vegan London

Vegan wine from London

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One part of learning to live vegan that comes as a surprise to a lot of people is needing to shop carefully for wine.

Yes, that’s correct. Wine is often not suitable for vegans.

Animal derived products such as egg albumen, casein and isinglass are used as fining agents to clarify the wine before bottling.

But there are more and more vegan-suitable wines hitting shelves all the time, including this boutique brand from London!

Forty Hall Vineyard makes a few varieties, including this Brut they are selling and shipping in time for Valentine’s Day.

A little about the vineyard: 

Forty Hall Vineyard is an exciting social enterprise which has established a new 10 acre organic vineyard in north London. Run and managed by local people, the vineyard is the first commercial scale vineyard in London since the middle ages. The vineyard produces and sells quality English still and sparkling wines.

A bit about the Brut:

  • Believed to be London’s first Sparkling Brut
  • Made in the traditional Champagne Method
  • ‘Single Estate’; Produced exclusively from grapes grown on Forty Hall Vineyard
  • Certified Organic
  • Natural and unfiltered
  • Vegan and produced using biodynamic practices
  • 11.5 % Vol

You can order your own bottle (or case) of the Forty Hall Vineyard Brut by clicking here.

You can also follow Forty Hall Vineyard on Instagram.

Why today is a big day for vegan London

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Today is a monumental day for vegan London and I want to share a few thoughts with all of you.

Only a fraction of us get a chance to really understand what it is like to open our own business. It is consuming and terrifying.

As Rebecca and Pat open the doors today of the second permanent location of their superstar vegan food business, Temple of Seitan, I want to send a very heartfelt ‘thank you’ to both of them.

For anyone who hasn’t been in the situation of launching their own business, start by imagining your ability to pay your bills, rent and food expenses being gambled on one of the most notoriously risky business models in our modern world.

Think of the feelings associated with risking everything. Now multiply those feelings ten times and consider what it is like to have that with you 24 hours a day. Yes, even in your sleep.

As Temple of Camden welcomes the crowds today, I send my deep and very real gratitude to Rebecca and Pat.

They have put untold energy (both physical and emotional) into securing the future of their vegan business. This business is not just a way for them to make money, rather it has captured the imagination and attention of the mainstream and is shaping the way people see veganism.

Their delicious food (and the carefully crafted cool image of their stores) is making a lot of people believe they can make the change to a vegan life. They are actually building a bridge to veganism over which hundreds of people are rushing.

They are making veganism seem achievable for thousands of people.

But Temple of Camden is more than just vegan activism. It is the safeguarding of jobs for their employees. Vegan jobs.

Rebecca and Pat have worked impossibly long hours to create a businesses that doesn’t just pay the bills and put money in their pockets. They have created a space where people are able to earn a living without having to be part of a system that abuses and mistreats non-human animals.

Temple workers get to work in an environment that aligns with their worldview. They don’t have to partake in exploitation to pay their bills.

And then there is more.

Temple of Seitan is a certified Living Wage employer. What is that you ask?

Living Wage is a guideline that outlines what workers would need to be paid in order to meet the cost of living in the UK. Temple of Seitan as a business has committed to paying wages in accordance with these guidelines.

To put it basically, they want to champion animal welfare while paying people fairly.

If you visit Temple of Camden this week, month, or year, I would love for you to take a moment to look around and feel thankful.

Feel thankful that we have such hardworking and decent people on our side, putting everything on the line in order to make the world a better place.

Bec and Pat. I couldn’t be prouder or more in awe of all you do.

Thank you.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

Inside Temple of Camden

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A few days I gave you a sneak preview of what it looks like inside the soon-to-be-opened Temple of Camden, the second permanent location for food superstars Temple of Seitan.

If you missed that post, which also included some breaking news about their new Camden menu, you can click here to read it.

Today’s post is to share some more shots of the Temple of Camden interior (and exterior) to help get you excited ahead of their grand opening on January 31, 2018.

Check it out below!

You can follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram to stay updated on all the latest news.

Vegan cheese goes London wide

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If you went to VegfestUK London in late 2017, you will know that one vegan cheese company in particular caused a lot of excitement.

New Roots absolutely blew everyone away with their stunning line up of vegan cheeses, including the spectacular camembert.

This cheese caused such a stir, it sold out in a matter of hours.

If you are anything like me, you’ve probably been dreaming of the time when this cheese would become more widely available.

Well, wake up and stop dreaming. New Roots is in London big time.

The Swiss cheese makers have just secured a London distribution deal with Marigold and are busy securing retail stockists. First stop? You can now buy their gorgeous vegan products at GreenBay Supermarket in Fulham.

Other retailers include:

More retailers are being added so keep updated by following New Roots on Instagram.

You can also ask your local independent health food retailer to stock New Roots. Let them know you want these products on their shelves and tell them the brand can be ordered via Marigold distribution.

Vegan slipper making workshop

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How about a Vegan Slipper Making Workshop, London?

Get along to The Canvas Café on Sunday February 4, 2018 between midday and 2pm for a slipper making class with Juta Shoes.

Handcraft your own espadrille slippers using reclaimed vegan materials and sustainable jute soles… and you might as well eat delicious food from the now 100% vegan café!

What you’ll do:

  • Choose from stock of reclaimed and upcycled vegan materials
  • Learn to shape and pin your shoe to the sole
  • Handstitch the upper to the sole with waxed linen thread

What’s included:

Experienced makers offer expert instruction and support, and everyone walks out in their own pair of slides. All materials are provided and no experience necessary. The vegan material is reclaimed from donated coats and bags, and Juta will bring a range of colours and textures for you to choose from. They use premium jute soles sourced from southern Spain, which are thick, robust, and comfortable.

 

Click here to book your workshop ticket.

Arancini Brothers to stay vegan

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A few weeks ago, I shared news about London fast food chain Arancini Brothers turning their Old Street location into a 100% vegan eatery.

Since January 2, 2018 the outlet has served thousands of vegan and vegan-curious customers (as well as some meat eaters who just want outstanding food) who have raved about the extensive and delicious vegan menu.

As it is halfway through their vegan month, I dropped in on owner Dave Arkin to find out how it has been for the business and what the future holds.

How has the vegan month been for Arancini Brothers Old Street?

The support we’ve had from our regular customers and the vegan community has made the first few weeks the most incredible and satisfying experiences since selling our first risotto ball almost 9 years ago.

Have you been surprised by the interest and support of vegans?

More delighted than surprised. I have to say a big thank you to all the support we’ve had from you (that’s me, FGV!) and the vegan community. You have all made our vegan switch at Old Street possible.

Any news on the future?

After just two weeks of running our Old Street location as a fully vegan business, we’ve decided to keep the location vegan for good. It will always be a fully vegan place to eat and I couldn’t be happier with the decision.

How incredible is this news?!

Arancini Brothers Old Street is now a 100% vegan food outlet, 100% of the time. Forever.

I would like to extend my personal gratitude to Dave and his team for taking this leap of faith. The impact this will have in their part of London, across the UK, and further around the world is impossible to calculate but people are taking notice.

This is monumental.

Dave is showing you can do a good thing and still run a business. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

You can follow Arancini Brothers on Instagram and click here to see the post I did about their huge vegan menu at Old Street (including photos!).

If you want to see the exact location of Arancini Brothers Old Street, you can thanks to Google Maps. Remember that the outlet is open between Monday and Friday between 9:30am and 4:00pm.

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.

Vegan pub food in London

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Here is a quick little bite sized chunk of news you can eat.

I’m just about to head back to Mexico City for six months so I gathered my friends in London for a farewell party at The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker in Islington.

This pub on St John Street is a gorgeous pub that has just switched it’s entire food menu to be 100% vegan.

Check out this short Instagram video I made showing the current menu.

The polenta fries with added cheese were fabulous and I loved the toasted sandwich.

Not all of the alcohol being served is vegan, however they assure me this is being worded on and will be rectified soon.

In the meantime, all of the booze that is vegan suitable is clearly labelled.

You can follow The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker on Instagram and see the pub’s exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Vegan pop up in a Tube station

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Here is some fab news.

100% vegan cafe Cupcakes & Shhht located in Elephant and Castle has a pop up cake stall inside Old Street Underground station for the next three months!

Check it out.

As you can see, they are also selling copies of my book. Well, the books might be gone by the time you visit because they only had three remaining.

But you should definitely get along for delicious vegan cakes and treats!

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.