vegan UK

Buy my book AND support a vegan business

by

My first ever book was published back in January and I’m here to give you two good reasons why you should by it right now.

Well, one of the reasons is just an OK reason while the second idea is the very good reason.

Idea the first: my book is a fabulous Christmas or festive present to give a loved one. Even if you think the person has little chance of switching to a vegan lifestyle, the book is an engaging read packed with funny and touching personal stories.

There are also plenty of arguments for why we can be kinder by choosing veganism, as well as how we can also make choices to challenge racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and worker exploitation.

Reason the second and the best reason?

You can buy my book directly from the Shoreditch, London cafe Essential Vegan.

It is crucial that we support independent vegan businesses such as this cafe founded and operated by my dear friends Vanessa and Neni. You won’t find two people working harder to put veganism on the map and their food is sensational.

Grab a copy of Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, drink and live like you give a sh!t from the shelves of Essential Vegan for £8.99 and 50% of this money stays with the cafe.

Yep! You can eat some of the best vegan food in the UK, do some Christmas shopping, and ensure that more of your hard-earned cash is staying in your vegan community.

If you aren’t able to get along to Essential Vegan but still would like a copy of my book, you can order online from Amazon, WH Smith, or Foyles. You can also buy the audio version via Audible.

You can follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

New vegan bakery for London

by

One of the most popular traders we have ever hosted at Hackney Downs Vegan Market is LuckyLek.

Nora was always drawing large crowds with her exquisite baked goods and her patisserie items were snapped up quickly by eager fans.

Nora and LuckyLek disappeared from our market lineup a while back but for very good reason.

London has a brand new vegan bakery now that Nora has teamed up with her friend Nama. Get ready to visit Nora & Nama: Vegan Bakery & Deli in Camden.

If you can see the photo above, you will see that Nora & Nama have extremely special menu items and expertly-crafted baked goods.

Customers will discover and adore cakes, celebration cakes, finger food, cookies, bread, canapes, pies, tarts, baked goods, starters, spreads, and gluten free options.

The bakery is located in Camden Market (unit 596-598 Camden Lock) and the grand opening celebration is taking place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 December, 2018.

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook event for the opening weekend, follow Nora & Nama on Facebook and Instagram, and see their official website here.

 

Special vegan Christmas dinner in London

by

Are you in London during the week before Christmas and are you interested in delicious vegan food?

Get the facts below and book!

Superstar food creators Phung Kay are staging a very special pop up at Craving Coffee Tottenham this year.

They are serving a four-course meal and the menu sounds sensational. Check it out below:

  • Course 1: Hoisin “Duck” and Yam in Netted Roll with juniper berry, cranberry and plum sauce.
  • Course 2: Chickn & Chestnut bao with pickled daikon.
  • Course 3: Pi Pa Tofu & sage stuffing served in a fried potato bird’s nest served with steamed rice in lotus leaf and braised red cabbage and pan fried brussels sprouts.
  • Course 4: Goji berry & Chrysanthemum jelly with lychee ice-cream and black sesame tuile

I am BOWLED OVER by those gorgeous food photos taken by the talented Sara of Shisho Delicious.

Dates for this very special dinner are from the 20th until the 22nd December, 2018. They have added a new sitting on Thursday 20th at 6pm and only a handful of seats remain for Friday 21st at 6pm.

Click here to check for availability and book.

Follow PhungKay on Instagram.

New vegan sweets delivery company

by

Are you ready for a fabulous and ethical vegan sweets company that will deliver to your home or office?

You got it!

Liberty Vegan Sweets & Gifts is a 100% vegan, family-run enterprise that has spent the past two and a half years exhibiting at vegan festivals and fairs across the UK with Got No Beef Burger Bar and Liberty Vegan Ice Cream & Beverages.

It was at these events that the family behind Liberty Vegan Sweets & Gifts decided to offer vegan pic ‘n’ mix alongside their soft-serve ice cream.

It was a huge lightbulb moment and they decided to plug the huge gap in the market with a fully vegan and ethical sweet store.

They launched their online store of vegan sweet hampers and pic ‘n’ mix boxes in early November 2018 and the response has been fantastic.

Check out some of these photos!

Liberty Vegan Sweets & Gifts try and do the right thing on top of delivering delicious sweets.

They donate 5% of their profits to vegan-friendly charitable causes, their packaging is fully-compostable, recyclable and re-usable, and they offer a range of gluten/soya free options.

These boxes are the perfect gift for a loved one or even yourself!

You should probably head on over to the Liberty Vegan Sweets website where you can get a special 10% off your first order discount with the code ‘Liberty10’.

You can follow Liberty Vegan Sweets on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

UK’s first vegan social centre opens this week

by

Great news.

The UK’s first vegan social centre is launching this Friday in Sheffield!

Heartcure Collective is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, converted from and old warehouse in the centre of town.

Set to feature Vibes Food Co cafe and coffee shop, zero waste shop Zero Hero, ethical clothing store Wild Ones, a library, kids area, and more, Heartcure Collective has been in planning and development for two years.

The centre will focus on animal rights, sustainability and the environment. Through hosting workshops, talks, film screenings and events the centre aims to empower people to create change in the world.

Zero Hero will offer a mixture of essential package-free foods, toiletries and additional products to help the community live more sustainably while Wild Ones will stock ethical clothing and accessories including Heartcure Clothing, wallets and purses made from cork, and the highly anticipated Eden Perfumes.

The centre will have a dedicated kids area with a small selection of books and toys.

The library is packed full with books focussing on animal rights, human rights, feminism, anarchism, and sustainability. There is also a computer with software for video and photo editing for community use.

Heartcure Collective is a non-profit community interest company with all profits helping to sustain the centre and will allow them to host low-cost fundraising events for local charities.

If you are in Sheffield, visit Heartcure Collective on or after Friday November 30, 2018. The opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 9am-10pm and Sunday 10am-8pm.

Follow Heartcure Collective on Instagram and Facebook.

Vegan pop up supper club in Maidstone

by

Dear Maidstone.

You have a very special event coming up and I think you should book tickets now.

My dear friend Steph of Ponga Foods is an extremely talented vegan (and gluten free!) chef and she is about to launch a series of pop up food events in Maidstone, UK.

The big launch is a glorious meal taking place on Sunday December 2, 2018 at Baskervilles Coffee House.

Look at this menu:

If you have tried Steph’s food in the past, you will know how sensational it is.

If you are a Ponga newbie, this is your chance to be initiated in style.

Click here to read more about the event and book tickets.

Follow Ponga Foods on Facebook and Instagram to get news of upcoming supper clubs.

FGV is now verified

by

Here is a super short post to tell you two things:

  1. I have a fab Instagram account that you might like to follow
  2. My Instagram account has just been verified and now sports a super smart blue tick

Yep, it’s official.

There is only one FGV!

My Instagram account is the perfect place to see the latest news from my vegan markets, keep updated on my food adventures in the UK and Mexico, plus see the occasional drunken story from when I venture out to trashy gay bars.

What’s not to love?!

You can follow me on Instagram and check out some recent posts below.

Massive vegan chocolate Santa giveaway

by

Do you like vegan chocolate? How about FREE vegan chocolate? How about free vegan chocolate in the shape of Santa?!

The wonderful people at Moo Free Chocolates have given us 200 chocolate Santas to giveaway at Hackney Downs Vegan Market this Saturday and Sunday (November 24 and 25, 2018).

There will be 100 vegan chocolate Santas given away for free each day!

These organic chocolate Santa bars are always a favourite at this time of year, alongside the Moo Free advent calendars which have been known to completely sell out across the UK.

Moo Free Chocolates just won the Best Vegan Chocolate category at the VegFestUK Awards so they are excited to share their award-winning chocolate with our market visitors.

Hackney Downs Vegan Market starts trading at 11am on both Saturday and Sunday, so please arrive early if you would like to get your hands on a Santa. Only one per person until they run out.

Two of our fabulous traders are taking charge of the giveaway so this is who you need to say hello to in order to collect your free chocolate:

  • Saturday – Vegan Delice – our superstar resident baker with cupcakes and hot donuts
  • Sunday – Pason’s Pots – our regular baby food maker selling locally made food for young people!

If you would like to see the full range by Moo Free Chocolates, please visit their website and be sure to follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Moo Free Chocolates can be purchased in stores everywhere including supermarkets, health food stores, and independent vegan shops.

See full Hackney Downs Vegan Market details and trader line up for Saturday and Sunday online here.

New vegan eatery in Sheffield

by

There is a new vegan eatery in Sheffield called Shed.

Shed is described as:

We create affordable, super-tasty plant-based food that goes big on nutrition and even bigger on flavour. And we’re on a mission to inspire and to nourish the growing number of people embracing a plant-based lifestyle.

The new eatery is housed inside a venue called Cutlery Works which is located about a 1-minute work from mega venue Church and Make No Bones.

Check out some of the Shed food photos below, follow them on Instagram, and see their exact location thanks to Google Maps.

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

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqKK49ogi5-/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqC_9OWH-8R/

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

Half price vegan lunch this week

by

Wanna save some money on a tasty vegan lunch this week, London?

Buffalo Vegan Diner of Hackney is giving lunchtime diners 50% off their new lunch menu on Thursday November 15 and Friday November 16, 2018 between midday and 3pm.

Check out the menu below.

Buffalo has been getting rave reviews online so now this is your chance to find out what all the hype is about AND save some money.

You can see the exact location of Buffalo thanks to Google Maps.

You can follow Buffalo on Instagram.