Those in the UK may already know of this site, but as anyone coming to the Uk is probably going to be in London at some stage, Vegan London will be very useful. So will London Vegans website.
...the Fourteenth Frey Ellis Memorial Lecture will be given by Stephen Walsh PhD, author of Plant Based Nutrition and Health, at King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street [close to Waterloo station] at 7pm on Thursday October 14th. There will be no charge for admission and the auditorium will be open from 6.30 pm. The event will be introduced by Professor Tom Sanders, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at King’s College...
Like Frey Ellis, Stephen Walsh was co opted to the Vegan Society Council, becoming Chair within two years, and has focussed on ensuring that the Society promotes healthy vegan diets based on the best available science–all derived from human studies and none from experiments on animals.The Fourteenth Frey Ellis Memorial Lecture,“Vegan Diets and Health: What’s the Evidence?” will highlight the latest discoveries and the remaining controversies.
Here's an extract from the notes I made at the lecture (which I have just posted in another thread).
RECOMMENDATIONS
- eat plenty of brightly-coloured fruit and veg - ideally 500 gms a
day which is probably more than average even for vegans
- get at least 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 a day - this amount is not
needed to prevent neural deficiencies but is needed to keep
homocysteine low (for cardiovascular health)
- take 1-2% of daily calories as omega 3 fats (1 tsp of flax oil will
probably do it - and don't use sunflower oil etc because the omega 6
in them prevents the body from using the omega 3)
- moderate use of nuts and oils, preferably monounsaturates (e.g. olive
oil), is likely to be beneficial
- limit processed foods, especially hydrogenated fats
- ensure you get enough selenium, iodine and vitamin D
CONCLUSIONS
- the health of vegans and other vegetarians is at least as good as
that of regular meat eaters, and there may be some advantage in terms
of heart disease
- growth and development of veg*n children has been shownt to be
normal in studies (with the usual provisos about sufficient calories
and essential nutrients)
- the benefits claimed for fish and low fat dairy foods can be more
safely obtained from plant foods
- biomarker measurements in vegans indicate a mixture of advantages
and disadvantages, and the disadvantages could probably be overcome by
following the recommendations above.
To say that Mildred's flourishes as a vegetarian/ vegan restaurant in the heart of Soho only because there are so few decent ones around may sound like a backhanded compliment - but it's not intended to. The kitchen team here has a good grasp of texture and flavour along with the myriad possibilities of a meat-free menu. They do detox salads, burgers, tarts and a terrific mushroom and stout pie, all light years away from the earnest gloop and sludge of old. But in other ways Mildred's is irritatingly unreconstructed - it's crowded, they don't take bookings and they don't take credit cards either. How very 1970s.
High point Great choice of organic beers and wines
Low point Sitting virtually in your neighbour's lap
Capacity 40
Price per head £20
Wine list £14
Vegetarian 10/10
Service 6/10
Music None
Value for money 7/10
Style Tofu without tears
Yes, Mildreds is great but I agree with the Grauniad that it's a shame they don't take reservations - we had to wait for about 1.5 hours once on a Saturday night. It was better before they moved because then you could wait in the pub opposite and they would come and get you
There was a favourable review in the Evening Standard this week of a new raw food place, the Little Earth Cafe, in Primrose Hill - I assume that must be vegan or at least vegan-friendly; it seems to be vegetarian. This link should take you to the review http://www.tobyyoung.co.uk/index.php?1&a=419
i would definetely recommend the restaurant just off chalk farm station- i think it is on primrose hill? i forget what it is called but if you google it you will find it- it is rich, delicious gourmet vegan food (does lacto-ovo too though) that has won awards.
please could you stop the noise? i'm trying to get some rest from all the unborn chicken voices in my head.
On www.vegout.info , theres the option to select a station and find the restaurants nearest to that station. Manna was nearest, and on Primrose hill. That site is gert lush.
Mildreds in Soho is a pleasant restaurant with a good range of vegan or can-be-vegan choices, including desserts. I was there last night and had a good meal except that I managed to order a main course that consisted almost entirely of lentils If I ate that many lentils in one go the effect would be... explosive. Also Saturday is not the best night to go because you generally have to wait a while to get a table.
If you want something cheap and cheerful there are several oriental "all you can eat" buffet restaurants, e.g. Chi in St Martin's Lane, which is completely vegan I think. The South Indian ones are nice too - there are a few in Drummond Street, near Euston, as well as a scattering all over town and another concentration in Tooting (the Kastoori is the best known one).
For a special night out the best one is probably The Gate.
International conference at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Westminster, London. Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March.
‘From Darwin to Dawkins’ will excite your interest, increase your understanding, probably change your views and empower you to meet the challenges posed by the growing global recognition of animal sentience.
Leading experts working in this field, together with key global policy-makers and ethicists, will address the implications of this growing knowledge base for biology and zoology, for the food and farming industries, for veterinary education and practice, for global environmental strategy - and for all of us as citizens and consumers.
Are you able to go Gert? It looks great and it is wonderful that this kind of thing is happening in the UK. I once thought that Australia was progressive but it's like the CD's scratched and we are playing the same old tune - there is no social progression anymore.
One day....
"if compassion is extreme, then call me an extremist"
Sorry if this place has been mentioned before, but there are two (at least) all-you-can-eat vegan Thai buffet restaurants in London (Camden and off Tottenham Crt Rd respectively) called 'Tai'. It costs a fiver for all you can eat and although you have to pay something like 20p for water, it's still well worth a trip. Last time I went with some friends from America who're also vegan and we sat there for at least 3 hours just eating plate after plate of the stuff. The mock duck dim sum pancakes rule. I felt so sick, but in a good way.
Soooooooo popped into the Country Life restaurant for a light snack (really) it was very reasonable for some salad, noodles and cous cous and tasty too. The cake looked great but a little too pricey, there were main courses but i was just passing through. Friendly people, but the restaurant is downstairs so without windows, and the decor is a little drab for my taste. Also there was some Christian literature around which i quite like to have a little read to see how unchristian most christians are,
i'd go along again, it's in a good location, didn't see any cashew nut and ale pie on the menu though....
There's also a shop upstairs with a fair smattering of goods.
Last Sunday a few of us went to Tai Buffet on Greek Street, Soho, in London.
Some of you's will already know about it, if not, its a vegan Chinese, Thai, and Japanese influenced restaurant with delish and cheap food. Its a eat as much as you like buffet place (and we did) with rice, noodles, stir-frys, salad, soya products, and veg.
We also just happened to find our way into The Chandos (29, St. Martins Lane, London, WC2N 4ER) and Duke of Argyll (26, Great Windmill St, London, W1D 7LQ) Samuel Smith pubs for a couple of vegan stouts.
Ah yes i have a couple of those in mind as places to go and visit in London. Mildred's is worth a visit for the cashew and ale pie, that is if they still do it, been a while since i was last there.
Vegan Campaigns is a new group whose aim is to promote veganism, primarily in the London area. Among the activities already planned are vegan food fairs, cafe nights, street stalls, meetings every two months in Central London, as well as helping to organise the London Vegan Festival 2005 in September.
For the Mclibel screening, see the Pogo Cafe thread.
Wed 4th May 2005 at 7pm, Mildreds Vegetarian Restaurant, 45 Lexington Street, Soho, London, W1. Loads of vegan food at this popular venue. Please book your place at our table by phone to the LV Info Line (020 8931 1904 - voicemail box 1) or by e-mail info@londonvegans.org.uk by Monday 02/05/05. See www.londonvegans.org.uk for more London Vegan events.
Someone has asked me to spread the word about this new place - unfortunately I haven't had time to try it myself yet but I have been told that the (Italian-style veggie) food is good and that it is vegan-friendly.
Bruno
=====
"good food is a celebration of life"
424 Coldharbour Lane
Brixton
London SW9
020 7738 6161
(Near Ritzy, opposite Satay Bar. Next-door-but-one to the Prince Albert
pub.)
When the kitchen is closed much of the menu is still available, just
some hot main dishes (such as pasta) may not be.
Vegetarian and vegan food, organic wines suitable for vegetarians and
vegans.
=======================
My informant is going to try and get hold of a sample menu but I gather that you can have snacks such as panini as well as full meals. Starters are about £4, main courses about £6, salads £3.50, desserts £3 - not bad for London!
Last edited by harpy; May 4th, 2005 at 12:13 PM.
Reason: remove duplicated text
I have now been sent a sample menu for the new vegetarian restaurant in Coldharbour Lane, Brixton that I posted about in this thread a couple of messages ago.
Unfortunately it doesn't identify the vegan things but one could have a guess...I am going to try and go soon as I gather they could do with a few more customers so I will report back on vegan arrangements if I do. I gather it is licensed even though wines don't appear below.
* Main courses: £6
> crispy polenta: topped with grilled vegetables, crescenza cheese
> Bruno burger: served with salad, onion, tomato, chips
> pesto couscous: served with roast vegetables, shaved pecorino
cheese
> mushroom risotto: Italian rice with wild mushrooms
> bangers and mash: spinach and sun-dried-tomato sausage, mashed
potato, red-onion gravy
I see young Miss Moomin has left it to me to write about our little lunch time meet up in Londres last Friday. I turned up at Hackney station in my Bristol vegan fayre shirt, ready to clash with Moomin and her t-shirt, but to the disappointment of my sense of humour (two people in same shirt (not literally!) and calling each other Moomin and Kevster) would have tickled me a little. Anyhow, for those of you interested Moomin was suitably attired in a very nice Summer dress.
Sooooo onto The Pogo Cafe, what a great place! Go there if you have an opportunity, lovely people, lovely atmosphere, and some rather nice food to boot. We both had the nut roast for a main course, this was after a banana milkshake for me, the food was plentiful and tasty, and to follow, i had a sumptuous piece of carrot cake, and Moomin had some chocolate biscuit cake.
The conversation in between was quite delightful, and a very pleasant afternoon was had.
Just got back from London (vegan food experiences)
Hi,
I'm back from my break in London and thought I'd report on my vegan eating experiences. I took some soya milk and was able to get toast and jam and cereal as well as plenty of fresh fruit and different types of breads for breakfast (I didn't have anything cooked). I was with meat eating family although was able to find vegan soups, salads and chips etc during the day.
I ate at three restaurants and all were fantastic. The first one was Thai Cottage in Soho, quite an authentic Thai place by all accounts, although they served meat dishes. I had a fantastic vegetable soup for starters, followed by a main course of bean curd and several vegetables with a nice sauce, served with fragrant Thai rice. For dessert I had bananas in coconut milk, this was delicious! The coconut milk was hot and I think it had been seasoned with a little maple syrup.
The next night I ate at Food for Thought in Covent Garden. I had been here a few years ago and thought the food was good. It was very busy with people constantly coming down the stairs to order food and I have to admit that although it is a vegetarian restaurant, there was only a few choices that were vegan. The food I had, however, was of a very high standard. I had a lentil soup for starters, served with warm bread and and a little pot of soya margarine. For main course I had stir fried vegetables with brown rice. Dessert was a gorgeous apple crumble, although I wished there had been some vegan ice cream or custard to go with it.
The stand out restaurant I went to was Tai in Soho, a completely vegan chinese buffet! The food was amazing, ranging from soya beef, chicken and prawn to noodle dishes, tofu dishes, vegetable dishes, special rice and seaweed. It was also very reasonably priced and there was a menu of exotic teas. I had a ginseng tea. Of note was a section of the menu, which explained the concept of Buddhism in relation vegetarian chinese food.
Many thanks to the 'Vegan London' guide that I downloaded and printed out.
Moving to London. Any Cockneys here? I'm looking for vegan groups etc.
OK folks.
As the title states, I'm moving to London on the 25th of this month.
Basically I'm wondering if any of you can give me some advice on being a vegan in the city.
I'm talking restaurants, shops, bars etc.
Also, I may be interested in any vegan groups that may exist there. Or just individuals even.
Re: Moving to London. Any Cockneys here? I'm looking for vegan groups etc.
I'm not a native Londoner but I have lived here since 1979 (dates me, eh?). I'm in SW London - do you know which part of the town you will be inhabiting yet?
There are quite a few restaurants that are either vegan or vegetarian but cater well for vegans. This site has restaurant listings that are fairly up to date: http://www.veganlondon.co.uk/
Vegan London, part 1
Vegan London
this week of a new raw food place, the Little Earth Cafe, in Primrose Hill - I assume that must be vegan or at least vegan-friendly; it seems to be vegetarian. This link should take you to the review 
If I ate that many lentils in one go the effect would be... explosive. Also Saturday is not the best night to go because you generally have to wait a while to get a table.
veganblue
but one could have a guess...I am going to try and go soon as I gather they could do with a few more customers so I will report back on vegan arrangements if I do. I gather it is licensed even though wines don't appear below.
vegan playgroup, london, UK?
Bookmarks