Welcome to Vegan Quarantine: Day 53. This daily video series is my way of keeping spirits high within the vegan community while also supporting independent business, charities, and musicians.
Links for everything discussed are included below.
MOTHER launches organic, plastic-free groceries + homemade produce boxes for delivery across East London
Hackney Wick-based MOTHER has continued to serve customers during isolation via a takeaway and collection hatch plus delivery via Deliveroo and UberEats.
To ensure that the local community can enjoy organic, sustainable and ethically-sourced produce at home MOTHER has now launched plastic-free boxes of pantry goods, expanding on the current range available in their zero waste store.
Theessentials box (£35) features organic oats, pasta, lentils, rice, flour, tinned goods such as chickpeas and tomatoes, sourdough, ManiLife peanut butter, homemade pesto, bananas and more.
The deluxe box (£85)features all of the above plus quinoa, chia seeds, cashews, almonds, avocados, kombucha, granola, homemade produce including carrot salmon, plant-based cream cheese, cold pressed juices, brownies and much more.
You can also add acoffee lovers pack (£8.50) of Machina Vox Pop blend and Oatly barista mylk to make the perfect flat white or cappuccino at home.
MOTHER is also working with their vegetable supplier to provideorganic UK-grown veg boxesdirect to customers doors. The boxes feature a range of UK-grown, seasonal vegetables and apples (£12.50 – £20).
Both the coffee lovers pack and veg box can be added to either pantry box for a reduced rate.
All pantry and veg boxes come with recipes written by MOTHER’s head chef Tarryn, showing how best to use store cupboard essentials during isolation.
We want to use this time to help educate people about sourcing seasonally and ethically and how to cook from scratch – for their own health, and the wealth of the planet.
Delivery is available across east London, with the radius expanding if there is demand. More information available online at mother.works.
Welcome to Vegan Quarantine: Day 15. This daily video series is my way of keeping spirits high and supporting the vegan community.
Links for everything mentioned are listed below.
Rebels Food is a new vegan gourmet mac n cheese business in London and they are delivering. Get details and follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebelsfooduk/
Hi all. I am back again with another video to try and keep spirits high in the vegan community and help support independent vegan business and charities.
All of the links for everything mentioned in the video can be found below.
Moo Free Chocolates is a gorgeous vegan chocolate company. Order from them directly online, including all their Easter egg treats!:
Support Vegan Business hub created to provide information and advice during Coronavirus pandemic
As the UK government encourages people to self-isolate and avoid restaurants and bars, the hospitality industry is suffering. This is a particularly difficult time for small, independent young businesses, especially vegan businesses which already face the pressure of having a niche offering and a lack of contingency funds to support them in difficult times.
The BRIGHT Club has created a dedicated Support Vegan Business Hub on www.thebrightclub.co which features regular updates and information for businesses and staff during the Coronavirus pandemic.
The #supportveganbusiness campaign started in 2017 by BRIGHT Zine to support the vegan industry is now specifically focused on how the industry can face the adversity caused by Coronavirus. The hub was launched on Instagram earlier this morning (Wed 18 March).
Other actions taken to Support Vegan Businesses include:
A group of over 50 London-based vegan business owners and influencers has been created to share information and support across the sector that is facing adversity.
A petition has been started by Clare Every (@thelittlelondonvegan) for Deliveroo to cut commission during this time.
A lot of vegan businesses are on the brink of collapse therefore it is vital that consumers support them in whichever way possible. Most food businesses are currently operating delivery and collection services as well as providing vouchers and pay it forward schemes to support the more vulnerable in our communities.
Others ways to support vegan businesses include:
Order delivery or collection from them.
Share your favourite food businesses online and encourage people to continue to support them now and in the future. Use the Support Vegan Business graphic from Bright Zine to draw attention to this campaign.
Donate to local food banks and organisations that support communities including:
Lifeafterhummus who will donating their surplus to those in need if they cannot provide free community cooking classes.
People’s Kitchen who have paused surplus meals but are supporting their local food bank and looking for volunteers to help out in other initiatives or to share recipes and food stories.
Follow the Bright Zine/Support Vegan Business Hub on Instagram.
Vegans. This is your chance to use your compassionate shopping powers for good.
It is emergency time for legendary London vegan bakery, Ms. Cupcake.
As I mentioned a short while ago on my blog, the UK’s first 100% vegan bakery has decided to shut doors forever. If you missed it, you can read my emotional post online here.
Mellissa Morgan and the Ms. Cupcake business have been on the frontline of veganism for a decade and without her efforts, we would have experienced a very different march forward.
Mellissa pushed boundaries as an independent vegan business owner and showed just how much demand there was for plant based foods. Being inundated with vegan food in 2020 is thanks to pioneers just like Ms. Cupcake.
So they are shutting down, but there has been even more devastating news for the bakery and Mellissa just two weeks out from closing date.
The business was booked to appear at the huge Vegan Life Live show in London this weekend (March 14 and 15, 2020) but with last minute notice, the vegan mega show was cancelled due to concerns about large events contributing to the spread of coronavirus.
While this was obviously an extremely tough decision for the show organisers, this has left Mellissa and her vegan bakery holding thousands and thousands of pounds worth of extra stock that was destined to be sold at the show.
Mellissa told me:
We are desperately trying to close on a positive note, but the idea of all of these products going to waste is heart wrenching for the whole team who has been working so hard. Financially, it is quite disastrous for our small business.
Vegans, this is where we need to do one last act of support and compassion for someone who has done so much for us.
Go the the Ms. Cupcake website NOW and up until March 20, 2020 and order delicious vegan cakes and treats to be delivered to your home or office.
You can choose from four categories of sweetness:
Vegan tray bakes
Vegan cookie sandwiches
Vegan brownies
Vegan American-style cookies
Click here NOW to buy one last big bundle of vegan goodies from this legendary vegan business. Help them go out on a high and with a few less bills!
Buy treats for your home, your workplace, a neighbour, a loved one, someone you are trying to expose to veganism, and most importantly for yourself.
If we can join forces to send as much love and cash in the direction of the Ms. Cupcake bakery as possible, we might just be able to help them have a smile on their faces as the doors shut for the final time.
Order from the online store now or before March 20, 2020 for delivery in the UK or for collection in store.
If you can make it along to the shop in Brixton before it closes, please note they have extended their opening times to include Mondays. This means they will be open EVERY SINGLE DAY until March 29, 2020.
Extra note: you can also order a signed copy of the best-selling Ms. Cupcake recipe book. Already got it? Click here to order another. They make great gifts.
On Monday March 23, 2020 Club Mexicana, the home of Mexican and Californian inspired street food, is opening the doors to its very first restaurant.
Five years on from their street food beginnings, following a successful Hackney residency and the launch of The Spread Eagle (London’s first 100% vegan pub), founder Meriel Armitage and her team are beginning an exciting new chapter amidst the hustle and bustle of Soho.
Inspired by the street side taquerias of Los Angeles and Mexico City, Club Mexicana will dedicate itself to a concise menu of expertly-made tacos and small plates, designed to be enjoyed with a margarita (or two) in hand.
Guests can watch the open kitchen hard at work, as Meriel and her team slice into the star of the show: a sizzling vegan al pastor trompo (or spit) made in-house from seitan, smothered in Meriel’s homemade marinade with tropical favours from the fresh pineapple that sits on top of the spike.
The menu will feature cult favourites such as the beer battered Tofish Taco and the Cheezeburger Taco loaded up with ‘beef’ burger, red pepper queso, dill pickle and annatto mayo. New dishes will see the Al Pastor taco with shawarma style ‘pork’ from the trompo with charred pineapple, salsa verde, onion and coriander, and punched potatoes with chipotle mayo, spring onions and sea salt.
For those looking to feast, Club Mexicana will be slinging nachos, tostadas and its new Queso Flameado – essentially a Mexican fondue of gooey melted vegan cheese topped with spicy ‘chorizo’, ready to be dipped into.
There’s also a line-up of Club Mexicana’s much-loved burritos, including the Jackfruit carnitas burrito loaded with salsa verde, pink onions, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa negra and chipotle oil.
For something sweet, guests will be invited to take their pick from blood orange granita with a hint of margarita, rich chocolate mousse or a deep-fried ice cream sandwich from Happy Endings.
To counter the heat, the bar will shake up a curated menu of cocktails, wines, and Mexican beers. Guests can grab a stool for chilled margaritas from East London drinks company black-lines and grapefruit Palomas poured on tap, or opt for a true taste of Mexico with something spicier like the beer-led CM Chelada and pickle juice-spiked Michelada. Club Mexicana’s favourite frozen margaritas, a collaboration with Square Root Soda, can be ordered in classic sour lime, pink hibiscus, or juicy agua fresca.
Interiors will be decorated with Club Mexicana’s signature tropical neon pink signs and bold colour-pop artwork. The stool-lined bar is the perfect spot for a cocktail and a quick bite, while tables and chairs that have been sourced from young emerging London-based producers and craftpeople will invite diners to keep those tacos coming. When the days get warmer, guests can also grab one of the outdoor tables to soak up the sunshine with tacos and a few chilled Mexican beers.
Meriel says, “We’re so excited to open our very first restaurant in the heart of Soho. We’re looking forward to doing what Club Mexicana does best – great vibes, lots of tacos and banging cocktails. We’ll be dishing up more tacos than ever before, as well as our biggest street food hits and favourite dishes. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”
“We are delighted to welcome Club Mexicana to Carnaby’s food hub, Kingly Court. The Mexican-Californian inspired vegan street food restaurant will enhance Carnaby’s ever-increasing, global dining offering,” says Shelley Webb, Head of Group Residential & Kingly Court.
Club Mexicana at Kingly Court will open on Monday March 23, 2020.
You can see the exact location of Kingly Court online thanks to Google Maps.
Not only did London vegan restaurant What The Pitta win a major award last night, they have exclusively told me they are set to open their fifth location in Manchester this year!
Too much awesome news.
First things first.
The British Kebab Awards were announced last night in London and the much-adored What The Pitta won Best Takeaway.
I am so thrilled for Roj and Cem. Their food is some of the best on the planet and they have worked seriously hard to make their business a success.
The Mayor of London was also on hand to help them celebrate.
I asked Cem to give me a quick statement on how they are feeling afer their huge win. This is what he said:
To win at the Kebab Awards is a huge statement for veganism and just how far it has come. We were laughed at when we decided to create London’s first exclusively vegan kebab shop more than three years ago and now we’ve taken centre stage with our vegan spin on the British classic kebab. We can’t adequately thank our fans and everyone who voted and supported us from the start.
I’m so happy for this vegan business.
Congratulations are over, but you also came for the new location announcement. Keep reading below.
During our conversation about their win, Cem also let slip a little bit of exciting news.
The fifth location for What The Pitta is set to open in Manchester during May 2020.
Yes, Manchester!
This northern location will be in addition to their Shoreditch, Camden, Croydon, and Brighton spots. I’ll report further details as they become available.
It feels like nothing can stop these vegan food heroes. Let’s eat with them often and keep it that way!
London and southeast people, did you know you have a chain of vegan-friendly bars/cafes that are also extremely dog-friendly?
Wags & Tales are located in both Surbiton and Twickenham.
My mate Kay got along to the Twickenham location recently and she was raving about the vegan options and just the entire vibe of the place.
Both venues are like typical bars but they also have separate menus for dogs, dog areas and water bowls, lots of vegan food options, and a lot of people raving about them online.
You and your canine friends should get along for cocktails, comfort food, and a very welcoming environment for everyone, especially those in your party with four legs.
Visit Wags & Tales online for locations and full menus.
