vegan UK

A World Famous Drag Artist And A Chubby Vegan Walk Into A Takeaway Shop

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Worshipping celebrity vegans can often be a problematic endeavour.

Holding up and celebrating famous people as vegans has often come back to bite our community in the backside.

Miley was championed as an ethical vegan for years right up until she went on the Joe Rogan podcast to tell the world she was eating animals again.

One of my childhood heroes, Drew Barrymore, also went down a similar route. Drew lived as a vegan for years but over the past decade or more had dipped in and out of plant-based eating sporadically. The superstar does promote a lot of vegan food, but it feels as though the argument for ethical veganism is somewhat diluted by her suggesting it’s cool to chop and change on a whim.

I am not really here to drag ex-vegan celebrities (and I do still love both of the mentioned performers. I mean, Flowers is a fabulous song), rather I’d love to shout out a vegan celebrity I feel more comfortable endorsing.

So take a look at who I bumped into yesterday at legendary vegan fried chicken shop, Temple of Seitan.

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Vegan London Is Disappearing: Podcast Episode

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Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) podcast is back with episode 31 and this outing is full of complaining.

Complaining about capitalism, greedy landlords, and the disappearing cultural landmarks of London at the hands of rent gouging.

Josh and I chat about how close it is to completely unsustainable for independent businesses to survive in the UK as we mourn the loss of several high profile vegan restaurants.

We also discuss the threat to other cultural landmarks such as The Prince Charles Cinema. How will this erosion of our celebration spaces end?!

Listen or stream the episode via YouTube.

You can also watch or stream the episode via Spotify at the link below.

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Vegan Donuts In Selfridges Oxford Street

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You know what’s better than a doughnut? A doughnut that everyone can enjoy. That’s exactly what Borough 22 in central London is all about.

Founded by Ryan Panchoo back in 2014, this doughnut brand was born from a mission to create sweet treats that were vegan and free from common allergens, without sacrificing taste. Fast forward a decade, and Ryan’s doughnuts are still made with the same love, care, and commitment to inclusivity.

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Vegan Ice Cream Bars In UK Supermarkets

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I’m a little bit late to the game with this one.

Apparently these vegan copies of ice cream bars have been available all January, however I’ve just managed to get my hands on them.

Take a look.

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15 Years Of Vegan London: From DIY Potlucks To Corporate Takeovers

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Fifteen years ago when I started this very blog, if you wanted to be social as a vegan in London you had to make it happen yourself. There were no vegan pubs and certainly no high street chains with dedicated plant-based menus.

This wilderness forced me to launch London Vegan Drinks, a monthly gathering where we carved out a space for ourselves in a world that barely acknowledged we existed. London Vegan Potluck was another community-driven event I curated, where people cooked and shared food because there weren’t many places to eat out.

Back then, if you wanted a vegan meal, you might get lucky at Pogo Café in Hackney (if they were open and serving something edible) or a measly number of eateries that weren’t always great. Other than that, it was whatever scraps you could cobble together from independent health food stores and Holland & Barrett. There were no vegan ready meals, hardly any supermarket own-brand plant milks, and certainly no Gregg’s vegan sausage rolls.

Then the independent vegan revolution happened. Slowly at first and then rapidly.

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Vegan Thai Food In Heart Of Brixton

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If you are familiar with the delicious vegan offerings of Mali Thai in Earls Court, you’ll be delighted to know this restaurant now has a companion outlet located south of the river.

Muan is a Thai street food restaurant located inside Brixton Village market, just a few minutes walk from Brixton Underground and Overground stations.

The eatery is a no-frills kind of vibe which makes for the perfect spot for a fast meal in a relaxed and comfortable setting.

Take a look below at the delights I ate during my recent visit!

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London’s Disappearing Vegan Scene: Going, Going, GONE!

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There was a time, not that long ago, when I struggled to keep up with newly-opened vegan food businesses in London.

There was a green culinary boom taking place in the UK capital that was tough to track and I’d often find myself being the last to know about a new eatery.

Sadly, there now appears to be another new trend rapidly spreading around town which is equally as exhausting to document.

Vegan restaurant closures.

I’m not here to do a deep dive into why these businesses are closing (mostly because I’m too lazy for investigative journalism) but I did want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to a few locations that had been feeding the vegan and vegan-curious in London but which have now turned out the lights for good.

The huge (and hugely-popular) Club Mexicana on Commercial Street, Shoreditch recently closed quite abruptly. This loss came as a shock to the community as the restaurant had been promoting its offerings almost until the day it was shuttered.

Fans of the Mexican-inspired eatery can still enjoy their favourite menu items at two continuing locations, Soho and Mayfair. Click here to get more information and booking details. Use it or lose it people!

This listicle isn’t my favourite thing to do, but let me rush through these recent closures.

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Get Squeaky In UK Supermarkets

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I haven’t done any sort of supermarket product update in a while but this news certainly got me in the mood to share with you all.

I’ve documented my appreciation of the Squeaky Bean brand quite a bit over on my Instagram account and have even collaborated with the brand on a few pieces of content.

They sell really fab, ready-to-eat meat alternatives that are filling a big gap in UK supermarkets… and my belly.

The latest products to join the Squeaky family are these sandwich-friendly Tofu Slices.

Available in either Spinach & Basil or Red Pepper & Tomato, these slices are ready to go and will improve your sandwich game.

But where can you buy them?

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Made In Hackney Is One For The Books

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Big news!

Food security heroes Made In Hackney are finally dropping their first-ever cookbook, and it’s an absolute must-have.

We Cook Plants is more than just a recipe book. It’s a love letter to plant-based cooking, packed with 100 global recipes from the incredible Made In Hackney chefs curated by the charity’s founder, Sarah Bentley. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, the book features contributions from celebrity supporters like Andi Oliver, Sami Tamimi, Dr Rupy, and fermentation king Sandor Katz. Fancy, right?

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Tell Me What You Really Really Want

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Tuesdays around these parts is podcast day.

A new episode of the Tell Me Where I’m Going (Wrong) podcast is released on YouTube and Spotify first thing Tuesday morning.

A quick recap if you are new here.

Josh and I are ex-partners of 20-something years wo are still very good friends. Each week we spend an hour talking about pop music, culture, politics, health, travel, and life as middle age gay men. Oh yeah… we record this conversation and post it online.

This podcast is extremely DIY and low effort. It is simply your chance to observe us sharing our memories and opinions with each other. Do not expect it to be polished and do not expect any research!

You can watch/listen to the latest episode on YouTube below. In this episode we chat about the dismal state of global politics, how dreadful singers end up in manufactured pop bands, and why so many pop starts end up supporting the Tories.

You can also watch/stream on Spotify at the link below!

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