Guest post: vegan pizza in Southend

Awesome guest post about vegan pizza in Southend by Jenny Canham of Vegan Boho blog (follow her on Instagram and Twitter).

This weekend marked a very happy occasion for vegans in the Essex area, we have been blessed with vegan pizza thanks to The Railway Hotel!

The Railway Hotel is a vegetarian/vegan pub which was listed in PETA’s list of Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Pubs in the UK. It has been a firm favourite for vegan food amongst people living in Essex and further afield. They sell a wide selection of traditional pub favourites, such as vegan ‘fish’ and chips with tartare sauce, and a range of vegan desserts to finish.

The pizzeria is an exciting addition to this quirky pub. It’s set up separately from the bar, and you can order your pizza by filling out a sheet, on which you can select ‘vegan pizza’ and then choose as many veggie toppings as your heart desires.

The Railway Hotel use Violife Pizza Cheese on their pizzas, which melts beautifully, and each pizza is presented in a traditional box so you can take home what you don’t manage to eat (or if you wanted to save room for one of their awesome desserts!).

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After talking to the owners, I also discovered an extra topping to this exciting pizza news! They are currently looking into offering a pizza delivery service to the area…so people that live nearby may soon be able to order vegan pizza from the comfort of their own home. The pub have also just released their brand new Indian Summer Menu…which is 100% vegan! Hooray!

The Railway Hotel is my favourite local hangout, not only for the delicious vegan food with new dishes added regularly, but also for the general atmosphere and friendliness of everybody there. I hope more people get the chance to check out their amazing new pizzas and hearty vegan pub food!

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London pub goes meat free

This is a bit unexpected.

Just around the corner from where I currently reside in Brentford/South Ealing is a rather gorgeous pub called The Lord Nelson.

The pub has a particularly attractive beer garden and some awesome entertainment, but what really sets it apart from other watering holes in the city is the fact that every now and then it goes meat free.

With a chef who used to work at Vanilla Black now in charge of food, The Lord Nelson is taking an unusual step for a London pub. Or maybe it isn’t so uncommon now. Do you know of any pubs in the UK doing meat free nights or weeks?

The Lord Nelson has its current meat free menu running until July 23, 2016. Ask to see the special vegan version of the menu when you dine.

Now for some photos!

Drinking a pale ale by @littlecreatures_hk at @thelordnelson #vegan #beer

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Mock duck curry at @thelordnelson in Brentford #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Pulled jackfruit with a chilli sauce at @thelordnelson in Brentford #vegan

A photo posted by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

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One-night-only: vegan pub event in London

Sorry for the late notice but this news only came to my attention today.

If you are in London on Tuesday May 24, 2016 you might want to think about making your way to The Salisbury Hotel in Harringay, North London.

Newly-launched vegan food creators This Is What We Are Made Of are taking over the kitchen of this popular pub for a night of totally vegan food.

Check out the menu below:

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You can RSVP to the event, invite friends and get more details over on Facebook.

How often do you get a totally vegan menu in a pub? Get along, people!

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Vegan pizza in Exeter!

As much as I would like to eat every single vegan food item in every part of the world, there is only one FGV and I physically can’t be everywhere.

Thankfully, friendly readers like Alex send me awesome guest reviews of food in their neighbourhood and places they have visited.

Check out what Alex has to say about gorgeous vegan pizza being served up in Exeter:

The Old Fire House in Exeter is famous for two reasons. A tenuous possibility it was the inspiration for the “Leaky Cauldron Pub” in Harry Potter is the first and, more importantly, its amazing vegan pizza is the second.

We have always used the Harry Potter link as a brilliant excuse to take visitors to this pub and then stuff our faces with pizza.

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The menu actually has a number of vegan options, all very clearly marked. If you are organised enough on a Sunday, which we have only succeeded in being once, the Vegan Sunday Roast Lunch is stunning. The Chickpea & Spinach cake is not remarkable but the thick gravy and roasted vegetables more than make up for it.

In the evening pizza is their thing and we are talking big square pub style pizza served minutes after you order. It would be a challenge for anyone to finish a whole pizza themselves. The best ratio we have found so far is three people to two pizzas.

You have four vegan options but to be honest, who would bother with a plain or mushroom pizza when you can have something with wacky toppings. Chickpeas on a pizza. I class that as a wacky topping and together with the sweet roasted butternut, it works really well.

A word of warning on the next logical choice, the “Fired Up”. It is, as the menu says, extra hot. Don’t let this put you off though. It is really good with the heat coming from the smaller sliced red chiles rather than the big chunky jalapeños which are just tangy. If you are not into the heat then best to avoid, but if you are sharing pizzas then give it a try. It really compliments the sweetness of the butternut pizza.

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Any vegan pizza review needs to go into detail about the vegan cheese. In the case of these pizzas the cheese is of no real significance, rather the flavours and textures all come from the other toppings. The cheese is a mere decoration to make the pizza conform to what society has convinced us it should look like.

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Being a pub popular with students from the local university, drink prices are reasonable. Along the back walk behind the bar they have boxes of local ciders, many of which are proper cider that are not the carbonated type that feel like they will take the enamel off your teeth they are so dry. As these ciders are from smaller producers and typically made traditionally they are more likely to be vegan, but obviously you still need to check. A good place to start is with any made by Cornish Orchards as all their ciders are vegan.

Thanks for the great review, Alex. Next time I find myself in Exeter, I will definitely stop by The Old Fire House for a pizza and a cider.

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Vegan pizza in a Sheffield pub

Did you know there is a pub and live music venue in Sheffield that is now serving vegan pizza and vegan real ale?

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I was contacted by Dave from fab vegan food provider Make No Bones as he wanted to let me know that he has taken over The Cremorne, a drinking establishment in Sheffield that also doubles as a live music venue.

Dave was thrilled to tell me he is now serving decadent vegan pizzas in the pub, as well as vegan real ale.

In other good news, Dave has plans to turn the entire pub vegan by the end of the year. Let’s hope he can pull that huge feat off. Make sure you pop in for a pizza and a pint soon and let Dave know what a bang up job he is doing in raising the profile of vegan food in Sheffield.

Follow The Cremorne on Facebook to see photos of tasty pizzas and to keep updated on the pub’s vegan transformation.

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Vegan pub food by the seaside

Fancy a trip to the seaside but worried about finding vegan food to devour?

The answer is The Railway Hotel in Southend-on-Sea.

I have been hearing excited chatter about The Railway Hotel for a couple of years, but it was only today that I visited their website to see what they had on offer for plant-based pub-goers.

Check out this amazing list of vegan dishes lifted from their Spring 2016 menu:

Mains

  • Handmade pizza/calzones
  • Crass Burger (mixed bean/veg) with Chips/Wedges and salad
  • Falafel wrap + Sundried & Peppers + Chips/Wedges & Salad
  • Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil
  • Aromatic Thai Tofu Curry with sticky Rice
  • “Ham”, Leak & Cheese Pie with Mash, Root Veg & Gravy
  • “Fish” & Chips with Pea Puree & Tartare Sauce

Sides

  • Olives
  • Coleslaw
  • Bowl of Homemade Chips and dips
  • Garlic Bread
  • Wedges with Chilli Dip
  • Dough Balls with Garlic Mayo

Desserts

  • Pear and Apricot Cheese Cake
  • Apple Tart
  • Chocolate Calzone

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The vegan choices make up about 99% of the menu, so it would be fantastic to see the hotel take that last little leap to having a completely plant-based menu.

Everything sounds scrumptious and I think I will have to make this place one of my first stops when I get back to the UK later in the year.

You can get directions to The Railway Hotel on their website and you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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London pub launches vegan burger!

Do you know the Lord Nelson pub in Southwark?

If you answered in the affirmative, you will probably also know this pub is famous for its burger menu but hasn’t been known for being vegan friendly.

Until now, that is.

From Monday April 4, 2016 you will be able to march up to the Lord Nelson and order yourself a spicy, chewy and entirely satisfying vegan jerk burger made by plant-based producers More Than Meat.

Barry from More Than Meat told me, “They are going to be adding a massive mouth filling almost 5 inch diameter, 200g (uncooked weight) version of our vegan More Than Meat Jerk burger to their menu. It is made with a blend of plant proteins and red kidney beans flavoured with warm spicy jerk seasoning, chilli, lime and thyme.”

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Barry also let me know that if the burger is a hit, there is a chance it will also be added to the menu of a pub in Battersea that is owned by the same people.

So that means you had better get over to Southwark and eat a lot of these beauties, London!

Visit the Lord Nelson online.

Visit More Than Meat online, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

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UK pub chain has a vegan menu

If you live in the UK or have ever visited, you will surely know about the J.D. Wetherspoon pub chain with locations everywhere.

These pubs are known for being cheap and sometimes cheerful places to meet friends, down a few drinks and not be too far from home at the end of the night.

And now the chain pub is making a different kind of name for itself by offering a vegan menu!

It isn’t going to set the world alight with excitement, but the menu is going to be a welcome change for thousands of vegans who find themselves in a Wetherspoon pub on any given day.

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Part of the vegan menu at Wetherspoon pubs can be seen above, or click here to download a full PDF version.

You can also click here to locate your nearest Wetherspoon pub.

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Sunday glory

Leeds is on fire for vegan food.

You’ve seen my recent post about the wonderful fry-up I enjoyed a few weekends back and now I’m revisiting the northern city to let you know about probably the finest Sunday roast you are going to get anywhere in the country.

Read more

Best vegan pub food in London

The Old Ship W6 has recently been making improvements for vegan diners in West London.

The gorgeous pub perched on a stretch of the Thames between Hammersmith and Chiswick has been offering a small selection of vegan options for a while now, but the kitchen staff have just taken the plant-based menu to another level.

Check out the photos below of the best vegan pub food in London. We ate and ate and ate during our visit last night.

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