Vegan nights London- A review
On may 23rd I ventured to London for the first time by myself and attempted to navigate the enigma that is the London tube with one mission in mind- Getting myself to Shoreditch to spend the evening at Vegan nights. Vegan nights is an event ran once every few months in London all for the members and allies of the plant based community. It is located in the heart of Shoreditch, fitting the edgy, boho type vibe typically associated with us vegans and, is essentially, but not limited to, a food festival featuring exclusively vegan food.
There were two major things that formed the basis of the appeal of Vegan nights for me, one obvious and one slightly less so.
The latter was a personal goal for me. I struggle with a medically diagnosed anxiety disorder and have recently temporarily stopped therapy since my University term time has ended for summer vacation and i didn't want to build new relationships with new counselors just for a few months, i wanted to see what i could accomplish on my own and travel has always been a big anxiety trigger of mine. Luckily i live in Oxford so travel to london is vast, regular and cheap meaning if anything for any apparent reason went 'wrong' i could easily swap from coach to train or vice versa and both were direct. The actual getting to London was smooth, the real issues started with getting the tube when i have never ever set foot on the London underground in my life but for Vegan junk food and a night surrounded by my type of people, i made it work.
I was strongly draw to this event because it meant not needing to ever check the ingredients of anything and having so so many great options all in one place. If i wanted a taco i could go and have a taco AND have it with wings too. The way the world should be. Unfortunately, the somewhat steep price of the ticket only covered entry to the event and i feel like i would be more likely to recommend it and to go back myself to a future Vegan nights of they at least included a drink in the price or a percentage off one of the stalls. But i did get to see a lot of dogs and be in an environment where people's concern for the planet and empathy for animals matched mine. The atmosphere was very homely and i suppose you cant really put a price on that.
A definite highlight for me was the Philly cheese steaks, an option i have never seen before in my months of veganism so i knew i 100% had to break the bank and fill the stomach to try them. No regrets at all, they were the flavourful meat substitute i've tried although i do wish i had room left after to try the tofish and chips. They came in a sub roll with an abundance melted cheese and mustard, all the flavours complimented each other so well and put me in the mood for a summer BBQ with vegan steaks and cocktails,
They had so many amazing options to choose from and i really wish i could go back and try everything i didn't get this time round. Soft serve, i'm coming for you.
 |
| looking super pleased with my juice |
The appeal?
The latter was a personal goal for me. I struggle with a medically diagnosed anxiety disorder and have recently temporarily stopped therapy since my University term time has ended for summer vacation and i didn't want to build new relationships with new counselors just for a few months, i wanted to see what i could accomplish on my own and travel has always been a big anxiety trigger of mine. Luckily i live in Oxford so travel to london is vast, regular and cheap meaning if anything for any apparent reason went 'wrong' i could easily swap from coach to train or vice versa and both were direct. The actual getting to London was smooth, the real issues started with getting the tube when i have never ever set foot on the London underground in my life but for Vegan junk food and a night surrounded by my type of people, i made it work.
I was strongly draw to this event because it meant not needing to ever check the ingredients of anything and having so so many great options all in one place. If i wanted a taco i could go and have a taco AND have it with wings too. The way the world should be. Unfortunately, the somewhat steep price of the ticket only covered entry to the event and i feel like i would be more likely to recommend it and to go back myself to a future Vegan nights of they at least included a drink in the price or a percentage off one of the stalls. But i did get to see a lot of dogs and be in an environment where people's concern for the planet and empathy for animals matched mine. The atmosphere was very homely and i suppose you cant really put a price on that.
The food
It was safe to say i obtained about 5 extra stomachs on this night, just spending all my money on the amazing plant based food. There were an abundance of options and if you have ever met a vegan then you'd know one thing about us; boy we can EAT!. Sadly i had no room left to try the donuts or ice cream but i did make room for; mocktail ice pops, Philly cheese steaks, Tacos, wings, Churros, tempah bites, A few struggling bites of a deep fries PB and J and fruit juices. I was quite proud at the amount of food i managed to successfully stuff in my gob and slightly ashamed at the hole i had made in my bank account because lets face it, there is so escaping London prices.A definite highlight for me was the Philly cheese steaks, an option i have never seen before in my months of veganism so i knew i 100% had to break the bank and fill the stomach to try them. No regrets at all, they were the flavourful meat substitute i've tried although i do wish i had room left after to try the tofish and chips. They came in a sub roll with an abundance melted cheese and mustard, all the flavours complimented each other so well and put me in the mood for a summer BBQ with vegan steaks and cocktails,
They had so many amazing options to choose from and i really wish i could go back and try everything i didn't get this time round. Soft serve, i'm coming for you.
 |
| a vegan Philly cheese steak ladies and gentlemen |
The sweet spot
One thing i really appreciated about the event was the balance they provided between food and drink and physical items. They had an indoor area behind the soft bean bags of people eating and chatting (And petting cute dogs) dubbed 'the sweet spot' which yes, contained sweet food like brownies and cupcakes but, upstairs they had an entire floor for independent vegan friendly brands selling clothes, accessories and home ware. All the sellers here were really warm and happy to speak to you about their brands. I had already followed a few of them on instagram so it was really exciting to see them and the products i had been eyeing up in person. When my funds are a little more stable i really want to purchase from some of their online shops.
Care wears is a personal favourite of mine with their bright colours and cute vibe, you can find them @care. wears on Instagram and the website is here- https://www.carewears.co.uk/
I did manage to stretch my funds enough to purchase an adorable cow pin wearing a flower crown which i really love and wear everyday on my jacket. Cows are one of my favourite animals and the souvenir vividly reminds me of my evening at Vegan nights so looking at it always makes me incredibly happy. This was a design by Alba Paris, @albaparis on Insta and the website is here https://albaparis.com/ 10% of all their proceeds go towards helping the animals at a sanctuary so it is another great brand. I have been feeling the itch for another tattoo and the designs on this site are really inspiring me to save up some coin for the body art.
Overall...
Vegan nights is an inclusive event really encouraging a plant based diet among British citizens and bringing those already committed to the sustainability of our earth together. I believe their events are growing increasingly more successful so maybe they will become more frequent and ideally expand to other places in the UK too, I wholeheartedly believe this festival has the potential to become huge. it filled me with so much hope to see so many vegans in one environment, more and more people are becoming willing to spare innocent animals lives which is amazing. I truly hope these events gain more attention and love because i would love to see them responsible for more vegans in the world as they show just how accessible a plant based diet can be.
Comments
Post a Comment