Tuesday, June 01, 2021

New Vegan Magazine - Plant Powered Planet

 In the launch edition of Plant Powered Planet vegan chef Tony Bishop-Weston issues a call to arms to make sure all pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels have good value for money delicious and exciting vegan options on their menu as Covid restrictions finally ease.




 

Plant Powered Planet Magazine - Read More


Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Party Party: Vegan Diamond Jubilee 75 Years of Veganism

The whole world has been caught up in a whirlwind of veganism with delicious vegan food literally on every street corner, even seemingly "Carry on vegans, nothing to see here" traditional Dingly Dongly ice cream vans. In fact the other day I asked for the vegan option (jokingly) and he asked "Which one?"

2019 is year of the vegan, a Diamond Jubilee Vegan year. It's 75 years since the word vegan was first officially used and The Vegan Society was founded. If that doesn't call for a party, or should I say parties  - all over the world, then I really don't know what you are all waiting for.

75 years since Vegan was born - Diamond Jubilee 2019


For the first time since I can remember National Vegetarian Week just completely managed to pass me by unnoticed this year. There just doesn't seem much point anymore. Just going vegetarian doesn't stop animal cruelty, doesn't sort climate change and doesn't hugely impact on health if you just swap meat with cheese. No wonder the Vegetarian Society Approved quality assurance and labelling scheme now offers a vegan version.

Although my vegan sandwich, finalist in the British Sandwich Awards , wasn't the overall winner, Marks & Spencers, Greggs the bakers and Crussh all won awards for their new vegan products. and many others got a mention. I feel my job there is done, I can't think of anywhere there is no vegan sandwich option now, even our local gym. Nearly everywhere has at least a fallafel/hummus/chick pea offer and most have something more exciting leaving all the Pret vegan hallabaloo as all very last year.

A Star is Bun, Vegan Christmas Dinner Star Bun - Finalist
Anyway, get organising, have a party, organise an event, vote for your favourite new vegan things, let's celebrate 75 years of veganism, especially the last few years

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Biggest most influencial #WorldVeganDay #WorldVeganMonth set to Rock the World

Your help is need to reach over a million new potential vegans during #WorldVeganMonth which is kick-starting on #worldveganday 1st November. Please click on the link below to the one time vegan thunderclap

2017 has been a phenomenal year for the worldwide vegan community, google trends show interest in vegan in the UK has quadrupled since early 2015

Vegan interest quadrupled since Jan 2015

In 2015 there were around 30 Vegan Fairs, this year in 2017 there were 150 vegan fairs and festivals and yet despite this VegfestUK London was bigger than ever before with 280 exhibitors, hoards of caterers and a new vegan trade show tacked on.

Vegan fairs and festivals more than quadrupled since 2015

I worked hard last year and the beginning of this year to encourage retailers to make sure they followed Pret's lead and stocked a vegan sandwich. I think everyone now sells a vegan sandwich or wrap apart from Asda who say they are "working on it". Marks and Spencers renowned for putting dairy in everything whether it needed it or not (even the Sushi!) now have a great vegan range.

Asda now only supermarket with no vegan sandwich/wrap

I've now turned my attention to pubs whose accessibility for vegans has been made a lot more accommodating by Guinness taking the fish fining out of their world famous stout (Yes Draught Guinness is now Vegan). Luckily BidFood (formerly Bidvest 3663) one of the biggest wholesale  distributors to the catering trade has introduced some vegan desserts, vegan cheese and some vegan savoury items which has left no excuses for the On trade/Pub trade.

Brewers Fayre  - No Vegan Christmas Option
Other new vegan products this include new palm oil free vegan margarine by Flora , Ben and Jerrys vegan ice creams, new vegan dairy free cheeses by Tescos, Sainsburys and in Waitrose, a range of new vegan products by Quorn meat alternatives as well as a universal move to remove the egg from supermarket vegetarian products that would otherwise be vegan.


Vegan pizzas are not just being sold in Pizza Express, Zizzis and Ask but also beginning to appear in supermarkets too starting with Sainsbury's. Independent vegan cafes and restaurants have had to work hard to keep up with the new level of quality and choice now available on the high street.

The coconut craze has meant a whole new generation of ice creams, milks, yogurt and desserts that has left consumers with no excuses but to ditch dairy.

Oat products from Oatly such as the new Creme fraiche and the barista milk has further eaten into  dairy sales making the dairy industry less and less viable every week. The advertising standards authority finding that the slogan "There's no such thing as Humane Milk" was indeed legitimate was a massive blow to Dairy Farmers who faced with Brexit and loss of subsidies are literally at the end of their tether. Smart dairy farmers in  Canada and the USA have moved on to Pea Milk which has more protein than other plant milks and more calcium than cow's milk. Look out for new brands in 2018. Omega 3 rich flax milk is also a thing now.


Please help keep the momentum going and encourage all your non vegan friends to try going vegan for #WorldVeganMonth. 2-3 clicks is all it takes via facebook or twitter or just cut and paste the link


Saturday, April 01, 2017

EU Last Law: Ham Sandwiches to be Banned in Schools Hospitals

Ham Sandwiches to be Banned in Schools and Hospitals
Embargoed until April 1st

In an uncharacteristic liberal style move the Govt has been in secret talks to ban ham, burgers, sausages and other processed meats in NHS hospitals and schools by 1st April 2018.

In a 9th hour move the EU managed to sneak this new vegan law into the statute books before article 50 was invoked this week by PM Theresa May and thus automatically uploaded into our statute books via The Great Repeal Bill 

New EU Vegan Rules on Meal Deals April 1st
Until relatively recently ingredients such as testicles, rectum and udder were allowed in school sausages but regulations have been tightened up.

A typical recipe for school/hospital sausages ("pork product" made "down to a price" to win a local authority contract - Guardian May 2003) now looks something like this;
·         50% "meat", of which 30% is pork fat with a bit of jowl

·         20% mechanically recovered chicken meat

·         17% water

·         30% rusk and soya

·         soya concentrate

·         hydrolysed protein

·         modified flour, dried onion, sugar, dextrose, phosphates, preservative E221 sodium sulphite, flavour enhancer, spices, garlic flavouring, antioxidant E300 (ascorbic acid), colouring E128 (red 2G). Casings: made from collagen from cow hide

In the light of the World Health Organisation’s re categorisation of processed meat products (Risk: Highest -  Processed meat causes cancer IARC. WHO. BBC Oct 2015) and perhaps fearing resultant legal action from parents and school governors, heads of education and health departments have been discussing banning processed meat products.

Ham Sandwiches become Vegan Hahm Sandwiches from 1st April

The proposed plan is to replace all processed meats with like sounding plant based vegan products reveals junior health minister Ms Simmo Lay

Leading Nutritionist Dr Bin MaFoud says “In reality most of any beneficial nutrients in typical local authority purchased ‘processed meat products’ comes from soya anyway so a move to plant based alternatives makes sense”

“The food industry is now awash with very realistic processed meat alternatives that have same or better taste, texture and protein content than existing products. Patients and schoolchildren probably wouldn’t even realise they are being given plant based alternatives.”

“Menus would need to be re written with just omitting or adding one letter for trade description reasons so thus sausage becomes sossage, chicken becomes chikken, mince and burgers stays the same as does Hot Dog, ham becomes hahm and chorizo becomes Chorriso” Says professor of food psychology Professor Joe King

Many sandwich providers are ahead of the game already offering Vegan options


School Packed lunches will not escape in case children swap food and schools risk being held responsible for future cancer risk. Ham sandwiches will join the school ban on chocolate and crisps that already exists in schools along with salami, sausages, bacon, beefburgers and hamburgers, chicken nuggets and pepperami.

Ofsted will have the policing of new health standards in schools added to their list of responsibilities but it is not yet clear who will police the standards of food in hospitals as currently hospitals don’t appear to have many standards for the quality of food.

A Daily Mail reader, Ivor Beef, 68, from Barking, Essex said "If the EU thinks my son is going to eat more vegetables then they've go another think coming. Eating sausages and bacon and ham is a basic British human right along with bent bananas and blue passports. If  British citizens want to increase their risk of heart disease, stroke, cancers and diabetes than that's their sovereign right and the Euros can bog off back across the channel with their daft liberal ideas about saving the planet and national health.

Karin Ridgers Founder of VeggieVison TV adds, “Luckily there is a plant based version of everything nowadays so no one need miss out on taste and texture, the animals and planet will thank you and you could live longer too.”

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/how-healthy-eating-prevents-cancer

Date:  April 1st

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Marks and Spencer's Vegan Salad Sandwich Goes Viral

Food manufacturing, food service hospitality and retailers should take note.

Apparently now all you have to do is bring out a salad sandwich and it's National News!

Finally after many years of badgering Marks and Spencers / M&S made a sandwich without a little bit of dairy in it, a habit which has been annoying vegans for a very long time.

Huff Post
Metro
DublinLive
TheSun
DailyMail
ColchesterGazette
ClearlyVeg

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Vegan Call for Marmite Label to say 100% vegan

Marmite

Vegans ask; Please change marmite label to read 100% vegan not 100% vegetarian. Please note exploding vegan trends and come out of the closet on marmite's vegan status.

Is Marmite Vegan ? Yes! Why doesn't it say 100% vegan?
Interest in veganism double in two years, then doubled in 12 months and at the beginning of 2017 during Veganuary doubled again. VegfestUK Vegan Festivals have seen record numbers of visitors despite many new vegan festivals springing up all over the UK, 

It's time Marmite took note and changed the label to 100% vegan.

Please sign petition via this link here  - https://www.change.org/p/philippa-atkinson-marmite-brand-manager-change-marmite-label-to-100-per-cent-vegan-instead-of-100-percent-vegetarian?recruiter=197089711&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink



Rates of interest in veganism have seem phenomenal increase not just in the UK but Globally


It's time Marmite took note


Monday, July 18, 2016


A Mad Hatter peddles smoothie bike / blender bike at annual Beaulieu Village Fete 2016.


A very English, country garden affair in the New Forest the Beaulieu Village Fete raises money for local charities including Beaulieu Village School. Across the lawn 'Bill and Ben' the flower pot men made vegan pizzas.

The recycled Dutch bike, now a peddle powered blender / smoothie bike offered a chance to grab 2 of your 5 a day, made with banana, strawberries and coconut milk.

(Beaulieu Natural Health and Nutrition Clinic, Foods for Life)

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Interest in Veganism Treble Interest in Vegetarian as Vegan Trend Doubles in 12 months

No stopping the rise in vegan now

According to Google trends, interest in the search term 'vegan' has doubled in the last 12 months alone having already quadrupled in the previous 4 years.

Interest in Vegan quadrupled, then doubled again since April 2015
Record number of Vegans

 VegfestUK exhibitions and festivals are seeing record crowds even though many other vegan festivals and shows are popping up in cities all over the UK and Ireland. Interest in vegan food, clothing, cosmetics and fashion as well as vegan politics has never been so high.

Similar vegan trends are being seen all over the world, not just Europe and the USA.

Treble Top 

Interest in veganism is now running at nearly three times than of the search term 'vegetarian'  . All restaurants need to re think their menus as a vegetarian lasagne just doesn't cut it anymore. Just substituting the meat for a bit of Feta, Goats cheese or Haloumi is ..Yawn, just, Yawn, too lazy.

More than double the interest in vegan , often treble vs vegetarian


Eating Out Vegan 

Eating out has never been easier with a number of Restaurant chains introducing new vegan menus. Pizza Express has had a Vegan Pizza for some time but now Zizzis has launched a Vegan Pizza with Dairy Free Cheese which has left Domino's missing the boat on their chance to introduce the vegan pizza that they sell in Israel to UK high streets.

A string of household mainstream brands have announced their intention to bring out vegan versions of their most popular products, even Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Guinness.

Dietitians the new 'Extremists'

It's only a few years ago when local government and NHS health trusts were calling Meat Free Mondays a step too far. Now health professionals are saying it's not far enough. Respected dietitians, nutritionists and dietetic scientists have become overwhelmed with the scientific evidence that is bombarding them and reluctantly overturning years of post war indoctrination and revising guidelines. Leading Dietitians around the world and public health officials in Holland are now recommending meat only 2 times a week - That's five days less a week than Paul McCartney's Meat Free Mondays,  Meatless Monday and Meat Out Days

Science uncovering inevitable truth

Scientists have discovered and isolated the distinctive taste of red meat is from haem iron that they have replicated from iron rich plants. Soon you will be able to buy a veggie burger that not just tastes like but bleeds like a piece of an animal flesh. What excuses then for encouraging and sustaining the torture of animals with your shopping budget?

London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston Says "anyone who says they 'need' meat are deluding themselves, unless they mean it in a ' I need a drink' kind of a way

It's never been so easy to be vegan and more and more people are running out of excuses to stop increasing the risk to their health and the health of the planet as well as the inexcusable cruelty and death to millions of animals.

What excuses are there left for not going vegan?


http://vegfestexpress.co.uk/tabs/blog/2016/4/veganism-doubles-again-since-april-2015

Friday, April 01, 2016

Starbucks to go 100% Vegan says Vegan Chef



Starbucks To Go Vegan By The End Of The Year

London, Friday April 1st 1am BST

Reacting to news that the UK Government is now considering extending the ban on smoking in cars with passengers under 18 (to include processed meat products for Stoptober 2016), Starbucks have revealed their intention to be 100% vegan by the end of the 2016. This also supports NHS efforts to encourage people to eat at least 5 a day portions of fruit and vegetables following revision of ‘The Eatwell Plate’ and Dietitians recommendations on cutting back on meat to no more than twice a week. 

Interest in 'Vegan' now double that of 'Vegetarian' reveals Google Trends
  
Crest of a Vegan Wave
UK Vegan guru and health food consultant chef Tony Bishop-Weston from Foods for Life Health and Nutrition Consultancy says “Starbucks are not alone. Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream, Guinness, Quorn, Zizzi Restaurants, Pizza Express, Linda McCartney, Tesco’s, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Costa Coffee and Loving Hut had all added new vegan products recently. Tesco have a wide range of dairy free vegan cheeses. Grocery retailers were awash with vegan chocolate Easter eggs this Easter.” 

Fear of Litigation
Starbucks UK is apparently nervous that if the meat free Stoptober plans go ahead one of their customers could be prosecuted for consuming a Starbucks processed meat product in their car just because they like carcinogenic food and they have a child passenger. This would be a PR nightmare and these days with all the mobile phones and in-car videos it’s only a matter of time before someone is captured risking their life and a huge fine by eating a processed meat product with Starbucks branding. 

Bishop-Weston announced that “Starbucks UK vice president Jess Star called early Friday and said ‘We’ve taken the bold step to go completely vegan!’. Commercially and logistically it makes sense” said Bishop Weston “if Starbuck’s offer is suitable for vegans, then by default it’s suitable for vegetarians, those following the 5 a day diet, Jewish or Muslim patrons (who don’t eat pork) and vegetarian Hindus (who don’t eat egg) thus suitable for everyone, even Veggans sometimes called ‘Conveniegans but are actually vegetarians who eat eggs but not cheese” 

Starbucks New All Day Vegan Breakfast Muffin - 1st April 2016

New Starbucks Vegan All Day Breakfast Muffin
“We have struggled, not to find vegan alternatives, but to find vegan products at the very low prices that Starbucks need to make a profit in such a competitive market.” admits Bishop-Weston. “The solution was for Starbucks to make some of the new vegan products themselves using Aquafaba (a versatile bean juice froth discovered by Goose Wohlt in the USA) and 5 portions of fruit and vegetables. We have managed to make delicious egg free fried egg, soysages, dairy free cheese and meat free bacon all from Aquafaba and put them all together into an all-day vegan full English breakfast muffin which will be Starbucks UK new flagship vegan product”

Boaty McBoatface Vegan Iceberg Fruitcake
Other new products could include a dessert tribute to the ‘Boaty McBoatface’ National Environment Research Council (NERC) £200 million polar research vessel with a meringue iceberg made with Aquafaba and a berry fruit cake boat cracking through it. Also planned is a dark chocolate Dunkin Doughnuts style vegan chocolate mars bar fruitcake 

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Veganuary 2016 Media Storm For a Happy Vegan New Year

We doubt the people behind Veganuary, Matthew Glover and Jane Land, the 'start the year vegan' , go vegan, be vegan , stay vegan campaign,  could have dreamt of a better beginning to 2016. 

There has been unprecedented publicity for the vegan campaign that rides on a crest of a wave of New Years resolutions and fanatical January detoxing.

Veganism has always been the big white elephant in the room it offers so many solutions for those wanting to live more ethical lives and be kinder to health, the environment and of course animals, fellow earthlings. Something seems to have clicked this year though and it seems to have captured everyone's imagination and sense of reason and logic with a resounding 'Why not?'

Predictions so far, are, that at least 50,000 people will go vegan this January Veganuary. That's more than the total of all the visitors to the 100% vegan VegfestUK festivals in  Brighton, Bristol, London and Glasgow in 2015 which averaged about 10,000 people per show (London Vegfest at Olympia saw 12,000 through the doors)

Here's a round up of just some of the amazing Veganuary coverage so far.

In the Daily Mail





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3382763/New-campaign-Veganuary-sees-vegan-curious-cutting-meat-fish-dairy-month.html

Hello Magazine




http://www.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/2016010729062/veganuary-january-vegan-diet/

The Daily Telegraph


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/12078341/Thousands-giving-up-all-animal-products-for-a-month-as-part-of-Veganuary.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/healthy-recipes/11298797/Veganuary-three-mouth-watering-vegan-recipes.html

The Metro






http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/04/10-delicious-vegan-breakfast-recipes-ideal-for-veganuary-or-any-time-of-year-5598713/

http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/08/10-delicious-and-filling-vegan-dinner-recipes-5600980/

http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/02/the-best-high-protein-vegan-meat-alternatives-in-the-supermarket-5593893/

The Times




http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article4653771.ece

The Sunday Times ( Out Daily Mailing the Daily Mail with a pathetic attempt at dismissal)


http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article1654185.ece


ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/veganuary-vegan-full-month/story?id=27924338

The EastBourne Herald
http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/columnists/helen-burton-new-year-new-vegan-diet-1-7144327

There's even a Veganuary Soundtrack as Hitthefloor.com have put together a collection of Vegan Veganuary Songs.

Google Trends now shows twice as much interest for vegan as vegetarian and not just in the UK but all over the planet. The features and PR for Veganuary have not been confined to the UK either. There have been Veganuary articles in The USA, Canada, India , Australia and New Zealand too. It seems the whole world is becoming more vegan friendly


Of course not all the PR has been favourable Harpers Bazaar managed to find a bizarre nutritionist to bizarrely agree to equate protein rich lentils with doughnuts, whilst Time Out magazine equally bizarrely equated Veganuary with eating vaginas....?

More sensibly lots of new Vegan Society registered products are hitting the shop shelves too for veganuary. Joining Ikea's new Vegan Meatballs, the Vegan Quorn Chicken-less Pieces and the Pizza Express vegan Pizza is the Costa Coffee fruit slice.

Costa Coffee's new Vegan Society registered fruit slice out for veganuary



Sunday, September 27, 2015

Vegan Overtakes Vegetarian as Doctors, Midwives, Dietitians and Nutritionists Urged to Seek Facts

Interest in vegan diets has finally overtaken vegetarian in the UK as a combined effort from public events such as VegfestUK, the work of the UK Vegan Society and documentaries such as Cowspiracy, Forks Over knives and Earthlings has swayed public opinion.

Vegan Overtakes Vegetarian in UK. Doctors & Dietitians Urged to Seek Facts
Despite the mounting evidence that a balanced vegan diet is much healthier than average a worrying stubborn hard-core of Doctors, midwives, dietitians and nutritionists continue to discourage patients from continuing on a vegan diet or even from breastfeeding.

This contravenes all health professional guidance on due diligence and best practice. Governing bodies of health professionals are urged to ensure that their members are aware of all the latest evidence based facts on vegan diets including the availability of nutritional tools such as vegan Vitamin D3 from Lichen and Omega 3 EPA and DHA from algae.

Presently only one professional body, The British Dietetic Association, has publicly undertaken to work with the UK Vegan Society to ensure it's members are fully up to date with the facts on vegan diets rather than the urban myths that abound.

Vegfest UK at London Olympia on 10th October and Glasgow SECC on 5th December will be hosting a health summit, bringing together leading dietetic and nutrition experts to help health professionals bring their knowledge up to date with the facts and evidence based research on vegan diets.






Details on the Health Summits can be found http://www.vegfest.co.uk

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

News: Chef Searches for 1990s Fans After The Vegan Cookbook Nominated for Award

RushPRNews: Chef Searches for 1990s Fans After The Vegan Cookbook Nominated for Award


Vegan Chef searches for former guests of award winning boutique and idiosyncaratic Highland hotel Taigh Na Mara Vegan Guesthouse Nr Ullapool. He has apealled to newspapers such as The Herald and The Scotsman to try and track down thousands of guests from mainly Glasgow , Edinburgh and all over the USA from cities such as New Yoork and San Francisco

The chef , Tony Bishop-Weston (nee Weston) wants former guests to vote for his cookbook, The Vegan Cookbook, published by Hamlyn that has been nominated for 'The Best Vegan Cookbook Award' by VegfestUK to be presented at Vegfest London at Olympia on Saturday 10th October.

Former fans of Taigh Na Mara Guesthouse Lochbroom can vote here http://www.vegfest.co.uk/vote for the next few days only

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Vote for vegan cookbook nominated best vegan cookbook

Please please vote for The vegan Cookbook nominated  Best vegan cook book by Vegfest UK http://www.vegfest.co.uk/vote

Cookbook is available on kindle too for only a few £s

Please vote for the vegan cookbook