vegan UK

Chocolates for Christmas

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I am here today (very briefly) to show you some gorgeous vegan chocolates I have been enjoying these past few weeks.

Perhaps you can get a few in for someone you love. Perhaps that person you love is you!

The selection box from Moo Free is delightful.

This confection company makes some of the best chocolate on the planet and they have fab ethical underpinnings to everything they do. Many of their employees are Autistic or Aspergers Syndrome. This is a deliberate positive employment strategy.

Shop for their fab creations online and follow Moo Free on Instagram.

Just before lockdown 2.0 hit, I popped into Beanie’s Wholefoods in Sheffield to pick up some treats.

Beanies is a workers co-operative that has been running since 1986. These sorts of places are crucial for community wellbeing, so I like to support them as much as possible.

And it helps that I get vegan chocolate for my generosity. Ha!

The Montezuma’s Like No Udder vegan milk chocolate was simply superb and the Goupie boxes will bring a smile to your face. They have a range of special Christmas flavours, including White Christmas!

Follow Beanies Wholefoods on Instagram. Please support workers co-ops in your area.

Have you got your Xmas treats in yet?

Vegan southern Indian cooking class

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The fine people of Made In Hackney have put together another wonderful online cooking class taking place on Thursday November 12, 2020 between 6:30 and 8:30pm.

With a cost of £20 to join (£10 concession), all funds raised go towards the Made in Hackney community meal service providing free nutritious, tasty meals to households who need them during these challenging times. 

What is happening during the class?

Join chef Mark Breen for a tour of the taste, textures and aromas of plant-based Southern Indian cuisine, bursting with flavours from across this incredible region. The class will include:

  • Making a delicious tomato dal.
  • How to make the perfect citranna rice.
  • Making tasty coconut rotis.
  • How to temper and spice dishes using aromatic mustard seeds, curry leaves and chillis to give your dishes an extra burst of flavour.
  • Q&A
  • Recipe handout

Mark Breen is a classically trained chef who loves showing people how to cook what is seasonal, and at its best at any given time. His passion is teaching people how to cook with skill and enjoyment to create beautiful and tasty dishes that are good for your taste-buds, bodies and soul. When Mark isn’t working with Made In Hackney or as a private chef, he’s usually in the kitchen at home perfecting flavour blends or creating ferments and pickles.

Fee: £20 (£10 concession).  All funds raised go towards the Made in Hackney community meal service providing free nutritious, tasty meals to households who need them during these challenging times. 

If you are able to donate more than this, please visit the online fundraiser.

Once you have your ticket booked for the class, check out the ingredients list below to make sure you are prepared ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS LIST  

Andra Pradesh – Tomato dal (Serves 5) 

  • 200g red lentils
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Spices – 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, coriander power and turmeric powder (or 3 teaspoons of curry powder)
  • 1 tablespoon of oil (preferably coconut oil)
  • 2 plum tomatoes, sliced (or half tin of tomatoes)
  • 1 inch of ginger, either chopped very small or grated (or one teaspoon of ginger powder)

    For tempering:
    1 tablespoon oil (preferably coconut oil)
    2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
    1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
    handful of curry leaves (fresh is best but dried is fine) 

Chitranna rice (serves 5) 

  • 300 grams basmati rice, washed
  • 1 of oil (preferably coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds. teaspoon turmeric
  • handful of curry leaves (fresh is best but dried is fine)
  • 2 tablespoons raw peanuts (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Southern Indian coconut rotis (makes about 5)

  • 200 grams plain flour
  • 100 grams desiccated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
  • Sea salt 
  • 100 millilitres water
  • Coconut oil

EQUIPMENT LIST

  • Wooden spoon
  • Chopping board
  • Knife 
  • 3 Sauce pans
  • 1 frying pan
  • Hob
  • Teaspoon and tablespoon measure

Location: Zoom, details to be provided via email (usually the day before the class). Check your junk mail if need be!

Book your spot online now.

Follow Made in Hackney on Instagram.

Order vegan brownies for UK delivery

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Cake or Death bakery in East London sent me a box of the vegan brownies and I gotta say I was blown away.

The brownies were sensational and close to some of the best I’ve tried.

Cake or Death vegan brownies are available to order online and delivered hassle-free through your letterbox.

This paragraph from the Cake or Death website sums up the product perfectly:

Beautifully packaged in a hot pink leopard print, the Cake or Death experience is luxury treat, from it dropping on your doormat, right through to the last mouthful. These aren’t any ordinary brownies. Cake or Death brownies are everything a brownie should be and more; fudgey, indulgent and very moreish, all made with the very best quality plant-based ingredients. Both vegans and non-vegans alike are huge fans. They make the perfect treat for yourself or a friend.

I concur!

Cake or Death has a tempting range of flavours including:

  • Sea Salt X Biscoff
  • Biscoff
  • Sea Salt
  • Raspberry Caramel Blondies
  • Peanut Butter
  • Raspberry
  • Hazelnut
  • Fruit and Nut
  • Orange

Click here to shop for brownies or gift vouchers and be sure to follow Cake or Death on Instagram.

Extra note: European shipping outside the UK can be selected for £5 at checkout and gluten free options exist!

Vegan things I got for free this week

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It’s that time again.

I love showing you all the samples and PR gifts I get sent… and not just because I love to gloat!

I share because I want to let you know about some of the great vegan products available. My list of gifts always includes products from independent vegan businesses, so it give me a chance to support them with a little bit of exposure.

Check out my haul from this week and let me know in the comments if you have tried/enjoyed anything listed.

Be sure to click the multiple images on some of the posts, otherwise you might miss some sweet treats.

Extra note: to see all my latest food photos, follow me on Instagram.

Order pies from the North for delivery

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I received a gorgeous delivery a few days ago and wanted to share the news with you all.

Magpye is based in Newcastle and their pies are all about being as ethical as they can. Of course they are all vegan, while they stay clear of palm oil and send everything out in eco-friendly packaging.

Here are a few of the vegan pies I was gifted by Magpye.

Check out the line up of pies currently being made and sold by Magpye:

  • Chick’n, Leek & Bacun
  • Garlic Mushroom
  • Jerk Jackfruit
  • Mince & Onion
  • Squash & Sprout
  • Vegan Steak & Ale

You have got to hand it to that line up of flavours. Top shelf stuff right there.

You can order from the online Magpye shop for frozen delivery to most parts of mainland UK.

Be sure to follow Magpye on Instagram, too.

Vegan butcher to open in London

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The team behind Rudy’s Vegan Diner in Camden have cooked up a new surprise for you.

A vegan butcher!

London’s first permanent vegan butcher is opening its doors on World Vegan Day 2020. To celebrate the grand opening, Rudy’s will be giving away 100 pounds of free baycon on the day (November 1, 2020) to celebrate their new bricks and mortar spot on Islington Upper Street.

Wowsers.

Every customer gets a half pound of baycon until it lasts, so get that date in your diary.

Rudy’s Vegan Butcher will be selling homemade pastrami, dirty burger patties, cheeze sauce, and chilli-non-carne. You can recreate the specials you’ve had at Rudy’s and fill your cart with a rack of jack, lobstah salad, meatballs, chick’n lover pate, or shredded BBQ pulled porc.

Make sure you get your Christmas roast turk’y, too!

And if you are not located in London, you can order from the Rudy’s Vegan Butcher selection online as they deliver nationwide. All online orders made on World Vegan Day include a free pack of baycon.

You will be able to pile your online cart high with homemade scramble v-egg, black puddin’, and soysage patties.

Perhaps their new charcuterie selection will be to your liking. Smoked ham, salami de Provence, pepperoni, and of course the pastrami.

This is a lot of excitement to take in!

Follow Rudy’s on Instagram. Shop online via the Rudy’s website.

Rudy’s Vegan Butcher
206 Upper Street, London, N1 1RQ

Rudy’s Vegan Diner
729-731 Camden Stables Market, London, NW1 8AH

Perfect vegan boots for winter

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Say hello to my new winter boots.

And yes, they are vegan!

My new boots were a present from Will’s Vegan Shoes. This eco-friendly and socially-minded footwear and fashion company is selling some of the best footwear I have worn.

And I’m not just saying that because I got these for free.

The boots feel supportive, strong, and flexible. I could walk for miles. Now that I live in Sheffield, I really need to get out on some country walks and these are going to be perfect.

Will’s is a fantastic place to shop online for vegan footwear. Not only are the styles comfortable, but Will’s has also morphed into one of the most sustainable and ethical fashion brands on the planet.

Workers making the footwear are looked after because they are employed under European Union employment, discrimination, and health & safety law.

The online store operates a plastic free, carbon neutral supply chain using sustainable materials. And there is a free returns and exchange policy for 365 days.

Follow Will’s Vegan Store on Instagram and head on over to the online shop to see their massive range of footwear and accessories.

Free vegan things I was gifted this week

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I love getting products to try (for free!) and I love sharing them with you, too.

Take a look at this batch of goodies I was sent by vegan companies and PR people this week.

If you want to see anything more about the products, click through to the original Instagram posts as I have all the tags so you can visit the relevant pages.

Some of the posts have multiple images, so be sure to make use of the little arrows to see them all.

Ready? Let’s go!

If you want to keep an eye on all the products I get sent, you can follow me over on Instagram.

Win Follow Your Heart Products with FGV

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What would you say if I told you I want to give you four bottles of the creamiest, most-delicious vegan salad dressings on the market?

And what would you say about getting these bottles, made by one of the longest-lasting and best vegan companies on the planet, for free?

Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!) has teamed up with Follow Your Heart to give one lucky person a delivery of four of the most sought-after vegan products in the UK.

But before I tell you what you can win and how you can win it, let me tell you a little bit about Follow Your Heart.

Follow Your Heart began in 1970 when founders Michael, Bob, Paul, and Spencer opened a seven-seat soup, salad, and sandwich counter in the back of a small natural food store in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California.

What followed has been nothing short of a runaway success story that now sees a huge range of Follow Your Heart vegan products sold in countries all over the globe. These products include plant-based cheeses and the legendary Vegenaise, the mayo alternative that paved the way for countless imitators.

In 2020, Follow Your Heart is a vibrant, ethical company invested in looking after the people working with them, while they also fight the good fight for animals and the environment.

They are decent people making amazing vegan products!

OK. Enough of the love fest. On with the winning.

One winner will be randomly chosen to receive a delivery of the following salad dressings:

  • High Omega Vegan Bleu Cheese Dressing
  • High Omega Vegan Ranch Salad Dressing
  • Vegan Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
  • Organic Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

These salad dressings are versatile and perfect for any time of the year. Dress your favourite greens or salads, drizzle over roast potatoes, or even use them as a dip for your favourite vegan wings or nuggets.

How can you win? Simple.

That’s it. One follower will be chosen at random to receive a delivery of the salad dressings.

The competition will close at midnight UK time on Monday October 19, 2020. Winner must be UK mainland resident. I’ll contact the winner and Follow Your Heart will arrange delivery of the prize.

Get following and hopefully get winning.

You can buy Follow Your Heart dressings in the UK at The Vegan Kind Supermarket, Alternative Stores, Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic and various independent health food stores.

Extra note: this post is sponsored content.

Buy vegan soaps and support non-binary folk

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A few months ago, I blogged about a fabulous soap initiative being used to raise funds for crucial charities and social support groups.

Well, it’s time for an update.

The wonderful Bars of Hope is back with another fundraising drive this month, this time raising money for G(end)er Swap through the sale of their vegan-friendly bars of soap.

G(end)er Swap is a UK based LGBTIQ+ clothing outreach initiative and community interest company that supports gender non-conforming individuals to access clothes and community. They are a charitable organisation that creates safe(r) spaces for the queer community to access clothes through community pop-ups, bespoke workshops and exhibitions. G(end)er Swap mainly operates in England and Wales.

Bars of Hope is donating 50% of money raised from the sales of their gorgeous vegan-friendly soaps in October to G(end)er Swap.

I’ve been using their soaps for the past three months or so and they are not only great quality but they smell amazing, too. They are lovingly handcrafted and carefully packed for shipping around the country.

When shopping via their Etsy store, you can choose from:

  • Translucent Lavender Soap with Fresh Lavender buds & Vitamin E Oil
  • PRIDE Edition – Cinnamon & Aloe Vera Rainbow Soap
  • Sweet Orange Essential Oil, Jojoba Oil & Fresh Orange Zest
  • Dreamy Soap – Sandalwood Essential Oil, Jojoba Oil & Assorted flower buds
  • Sweet Orange & English Rose Essential Oils, Shea Butter and Oatmeal Soap with Jojoba Oil
  • Tea Tree and Rosemary Essential Oils Handmade Shea Butter, Oatmeal Soap + Aloe Vera

Buy these fabulous soaps AND help raise crucial funds for this organisation. So much goodwill and winning and good vibes.

Click here to shop for soaps and have them shipped to your home or office.

If you would like to learn more about G(end)er Swap or think you could benefit from their events and support, please visit their website.