vegan UK

Beer and food line up

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Huge announcement for attendees of London Vegan Beer Fest on July 15, 2017.

Say hello to you brewery line up. It is mammoth.

Moor Beer Co – Bristol’s finest crash landing at our event!

Brass Castle Brewery – the one and only superstar brewery coming out of Yorkshire

Clarkshaws Brewing – get a taste of south London

Three Hills Brewing – small batch brewing out of Northamptonshire

40FT Brewery – getting local with these brewers from Dalston doing a tap takeover in the restaurant

Beerblefish Brewing – north London beer producers with taste big enough for the entire city

Twisted Barrel Ale – handcrafted in the heart of Coventry

Moncada Brewery – west London producers who are seasoned LVBF participants

BumbleBee Cider – vegans without cider is not right so this South Oxfordshire producer is coming on board

Full drinks list to be published in the coming days.

Also, we are not just about beer and cider. We pay as much attention to what you are eating. Look at this fabulous vegan food selection.

Lazy Boy Kitchen – Mac n cheese with bacon bits | chilli cheese fries | mac n cheese spring rolls

Club Mexicana – BBQ pulled jackfruit burritos (GF option) | tofish tacos (GF option) | deep fried cheeze fries

Arancini Brothers – One Tasty Vegan burger | risotto balls (GF)

Young Vegans – Seitan & ale pie | Sweet potato pie (GF) | Curry pie | All day breakfast pie | Peanut butter mud pie brownie (GF)

Battered – Vegan fish | Battered Pie | Battered sausage | Mushy peas | Pickled onion | Pickled gherkins | Tartare sauce

Peanut Butter Bakery – Fried donuts

Vegan Delice – Tray bakes | Cupcakes

Autumn Yard – Sit down restaurant service | Wine bar | Cocktails

This is seriously the vegan party of the year with the drink and food menus to match.

London Vegan Beer Fest has three massive spaces to explore:

  1. Indoor beer hall run by superstar vegan brewery Brass Castle of Yorkshire plus a karaoke parlour ALL DAY!
  2. Outdoor beer market with vegan street food
  3. Indoor sit down restaurant with wine and cocktail bar… plus more beer options

Every single item served on the day is vegan. OF COURSE.

You can buy a cheap early bird ticket now. We have already sold a whole bunch but if you are quick, you can get yours for just £5 plus a small booking fee. Once these are gone, second release tickets are £7 plus fee. If we have any tickets remaining on the day, they will be £9 on the gate.

Book your tickets now!

Don’t hate me if you leave it to the last minute and the event sells out. We do have a capacity and we will likely reach it.

If you use Facebook, take the time to RSVP to the event page and use the invite button to alert your friends and enemies. A cheeky little share on your timeline would also be greatly appreciated.

You can follow Vegan Beer Fest UK accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated.

See you at London Vegan Beer Fest!

Extra note: tickets are also selling strongly for the first ever Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest on July 29, 2017. RSVP here and book tickets.

Vegan fried chicken

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Even though I first reported the opening of vegan fried chicken shop Temple of Hackney back at the beginning of the year, I only got to eat with the business for the first time a few days ago.

This isn’t so much a review as it is a love letter.

Temple of Hackney is the food business of my dreams. What they are doing is the definition of groundbreaking and there is nobody on the planet doing what they do to this level.

The menu is outstanding and irresistible.

Crispy chips. Juicy seitan with crunchy coating. Gravy pots. Vegan chicken poppers. Burgers.

Every single item is world class and Temple of Hackney is one of the finest vegan food outlets on the planet. No debate.

Follow them on Instagram and eat with them as soon and as often as you can.

Want to be happy? Get the mac n cheese from @templeofseitan in Hackney. #vegan

A post shared by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on

Get a fried #vegan chicken burger from @templeofseitan and your life will improve.

A post shared by Fat Gay Vegan (@fatgayvegan) on


Vegan recipe box hits UK

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Have you often felt as though the only thing missing in your life was a vegan recipe and ingredients box?

Well, you can sleep well tonight because you can now buy one. Like, today!

From today (3rd July, 2017) UK residents can order PlantCurious, the UK’s first exclusively plant-based recipe boxes, directly to their homes.

The boxes, which have been designed to make it easy for people to make delicious wholesome plant-based meals, have been curated by the innovative new plant-based business PlantCurious.

PlantCurious boxes are available to order throughout the UK and first 100 boxes are available at an introductory price of £35.

The first box includes ingredients and recipes to make a Sumurai Miso Ramen, Ruby Vurry and Loaded Sweet Pots.

PlantCurious Co-Founder Angela Gawor adds: “We kept trying recipe boxes and none of them got the the concept of plant-based. We became fed up of receiving recipe cards telling us to just leave out ingredients.”

“One supplier even sent us cheese and yogurt wrapped in sheep’s skin. Plant-based food isn’t about leaving stuff out it’s about embracing all the amazing vegetables out there and making them the centrepiece not the side dish.”

To start with, availability is limited, with 100 boxes available to order from 3rd July online (that’s today!).

South London café turns vegan

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With chef’s hailing from Brazil, Portugal & the Caribbean, the team at Café Van Gogh are on a mission to bring original, authentic, home-cooked, 100% vegan dishes to customers. Their Sunday roast has already been featured in Metro’s best places for vegan Sunday roasts while profits from the café are reinvested into employability training, work experience programmes and food workshops for marginalised members of the local community. Café Van Gogh’s unpretentious, welcoming atmosphere paired with good value, hearty cuisine is attracting foodies from far and wide.

Café Van Gogh’s founder Steve Clarke is keen to democratise access to healthier options for all. After leaving a career in in social care, Clarke intentionally set up shop in an ethnically diverse and densely populated low-income area of south London, making fresh, affordable, plant-based meals accessible to surrounding locals as well as hardcore vegan converts.

Consumer demand for healthier vegan options is undeniable; but so is the demand for great taste. Café Van Gogh’s new summer menu wins on both counts featuring:

  • Sticky seitan ribs, with potato and pickled onion salad, grilled corn, “bacon” butter.
  • Sri-Lankan jackfruit and aubergine stuffed chapatti, served with dhal, pineapple chutney & a selection of salads.
  • Jerk plantain served with smoky beans, brown rice, mango salsa.

Steve said:

We can’t wait to share our new dishes with food lovers in London & beyond. Going 100% vegan is close to my heart and a lifestyle choice I believe in wholeheartedly, but this this isn’t just a personal decision; more and more customers have been asking for it. It’s just plain common sense to serve this demand. For me, the best bit is being proud of a menu that’s so full of real flavour. It seems to hook everyone, regardless of your diet choice.

The sentiment is shared by the café’s loyal customers across social media:

“I’m coming to my sticky seitan ribs today! So thrilled to have such a wonderful, tasty, vibey vegan place on my doorstep. – Jasmine Pender, local resident & customer

As a social enterprise, Café Van Gogh invests the profits made from café sales into dedicated food workshops, training and employability opportunities for marginalised members of the local community in Brixton.

To date social impact activities have included:

  • Providing chef and kitchen staff apprenticeships to NEETs
  • Welcoming field trips from the local primary schools, hosting experiential workshops where the kids taste and explore how raw nutritious ingredients transform into the deliciously diverse menu.
  • Offering a work experience programme to teenagers with learning difficulties from Highshore School putting them on the front line of food prep & customer service.

Café Van Gogh is supported by Big Issue Invest which supports a number of social enterprise organisations tackling poverty and disadvantage.

Café Van Gogh wants to say thank you to the loyal customers that have supported the café over the last year.

To celebrate going 100% vegan and the new summer menu, Café Van Gogh will be rewarding weekly surprise gifts to customers that post about the restaurant or snap their favourite dishes from the menu across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram using the hashtag #CafeVanGoghLDN from 1st – 31st July. More info can be found here.

You can visit Van Gogh Café online. Follow the café on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The closest Underground station is Oval. You can see the exact location of the café here thanks to Google Maps.

New vegan burger bar for London

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London. You are on a roll.

A brand new vegan burger business is set to open on July 1, 2017 (this Saturday!) in Camden Market and the food sounds and looks lovely.

VBurger is the brainchild of north Londoners Reuven Cohen and Amir Wayman, who have teamed up with chef Yossi Edri to open their first vegan burger bar in Camden Market.

The pair state that this is only the first of several VBurger outlets they plan to open, so it definitely feels as though London has some special to look forward to.

The menu being launched in Camden includes a beetroot burger, a falafel burger and a seitan cutlet burger. You can dress your burger up with vegan cheese or avocado and make a complete meal with skin-on fries, sweet potato wedges, coleslaw and decadent brownies.

Even better news involves the menu expanding some time after opening to include another five burgers.

This is fabulous news for vegan Londoners. We get a fast food burger joint from this Saturday and it looks like it is going to be a big deal. Get along 7 days a week between 10am and 7pm.

Follow VBurger on Facebook and Instagram.

New menu at Burger Lols

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You all know about the amazing vegan burger joint in Sheffield, right?

Burger Lols has been keeping people happy for a while in the South Yorkshire city and has amassed quite a number of fans and regular customers. Each one of these loving customers is going to be thrilled to see the new updated menu just released.

Check it out.

The menu sounds super exciting and the gluten free diners amongst you will no doubt be happy to see the specially created section.

Get along to Burger Lols as soon as you can and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Extra note: Tickets are on sale now for the first ever Sheffield Vegan Beer Fest. Click here to buy early bird tickets for just £4 plus small fee. Burger Lols will be the perfect place to head for a recovery meal the day after.

New vegan cafe for London

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If you have been to many vegan events around London, you will undoubtedly know Vegan Sweet Tooth. This bakery business has been pleasing their fans for many years at street markets and their offerings always look stunning.

The big news for Vegan Sweet Tooth is their residency in south London for the entire summer!

The baking superstars have a semi-permanent location in a glorious garden setting behind the Earl Ferrers pub in Streatham. BIG YES to vegan bakeries in pubs!

Vegan Sweet Tooth is selling all of their much loved cakes as well as hot savoury food.

The hours you can pop along are each Wednesday until Friday between 10am and 5pm, plus weekends until 7pm. You can click here to see the exact location thanks to Google Maps.

Support independent vegan business this summer!

You should also follow Vegan Sweet Tooth on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Vegan get together with Fry’s

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You all know about Fry’s when it comes to amazing frozen vegan meat replacements in UK supermarkets and online stores. If you don’t, you should visit their website to get acquainted.

Now you are up to speed, you need to know about this big vegan event the superstar food brand is hosting in London at the end of July 2017.

Check out this event.

The Fry’s AGM is a showcase of food, activist information and international speakers. Money from ticket sales is being donated to the campaign by Animals Asia to care for bears rescued from bile farms.

My buddy Carl Donnelly is a stand up comedian who just happens to be vegan and he is the MC for this day long event taking place.

Speakers on the day include:

  • Tom Kuehnel from Grown Green
  • Heather Russell – dietitian from The Vegan Society
  • Tammy Fry of Fry’s

Food is included in the ticket price and it looks superb. The legendary Cook Daily will be providing a special Fry’s lunch bowl for the event and Bexfest is providing her pots for breakfast.

You can click here to book your ticket.

Monthly vegan event in Manchester

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How about getting yourself to Manchester (or if you are already there, get yourself out your front door) for this monthly vegan food and beer event. It sounds fab.

Presented by Chorlton Brewing Company, this market takes place on the first Saturday of each month with the next instalment happening July 1, 2017.

There will be food by V Rev Vegan Diner (best vegan junk food in the UK!), Nicely Kitchen (cakes!) and Jammin’ Jally’s Vegan Delicacies (aged vegan cheese!). To wash down all that great food, Chorlton Brewing Company be pouring two taps of their beer (all vegan!) as well as making their one-of-a-kind sour beer smoothies.

The is all happening at Chorlton Brewery, 69 North Western Street, M12 6DX, around a ten minute walk from Piccadilly station. The event is at an actual brewery with some outdoor seating. Click here to see it on Google Maps.

Dogs (and cats, ferrets and any of your other furry mates) are welcome!

Good times, Manchester.

You can RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

Super exclusive supper club

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Rarely does a food event come along of such exclusivity. You need to book a ticket for this pop up supper club IMMEDIATELY after reading this post. Tickets will not hang around.

On July 14, 2017 in Finsbury, London you have the opportunity to dine with two of the best vegan chefs in the UK. Jhenn of The Vegan Ronin and Kip of Messy Vegetarian Cook are joining forces to bring you an intimate Japanese/Thai fusion eating experience like no other.

First things first. Jhenn and Kip have both cooked for me and you will hard pushed to find finer food in the UK capital. Jhenn is an expert at recreating Japanese cuisine while Kip never fails to impress with her take on Thai. To add value to the event, both chefs are two of the most compassionate and kind people you could meet.

Are you ready to discover the incredible menu they have planned for their guests?

Menu

  • Welcome drinks and nibbles – Cocktails with tom yam popcorn & shiso popcorn
  • Miso Walnut Aubergine Larb – Yuzu, lime, mint, coriander, roasted chilli powder, toasted rice with sticky rice and crunchy salad
  • Thai-koyaki – Seasoned vegan fish paste Takoyaki with garlic, coriander stems, white pepper, twice fried tofu, Thai pickles, marinated shiitake, chilli tonkatsu sauce , homemade vegan mayo and fried shallots.
  • Nigiri sushi & Miso soup – Nam Prik Pao chilli jam aubergine nigiri with roasted aromatics, tamarind, palm sugar. Seared massaman nigiri with pickled ginger, cucumber chilli relish, toasted peanuts. Served with Thai vegetable miso soup and pickles.
  • Petit Fours & tea – A selection of Japanese and Thai sweets

That menu sounds absolutely amazing. Last time I checked, there were only 6 seats remaining for this exclusive supper club.

Click here to book now. Don’t miss out.

Follow The Vegan Ronin on Instagram.

Follow Messy Vegetarian Cook on Instagram.