Veganism and feminism event in London

Here is some last minute news for people in London.

Essential Vegan is a fabulous vegan eatery in Shoreditch that is celebrating being open for one year. Congrats!

To celebrate Essential Vegan‘s first anniversary, a conversation about feminism and veganism is taking place in their café between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday October 17, 2018.

Heloisa Righetto, co-founder of Conexão Feminista, will make a presentation about contemporary feminism and its key concepts. Afterwards, there will be a conversation with Essential Vegan chef and founder Vanessa in which these concepts will be expanded to understand the intersection between feminism and veganism.

You don’t need to buy a ticket but you do need to book a table in advance via their website!

You can also invite friends via the Facebook event page.

Please follow Essential Vegan on Instagram.

Gorgeous vegan supper clubs in London

One of the kindest and most talented people I’ve met in London is superstar food creator Jhenn a.k.a The Vegan Ronin.

Jhenn has cooked for me on several occasions and I can’t stress enough what a flair she has for creating sensational cuisine.

One of my first Jhenn-cooked meals was an intimate vegan dinner party at her house many years ago. Since that first dinner, I have marvelled as Jhenn has been internationally recognised and celebrated for her food skills.

Jhenn has recently re-jigged her exclusive supper club events under the moniker Ronin Dining and she has a fabulous line up of events coming up over the next few months.

Please be quick because Jhenn’s events always book up quickly.

Click the link for more info and to book:

19 Oct: Japanese Supper Club (gluten free)
21 Oct: Japanese Supper Club
26 Oct: Japanese Supper Club (gluten free)
1 Nov: Bibimbap & Board Games
24 Nov: Thanksgiving
15 Dec: Christmas Club

You can follow Jhenn on Instagram.

Burger of the month at Temple of Seitan

Listen up.

Do you like feeling happy? If you answered ‘yes’, I strongly suggest you get along to Temple of Seitan during the month of October.

The legendary and groundbreaking London fast food business is serving up this sensational burger as an October special.

The burger features a dipped chickn fillet, chipotle mayo, pickled jalapeños, lettuce, bacon, cheese and a fiery BBQ sauce.

Wow!

This burger, just like everything made by Temple of Seitan, is guaranteed to be delicious. Be warned however that this looks HOT!

Temple of Seitan has locations in Hackney and Camden. You can also find them trading at the Fat Gay Vegan section of Venn Street Market every Saturday in Clapham.

Follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram.

Ms Cupcake reduces sugar

Hey, cupcake fans. I’ve got news for you.

Legendary vegan business Ms. Cupcake situated in Brixton has developed a new icing recipe due to demand from customers.

The icing recipe was very recently changed and now has 33% of the sugar taken out. Yes, 33% less sugar!

This change is in response to customer feedback that said the icing was overly sweet. The new icing recipe is less sweet, with more flavour and the same indulgence.

Ben Woodcock at Ms. Cupcake told me, “This represents a change in direction for our brand that is constantly working hard to adapt to changing customer needs.”

Ms. Cupcake are keen for people to try the new recipe, so this Saturday and Sunday (October 13 and 14, 2018) they are offering 33% discount on all cupcakes bought at the Brixton store. Customers need to say ‘33%’ to get the discount at the checkout.

For people outside London, they are running a 10% discount from now until Sunday October 14, 2018 on their UK-wide postal order service and are recommending the cookie sandwiches or Nanaimo bars which include the new icing recipe. Customers need to quote the promo code ‘33%’. The online menu can be found here.

Follow Ms. Cupcake on Instagram.

New vegan food in Marks and Spencer

Not a lot of text to read in this post.

You’ve all come here today to see photos of the new vegan ready meals recently spotted in UK retail chain Marks & Spencer.

I won’t waste your time with attempts at being sassy or clever.

I’m here to give you what you want.

With love, respect and occasional ennui,

FGV xx

Vegan Christmas menu to impress

Still looking for your Christmas party venue, Sheffield?

Church: Temple of Fun with food by Make No Bones is available for parties of all sizes from 8 to 60 people.

For larger groups, they can give you exclusive access to their small bar along with a private, roped off area. Drink packages can also be tailored on request.

The exclusive vegan Christmas Banquet Menu from Make No Bones is available for advance bookings at £20.95 per head and it looks incredible!

  • Prawn cocktail
  • Blue cheese and broccoli tempura (GF)
  • Maple bacon, shredded brussel sprout and nutmeg tostadas
  • Roast beef stuffed Yorkshire puddings with horseradish drizzle
  • Sage and onion breaded turkey with cranberry dip (GFO)
  • Pigs in blankets
  • Cauliflower cheese (GF)(N)
  • Roast potato canapes (GF)
  • Leek and parsnip gratin (N)
  • Chocolate orange and spiced rum brownie with blood orange custard

To book your party, please email booking@templeof.fun with your party size, chosen date, time and package requirements.

You can also follow Make No Bones on Instagram.

New vegan honey in the UK

Honey is an animal product and therefore not suitable for vegans.

Did you know?! It is produced by bees for themselves and not for human use.

Veganista Limited is now selling BEE APPROVED, a sweetener that looks and tastes like honey but with no bees harmed in its production. It is suitable for those who love honey, but prefer not to consume it.

BEE APPROVED can be used raw or cooked, as a garnish, or as the main ingredient in a variety of dishes including desserts, yogurts, sauces, or even cocktails.

And what is it made from?

BEE APPROVED is derived from brown rice syrup. It is made by breaking down the starch content of cooked rice, turning it into easily digestible sugars. I used to eat this stuff all the time in Australia, where it is found in all major supermarkets. I’m thrilled to see the product being launched in the UK.

It comes in 250g or 150g jars, which are aimed at home consumption. The company also offer a single serve jar of 35g that is suitable for hotels and restaurants, and an individual sachet that can be taken everywhere, including on holidays, so people will never miss out on their favourite treat.

BEE APPROVED is available to buy from the Veganista Limited website (for personal consumers and business trade) and globally via their Etsy store.

You can also follow BEE APPROVED on Instagram.

Shop vegan

This is a very brief post in order to share a link with you.

I am sick of reading and hearing about myself go on about the importance of supporting independent vegan business, so I can only imagine how you all feel.

But…

It is crucial that we shop with vegan owned businesses. It helps keep animals at the centre of the vegan message, it helps keep money in local communities, and it helps people create sustainable and fair employment for themselves.

In line with this thinking, Charley of The Incredible Nutshell in Sheffield has created a Google Map to highlight independent vegan grocery stores around the UK.

Click here to take a look. Please make time to visit one or more when you can and if one is nearby your house, make it a regular shopping destination.

New seitan slices and pieces in the UK

Hey, friends.

Do you remember the new seitan company out of the UK called Love Seitan?

Love Seitan popped up at a few of my markets last year and have been steadily building their business ever since. They enjoyed an investment from VBites to help them with their expansion and now they have released a big range of seitan deli slices and pieces.

Check them out below.

In addition to the slices and pieces, Love Seitan have their large seitan blocks perfect for roast dinners.

The company is starting to roll out these products into independent food stores around the UK, but in the meantime you can order for home delivery from their website.

Click here to order now and follow Love Seitan on Instagram.

Vegan fish and chip shop opens in London

Sutton & Sons, the family run chippy, is launching London’s first stand-alone vegan fish & chip shop.

Opening at 240 Graham Road from 4th October, 2018, the restaurant will serve its signature vegan fish and chips made from banana blossom. A bespoke menu of gourmet vegan fast food dishes, desserts and soft and alcoholic drinks will also be available.

Danny Sutton, owner of Sutton & Sons said, “We’ve been completely gob smacked by the popularity of our vegan menu. People have visited us from all over the country, just to try our take on vegan fish. We didn’t have space in the Hackney branch like at Stoke Newington and Essex Road to provide the vegan menu, so we are chuffed to now provide a space dedicated to our new vegan customers.”

Sample menu:

(Prices the same for eat-in or takeaway)

  • Fish & chips £7.50
  • Fish burger £6.00
  • Battered sausage & chips £5.50
  • Prawn cocktail £5.50
  • Scampi and chips £6.00
  • Pie and mash £7.50

They have even created vegan friendly homemade tartare sauce for your dipping needs.

After successfully trialling different vegan options in January, Sutton & Sons previously rolled out a vegan menu in Stoke Newington & Essex Road branches. The vegan fish was so successful they sold out in the first week of the menu becoming full time.

You can follow the vegan Sutton & Sons on Instagram.

You can click here to see the exact location of the new vegan chippy thanks to Google Maps. It is just around the corner from Temple of Hackney, a 100% vegan owned and operated food business run by Temple of Seitan.

The new vegan Sutton & Sons is just a 20-minute walk from Hackney Downs Vegan Market, which is now on every Saturday and Sunday.