Vegan Italian

Vegan in Blackpool

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Given the rate at which veganism is spreading in popularity around the UK, I’m not often surprised when I hear of a new plant-based restaurant popping up.

But something about this latest news has me rattled in a good way. I never thought I would see the day that Blackpool was celebrating the addition of a 100% vegan restaurant focussed on eco-friendly practices, hearty cuisine and even live music in the dining room.

Yep, Blackpool is now on your vegan bucket list.

The menu at Faringo’s sounds like the sort of food you want when you are looking to be well fed.

You can marvel at the menu on their website but let me tell you it includes stone fired pizza, spaghetti bolognese, freshly baked breads, desserts, and a fabulous vegan alcohol list including wine, beer and more!

The food at Faringo’s is obviously heavily slanted to an Italian vibe but you won’t be served dishes exclusively from that country. Meals such as veggie burgers and Sunday roasts make an appearance, as well as child-friendly selections such as nuggets, chips and beans.

On top of this restaurant being committed to not hurting animals, the owners of Faringo’s are also on a journey to make their restaurant as environmentally responsible as they can.

They design their menu to use as little gas and electricity as possible, source local and organic produce, buy bulk and loose ingredients to reduce plastic packaging, and are aiming to become a zero waste business in the future.

Faringo’s is currently open Tuesday until Saturday from 6pm until 9pm and Sundays from 1pm until 9pm. Closed Mondays. You can see the exact location of the restaurant thanks to Google Maps by clicking here.

You can follow Faringo’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Some of the best vegan food in London

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It has been a long time since I last said hello to them but my visit to the Just Fab double decker food bus on Hackney Road yesterday reminded me why this unique Italian restaurant is serving up some of the best vegan food in the UK.

Laura, Jonas, Josh and I all piled into the bus for some long overdue eating and we didn’t show any restraint. We got one of everything that we damn well wanted and our table was rammed solid with delicious comfort cuisine.

Laura and Jonas were visiting from LA and they couldn’t talk highly enough of the Just Fab menu. That is saying huge things when you consider all the vegan treats they have back home.

Follow Just Fab on Instagram and click here to see their exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Now, the food photos!

Stunning #vegan cheeseburger at @just_fab_vegitalian

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Next level polenta dish at @just_fab_vegitalian on Hackney Road. #vegan

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The panelle at @just_fab_vegitalian are SO TASTY. #vegan

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The lasagne at @just_fab_vegitalian is NEXT LEVEL. #vegan

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FED by Water still amazing

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I visited vegan Italian restaurant FED by Water for the first time today in over six months and I’m delighted to report back that the food is still as incredible as ever.

Josh and I were blown away the pizza and bread basket. The portions are mammoth and we really struggled to fit it all in… but we did, of course!

It was also a lovely surprise to see the pizza named after me still on the menu.

Follow FED by Water on Instagram and then check out photos from my experience earlier today.

Sitting outside at @fedbywater waiting on some #vegan Italian food! #London

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TFW you see a pizza named after you in a #vegan restaurant. Get into @fedbywater for a taste of Fat Gay Vegan.

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Ridiculously tasty pizza and salad combination at @fedbywater in London. #vegan

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New vegan Italian food spot

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London. The longer I am away, the more vegan food joints start popping up.

Maybe I should never come back?

The latest 100% vegan food outlet to spring up in the UK capital is called Piadina Genuina and the photos on their Instagram account had me hooked at first glance.

Please check out this plant-based amazingness.


Yes. This place looks divine.

But what is piadina? I’ve lifted the following from the Facebook page for Piadina Genuina to give you a better insight. In the words of Antonio:

A piadina is an Italian flat bread which is cooked fresh in front of your eyes on the grill and then filled with any fillings of your choice. I offer a wide selection of vegan choices as this is something I am personally passionate. All of the fillings will be prepared daily, including seasonal vegetables, personal recipes of seitan, sauces and daily specials.
You can create your own Piadina, starting by choosing your favourite dough then choose your filling and enjoy!

Piadina Genuina is located on Wick Road in Hackney (see location here) and I suggest you get along ASAP before there are queues down the block.

This food looks too good to ignore. It might even be the thing to tempt me back from Mexico.

Follow Piadina Genuina on Facebook and Instagram. Visit them online. They are open every day.

Vegan pop up Leeds

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Super quick blog post to let Leeds and Leeds-curious people know about this fab vegan dining event taking place at Global Tribe Café in a few days.

The 3-course vegan meal includes alcohol-free cocktails, or you are welcome to take your own booze along for a small corkage fee.

The Italian inspired menu features:

Starter: Carpaccio of Beets marinated, served with vegan blue cheese and orange salad.
Main: Tagliatelle Carbonara
Dessert: Raw vegan tiramisu
Coffee/Tea

If you want to get along to this limited dinner, book very quickly as there are only 20 spots in total.

You can also RSVP to the Facebook event page.

Restaurant ditches meat, becomes 100% vegan

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Hold on to your faux feather stuffed fedoras, London.

An Italian restaurant has ditched meat and dairy entirely from its menu, becoming a 100% vegan pizza, calzone and pasta specialist in the process.

I have been raving about the vegan options at FED by Water for a long time. The East London restaurant has developed a reputation for having some of the finest vegan food on the planet and their calzone alone makes me happier than almost any food on the planet. Even as an omni restaurant they excelled in using seitan and vegan cheeses in order to create mouthwatering Italian delicacies.

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FED by Water really have taken care of us plant eaters, supplying us with our own incredibly-extensive vegan menu that was actually mind-boggling.

But now everything is vegan. EVERYTHING!

I’m shocked and delighted. I reached out to Fabio at FED by Water to find out what powered this monumental change and this is what he had to say:

After almost 2 years running FED BY WATER with multiple options as a way to leverage on the omni/veggie menu to educate people to veganism, last weekend we decided time has come to cut off meat, fish and diary options completely and focus only on 100% plant based Italian gourmet. We will still educate people to veganism but without the “safe” options for omni customers to rely on as their primary choice.

I have to admit it is working well and non-vegans are quite relaxed in trying out other options. It helps that it is all delicious. The label vegan might scare some people off but luckily our new team (fully vegan also) is putting a lot of effort into educating the public about the revolutionary culture we have been embracing and pushing forward. So… VEGAN is LIFE!

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I don’t know about you, but this is some of the best news I’ve heard in years.

100% vegan Italian restaurant serving meat/cheese platters, calzone, pizzas, bread bowls, pasta, raw pasta and so much more? It’s a dream come true.

Get to the FED by Water website, like the restaurant on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and visually devour their posts on Instagram.

And when you stop by for a meal, tell them FGV is back in town come July so they’d better be ready!

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Glorious vegan calzone comes to London

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I know this news is going to make a lot of people happy. Really happy.

Actually, the happiness-inducing news is in a few parts. Let me break it down for you.

A new vegan mozzarella is launching very soon across London. Created by the talented Anne’s Vegan Pleasures, the Melt Me mozzarella looks stunning. Check out the photos below:

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This stuff looks fabulous and is being packaged and prepared for retail outlets as I type.

If you can’t wait until you can buy it in your local health food store, I’ve got some top news for you.

Melt Me has teamed up with Italian street trader Orso for a series of outings where they will bring glorious vegan calzone to the hungry masses starting this weekend!

Get along this weekend to try some decadent Vegan Calzone Fritti. They will be selling two varieties including asparagus with wild garlic, tomato and Melt Me mozzarella as well as aubergine with mushroom, tomato and Melt Me mozzarella.

You can find these tasty treats at the following locations:

Friday April 22, 2016 between 10am and 3pm at Startisans Market 77 Shelton Street Covent garden

Friday April 22, 2016 between 6pm and 10pm and Saturday April 23, 2016 between 2pm and 10pm at Open Jack Weekender New River Studios 199 Eade Rd, London N4 1DN

Saturday April 23, 2016 between 10am and 4pm Partridges Market, Duke of York Square, Chelsea

Sunday April 24, 2016 between 10am and 3pm at Alexandra Palace Farmers Market

Now that all the info has been shared, who wants to see some photos of the vegan calzone?!

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vegana – an exclusive Italian experience

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Vegan dining in the capital rises to a previously unseen level as Fat Gay Vegan collaborates with legendary Caffè Caldesi of Marylebone. Sunday 5th of October, 2014 is a date for dedicated food disciples.

Caffè Caldesi is located in London’s Marylebone and is the flagship of the Caldesi group of Italian restaurants and cookery schools. The restaurant is known for its un-comprising dedication to creating authentic Italian regional food under the watchful eye of patron Giancarlo Caldesi. Giancarlo, a Tuscan by birth, has been running Italian restaurants for 40 years in the UK and along with his wife Katie has written many books on the regional food of Italy. The couples latest book ‘Venice – Recipes lost and found’ is due to be launched in October 2014.

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Caffè Caldesi is a favourite haunt of Italian ex-pats in London given that it truly is the ‘real Italian’ – you won’t find chequered tablecloths or packet grissini here. The restaurant is split into a downstairs bar/cafe and an upstairs fine dining restaurant, the dishes served in both are seasonal, regional and authentic providing the customer a choice of the classics and less well known.

When Giancarlo and Katie considered delving into the (for them) unexplored world of vegan fine dining they called on the experience of Sean O’Callaghan, known throughout the UK as blogger and event planner Fat Gay Vegan.

Sean has pulled together an exquisite menu utilising the skills of Italian-born vegan chef Sara Mittersteiner. Sara, of vegan supper club Pomodoro E Basilico fame, has lovingly crafted a selection of dishes perfectly matched to an autumnal fine dining experience in this stunning Marylebone setting.

The menu is as follows:

Primo Piatto – Main Course

Tagliatelle al Cacao con Crema di Noci, Fave e Fave di Cacao – Chocolate Tagliatelle with Walnut cream, Fava Beans and Cacao Nibs

Secondo Piatto – Second Course

Erbazzone – Spinach Quiche

Contorno – Side

Insalata di Finocchi allo Zafferano – Saffron Fennel Salad

Dolce – Dessert

Tiramisù al Caramello – Caramel Tiramisù

In addition to this peerless plant-based menu, diners will be treated to a glass of peach Bellini and an amuse–bouche on arrival as well as tea or coffee following dinner. A selection of vegan beer, wine and spirits will be available for purchase from the bar.

Caffè Caldesi, Fat Gay Vegan and Chef Sara are the ingredients guaranteed to bring London a night of magical vegan eating never before seen in the capital.

Book early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are priced £35 plus booking fee and are non-refundable. Seating is unreserved however we will endeavour to meet emailed seating requests prior to the evening.

Visit Caldesi online. Follow Caldesi on Twitter. Like Caldesi on Facebook.

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We love it when our friends become successful

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Time for another guest post from Josh. He’s been savouring the delights from the new(ish) location of London vegetarian Italian restaurant Amico Bio.

Take it away Josh…

Amico Bio had been on my list of restaurants to try for ages but the original location near the Barbican wasn’t very convenient for me so I never made it there. Imagine my delight when I glanced out of the bus on my way to work and spotted a new location just a five minute walk from my office! It didn’t take me long to find an excuse to go to the new Amico Bio in Holborn. And not just once – I went twice in the space of a week it was that good. It’s a vegetarian restaurant but they have a very impressive range of vegan dishes and the staff are happy to talk to you about the items on the menu. They are one of the few London restaurants to use seitan and they are also using one of my favourite vegan cheeses – MozzaRisella.

Amico Bio in Holborn
Amico Bio in Holborn

Anyway, on to the important bit… the food…  

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