12 Ways To Do Veganuary
THE TREAT:
Crème London
Crème London now has two stores in the capital, thanks to its latest site in Notting Hill. The bakery – founded by three French friends – puts a French twist on American classic desserts and is famed for its giant, gooey, chocolate-studded cookies. Alongside its popular flavours such as Miso & White Chocolate and Classic Milk Chocolate, there are its Vegan Double Chocolate cookies, which are freshly baked each morning. If you don’t live in London, nationwide free delivery is also available.
Visit CremeLondon.com
THE DISH:
Fatt Pundit
Cult favourite Indo-Chinese restaurant Fatt Pundit has created a dedicated vegan menu to ensure diners with all dietary requirements don’t miss out on some of its most iconic dishes. Guests at its Soho and Covent Garden sites can try street-food staple momos with tofu and mixed vegetables; Bombay chilli mock chicken with celery; Szechuan chilli and mixed peppers; and – best of all – the kitchen’s showstopping Sizzling Brownie.
Visit FattPundit.co.uk
JW HOWARD
THE NEW RESTAURANT:
Edit
Edit is an upcoming hyper-seasonal veg-forward restaurant from architect-turned-restaurateur Elly Ward. The Hackney kitchen will be led by chefs Fabrice Jacquet and Beth Olivier, who together with Elly have created a concise list of modern British plant-based dishes using ingredients sourced from local small-scale farms, foragers and independent producers. In January, diners can expect small plates such as roasted salsify with smoked aioli, crispy kalettes with purple potato mash and beetroot à trois; followed by larger plates of wild mushroom fricassée with creamed barley and wilted chard; salt-baked turnip with lentil ragu; and seaweed-cured celeriac with oyster leaf and radish.
Visit Edit.London
THE SUPERMARKET FIND:
Eatplanted
Trying vegan food at home? Eatplanted’s products are made from 100% natural ingredients using a winning combination of proteins from peas, sunflowers and oats to create alternative meats. They include dietary fibres while containing essential amino acids to ensure they are a high-quality source of protein. Of the collection, we like the sound of its new ‘chicken’ skewers, made from pea protein; and the plant-based pulled pork with a sweet and savoury BBQ marinade – ideal for burgers, tacos and wraps.
Visit PlanetOrganic.com
THE AFTERNOON TEA:
The Beaumont
Looking for a sweet treat this Veganuary? Head to The Beaumont’s sophisticated Gatsby’s Room for a vegan afternoon tea. The tea showcases exec chef Ben Boeynaems's transatlantic twist on the classic offering, offering vegan treats and sandwiches inspired by iconic staples from across the pond. Guests start their visits with a selection of delicate sandwiches served on soft bread baked by the Beaumont’s in-house baker, before moving onto freshly baked scones and a selection of indulgent cakes which continue to draw on American favourites.
Visit TheBeaumont.com
THE EVENT:
Meat-Free Mexican Supper Club
Mexican-inspired restaurant group Wahaca is giving customers the chance to try a selection of its most planet-friendly street food on the house. Breaking new ground in 2022 as the first British restaurant group to introduce carbon ratings to its menus, Wahaca has made a new year’s resolution to show people that moving towards a more planet-friendly diet isn’t as big a leap as they might think – inviting everyone to try free plant-powered dishes throughout January. Dishes such as ancho mushroom tacos, zesty bean and feta tostadas or crispy cauliflower bites can be claimed as a free dish when customers sign up for a voucher. On 18th January, Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers will be serving up a selection of plant-powered dishes at a one-off Meat-Free Mexican Supper Club in Brighton. The menu will include Tenderstem and Crown Prince tempura with jalapeño and lime drizzle, mushroom tostadas, tamales with spinach and yellow mole, grilled hispi cabbage with root vegetable mash and ancho relish, and orange ricotta doughnuts with hibiscus sugar.
Visit Wahaca.co.uk
THE AWARD WINNER:
The Flavourists
The Flavourists has launched a range of award-winning plant-based recipe kits. Created with plant-based proteins, all you need to add are a handful of store-cupboard ingredients such as rice, pasta, noodles and coconut milk. The quick and easy ‘Sizzle Strips’ range – such as the Great Taste award-winning Herby Green Pesto – can be prepared in ten minutes. When you have a little more time on your hands, the Recipe Kit range features Creamy Makhani Style Curry, Shredded Hoisin and Yellow Thai Style Curry. The latter comes with six veg and protein balls, a yellow Thai-style curry sauce, a zesty lime dip and a coconut crumb for added texture.
Visit TheFlavourists.co.uk
THE MENU:
Jikoni
Ravinder Bhogal, Nadeem Lalani and the Jikoni team will open their much-loved Marylebone restaurant for lunch from January onwards, serving an entirely vegetarian menu. The ‘Farm Fresh’ set lunch will be available every Wednesday to Friday at £28 for two courses and £32 for three. Highlights include soy-marinated Waltham Place beetroots with whipped tofu, pickled ginger carrot canerdeli and omani lime broth; potato and collard green pakoras with coconut kadhi; and Ravinder’s renowned banana cake with miso butterscotch, peanut brittle and Ovaltine kulfi.
Visit JikoniLondon.com
THE BAKED GOOD:
Vegan Social at Ole & Steen
Ole & Steen has launched its Vegan Cinnamon Social – a plant-based version of its bestselling Cinnamon Social. Just like the original, the Vegan Social is a soft dough pastry woven with cinnamon paste and topped with icing – instead of vanilla custard, it’s filled with Cremfil Silk, a creamy vegan custard replacement. Not compromising the signature buttery, rich dough flavour, rapeseed oil and shortening are used in place of butter, and sunflower oil combined with sunset glaze replaces egg to ensure the Vegan Social is just as moreish as its non-vegan version.
Visit OleAndSteen.co.uk
THE COOKBOOK:
Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg
Alexander Gershberg is a vegan chef, cooking teacher and cookbook author. He was raised in Israel and moved to Amsterdam in 2006. The forthcoming Plantbased is his first English-language book. To achieve a nutritionally complete vegan diet you need to include more grains, beans and vegetables in your meals. But what are wholegrains to start with? And what on earth can you cook them with? Alexander invites you into his kitchen to answer these questions and more, and to teach readers the secrets of plant-based cooking. His recipes are influenced by the flavours of Japanese cuisine, as well as the Israeli food culture in which he grew up.
Pre-order at Amazon.com
THE BRUNCH:
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is turning its Berwick Street site entirely veggie and vegan. And in collaboration with award-winning plant-based brands La Vie and Redefine Meat, two vegan dishes have been rolled out across all 13 UK restaurants this month. The Works is a veggie and vegan fry-up comprising Redefine Meat sausages, La Vie bacon, tattie scones, homemade BC posh beans, scrambled tofu, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes, while the Posh Sausage Sandwich is made up of Redefine Meat sausages, vegan smoked applewood cheese and tomato chutney sandwiched in ciabatta.
THE COLLAB:
Holy Carrot X Cowspiracy
Plant-based restaurant Holy Carrot is partnering with Cowspiracy – the American documentary which made headlines in 2014 and challenged the agricultural industry – for Veganuary. This month, Holy Carrot will be serving a limited-edition ‘meaty’ menu created without using any animal products. Guests will be able to dine on the four-course meat-free set menu which features ‘steak’ tartare, ‘shepherd’s pie’ croquettes, glazed doughnut and pecan pie for £40 per person, which includes a 20% donation to Cowspiracy.
Visit HolyCarrot.co.uk
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