Vegan market comes south of the Thames!

Today I headed to Venn Street market which now hosts a selection of vegan delights!

Travelling to the regular Hackney Downs vegan market takes around 2 hours for me, so I was beyond excited to see that vegan stalls are making an appearance on Saturdays at Venn Street Market in Clapham Common.

The market opens at 10am but we had a little lie in and didn’t head over until 10.30 ish. I’m glad we were a little late as there were still stalls who still weren’t set up and ready to sell. We browsed the amazing smelling candles from Self Care Company and the almond based Parmesan alternative from Nutkin before deciding to try a delicious burger from Temple of Seitan. They had a small selection available but I still found it hard to choose:

We tried the Temple Classic (without ranch mayo- much to my disappointment) as Simon isn’t a mayo fan… can’t relate.

The seitan was straight out of the flyer and beautifully seasoned. It was juicy and had a great crunchy coating. I wish we lived nearer to their shop so I could have this all the time!

We paired this with the Dennis Hopp’r beer from Mondo Brewing, even though it was barely 11am! This was a fruity ale with notes of grapefruit, it was delicious.

I let Simon have most of the burger as I had my eye on something else… PHILLY CHEEZESTEAKS. Jakes Vegan Steaks were the last stall to start serving food which was disappointing, it was around 11.15 before we could place our order. The staff were friendly but a little slow paced (it may have picked up later) so it took around 15 minutes for the food to be ready. But boy was it worth it!

The cheeze sauce was so creamy and tasted just like American cheese. The seitan was tender and juicy with lots of great spices. The fries were beautifully seasoned with rosemary- I do usually avoid these as it can be very overpowering but this was just the right amount of herbs. They also provided a homemade mayo, it was creamy but didn’t have the strongest flavour. I still enjoyed it though.

Finally for dessert we went to Ms Cupcake. We live near their Brixton store but don’t manage to get there as much as we would like. I chose the cookie dough brownie as I’ve been drooling over it on Instagram for months. Simon had a red velvet cupcake.

The cupcake was moist (I hate that word) and the frosting was lovely and sweet, it tasted exactly like regular buttercream.

The brownie was enormous! The cookie dough was great but the sugar was still a little granulated and grainy. The brownie itself wasn’t as gooey as I hoped, I assume it needed to be strong to support the cookie dough but it reminded me more of cake.

I think it’s great that a vegan market has come to South London and I hope it will receive enough support to expand. At the moment it takes up a third of the regular market but there’s definitely room for a lot more. The surroundings are beautiful and it’s a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning.

Happy eating!

Vivera vegan steak- is it worth the hype?

My boyfriend is a huge fan of steak, he has steak dinner A LOT and I always have to have a completely different meal to cater to my needs. That has now changed, thanks to Vivera releasing a vegan steak!

I follow a huge amount of vegan instagrammers and that’s how I find out about the great new vegan food popping up in stores. The hype for the Vivera steak was real, everyone who tried it loved it and I didn’t want to miss out on this.

I visited my local Tesco store three times before I was able to get my hands on this. They were sold out constantly, so I made sure to pick up two packets when I finally saw it sitting there on the shelf, just waiting for me!

They come in packs of two and are vacuum packed, this makes it look like normal steak, but it looks medium rare rather than raw. The instructions are really easy to follow, you purely pan fry these in a little oil for 5 minutes and they are done! The ‘raw’ steak has a red colour (which I imagine comes from the beetroot and saffron) and goes a nice deep brown once cooked.

I paired mine with some potatoes and veg in an attempt to resemble Simon’s usual steak dinner. I think it looked pretty convincing, not that I need my food to look like meat (I’ve never eaten meat in my life) but it just helps to make you feel like your meal is cohesive with those around you- and it spares you from those conversations that centre around your ‘strange’ food.

The soya has a stringy effect which looks like genuine steak, and I found it has a few different textures just as a real cut of meat would have. It has quite a dense structure, almost resembling a burger. It also wasn’t the juiciest, so I think it would go perfect paired with a sauce (I substituted with ketchup!).

The flavour is great, it’s kind of smoky and you can definitely taste all the herbs and spices- it isn’t bland at all.

I think this is a definite win, especially with two portions for £2.99! Whether you’re vegan, veggie or a meat eater I think you should try this and see what you think- especially as it’s a great source of protein.

What do you think? Would you try the Vivera vegan steak?

Happy eating! xx

Vegan Love Shack, baby!

After a long walk along the canal I was starving, I had no idea where we were- but I stumbled upon an absolute gem; Love Shack.

This little paradise is located right next to Cambridge Heath station, in East London, on a main road- which I only mention because you completely forget about once you’re inside.

You are welcomed by a green oasis filled with hammocks, comfy cushions and shabby chic décor. The staff are wonderfully helpful and friendly. From the moment you walk in you are transported to a whole different world.

Love Shack stock all different kinds of soft drinks (and they’re plastic free!) and can make delicious smoothies too. We went for the Karma Cola range which are so delicious and refreshing. The (fully vegan) menu is small but has enough choice to satisfy any craving.

Photo taken from the website

Simon and I both went for ‘The Love Stack’ pancakes. These are gluten free banana and buckwheat pancakes covered in lots of delicious toppings. When we placed the order the member of staff told us how good they were, so we were excited!

The pancakes did take a little while to arrive (around 20-30 minutes) which wasn’t ideal, but there is so much to check out that we didn’t mind! You can choose between sitting outside in the sun or inside with atmospheric background music and quirky décor (spot the hand in my below shot!)

Our pancakes arrived and they looked beautiful, I never managed to work out what was in the blue sauce, but it was so tasty! It was sweet and really added to the overall flavour. The nut butters were layered between the stack as well as on top and complemented the chocolatey flavour of the pancakes.

The pancakes themselves were very dense and rich, it was like eating cake- glorious! I can eat a lot of food, but I could not finish these, the portion sizes are really generous for the small price.

To let our food go down we moved outside and led on the grass with some cushions behind us. It was such a lovely place to relax and feel like you have escaped the city. You can even bring your four-legged friends!

I immediately started following Love Shack on social media as I wanted to check them out further. They have so many amazing events held here such as; yoga at breakfast on a Sunday, vegan BBQs and movie nights. I wish I lived closer so I could attend them all but I’m certainly going to return to Love Shack in the near future. If you are looking for a little paradise in the city, then I really suggest you check it out- the atmosphere is wonderful and everyone there has a smile on their face.

Check their website out here for all the info: http://www.loveshackldn.com

Happy eating!

Wagamama’s and finally trying vegan katsu curry!!

Yes, it’s true I’ve never been to Wagamama’s before- I know that’s criminal!

Since Wagamama’s first launched their vegan menu I was excited, social media was full of excitement about the vegan katsu curry and I had FOMO. I have been nagging friends and family to come with me for a while, but for whatever reason it never came through. All of that changed a few weeks ago when I decided to take my mum and Simon for lunch.

We visited the Angel branch and were seated quickly. I browsed the menu, very excited by the vegan choices but I knew what I was here for- that katsu curry.

To drink I chose a ‘Jinzu Fever’ which is a Japanese inspired gin infused with cherry blossom, served with Fever tree tonic and pink peppercorns. It was light and refreshing, the gin didn’t have that drying quality in your mouth and I really enjoyed it. I’m not sure how much the pink peppercorns influenced the taste, but they looked pretty!

Simon went for a Natsu, which is a passionfruit pale ale. It was absolutely delicious! I’m not usually a huge craft beer fan but it honestly just tasted like a fruity soft drink. It was served with an ice-cold glass which was perfect on a hot summers day!

We treated ourselves to starters, Simon went for fried gyoza with duck (which he ate so fast I didn’t even get a chance to take a photo!) he loved these and wanted more. Mum and I shared the vegetable steamed gyoza. This arrived really quickly (literally a few minutes) and were still very hot. I didn’t dislike these, but I felt they were average. I have definitely had better gyoza elsewhere, so I felt £5.75 for a little disappointment was steep. The filling had a strong taste, but I couldn’t figure out what it was- it was very mushy and just didn’t excite me, unfortunately.

For the main course, my mum chose the tofu Pad Thai and a generous portion arrived. The tofu was crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside and there were enough peanuts to give a good crunch. I did feel the flavour was slightly lacking but at least a good squeeze of lime juice helped this a little.

As a side, we snacked on the Bang Bang cauliflower, which is crispy cauliflower with firecracker sauce surrounded by red and spring onions, ginger and coriander. I am not the best person for spicy food, I just can’t handle it. I managed to eat a couple of pieces of the cauliflower (which had an amazing flavour and was nice and crisp) before my lips were starting to tingle and I knew I had better stop. I also find that coriander tastes like soap and don’t enjoy it, but I couldn’t taste it much in this dish. Mum loved this dish, even if her mouth was on fire by the end, so if you’re into spice then definitely check it out.

Simon and I both got katsu curries, however mine was vegan and his was the OG chicken version. Here they are side by side:

Which one is the chicken, and which is the vegan? I don’t know, I honestly couldn’t tell you either. This is a great menu option for vegans who are dining with people who just love to make comments about your food choice. This katsu curry will blend right in and your party won’t be able to start the ‘what if you were on a desert island?’ questions. The vegan ‘chicken’ is made from seitan and has a lovely crispy breadcrumb coating. The seitan itself is chewy, but in a really good way. The flavours aren’t strong but make you crave more. The curry sauce is incredible, it’s almost like chip shop curry sauce (for those of you in the UK) but much thicker, the taste isn’t spicy but rich and velvety on your palate. The rice is a sticky white rice without being mushy or congealed (as I’ve had at other restaurants), one dig of the fork and the grains easily fall apart. I was expecting good things, but this completely outlived my expectations. To be honest, just writing this is making me salivate and consider a visit for lunch today!

If you’ve been putting off a Wagamama’s visit, like me, then you definitely need to get your butt down there! It’s great vegan food without dragging your reluctant omnivore friends to yet another all vegan restaurant. Great to see veganism making an impact on the high street.

Happy eating!

Another yummy veggie brunch!

Back in June my mum was visiting and I decided to take her to one of my favourite places, The Gate. I have been a few times before for both brunch and dinner, the food is always incredible. As we wanted brunch we headed to the Marylebone branch which is just around the corner from Marble Arch station.

We were seated really quickly, and I took forever making a decision, I always struggle when I have my pick of the whole menu- us veggies & vegans aren’t used to it! I decided to go for the veggie breakfast with scrambled tofu.

My one complaint about The Gate is the service, it is so slow. The 12.5% discretionary tip is automatically added to the bill and I feel some of the servers now feel they do not have to work as hard to earn this. It was a fair 15 minutes before we managed to place our orders, which was disappointing. Our server was a young man who was clearly already done with today. He didn’t say anything that was longer than a syllable, if he could help it. I think he preferred to communicate in grunts. When my mum ordered the breakfast he just said, ‘with what?’ my mum wasn’t sure what he meant so asked him, and his response was ‘with what?’. After several repetitions of this we learned he was asking if this was with scrambled tofu or eggs (bearing in mind the menu states it comes with tofu and eggs are an optional change). I felt this could have been communicated much better and had already left a sour taste in our mouths. Drinks were then brought and slammed down on the table as if we had personally offended the server and made us feel very uncomfortable. We tried to shake it off, but I already regretted booking The Gate- the prices are fairly high and I already felt it wasn’t worth it, and I hadn’t even eaten yet!

We were excited when our food arrived, it had taken a little while but I’m happy to wait for fresh food. The presentation was beautiful, and the portions were a fair size.

Our breakfasts included homemade baked beans, hash browns and aubergine bacon. These were served in mini frying pans and were still really hot (in a good way).

Mum and I ordered some polenta fries between us and these are the best I have ever had! They are crispy on the outside but so light and fluffy on the inside. The flavour is delicious too- if you’ve ever had Pizza Express ones, these are nothing like them they’re 100% better! The vegan aioli that accompany it is very garlicky but so creamy.

Simon (an omnivore) chose the veggie burger which comes with polenta fries and he enjoyed it. He did find that it had a very strong chickpea flavour so I recommend you use the accompanying sauce.

We waited about 20 minutes for our plates to be cleared and maybe another 15-20 minutes to place our dessert order. This was frustrating, and I think had it been another minute or two we would have given up. Fortunately, a server arrived – a new one who seemed much more friendly- and took our order. I went for the dark chocolate bombe and the others chose Sticky Toffee Pudding. We were served our desserts with forks, despite them both being very sauce-based. We tried to flag servers constantly, but their heads turned away each time they passed our table & we were left trying to eat with forks. The bombe was incredible, very very rich but the chocolate sauce was hot and melted away the dark chocolate shell to reveal a mousse inside. There was also a creamy swirl of mascarpone ice cream which complimented the rich chocolate. I wish I had a spoon to drink every last drop of the goodness.

The sticky toffee puddings had a little jug of warm sauce too and the sponge was very light. My mum said she could have eaten another two or three of these in one sitting!

Our bill was pretty high at almost £90, but we had to ask for the tip to be removed. I know a lot of people would be embarrassed at this, but we felt the service had been diabolical. Our second server was polite, so I gave her a small tip, but I felt 12.5% was not justified. To be honest, this experience has taken the shine off The Gate for me. I don’t feel like it is worth returning when I have had several experiences of less than desirable service. It’s a shame as I have nothing but good things to say about the food itself. I have only been to the Marylebone branch, so it may be worth trying another branch to see how things go.

If you are happy to spend 3-4 hours in the restaurant then I would encourage you to try The Gate. The food is delicious and presented beautifully, the surroundings are beautiful and if you have nowhere to be you can spend a long time here socialising. The menus are constantly changing, and I haven’t ever eaten anything I didn’t like here! Simon loves it here and he is an avid meat eater, so don’t let the vegetarian food discourage you- it’s still one of the best meals you will have.

Happy eating!

A Very Vegan Birthday!

Yesterday (9th June) was my 29th birthday and I had an awesome day 🙂

My day began with a meowing cat pawing at my face and a 7.45am alarm, not the best for me as I cannot function in the morning but I had to be across London by 11am so I knew I needed to get up early. After a little snooze in bed, we got up and headed downstairs. In the kitchen I found a little surprise from Simon:

Vegan brownies from Lola’s cupcakes, presents and lots of glitter! We agreed we wouldn’t do presents this year for birthdays or Christmas as we have a Disney trip planned for next August and funds are tight but he was naughty and got me a couple of goodies.

My presents included some lush goodies, every Stitch item of clothing from Primark, the Aladdin teapot and a Stitch picnic blanket.

We got dressed and started our almost 2 hour trip to Hackney Vegan Market. The sun was shining and I was so excited to fill my belly with lots of vegan junk food! I have visited the market before which I have reviewed here but was excited to see what’s new.

We arrived a little after 11am and I was surprised to see how quiet the market was, last time I came the market wasn’t a regular event so I guess now that it’s every week the crowds are smaller (at least they were first thing). This is great as it means you don’t have to queue very long, if at all, when you get there for opening or a couple of hours after.

We browsed the delights on offer and decided we should get some doughnuts from Dough Society first as they always sell out quickly. There were 4 options: cookie dough, peanut butter, coffee and chocolate brownie. We chose cookie dough & chocolate brownie- these bad boys are huge, actually as big as your face- and are always melt in your mouth delicious. The dough is the softest I have ever eaten and I would choose these doughnuts over any other. The toppings are always generous and I think £3.50 for a doughnut that would easily feed two is completely worth it!

We also got some homemade lemonade from Phung Kay, who serves vegan Chinese food that was very popular. The lemonade was so refreshing and delicious, I didn’t get a photo because I guzzled this down in the hot weather but if you get a chance to check them out then make sure lemonade is included in your order.

Next we wanted something savoury and Itis London were serving some Caribbean delights I couldn’t ignore. I chose the Mac & Cheese bites with herb mayo (they also come with hot sauce but I am too weak for this so ordered without) and Simon went for the Sweet & Sticky BBQ wings. These were £5 each and mega generous portions, they filled me up and I can eat. The wings had a thick piece of ginger through the middle to act as a “bone”, Simon accidentally ate this on his first wing so make sure you don’t make that mistake, it’s very tough. However, the “meat” (I’m not sure if this is tofu or not) is very juicy and thick. The BBQ sauce is very sticky and delicious, with a good tomato based undertone. I feel like these would be delicious with some vegan ranch dressing. The Mac & Cheese bites were yummy, I’m not sure I would know these are vegan. The herb mayo gives it a kick and I think the hot sauce would compliment them beautifully.

After this we were struggling to think about any more food but I just couldn’t miss out on the other goodies. We had a 20 minute break in the nearby park and then headed to the Young Vegans stall.

I couldn’t miss the chance to try one of their deep fried Pizza pockets. I mean just look at them.

This is a Sloppy Michelangelo. As Simon said, these are less of a ‘pizza pocket’ and more of a ‘pizza purse’- meaning they are enormous. The dough goes super crispy and yet the middle stays soft. The tomato sauce had a great flavour which wasn’t drowned out by the lashings of cheese. The cheese was amazing, it was velvety and rich. I need to know which cheese they use! This also included pepperoni which was really thick but had a realistic ‘meat-y’ taste, a great change of texture.

Finally, we wanted some ice cream to cool us down so paid a visit to Hell.Yum! who have homemade vegan ice cream & cookies. We both chose the Salted Caramel. OMG. This was the single best ice cream I’ve ever had, honestly. It was so rich and creamy, you couldn’t eat a huge amount- and I can eat a pint of ice cream in one sitting. It was almost like eating salted caramel sauce right out of the jar. Again, I was a rubbish blogger and didn’t get a photo because once I tasted this, I could not stop. At this point, Simon also started to crave a beer so we checked out the offering at Clarkshaws Brewing as they are Brixton based and not too far from where we live. We tried a half pint of Steam Beer and it was really good. They offer gift packs of 3 beers for £8 which is amazing, even by London standards. So I know what I will be buying Simon for his next birthday!

After this we went for a wander around Spitalfields market where I popped into Costa for a Fruit Cooler. The barista saw my birthday badge and insisted on my drink being free, this was such a nice touch and I was very happy.

Whilst wandering I spotted a Black Cat umbrella that looked just like Basil. Even though it was about 26 degrees, I couldn’t ignore it! I bought it and am sort of looking forward to a bit of rain so I can try it out.

After a day full of walking we headed home to watch Pixar’s Coco, as I haven’t seen it before and had just bought the DVD. It was beautiful, both visually and emotionally. I did have a little cry. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. If you go to HMV they are doing an offer where selected Disney movies (I chose Wall.E) are £2.99 when you buy Coco. This resulted in being £16.98 for 2 Disney movies which is usually what I pay for one, bargain. They have now joined my ever growing Disney DVD collection.

So here’s to being 29, it feels like an adult age but I definitely don’t yet feel like an adult! Thanks for reading and I hope I have inspired you to try out some vegan foods! I always share as much of my adventures as possible over on my instagram stories so be sure to check them out.

Vegan delights at The Diner

Currently only available at the Dalston, Spitalfields & Strand Diners, I tried out a few items from the vegan menu and want to share my experience with you!

My boyfriend and I had one of our first dates at The Diner and since I went vegan it’s not been high on our visit list. However, I have been dying to go since they announced their new vegan menu. Since it was Simon’s birthday we decided to head to The Strand diner and feast.

The Strand is pretty busy on a Saturday so we are glad we booked in advance. Unfortunately, a Saturday night seems to be when the music is cranked up and you have to spend the evening yelling at each other. It wasn’t ideal for Simon’s mum who has hearing aids and really struggled to follow our conversations with the bass shaking the table. I can’t speak for the other branches but if this isn’t your ideal atmosphere (like me) then maybe visit at a quieter time or ask to be seated in a quieter section, if possible.

However, this is about the food so I’ll get right to it! I was given a copy of the Vegetarian & Vegan menu and it is HUGE. For those of us who are used to one or maybe even two options, you will struggle to make a choice here! I was super tempted by the Southern Fried Seitan with waffles but, in the end, I decided to go for the Southern Fried Seitan burger. I couldn’t not try the vegan cheese fries so those were added to my order and Simon & I decided to share the Freakshow Seitan on the side.

We didn’t have to wait too long for our food and it was definitely freshly cooked when it arrived so I was happy.

The burger was really tall, I had no idea how I was going to eat this gracefully (disclaimer: I didn’t) but it looked delicious. The seitan had a good crispy batter and was cooked well, I find seitan can go quite chewy if overdone. There was a good amount of vegan mayo and the jackfruit was juicy, it meant the burger wasn’t dry. If you haven’t had seitan before it is a substitute to fried chicken with a slightly different texture (though I can’t validate that it tastes exactly like it as I’ve never eaten meat). Simon thinks it tastes a little bit like sage & onion stuffing, but I’m not sure how much I agree with that! Jackfruit is a fruit that you can pull apart and its texture is just like pulled pork. The two together in a burger went really well, the seitan had crunch whereas the jackfruit was soft and saucy.

Simon’s mum joined me in having this burger and she has never tried any vegan/vegetarian burgers so I was a little nervous. She was pleasantly surprised and has since asked me for tips on cooking jackfruit at home (I think she’s trying to pass it off as pulled pork for the meat eating men).

The Freakshow seitan was a very generous portion, they served it with a wedge of lime which I wasn’t sure about- but I tell you squeeze that lime all over the seitan. It was delicious! It really brought out the flavour of the seitan and made your taste buds go a bit crazy. The seitan was much more chewy than the burger but I think it worked well. Simon and his brother are both meat eaters and I couldn’t fight them off these, so I recommend them whether you’re vegan or not!

The vegan cheese fries were yummy, there were a lot of fries- I didn’t finish them all. The cheese was deliciously creamy but there wasn’t enough of it for me. I like my cheese fries coated. To be honest, if no one had told me the cheese was vegan I’m not sure I would have known the difference. I wish I had asked the server which cheese they used because I need that in my kitchen!

There are some really amazing options on the vegan menu here, there are so many items I want to go back and try. I really recommend taking a visit to The Diner branches that serve this and hopefully the demand will mean it gets introduced everywhere!

If you’re curious about the menu, here is the link to the website (warning: this will make you want to eat everything on it immediately).

I love that chain restaurants are adding more vegan options, it’s a great chance for us to go out with friends and not worry that we’re stuck with a salad or plain fries!

Happy eating!

Hackney Downs Vegan Market- a dream come true?

I have been visiting Hackney Downs Vegan Market as much as possible for just under a year now & thought I’d share my experiences for those of you who are curious or even a little nervous to visit a vegan food market.

Before visiting the market, I was SO excited. The prospect of an entire market dedicated to vegan junk food was almost too much for me to bear. But having attended, it’s even better than I could have anticipated!

The location is a short walk from the nearest station and pretty easy to find. It is all outdoor so be prepared for all weather, we know what the UK is like for random downpours. I brought my mum (a life long veggie) and my boyfriend (a fussy omnivore) hoping to open their eyes to the wonderful world of vegan food. We arrived just after 12pm opening time and it was already fairly busy, if you plan on visiting then make sure you are there for opening. This gives you the greatest chance of sampling all the delights as they can sell out pretty quickly.

We started with Temple of Seitan, a vegan fried chicken restaurant. I had read lots of glowing reviews of the food here so was almost expecting to be disappointed (cynical I know). How wrong I was. The seitan had a lovely texture, a delicious taste and a great crunchy fried outside. It’s rare to get vegetarian or vegan food that is deep fried with a lovely crispy batter so I was really happy to discover this “chicken”. I was so excited to stuff my face with the food that I sadly didn’t get a photo. But this did prompt me to visit their store the following weekend and purchase a feast!

My favourite was the chicken pieces, closely followed by the popcorn chicken. The Mac and Cheese was great but by this point I was so full I couldn’t manage it all. I hope to visit again soon for the Mac and Cheese alone. My boyfriend LOVES this place, for someone who thought meat had to be included in every meal this is big! He seems to find that the seitan tastes like stuffing, which I can’t see myself, but if you want to convince a fussy eater to come with you for some fried “chicken” then maybe this will work on them!

I needed some cheeze in my life as the real thing is my biggest weakness. I stopped by the Club Mexicana stall and bought some beer battered cheeze fries. OH MY GOD. You have to try them RIGHT NOW. So creamy, so morish and just so damn good. Words cannot express how in love with these I am. They also do jackfruit burritos which look a.maz.ing. I’ve not had one yet but it’s on my ‘must eat’ bucket list.

After all that savoury food I needed something sweet. Luckily, Dough Society London (formerly Peanut Butter Bakery) were on hand to help us out. I split these doughnuts with my mum & Simon as they are HUGE. We tried the chocolate and an Oreo doughnut- these were so good that I immediately went back and bought an Oreo one all to myself. The inside of the doughnut is fluffy and light whilst the outside is crisp and delicious. These guys always sell out quickly so purchase some early on in the day, even if you wait until later to devour them. They have just opened up a new store in London & I cannot wait to visit & clear them out of doughnuts.

Baking Bad were also present with a massive range of cake options. Again, these were light and creamy. You would never guess that these are vegan. Life changing.

There are so many other stalls with delicious food including Battered who make delicious vegan fish n chips, Young Vegans who make delicious pies (we had the breakfast pie with scrambled tofu, vegan bacon and beans-yum), Cafe SoVegan (check out their Mac no cheese below) and Big V London, whose burgers looked like the real thing. I wish I had been able to sample them all but I always fill up much quicker than I like!

The atmosphere at the markets is always amazing. People are friendly and chatty, it’s so great to feel like you belong. I think people always have a stereotypical view of what a vegan looks like, but this place proves you wrong. Everyone is so different, so many types of people are present yet they all have one thing in common- a love of animals & the planet. Every single person had a big smile on their face, food definitely brings people together at Hackney Downs Vegan Market.

I wish I lived closer to Hackney just so I could visit the market every single Saturday. But if you do, or just fancy making the trip, then you HAVE to visit Hackney Downs Vegan Market. It has changed my attitude to vegan food as well as convincing my hardcore meat eating boyfriend that food doesn’t have to include meat to taste good. The prices are reasonable but I recommend taking a friend or two and splitting dishes, that way you can try a bit of everything!

Here’s a link to the website which includes the line up for the upcoming market if you want to check it out: http://fatgayvegan.com/hackney-downs-vegan-market/

Here’s to some good food next weekend!