vegan London

Best in show

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This was a cute and funny surprise.

Last night I attended an event hosted by Viva!, the incredible animal rights campaign charity.

They surprised me by presenting me with the award for Best Vegan Blogger… for 2019! It was a very funny moment.

I apparently won this award six years ago but I mentioned to the charity a few months ago that I didn’t have a memory of the event. So they kindly and humorously went out of their way to reprint the award and frame it for me!

I’d like to send huge love to the Viva! team not only for this kind and funny act, but more importantly for all the incredible work they do for animals.

You can discover more about the work of Viva! online here.

Mini festive market 2023

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If you think it feels like a long, long time since I’ve posted on the blog you are completely correct.

The reason I’m coming back to speak to you all after all this time is because it’s the end of 2023 and I’m inviting you to a celebration!

To celebrate this blog being alive and well again, I’m thrilled to announce that I’m hosting a vegan mini festive market in conjunction with vegan food charity, Made in Hackney.

Please join us in The Redmond Community Centre on Saturday December 16th, 2023 between 11am and 4pm for festive fun, gift shopping with local traders, tombola, live music, and time to socialise with friends old and new.

Drop in anytime across the day and say hi… we can’t wait to see you! The market is in support of all the crucial work Made in Hackney does around plant-based food security and nutrition.

Independent traders and stalls will include:

VG Coffee – selling hot drinks and hand held nibbles
I AM NUT OK – award-winning plant-based cheeses perfect for your festive table
Pinkeens Prints – gift ideas including hand-painted mugs in support of London wildlife conservation
Ecotricity – chat with Britain’s leading ethically-sourced energy company
Made In Hackney – chat with us about or community classes and masterclasses
Citizen Cake – homestyle cakes and bakes
Con Pasión Perú – cook-at-home Peruvian tamales and snacks
Cake Cult – decadent cookies, cakes, and tray bakes
Canopy Indoor Plants – plants and pots for you to buy for loved ones… or yourself!
Copperhouse Chocolate – handmade artisan chocolates and chocolate drink mixes
POH Books – specialist in African and Caribbean books for all ages… including vegan recipes!
Singing Santa – the jolly old man will be on the mic singing your favourite pop songs

Extra note: FGV and Made In Hackney would like to thank Ecotricity for financially supporting this event. If you would like to find out more about this ethical energy supplier, click here for a quote. Ecotricity will kindly donate money to Made In Hackney for each new customer signing up via that link.

Vegan pizza party with FGV

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I love a good party just as much as I love a good pizza, so why not combine my love for these two things?!

Join me in a week for The Future of Food co-presented with NXT LVL PZA.

Join Fat Gay Vegan at NXT LVL PZA’s Hackney Wick launch party!

Your £5 entry goes straight to madeinhackney.org, a local plant based cookery school and food kitchen helping some of East London’s most vulnerable people. It also entitles you to 1 free beer and free pizza all night!

NXT LVL’s master chef will be cooking up a storm in our courtyard, showing us the secrets of making food so good, you don’t notice it’s saving the planet. Come down, try some next level pizza, talk about the future of food and get to know your community.

@ HWK – 29 White Post Ln, London, E9 5EN

Thursday 12th May: 7pm – 11pm

£5 entry – free pizza + 1 beer* – 100% of proceeds go to Made In Hackney

CLICK HERE to buy your ticket now. Numbers are strictly limited.

*Pizza will be served by the slice. Beer tokens will redeem 1 alcoholic or 1 non-alcoholic beer. A soft drink option will also be available. Please check bar listing for more information.

Win some food with FGV

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Here is a super rapid Instagram competition where you can win some food and hang out with a bunch of vegans and vegan-friendly peeps.

On the first Wednesday of each month, I host a London’s best party for compassionate people. Get excited for London Vegan Social!

London Vegan Social is the place to meet people, sing karaoke, eat delicious food, and sip refreshing cocktails. Spread across three floors of the Old Crown Pub at 33 New Oxford Street. It’s perfectly located halfway between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn Underground stations.

The monthly party runs between 6pm and 10pm on the first Wednesday and this month I am giving away a food and drink package for two. The event is tomorrow (May 4) so get reading below about how you can win!

This food and drink prize is supplied by resident vegan kitchen Vetomeato and host pub The Old Crown.

Here is what you need to do to win:

I’ll be picking a winner at 5pm on Wednesday May 4th, 2022. The prize can be claimed at London Vegan Social that same night!

The prize does not cover any travel expenses but the winner will get the following:

  • 2 burgers
  • 2 fries
  • 2 Mac n cheese bites
  • 2 vegan cocktails

Click here to visit and comment on the Instagram post.

Don’t forget to follow Fat Gay Vegan and Vetomeato on Instagram.

Wanna invest in vegan pizza?

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Ever since I adopted a vegan lifestyle over 20 years ago, I’ve been searching for the best plant-based pepperoni pizza.

We didn’t have a lot of pepperoni pizza opportunities in Australia when I was younger and by the time I got to the UK where they were more popular, I was vegan!

But hey, guess what, people? I think I’ve found the vegan pepperoni pizza of my dreams… and you can invest in the company responsible for bringing it to the UK capital.

NXT LVL PZA is a fast food concept that was pretty easy to fall in love with.

I stumbled upon the NXT LVL pop up restaurant in Soho just over a month or so back and was swept up by excitement and greed. The brand is all bright colours and video game imagery while the menu is 100% plant-based.

The idea of the concept is to give hungry people (like me) the food they desire while doing good stuff for the planet and animals. I saw so many people getting excited about the pizza before they realised it was plant-based and that excitement didn’t let up when they started eating.

The pizza from NXT LVL is extremely tasty.

I think what NXT LVL PZA has got right is not trying to invent the wheel when it comes to ingredients that other people do incredibly well already.

The brand has created partnerships with leading plant-based companies such as Beyond Meat to create pizzas with toppings that can’t be, er.. topped!

This is why the pepperoni pizza has got me all hot and bothered.

The Spice Invaders pizza (see photo above) features the mouthwatering pepperoni slices of Verdino Foods. This is by far the best plant-based pepperoni I have ever enjoyed. My childhood dreams are coming true!

Following on from a trial delivery kitchen near Battersea over the past few months, NXT LVL PZA is ready to take their delicious vegan menu across London via a series of delivery kitchens. I think they plan on opening ten delivery kitchens as a starting point!

And if you like the sound of getting a slice of the action (get it?), you can invest in their expansion via a crowdfunding campaign. Of course you need to know that any sort of investment opportunity carries risk, no matter how much some chubby Australian blogger loves vegan pepperoni pizza.

Click here if you want to discover more info about investing in a chain of vegan pizza kitchens.

You can also follow NXT LVL PZA on Instagram.

Extra note: keep a close eye on my social media announcements in the coming week. I love NXT LVL so much, there might just be an FGV pizza party sponsored by the brand coming to London and you will definitely want to be a part of it.

Special vegan Valentine’s dinner in London

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If you know anything about vegan food in London, you’ll be aware that Essential Vegan is one of the best places to get plant-based cuisine in the city.

Vanessa has established her vegan Brazilian food business as a real leader on the food scene over the past few years and now you can celebrate Valentine’s Day 2022 with a special set menu.

Tapioca dice with homemade sweet chili chutney
Palm hearts and plantain moqueca with basmati rice

The 3-course Valentine’s Day dinner is available for one night only at Essential Vegan, inside Dalston Superstore, on Monday February 14, 2022 from 5pm.

The menu is priced at £25 per person and includes:

  • tapioca dice with homemade sweet chili chutney
  • palm hearts and plantain moqueca with basmati rice
  • Brazilian donuts with guava paste

This is an incredible line up of dishes that is going to have you all loved up!

You can choose the time that suits you with bookings starting from 5pm. Click here to make a booking.

The full Essential Vegan menu will also be available on the night, as it is 7-days a week.

If you like the sound of the Valentine’s Day dinner but can’t get along, think about getting along to the Essential Vegan Dalston Superstore drag brunch that takes place every Saturday and Sunday between 12pm and 5pm. You need to book in advance (same link as above) as this event sells out most weeks.

You can follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

Dining at Stem & Glory

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HUGE thanks to @stemandglory for sponsoring me to try their current menu today.

This 100% #vegan restaurant is usually an eye-opening and tastebud-pleasing experience, with today being no exception.

The kimchi pancakes and Korean ‘fish’ tacos were packed with flavour. I especially loved the mini blue corn tortillas for the tacos.

The large bowl of Szechuan aubergine (with side of kimchi rice) was a fascinating mix of sweet and spicy tastes.

Before today I’d never heard of Swede gnocchi and I was impressed. The creamy sauce featuring roasted chestnut mushrooms, spinach, and spiced walnuts took it to another level.

The @stemandglory dessert game is no joke, either. Pick from sticky toffee pudding with custard or warm cherry crumble with ice cream. Or be like me and get both.

Get over to stemandglory.uk to book a table at the London or Cambridge locations of @stemandglory and watch for a second London location soon.

Take a look at the Instagram video below to see all the delicious dishes!

Veganuary at Danish bakery

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As far as Veganuary menus go, this Danish bakery chain has torn ahead of the competition in the UK.

It’s that time of the year when us vegans get inundated with extra options. There are so many plant-based options in January it can be tough to stay on top of it all.

@oleandsteenuk sponsored me to come along to try their Veganuary menu and I was blown away.

The passionfruit slice was heavenly and mousse-y and I want ten more. The berry slice was just as delicious.

I slurped every last drop of the curried sweet potato and coconut soup.

Toasted focaccia sandwich with nduja paste, cheese, and spinach? Perfect.

And… the absolutely stunning raspberry and almond swirl pastry. My life is never gonna be the same. It is buttery and creamy and flaky and my new best friend. I ate two of them.

@oleandsteenuk has 15 London locations and one in Oxford.

Big thanks to @oleandsteenuk and their PR team for the invite.

Watch my Reel from Instagram below!

Halo Burger and Yard Sale Pizza

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Yard Sale Pizza has a new collaboration vegan pizza!

In celebration of Veganuary, the pizza shop has launched a vegan cheeseburger pizza in partnership with burger joint, Halo Burger. Additionally, as part of their Stuffed Crust Mondays, Yard Sale Pizza will be launching a very special vegan stuffed crust Margherita for January only. 

Yard Sale Pizza and Halo Burger are celebrating a month of plant-based eating in a big way. You Had Me at Halo is a fully vegan creation which will feature Beyond Meat burger patties, gherkins, melted American-style vegan cheese, vegan mozzarella, jalapeños and diced onions, finished with Halo Burger’s signature sauce. The mozzarella comes courtesy of Hackney-based vegan cheese purveyors I Am Nut Ok, which has been developed in direct collaboration with Yard Sale Pizza co-founder and director Nick Buckland to be the perfect melting mozzarella for pizza, and is used across Yard Sale’s signature vegan pizza offering.

You Had Me at Halo will be available from 5th January until 1st February and will be priced at £12.50 for a 12” (or £23.50 for 18”) The pizza will be on offer at all Yard Sale locations for delivery and collection, and for dine-in at their Crofton Park, Crystal Palace, East Dulwich, Hackney Road, Leytonstone and Finsbury Park locations. A gluten free version will also be available, meaning everyone’s invited to get in on the action. 

Halo Burger are popular producers of vegan junk food including burgers, pink salt fries, and soft-serve ice cream. Originally based in London, with branches in Shoreditch and Brixton, the brand has since expanded outside of the capital, with a Bristol location. 

Speaking about the collaboration, Ross Forder, Founder of Halo Burger said, “Halo Burger has always been committed to perfecting the taste of vegan treats and we admire the Yard Sale Pizza team for their shared commitment to leading the charge when it comes to high-quality plant-based eating. We’re excited to be celebrating Veganuary with them with this limited edition pizza.”

Co-founder and director of Yard Sale Pizza, Nick Buckland, added, “It’s very important to us at Yard Sale Pizza that our vegan offerings aren’t just great vegan pizzas, but they’re banging pizzas that happen to be plant-based. Veganuary provides the perfect opportunity to do something special so we’re thrilled to be hooking up with our friends at Halo Burger to make a plant-based cheeseburger pizza – the ultimate new year treat!”

While You Had Me at Halo will only be available for January, Yard Sale Pizza’s is serving vegan pizzas forever! The brand boasts a full-time vegan menu featuring three vegan pizzas, a vegan cheese and garlic bread (with their signature Marmite topping as an option), and a vegan ice cream sandwich featuring cashew ice cream, smoky salted caramel and a corn and miso cookie.

Visit Yard Sale Pizza online. 

You can follow Yard Sale Pizza and Halo Burger on Instagram.

My wish list for vegan 2022

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I’m not sure about you, but 2021 for me was not a lot of fun.

There were ups and downs, lockdowns, restrictions, grocery shortages, and even a hospitalisation. COVID got to me hard and, after an 11-day illness at home, I spent another 5 days on a ward.

The NHS saved my life and I will never be able to say enough good things about this public health system. I am also extremely grateful for free vaccines that might just have been the deciding factor in my survival.

Most of my events and money-making opportunities were cancelled, meaning my financial situation was challenging to put it mildly. Thankfully the tax office has allowed me to enter into a payment plan meaning I avoided legal trouble with the UK Government!

Of course there were some silver linings with the happiest being my marriage to my partner.

No matter how difficult these past 12 months (and a bit more) have been, I somehow haven’t lost my optimistic outlook for promoting veganism and I am hopeful that more people than ever will start to explore their compassion this year.

To celebrate surviving 2021, I’ve put together my wish list for 2022.

I am hoping for:

Return of vegan markets – outdoor markets are a great place for showcasing independent vegan traders. Sadly, street markets around the UK suffered from the stop/start unpredictability of the year and many small businesses just could not survive. I want to see small artisan markets return this year. These opportunities for people to be self-employed are crucial for our communities.

Meat reduction in restaurants – I am thrilled to see so many vegan options popping up on mainstream menus, however I am hoping to see more reduction of meat and dairy instead of the vegan stuff being added as extra items. When Greggs or McDonalds add a plant-based option, I wish it meant something non-vegan was taken away. Perhaps this can be our new approach to vegan consumer activism? We want new vegan stuff to take the place of non-vegan stuff!

Time with friends – oh, how badly have you missed your friends? It has almost been two years of restrictions and social distancing. This period of time has been a lonely road for a lot of us and I can’t wait to be able to have regular get togethers with my friends. I hope 2022 is the year it happens.

Travel to Australia – some people are surprised when they discover I am originally from Australia. They usually find out when they hear me speak for the first time! One of my big wishes for this year is to get the chance to visit my friends and family Down Under. It has been a few years since I was able to get down there and I have only been back once in the past 12 years. Let’s hope for a quietening down of the pandemic AND an improvement in my financial situation!

London Vegan Beer Fest – for six years I ran London Vegan Beer Fest, the much loved summer social event that brought people together from all over the UK and beyond. After a few years off, I am tempted to bring back the legendary event as a way to celebrate coming out of the darkness. Would you like to see London Vegan Beer Fest return?

Visit Mexico – my husband has missed two Christmases in a row with his family in Mexico and he is getting increasingly homesick. Travel restrictions and prioritising health has made traveling to his home impossible. I don’t think he will cope with another year without seeing his friends and family, so we need to work hard to get him over there ASAP.

Keep supporting independent business – fatgayvegan.com started over 10 years ago and has always been a place to support independent vegan business. My Instagram account has taken over a bit when it comes to viewing numbers but the blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account all still play their role. If people want to help me keep this vegan promo show on the road, they can pledge a small monthly amount via my Patreon page. I spend a lot of time and effort being FGV and all support is deeply appreciated.

Finally travel with VCC – I have been working hard with setting up Vegan Culinary Cruises for quite a few years now and 2022 feels like we will finally get some travel action going. Please? Our first outing is set for May 2022 and is a week-long land tour (staying in a fab hotel) through some of the most breathtaking National Parks in the USA, including the Grand Canyon. This vacation is all vegan and will be the perfect way for us all to ease back into travel. Click here for details and booking.

Eat in UK cities and towns – because I haven’t been able to move around the country due to the pandemic, I have missed out on a lot of good vegan eating in cities, towns, and villages. Of course I love the vegan food scene in London but there is so much more out there to be enjoyed. If it is safe to travel, I will be planning several small trips to hunt out some new food hot spots. Let me know where I should go!

Attend live shows, events, and concerts – I have been easing myself back into larger scale events by hosting and attending my new monthly night, London Vegan Social. It takes places on the first Wednesday of each month at a pub in Central London. As it becomes safer, I want to venture out even more and start seeing live music and theatre again. I have lost track of how many gigs have been canceled on me during the past two years! I’ve got tickets to see The Cure live this December so let’s hope we are all in the clear by then.

What are your wishes and dreams for 2022? Let me know in the comments.