vegan UK

£5.50 for a vegan sausage roll

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Hello from London, one of the most expensive places on the planet to buy a vegan sausage roll!

In this weeks mini podcast episode, I moan about the cost of vegan sausage rolls. I also talk about changing my name to Plum King (just a joke, not a fact). In addition, I chat about where I have been eating recently (not a joke, just a fact).

FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year – Fat Gay Vegan

As the year ebbs away join me for a chat about the tough task of going home, Whitney Houston, and vegan food on QANTAS planes.
  1. FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year
  2. FGV’s Mini News Roundup December 7, 2022
  3. FGV’s mini news roundup – news, views, and reviews from the plant-based world and beyond
  4. Fat Gay Vegan mini news roundup March 17, 2022
  5. FGV mini news roundup December 23, 2021 – vegan news and reviews

The June 10, 2021 news roundup is possible because friendly people sponsor me on Patreon. I get to talk about and write about vegan business because of this support.

Thanks!

Follow me on Instagram and be sure to investigate the vegan travel adventures I am hosting online here.

Win a vegan pin

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London, do you like winning things?

I am teaming up with legendary vegan fried chicken business Temple of Seitan to give away 50 pins.

This couldn’t be more vegan. Fat Gay Vegan is giving away 50 Temple of Seitan pins and the pins read ‘VEGAN’.

All the vegan you could want.

Isn’t that cute? Do you want to know how you can get one for free?

I will be on site at the opening of the new Temple of Seitan location on Acre Lane, Brixton this Saturday June 5, 2021 between 12pm and 4pm.

If you see me there, walk up to me and show me that you follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram and I will give you a pin. It is that simple. You don’t have to follow me as well but that would be a nice gesture!

Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram (click here). Say hello to FGV. Get a ‘VEGAN’ pin.

Click here to see the exact location of Temple of Seitan Brixton thanks to Google Maps.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: one pin per person, no purchase necessary. These pins are available on a first-come basis. If you show up at 3pm and they are all gone, I cannot be held accountable. I will still say hello but I won’t be able to give you a pin if they are all gone.

Best vegan brunch in London

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Essential Vegan has always been one of the best places for vegan food in London but now that they have relocated to inside Dalston Superstore, they are also serving the BEST BRUNCH in London.

Vanessa of Essential Vegan invited me down to try the brunch and I’m serious when I say I haven’t tasted anything this delicious in a very long time. Look at that full Brazilian breakfast! The plate features house made seitan sausages, beans, toast, tofu scramble, potatoes, and a secret recipe spicy relish.

The photos above from my visit also show the jug of Bloody Maria I consumed, as well as some of the signature Essential Vegan starters.

Oh, did I forget to mention this is also drag brunch?

Local drag queens host the brunch every weekend with lots of camp music, games, and entertainment. Seriously the best spot in the city right now. And the entire venue and bar is vegan so you never stop winning.

Click here to book a table and follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

So many vegan jobs in London

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As the economy starts to reopen, many vegan restaurants and cafes around London are furiously looking for staff.

The past year and a bit saw a lot of businesses close, some temporarily and some for good. As people get used to spending money again and once again dining outside their own homes, vegan business owners are throwing caution to the wind and reopening.

I’ve noticed quite a few vegan job adverts popping up online over recent days including with Temple of Seitan, a legendary vegan business with which I am currently working!

Here are a few picks for jobs that caught my eye from three of the best names on the vegan London scene.

Be sure to also use employment portals and platforms online to search for vegan employment. I’m certain you will find a lot more out there.

Essential Vegan

Essential Vegan in Dalston needs you! They are looking for an experienced part-time kitchen assistant to join their lovely team immediately. Please send your cv to info@essentialvegan.co.uk and you could be working with their gorgeous team and serving drag brunch every weekend!

Follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

Temple of Seitan

Legendary vegan fried chick’n business Temple of Seitan is expanding in a big way. With a fourth restaurant set to open in South London and the number of delivery kitchens now at five (including the latest in Colindale), Temple is on a hiring mission.

Temple of Seitan is currently searching for a kitchen manager and team member for Colindale, plus a supervisor and team member for South London, near Brixton. You can email Dan@templeofseitan.co.uk with your CV and let him know which position/s you are interested in.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

Café Van Gogh

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPXu2bMph5A/

Café Van Gogh is one of my favourite places to eat in London. Everyone on their team is so friendly and the food is always gorgeous. I love the place so much, I even recently interviewed founder Steve Clarke for my podcast and you can listen to that online here.

The restaurant on Brixton Road is searching for an experienced café manager for their front of house team. You can see more details in the Instagram post above and email info@cafevangogh.co.uk if you are interested.

Follow Café Van Gogh on Instagram.

FGV takes on Oumph!

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I love getting invited to try new vegan products and I love it even more when said products are TASTY!

Oumph! reached out to me recently and asked if they could sponsor me to shop for their range in an Iceland store near me. If you don’t know, Iceland is a chain of supermarkets in the UK that specialises in frozen foods.

The exciting news of the month is all about the HUGE selection of vegan meat products now stocked in Icelend stores, including a bunch of products from Oumph!

Click here to take a look at the very DIY video I made of my trip. It features shoddily recorded footage of me shopping in my nearest Iceland store.

The meat free/plant based freezer in the store is packed with brands from the LIVEKINDLY Collective including Oumph!, LikeMeat, The No Meat Company, and Fry Family Foods.

I bought pretty much one of everything, but my favourites so far have been the Oumph! Mince and the Oumph! Balls. Check out this ramen-inspired dish we had at my house tonight featuring the mince.

Get into your nearest Iceland store if you want to check out the vegan freezer, but take my word on the balls. You gotta get the balls!

Much love to Oumph! for sponsoring this content. You can follow them on Instagram.

FGV talks with Café Van Gogh

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I recently (as in today!) had a chat with Steve Clarke, founder of Brixton vegan restaurant Café Van Gogh.

We chatted about how excited he is about coming out of lockdown, new head chef Bonita, what makes the café so special to the local community, and what’s on the new menu.

It is a fun and informative chat about one of the best places to eat vegan food in London.

Click here to listen or use the player below.

FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year – Fat Gay Vegan

As the year ebbs away join me for a chat about the tough task of going home, Whitney Houston, and vegan food on QANTAS planes.
  1. FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year
  2. FGV’s Mini News Roundup December 7, 2022
  3. FGV’s mini news roundup – news, views, and reviews from the plant-based world and beyond
  4. Fat Gay Vegan mini news roundup March 17, 2022
  5. FGV mini news roundup December 23, 2021 – vegan news and reviews

Vegan ploughman’s in London

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This blog post contains valuable information!

Cafe Van Gogh is a 100% vegan eatery in Brixton, South London that has always impressed me. Not only do they serve some of the tastiest food in the country, the cafe also runs as a social enterprise.

What is a not-for-profit social enterprise?

Cafe Van Gogh is a community interest company, which very basically means that their social purpose is stronger than their drive to make tonnes of cash. All of their business decisions and ethical choices are made for the local community, the environment, cafe staff, and customers.

Cafe Van Gogh works in conjunction with Toucan Employment, a leading learning disability employment charity, to run a programme of on-the-job training for people with additional challenges in life, such as a learning disability or a mental health problem to provide them with the support and confidence to seek paid employment. They also provide paid employment opportunities to these delegates if the opportunity arises.

The cafe aspires to be zero waste, they do not tolerate single use plastics, and all of their takeaway containers and coffee cups are fully compostable. They recycle food waste and it’s all taken away to be composted rather than sent to landfill.

Is that enough reason for you to visit? Well, how about this?

The Vegan Ploughman’s is a tantalising food experience if I’ve ever seen one.

It features a vegan cheese selection including Shamembert, Veganzola, Cheddah and Herbivorsin, alongside bread, house pickles, and apple chutney. There is the option to ask for gluten-free bread.

I’m impressed and I can’t wait to get along to the cafe on Brixton Road to partake. The Vegan Ploughman’s is available weekday lunch between 12pm and 4pm.

Follow Cafe Van Gogh on Instagram and see their menu online here. You can see the exact location of Cafe Van Gogh thanks to Google Maps.

May 19, 2021 vegan news roundup podcast

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Need or want to listen to my vegan news instead of read it?

Each Wednesday, you can do just that.

FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year – Fat Gay Vegan

As the year ebbs away join me for a chat about the tough task of going home, Whitney Houston, and vegan food on QANTAS planes.
  1. FGV mini news round up December 28, 2022 – final of the year
  2. FGV’s Mini News Roundup December 7, 2022
  3. FGV’s mini news roundup – news, views, and reviews from the plant-based world and beyond
  4. Fat Gay Vegan mini news roundup March 17, 2022
  5. FGV mini news roundup December 23, 2021 – vegan news and reviews

Episode 5 contains news of my upcoming relocation to London, a new vegan market in Camden, and which stores are selling the new vegan pork product taking the world by storm.

Use the player to listen to older episodes, too.

Please let me know if you have anything you would like mentioned in an upcoming episode.

This blog and the podcast recaps are made possible thanks to the support of my Patreon supporters. If you would like to financially support FGV with a monthly pledge or a one-time donation, please click on the image below.

FGV returning to London

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Where was Fat Gay Vegan born?

Well, the human behind FGV was born in Queensland, Australia but FGV the concept came to life in London.

I was living in West London at the time I started this blog in 2010 and I went on to put a lot of effort into creating events for the vegan community. Remember my Hackney Downs Vegan Market? It turned the whole vegan thing upside down.

Before the market, I created and hosted London Vegan Beer Fest, London Vegan Drinks, and London Vegan Potluck. I enjoyed running events such as Bowling For Oceans, Skating For Oceans, and Vegan Day of the Dead supper clubs.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg lettuce.

My time in London was whittled down a few years back and the past few years have seen me spending a lot of time out of the UK capital, including time in Mexico City and Sheffield.

But now I am coming back! The original vegan grandpa of the plant-based scene is moving back to where it all began.

The first thing I have planned is to try to get a new vegan market off the ground. Click here to read all about Vegan Makers at Buck Street Market in Camden.

Also, I am getting involved with one of my favourite vegan brands on the planet. I will be helping legendary Temple of Seitan with promotion, helping them to take their irresistible fast food to the masses. You can follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

If you see me around London over the coming months, please say hello. I am really looking forward to being back in the thick of things.

Amazing vegan pork in UK

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We are really swamped with vegan meat alternatives, aren’t we?

I know it sounds as though I am complaining which is weird because I was vegan two decades ago when there was nothing, but it’s 2021 and the shops are overflowing with vegan meat.

I suppose my complaint is that there are a lot of sub-standard products in shop fridges and freezers, rushed out by brands to meet the demand for plant-based protein.

There is, however, one brand making waves in the UK that stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

Say hello to OmniPork.

OmniPork is a pork alternative that has completely changed the game. The taste and flavour is beyond anything I’ve tried before and it is so versatile.

We had this grogeous ramen-style dish a few months back at my place using OmniPork.

OmniPork has been a little bit tough to get hold of in the UK, but it just got a lot easier for a lot of people.

OmniPork is now available for delivery via Ocado and The Vegan Kind Supermarket.

Buy it. Eat it. Love it.

You can follow OmniPork on Instagram.