Vegfest

The FGV book arrives early

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Of course you all know I have a book being released in January 2018, right?

Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t is being published by Nourish Books and is available to pre-order via Amazon right now.

But…

If you are super keen to read what I am calling my ‘manifesto for living a compassionate life’ and can’t wait until January, my publisher has made a limited number of copies available for VegfestUK London on October 21 and 22, 2017.

I will have 300 copies of my first ever book to sell from a stall on level three of the VegfestUK venue and I will be on hand for most of the weekend to chat with you about it.

I am also hosting a presentation in the auditorium on the Saturday at 4:00pm to talk about the themes of the book and explain my approach to veganism, how I think we can expand our compassion beyond caring for animals and where I think veganism is heading in the future.

In addition, I will be hosting an informal discussion about the importance of running local vegan markets and offering some tips for anyone interested in starting one on their area on Sunday at 2:00pm.

You can read about my VegfestUK London talks online here.

Hope to see you at the show!

Fat Gay Vegan at VegfestUK London

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I’m happy to announce that I will be taking part in the annual VegfestUK London event happening on October 21 and 22, 2017.

I will be talking during two events:

Main talk in auditorium on Saturday – Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Shit

Sean O’Callaghan (Fat Gay Vegan) previews his book ‘Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t’, set to be published via Nourish in January 2017. Sean will discuss themes from the book including expanding compassion beyond the plate to include other social justice issues.

Activist Corner talk on Sunday – So you wanna start a local vegan market?

Join blogger, journalist and event planner Fat Gay Vegan as he hosts a Q&A session on the importance of setting up local, independent vegan markets. His popular Hackney Downs Vegan Market has just become a weekly happening and FGV wants you to start one in your area, too!

In addition to my talks, there will be a table selling exclusive advance copies of my new book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Shit. This early release is only for VegfestUK London. If you are unable to make it to the show but are still interested in grabbing a copy of my book, you can pre-order via Amazon ahead of the January release by Nourish Books.

Click here to find out more info about VegfestUK London and to buy advance tickets.

FGV top picks VegfestUK Brighton

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Hey!

I don’t know how this comes around so quickly. Has it really been a year since the previous VegfestUK Brighton?

The Brighton version of this mega event always holds a special place in my heart. It still has a slightly small-town vibe than its cousin in London and you get to be beside the English seaside while it’s still blustery and cold.

This blog post and my ‘things you don’t want to miss’ list for VegfestUK Brighton is tinged with a little sadness as I can’t be there this weekend. As you might now, I live in Mexico City for six months of each year so it seems I won’t be getting to this event again in the foreseeable future.

Drats!

In loving memory of the good times I’ve enjoyed at this show, I’ve gone through this year’s programme to put together FGV’s top picks for VegfestUK Brighton (March 11 and 12, 2017).

Food hall

  • Beelzebab – stunning seitan kebabs from one of the best fast food vendors in the entire UK
  • Butcherless – from the people who brought you Sgaia comes a food stall of epic deli proportions
  • Brownins – I always make time for their deliciousness, especially their gravy

Talks

Check out the Intersectional Vegan Summit especially Ruby Hamad talking about links between animal oppression and capitalism at 4:00pm on Saturday via Skype and Christopher-Sebastian McJetters discussing connections between speciesism and racism at 5:00pm on Saturday

Cooking demo

Make time to see my buddy Adrian of Vegan Peasant demonstrate canapés and party food. I just wrote about his upcoming pop up event in London, so this is a great opportunity to see how the magic works at 5pm on Saturday

Stalls

  • Ananda’s Marshmallows – get the Round-Up wagon wheels
  • Conscious Chocolate – so rich and creamy
  • Dr Hadwen Trust – actively campaigning for animal-based experiment alternatives
  • Follow Your Heart – best vegan mayo on the planet and sponsors of Vegan Beer Fest UK 2017
  • Lakeside Ethical Treats – always has a great range of vegan sweets and treats

Of course there are dozens and dozens more stalls and talks taking place, but this list includes the things I personally would make a priority.

Hope you all have a great time and check out VegfestUK Brighton online to plan your weekend and get your tickets.

Best in the world

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I have already posted and shared my thoughts all over social media about Sgaia and how this Scotland-based food company is truly a world leader.

I think it’s safe to say they are one of the finest vegan brands on the planet. Their products are flawless.

But even my unquestioning love for the vegan meat makers couldn’t prepare me for the outrageous and spectacular vision you are about to witness.

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Have you ever seen anything so spectacular?

This Cheeze + Mheat Charcuterie Board features Herbed Roast, Späck, Karma Ham, Gorgonzola Dolcelatte, Emmenthal and Brie. There is also a medjoul date, a couple of sweet pickled onions and charcoal crackers. There is even a vegan hard boiled egg!

I’m speechless.

This Earth-shattering cheese and meat board is being sold exclusively from the Sgaia stand at this weekend’s huge VegfestUK London. They are at stall number CG6.

You need to follow Sgaia on Instagram and order food from them online.

Get all the Vegfest details here.

Extra note: I strongly suggest getting to the show as early as you can for these boards. I predict they will sell out in about an hour. It is going to be MAYHEM!

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UK’s first intersectional vegan conference

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VegFestUK London is hosting the UK’s first pro-intersectionality vegan conference later in 2016. Powerful voices from around the world will gather in London to speak of intersectional theory and how this valuable critical framework (highlighting how an individual can experience multiple, overlapping oppressions) can be applied to the realm of veganism and animal rights.

Read more about the conference here.

One of the key speakers at this conference is Aph Ko, founder of Black Vegans Rock. Click here to read FGV’s recent interview with Aph Ko.

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You can follow VegFestUK on Facebook and Twitter.

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Ms Cupcake goes savoury

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Ms. Cupcake has got sugar on lock.

The Brixton bakery does sweet treats like no on else and has been at the forefront of cake business in the UK for years. But what if they turned their hand to savoury food?

Well, you can find out this weekend.

ms cupcake savoury

For the first time ever, Ms. Cupcake will be serving sweet AND savoury food across two mammoth stalls at VegfestUK in Brighton and the savoury sounds divine.

Did someone say chilli, mac & cheese and jackfruit? Yes, they did.

I reached out to Ben at Ms. Cupcake  for some info and he told me:

This is the first time we have ever done two stalls at a show. We’re bringing our traditional Ms. Cupcake sweet stand as well as a hot food stand to VegfestUK Brighton this coming weekend.
On the catering stand, customers will be able to choose from vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Pulled ‘pork’ Jackfruit and Tex-Mex Chilli. There will be a range of mouthwatering toppings available such as hot peppers, sauces and more. There will also be a range of other savoury snacks on the stall to compliment the main dishes.

In news almost as big, we are bringing our homemade vegan lemon curd to the sweet stand as well as branded merchandise for die-hard Ms. Cupcake fans.

Listen to me carefully, readers.

You gave got to get some of that lemon curd in your life. I haven’t had Ms. Cupcake lemon curd for years and I still dream of it.

Sounds like the Ms. Cupcake stands are going to be extremely crowded at VegfestUK this weekend.

Get info on VegfestUK Brighton by clicking here.

Visit Ms. Cupcake online.

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Big vegan party in Brighton

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How does time fly so quickly? It feels like only a few weeks ago we were all celebrating at VegfestUK Brighton but the annual event is now just two weeks away!

vegfest programme

Click the above image to download the full event programme.

Across the weekend of February 27 and 28, 2016, VegfestUK will be serving up:

  • vegan cooking demos
  • comedy
  • live performances
  • vegan food traders
  • kids activities
  • a teen zone
  • a mature zone
  • speed dating
  • and much, much more

If you haven’t been to VegfestUK Brighton in the past, I’d suggest you get along for one of the biggest vegan events on the planet.

You can find out more details on the VegfestUK website.

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Glasgow forever

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I have fallen in love.

This weekend has been a special time. It has helped me realise I don’t just like Glasgow, I love it.

The best vegan city in the UK welcomed me with open arms this weekend and it has been fabulous. Let me give you the rundown:

Friday night – I hosted a one-night Queer Vegan Disco special at The Flying Duck vegan bar and it was brilliant. More than 120 people crowded in as Josh played camp tunes and we handed out vegan sweets. It was beyond fun. Thank you to the incredible staff at the venue and all the party people.

Saturday and Sunday – Tim Barford of VegfestUK did it again. Tim and his team launched a Scottish version of their incredibly successful event at the SECC in Glasgow. Thousands and thousands of people flowed into the venue for what turned out to be the best vegan event I have attended in the UK. I gave a talk on how to start a vegan blog and people crowded around the door when they couldn’t get into the room. Thanks for the love and for making me feel valued.

Thank you to The Vegan Emporium for the photo

All weekend – Glasgow has got vegan food on lock. It is by far the most superior city in the entire country when it comes to plant-based food. We consumed burritos, cheesecakes, alcoholic milkshakes, seitan burgers, pasta, salads, sautéed kale and so much more.

Glasgow is number one. I’m dreaming of my return as I drive south into the rain soaked hills and windswept terrain.

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FGV is judgemental

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I know I’m not a celebrity, but it is still fun to be called one as part of this event taking place at VegfestUK Brighton on March 28th & 29th, 2015.

One component of the jumbo two-day long event is the New Product Showcase, where suppliers can enter their products into the competition.

Here is the lowdown from VegfestUK organisers:

Read more