Vegan food at a UK airport

Today I am traveling from the Bestival event on the south coast of England all the way up to Glasgow in Scotland, where I am due to host the third annual Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest tomorrow (Sunday August 5, 2018).

Because of the limited amount of time I had to get between events, I opted to take a flight.

Unfortunately I have been stuck at Southampton airport waiting for my delayed Glasgow flight for quite a few hours, so I made the most of my time to hunt down some vegan snacks.

Check out my finds below and click here to buy a last minute ticket to Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

New vegan Ethiopian restaurant in Brixton

Brixton has been one of the longstanding vegan/vegan-friendly enclaves of London.

And it just got a whole lot friendlier.

Have you heard about Habesha Village?

This new Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant is only a few months old and is located in the Brixton Village shopping and dining area. Oh yeah, it’s 100% vegan as well!

Habesha VIllage is serving up gorgeous savoury stews with injera, the super spongey and irresistible bread that you use to scoop up your food.

Ben from Ms Cupcake has been raving about the food at Habesha Village, so it comes very highly recommended.

You can follow Habesha Village on Facebook and Instagram. You can find the restaurant off Coldharbour Lane in Grandville Arcade.

Best vegan donuts in the UK

Here is a quick little post to tell you about an amazing vegan food trader.

The Vegan Food Pod is a trailer that pops up around the country, selling the best vegan donuts and pastries you will find anywhere in the UK.

The filled donuts are some of the best I’ve eaten anywhere, including the vanilla custard and chocolate ganache.

We recently welcomed The Vegan Food Pod to Coventry Vegan Beer Fest and the business sold hundreds and hundreds of donuts in a matter of hours.

You can catch the donut masters selling the good stuff at both Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest and Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest in the coming weeks. Buy tickets for those events online here.

Follow The Vegan Food Pod on Instagram to follow their appearances.

Vegan wine and cheese event in West London

Vegan Chef Day and The Retreat Kitchen are hosting their very first Cheese and Wine Evening on August 17, 2018 in Richmond.

Missing Camembert? Lost without Brie? Get along and savour New Roots spectacular artisan vegan cheeses and wow your taste buds! You’ll sample five different plant-based cheeses and five different wines over the course of the evening, and learn all about pairing along the way.

Spaces are limited, so book your tickets early to avoid missing out. This Vegan Wine and Cheese Evening makes for a perfect date night alternative or a fun evening out with friends. It will be wine and cheese heaven!

New Roots cheeses are vegan, organic and gluten-free and will be available to buy and take away on the night.

Click here to buy tickets.

A monumental shift in thinking

Yesterday felt like one of the most significant days of my life.

I hosted City Vegan Lunch Market on Guildhall Yard in the City of London. The City of London is also known as the square mile and is the financial, trading, and banking heart of the UK capital.

I was nervous ahead of this event, but not in the usual way.

Every event I put on takes a lot of hard work and I often find myself nervous about every aspect running smoothly.

This City event had me fearing something else. What if nobody came? What if a fully vegan lunch time market in an area known for extreme wealth and steak lunches just wasn’t ready for what we had lined up?

My fears weren’t just based on my own own feelings being hurt.

A failed event in the City would see all of our traders losing money. It would feel like veganism just wasn’t at the level we thought it was. And it would have made me feel like I wasn’t able to pull it off for the animals.

But you wanna know something incredible?

People did come to this market and they came in huge numbers.

A large number of our traders sold out of food completely and all of them had an incredible trading day.

This is the part of the blog post where I get a bit sappy.

During the height of the market yesterday, when there were hundreds of City workers scrambling for vegan lunch, I had to take myself around the corner and have a little cry. I was deeply and profoundly overwhelmed by emotion.

I spend almost every waking hour consumed by the job of promoting veganism as a fun and accessible lifestyle that can make a difference and redress the immense suffering we inflect on non-human animals. This job is not your typical job and it can be gruelling.

Like a lot of old school vegan activists and organisers, I have lived through many years (decades in my case) of seeing tiny advances being battled for and won. We have put every ounce of energy we have left into saving animals and it takes its toll on us physically, financially and emotionally.

We used to journey across London to support local health food stores that just happened to have some vegan products. We have petitioned mainstream markets for decades to increase their vegan offerings. We have put together grassroots events in towns, cities and villages all over the UK to support each other. When they was nowhere else to socialise, we opened our dining rooms and back gardens to each other for informal gatherings.

Along with Josh, I ran London Vegan Potluck every month for four years just so vegans and vegan-friendly people could have a space to meet on a regular basis. There was very little else. This was all before vegan markets and parties had taken over London.

We also ran London Vegan Drinks (which is still going!) every month for four years. VegFestUK has been with us for much longer than a decade. Animal Aid, The Vegan Society, and Viva! Campaigns have done immeasurably crucial work to plant the seeds of compassion that we are now watching blossom in 2018. Veggies Catering have traveled all over the UK to feed people food, knowledge, and understanding.

During some of these years it did feel like we were making slow progress but that veganism would always be seen as a ‘weird’ thing outsiders did just to be different or difficult.

But I’m here to tell you that all of those years of blood, sweat, and tears have changed the consciousness of the UK public for the better and for good.

City Vegan Lunch Market was the most stark and startling example I have seen of how accepted veganism has become.

Hundreds and hundreds of office workers waited patiently in the scorching heat for vegan food when they had animal products waiting for them in shops, cafés, restaurants, and supermarkets all over the neighbourhood.

Hundreds and hundreds of office workers enthusiastically devoured pizza, burgers, curries, ice cream, salads, wraps, donuts, and ramen and all of it was vegan.

People could be heard raving about the food. People could be heard talking excitedly about the market. Dozens of people asked me if I could make this market a monthly or even weekly event.

After decades of working to improve the visibility and accessibility of veganism in order to help lessen animal suffering, there I was surrounded by more people than I could count who all were excited to buy vegan food in the middle of the City of London in a 100% vegan market.

My mind raced with the memory of the thousands of vegan activists and event goers I have met over the years. I thought about the years people have given up in the name of animal protection. I remembered all of the pioneers who put their own interests on the back burner in order to support vegans and protect animals.

And it all became to much for me. I walked behind a wall and the tears wouldn’t stop. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

It is very rare to be somewhere when measurable change occurs, but I witnessed it yesterday with my own eyes. Even a few years ago I would have been laughed out of the City of London for suggesting such a market but there I was hosting a fully vegan lunch market on Guildhall Yard.

This market wasn’t just a fun event. It was a signpost. It was a signifier of how vegan activists have managed to shape the consciousness of an entire country of people. We have fought and struggled and this market was a victory.

It was a sign of just how far we have come and shows that our society has been irreversibly changed when it comes to thinking about veganism. I did not see one raised eyebrow. I did not hear one single snide remark. Bacon jokes? Nothing.

Listen. We still have a lot of work to do to make the world somewhere even close to completely compassionate, but this is a moment where we can give each other a hug and take some time to reflect on success.

Heck, maybe you wanna cry a few tears by thinking of all the dedicated people who have made this possible and all the animals they ave saved from suffering along the way.

Extra note: a victory like this means nothing without recognising the incredible contributions of minority vegans who help us everyday and who contend with multiple oppressions within our society but still work to improve outcomes for non-human animals. City Vegan Lunch Market was also an opportunity for us to celebrate businesses owned and run by people from marginalised groups including women of colour, LGBTQ+ community members, disabled people, and BME people. Extreme gratitude to these business owners who took part in our event.

Jumbo personalised cookies

Have you been dreaming of a giant 12″ vegan cookie featuring your name?

Well, perhaps you have the ability to predict the future because Ms. Cupcake of Brixton has just launched a brand new giant, personalised cookie service!

Legendary vegan bakery Ms. Cupcake is now selling London’s first personalised giant vegan cookie, which comes delivered in a pizza box!

The USA-style cookie is made to a giant 12” and has launched with two flavours – the classic choc chip and irresisitible red velvet.

Each cookie can be personalised with a hand-written message and you can choose multiple icing colours to be piped around the edge. The bakery is launching them with an introductory sale price of £20.00 until August 12th. The price after that will be £25.00.

There is an additional service of adding an edible picture at extra cost.

Delivery is available across London, or customers can choose to collect from the Brixton shop. Get all the cookie ordering details online here.

I’m so excited to hear about this new giant cookie development.

To order, customers can call the Ms. Cupcake office on 0203 086 8933 (option 3) or email info@mscupcake.co.uk. They require at least five full days notice in order to process your giant cookie order.

You can also follow Ms. Cupcake on Instagram.

Help horses

A petition has been launched online asking the UK Government to create a new independent body to protect racehorses from abuse and death.

The British Horseracing Authority is responsible for race horse welfare, but around 200 horses die each year due to racing in Britain.

The petition is urging the Government to set up an independent regulatory body, with horse welfare as its only interest, which will take meaningful action to stop horses dying.

Please click here to sign and take a moment to share the link.

Beer list for Coventry Vegan Beer Fest

I have rarely been as excited for an event as I am for the first-ever Coventry Vegan Beer Fest.

Taking place in the gorgeous FarGo Village, the event this Saturday (July 28, 2018) is set to be a whole lot of fun.

We have stunning food being served by Temple of Seitan and PhungKay, a discount special and Follow Your Heart giveaway at on-site vegan grocery store The Green Unicorn, a karaoke performance space, and special menu items from on-site café Totally Vegan.

Oh yeah, there is also the beer.

Check out this INCREDIBLE line up to be served on the day.

On the taps

Twisted Barrel Ale – Sine Qua Non – 4.50% ABV – Session IPA  – Dry, easy drinking IPA with citrus and pine flavour and light biscuit malt character
Twisted Barrel Ale – Naido – 5.00% ABV – New England Pale – A juicy, New England style pale ale with a soft body and classic stone fruit and citrus flavour
Twisted Barrel Ale – Raspberry Ripple Sour – 3.50% ABV – Ice Cream Sour – Oats and vanilla pods combine for an ice cream like body, combined with the tart sweetness of raspberries
Twisted Barrel Ale – Beast of a Midlands Mild – 3.50% ABV – Vanilla Mild – A traditional dark mild, made with a variety of malts for a complex, roasted body, fermented with vanilla pods for a smooth, creamy finish
Twisted Barrel Ale – Wrapped in Amarillo – 6.00% ABV – New England IPA – a soft body and smooth mouthfeel provide the base for an explosion of orange and peach flavour
Twisted Barrel Ale – Saison From A Hoppy Place – 5.00% ABV – Dry Hop Saison – A delicate, light and refreshing saison, brewed with Citra, Ahtanum and Huell Melon hops. Lashings of strawberry, mango and grapefruit pair delightfully with the spicy pepperiness of the Belgian yeast for a supremely easy drinking Summer brew
Twisted Barrel Ale – Call of Korriban – 5.50% ABV – Black IPA – Subtle roasted malt backrgound, classic West Coast style bitterness and an orange, grapefruit hit from the combination of Amarillo and Cascade hops
Twisted Barrel Ale – Detroit Sour City – 4.00% ABV – Dry Hop Sour – A dry, refreshing Berliner Weiss style kettle sour, with lemon sherbet character from the lactobacillus and a juicy, mango flavour from the Mosaic dry hop
Twisted Barrel Ale – Doom of Valyria – 6.00% ABV – Rye Porter – A strong, light brown porter, brewed with heaps of Dark Crystal and Rye malts for a spicy, sweet flavour
Twisted Barrel Ale – When The Fever Broke – 4.50% ABV – Peach & Apricot Sour – Refreshing, dry kettle sour with an intense stone fruit flavour and soft, creamy finish
Bone Machine – Funny Bone – 4.00% ABV – Gruit Pale – floral ale brewed with hibiscus, elderflower and lavender
Burnt Mill – Pintle – 4.30% ABV – American Pale Ale – Pale ale brewed with Cascade and Citra hops, with a restrained bitterness and dry finish
Chorlton – Amarillo Sour – 5.40% ABV – Dry Hop Sour – Hybrid of a traditional Germanic sour beer and a hoppy pale ale
Cloudwater – IPA Citra Enigma – 6.50% ABV – IPA – Hazy IPA brewed with Citra and Enigma, soft body and juicy mouthfeeel
Raw Talent – Citra IPA – 7.40% ABV – IPA – Citra and Amarillo hopped strong pale, fermented with sweet citrus rinds
Salopian – Midnight Express – 5.20% ABV – Stout – Pitch black with a complex tapestry of dark malts laden with mocha, bitter cocoa and oats
Kirkstall – Virtuous – 4.50% ABV – Gluten free Session IPA – Fruity undertones with a classic bitter finish
One Mile End – Wisdom – 4.60% ABV – Gluten free Lager – Beautifully crisp, full bodied and packed with German hops with notes of fruity honeydew melon
Redwell – Kofra – 5.90% ABV – Gluten free Stout – Roasty stout with bitter coffee notes and a sweet finish
Hogans – Draught Cider – 4.50% ABV – Gluten free Medium Dry Cider – distinctive appley aroma and peaty notes
Hogans – Wild Elder – 4.00% ABV – Gluten free Elderflower Cider – Locally foraged elderflower blended with a bittersweet and delicately refreshing cider
Weihenstephan – Hefeweiss – 5.40% ABV – Wheat Beer – Golden yellow wheat beer, with a full body, hints of clove and smooth banana flavour
Weihenstephan – Helles – 5.10% ABV – Lager – Yellow lager with mild hoppy note and fresh spicy taste
Frizzenti – Prosecco – 11% ABV – Wine – Lightly carbonated delicate white Italian wine (Prosecco)

Neon Raptor – Fly The Nest – 4.00% ABV – Pale Ale – A modern, juicy American pale ale brewed in collaboration with students at Nottingham University Brewing Science MSc
Neon Raptor – Atlas Crash – 5.90% ABV – IPA – Soft, delicate, smooth and juicy pale ale
Neon Raptor – Somewhere I Belong – 6.80% ABV – Coconut Porter – Dark, rich porter brewed with seven malts and flaked oats, matured and conditioned on huge amounts of toasted coconut
Neon Raptor – Very Naughty Luggage – 8.20% ABV – DIPA – Fruity, dank double IPA

Renegade – Session IPA – 4.20% ABV – Session IPA – Brewed with Citra and Mosaic for a smack of tropical fruit and a well balancd bitterness
Renegade – Tropic Like Its Hot – 4.70% ABV – Pineapple Pale – Pale ale brewed with pineapple. Hoppy, bitter, crisp and refreshing
Renegade – Vienna Lager – 4.80% ABV – Lager – Complex hop aroma with balanced maltiness
Renegade – Dead Men Brew No Ales – 6.00% ABV – Black IPA – Surprisingly light in body, with tropical hops and a roasted malt background

Three Hills – Small Steps Prototype – 3.00% ABV – Pale Ale – Ultra fruity and juicy for the ABV! Fermented with New England IPA yeast and dry hopped with 10g/l Chinook, Citra and Mosaic BBC.
Three Hills – South Pacific Wheat – 5.50% ABV – Wheat Beer – A vibrant and refreshing Wheat beer using two hops hailing from the South Pacific region: Nelson Sauvin and Vic Secret.
Three Hills – Braybrooke Keller Lager – 4.80% ABV – Lager – Brewed to the purity law using all German hops, malt and yeast. Lght amber in colour, refreshing with a rich malt body.
Three Hills – Elderflower Saison – 5.20% ABV – Saison – A delicately infused Saison brewed in collaboration with Jelley’s Vodka Distilleries.
Three Hills – Bretted – IPA 6.00% ABV – IPA – Fermented with New England IPA yeast then Brettanomyces. Beautiful citrus, tropic tang with a delicate funkiness.
Three Hills – Black: Salted Caramel – 9.00% ABV – Imperial Stout – An imperial stout brewed with additions of treacle, demerara sugar and caramel flavour. Viscous, rich with a boozy hit and loads of stout umami.

Can and bottles

Renegade – Craft Lager – 4.50% ABV – Lager – Crisp, clean and refreshing, brewed with Progress and Fuggles hops and matured for six weeks
Renegade – Tropic Like Its Hot – 4.70% ABV – Pineapple Pale – Pale ale brewed with pineapple. Hoppy, bitter, crisp and refreshing
Renegade – Vienna Lager – 4.80% ABV – Lager – Complex hop aroma with balanced maltiness
Renegade – Dead Men Brew No Ales – 6.00% ABV – Black IPA – Surprisingly light in body, with tropical hops and a roasted malt background
Renegade – West Coast Pale Ale – 5.10% ABV – Pale Ale – Shedloads of Summit, Cascade, Chinook and Columbus result in a hop bomb of a beer
Renegade – Whitness The Citrus – 4.50% ABV – Tangerine Wheat Beer – Uplifting juicy brew with freshly cut grass aroma and mouth watering citrus flavour
Renegade – Mashed and Wired – 4.10% ABV Coffee Pale Ale – Crisp and light on the pallette, with immediate coffee hit and rich earthiness
Twisted Barrel – Detroit Sour City – 4.00% ABV – Dry Hop Sour – A dry, refreshing Berliner Weiss style kettle sour, with lemon sherbet character from the lactobacillus and a juicy, mango flavour from the Mosaic dry hop
Twisted Barrel – The Great Went – 4.50% ABV – Hefeweizen – A classic German wheat beer with banana and clove flavour
Twisted Barrel – Kazan – 5.50% ABV – Pale Ale – An incredibly juicy, easy drinking American pale
Twisted Barrel – I Am The Muffin – 5.50% ABV – Belgian Blonde – Traditional Belgian blonde with bubblegum aroma, floral body and tropical finish
Twisted Barrel – Sine Qua Non – 4.50% ABV – Session IPA Dry – easy drinking IPA with citrus and pine flavour and light biscuit malt character
Three Hills – Super Thai PA – 5.50% ABV – Pale Ale – An aromatic and light Pale Ale infused with double the amount of Lemongrass, Ginger, and Kaffir Lime.
Three Hills – Sekhmet Rye Amber – 5.50% ABV – Rye Beer – Sweet malt body underpinned by a herbal, woody and spicy pallete. Hopped with EKG and Willamette. One for the traditionalists.
Three Hills – Pepperberry Saison – 5.50% ABV – Saison – A fruity and spicy Saison infused with Strawberries and Pink peppercorns.
Three Hills – Trium Florum – 6.00% ABV – Saison – Farmhouse Saison infused with a blend of Hibiscus, Marigold & Elderflower. The appearance is bright pink and palette delicately floral, fruity and spicy.
Dark Revolution – Sonic – 4.90% ABV – Small IPA – brewed with Citra and Ekuanot hops
Oude – Boon Gueze – 7.00% ABV – Lambic – Blend of aged lambics, fruity grapefruit and ginger flavour with a hint of Muscat grapes
Hogans – Dry Cider – 5.80% ABV – Gluten free Cider – Deep gold, slightly sparkling, dry cider
Hogans – High Sobriety – 1.00% ABV – Low Alcohol Gluten free Cider – Light, refreshing and gently sparkling low alcohol cider
Bumble Bee – Hard Cider – 4.50% ABV – Gluten free Cider – Medium dry, lightly sparkling cider
Bumble Bee – Regatta – 4.00% ABV – Gluten free Strawberry & Mint Cider – Lightly sparkling cider twisted with strawberries and a hint of mint
Magic Rock – Fantasma – 6.50% ABV – Gluten free IPA – Dank and juicy Citra IPA
Arbor – Simcoe – 4.00% ABV – Gluten free Pale Ale – Balanced pale with pine and citrus flavour
Brass Castle – Hoptical Illusion – 4.30% ABV – Gluten free Pale Ale – Hop forward, gluten free pale beer
Mongozo – Pilsner – 5.00% ABV – Gluten free Lager – Traditional style Czech pilsner brewed to a gluten free recipe
Nirvana – Chakra – 1.00% ABV – Low Alcohol IPA – American hopped pale with hints of passionfruit and pine and a light bitter finish
Nirvana – Tantra – 0.00% ABV – Alcohol Free Pale Ale
Nirvana – Kosmic – 0.00% ABV – Alcohol Free Stout – rich malt flavour
Nirvana – Karma – 0.50% ABV – Alcohol Free Pale Ale – light, refreshing pale ale with classic citrus and floral hop aromas
Erdinger – Weissbrau – 0.50% ABV – Alcohol Free Wheat – Aromatic, full bodied German style wheat beer
Fit Beer – 66 – 0.30% ABV – Alcohol Free Lager – Natural isotonic lager, full of B vitamins and only 66 calories per bottle

That’s a solid selection with something for everyone including cider, low alcohol beer, and alcohol free beer.

The two beer areas, as well as the hot food and karaoke, are only available for ticket holders. Twisted Barrel Brewery and Tap Room will not be open to the public on the day.

Advance tickets are just £4 plus tiny booking fee. Book online now.

If we have tickets remaining on the day, they will be £7.

Book now and save!

Veggie pot brand now all vegan

You have probably seen the Bol pots in supermarkets.

This company has made a number of vegan soup, salad, and veg pots in a range that included non-vegan pots.

But that has all changed this week.

All Bol pots are now 100% vegan. How amazing is that?

You can check out the entire Bol range on their website.

Vegan dog food company wins award

Benevo Vegan Pet Foods was presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade this week, acknowledging its outstanding growth in exports over recent years.

As an independent, 100% veggie owned family business, Benevo has been creating innovative nutritionally complete animal-free pet food for cats and dogs since 2005, in addition to complimentary foods & treats.

The Queen’s Award is a business award granted to companies by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Company Director, Darrell de Vries accepted the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire who presented the Grant of Appointment signed by both Queen Elizabeth II and Theresa May along with a commemorative crystal bowl.

The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire was also joined by the Mayor of Havant where Benevo is based, who both acknowledged the unique nature of the business and the impressive 50% increase in international sales, despite operating in a very niche market.

Darrell de Vries said, “The best thing about this award is that it’s won on performance, not opinion. It’s much more meaningful, as the performance is a reflection of the hard work put in by everyone here in our team”.

The ceremony held at Benevo’s headquarters followed on from a reception at Buckingham Palace earlier this month where Mr de Vries along with Benevo’s manager of exports Dominic Eadie met Prince Charles and the Duke of Kent.

Since the announcement, Benevo’s achievements have gained coverage all around the world and received new business interest from as far away as New Zealand.

Now accounting for the majority of their sales, Benevo’s award winning foods can now be found in over 30 countries worldwide, replacing millions of pets’ meals each year with more environmentally friendly and kinder options.

I’m not keen on all this talk of royalty and the Queen, but big congrats are due to this pioneering vegan company for bringing attention to pet food alternatives. Yay!

You can follow Benevo on Facebook and check out their website online here.