates on healing, organic, vegan food that is abundant with nutrients while being filling and affordable. We also have a bar which we plan to open soon serving vegan cocktails, beer and wine. There is also the option for healthy mixed cocktails using kombucha and cold pressed juices.

Take a look at some of the photos below and follow Rehab on Instagram.

New vegan cafe and art space

by

A speciality, sustainably minded vegan coffee shop and arts space on Hackney Road in East London has just opened. It’s called Unripe Banana.

Upstairs they have a coffee shop with a bit of extra seating downstairs and then also downstairs they have an art gallery and events space with artist studios.

On the menu at the moment they have coffee by Origin Coffee Roasters that they pair with nut mylks made by the East London Mylkman. They also have Oatly Barista available as well as cashew and almond.

They told me their plan is to set the bar for vegan speciality coffee and eliminate the idea of dairy free mylks being bad.

They have a selection of different cakes/croissants available and even offer a cheese and tomato filled croissant.

The menu also includes a cheese pesto and rocket toastie, a tofu BLT, smavo marmite and chilli on toast (smavo being smashed avocado) and a spicy chickpea blend with spinach and avocado. There are also different flavours of overnight oats and right now they have carrot cake jars of overnight oats.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ3dOkzHhKu/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZvYb-GHXSO/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZtq7iMHlYA/

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

Unripe Banana is minimal waste and against air miles so they do everything with a ‘think locally’ mind set and avoids plastics wherever possible.

They also have a retail section where they sell UK designed dungarees by Lucy and Yak, their handmade banana mugs and a variety of different items by artists and makers.

Click here to see where exactly Unripe Banana is located thanks to Google Maps (just a few steps from Hackney City Farm on at Unit 7, 268 Hackney Road).

Follow Unripe Banana on Instagram. The café is open 7:30am until 4:00pm Monday through Friday and 9:00am until 4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Vegan burger battle

by

Oh. My. Buns.

Do you enjoy decadent vegan burgers? Well, you had better along to Hackney Downs Vegan Market on Saturday Septmeber 16, 2017 between 11am and 5pm as four of the best vegan food traders in London go head to head with gorgeous burger creations.

It’s a Vegan Burger Battle, people!

Should we explore the options?

1- Temple of Seitan – soft white bun lightly toasted featuring a special recipe burger sauce, crunchy hash brown, succulent burger with gristle, fried mozzarella block, and a slice of bacon. 

2 – Big V London – the Classic Facon Cheeseburger. Classic plant meat burger with melted mature cheddar, crispy house maple bacon, burger sauce, spicy tomato relish, red onion, pickles on a toasted custom poppy seed Brioche bun.

3 – Cafe SoVegan – the Mac Daddy. A southern style chicken burger topped with salad, mac no cheese and crispy onions.

4 – Eat Chay – Korean BBQ Big Mac with vegan cheese and homemade vegan kimchi.

If you had to pick just one, what would you do? OK, that’s a bit cruel. I’ll let you pick two.

This version of Hackney Downs Vegan Market is going to be one of the best showcases of vegan burgers you can get in the UK.

If burgers are not your thing (please leave), rest assured that we have a stunning line up of sweet and savoury food from a huge roster of street food traders.

You can see the full line up here and you can RSVP to the Facebook event online here.

Yay for vegan burger battles!

Vegan market intensity

by

Here is a quick blog post to reiterate my feelings about community markets.

Get out of your house and START A VEGAN MARKET.

I hosted my monthly Hackney Downs Vegan Market on Saturday and to say in was swamped by people would be a monumental understatement.

Check out this photo I shared from the day.

Thousands of vegans and vegan-curious people swarmed the market and many of the vendors could not cope with the demand. Cake stands that thought they would be safe by showing up with hundreds of cakes sold out within the first few hours. Temple of Seitan sold out of almost 500 bacon cones with hours still remaining of the event. Battered sold hundreds of portions of vegan fish. Big V had their busiest day at our market ever. Café SoVegan know how to make a lot of food and they sold out completely for the first time ever.

Some people have suggested that we should have more stalls or that the vendors should make more food. Neither of these things can happen. Our space has limitations around the number of stalls permitted and the vendors are making as much food as they possibly can. They are stretched beyond their limits.

The answer to this problem is simple.

More people need to run more vegan markets around London. You can see that the demand clearly exists. When thousands and thousands of people show up to my market on the same day as a sold out 1,000 person vegan food event is also being staged in Kings Cross, you know there is not enough being done to meet the demand.

I am only one person and I do what I can, but we are in desperate need of other community-minded people to step up and start local markets that celebrate and support independent businesses.

Start small. Don’t think that 4,000 people are going to swarm your event. Keep it local. You can do it if you simply start. Get an idea and run with it.

Do it for your neighbourhood. Do it for the business owners. Do it for the animals.

Vegan sandwiches in London

by

News for vegan sandwich lovers.

Street food business Queen Picnic are now appearing EVERY Sunday at Chatsworth Road and they have this fabulous line up of packaged sandwiches. I want them all!

The Queen Picnic beef-style seitan, rocket, tomato and mustard sandwich. Coming to a store near you!

A post shared by Queen Picnic (@queenpicnic) on


Not only can you get your hands on these tasty savoury delights between 11am and 4pm each Sunday at Chatsworth Road Market, you will also start seeing these sandwiches popping up in local stores and supermarkets.

Follow Queen Picnic on Instagram to stay updated on stockist locations and new flavours.

Exclusive vegan supper club for London

by

London, I know you have a lot going on when it comes to vegan eating but you need to make a special effort to get along to this exclusive dining event in Hackney next week.

Plates is a company specialising in plant-based contemporary dining experiences with modern English menus and are about to launch a Saturday night residency in Hackney at Autumn Yard located at Hackney Downs Studios on Saturday August 5, 2017.

Check out the flyer for the launch night below.

 

The food they put together looks exquisite and the launch dinner includes a gorgeous 4-course menu crafted from fresh ingredients. I think it’s safe to say you will be very well fed (and satisfied) if you book a ticket for this exclusive event.

Autumn Yard is a stunning venue and this launch event for Plates is incredible value at £25. Book your ticket now.

You should also follow Plates on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with this season of supper clubs in Hackney, plus all of their future events.