Month: October 2017

Vegan pop-up kitchen with punk ethics

~ Paul ~ 1 Comment
Ribs
BBQ Sticky Ribs from Resist!

Resist! Vegan Kitchen feeds street food to hungry gig-goers and those attending special events in the UK.

Based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and run by Gareth, the kitchen makes everything from scratch – including the seitan – which forms the basis for many of the dishes. I love the idea of pop-ups and independent vegan businesses – especially ones that adhere to the DIY ethic of punk – something that has come to mean a lot to me over the years. But I also love the fact that people are spreading the vegan message by showing others how great the food does taste. So, I took the opportunity to ask Gareth to tell us more about Resist:

“Resist! started after I left The Scary Clown Presents (a punk collective based in Peterborough which promotes local gigs), we’d done Seitan’s Garden vegan barbecues at some of the SCP gigs and served food for all the charity events we organised with that. After leaving, I wanted to continue doing food and music in some form but leave Seitan’s Garden behind as that was SCP. I came up with Resist! Vegan Kitchen, where we’d do vegan food alongside really good intimate gigs with incredible touring artists. We want to support independent venues and collectives in Peterborough. We’re anti-fascist, pro-feminist, animal friendly, and want to promote that. That’s very important to us. We’re for the animals. Currently we are a pop-up kitchen doing takeovers across Peterborough, but also available for events, functions or gigs.

“At the moment we’re doing outside winter barbecues for the Battle Lines art events at The Ostrich pub, in Peterborough, this is more street food orientated I guess, so we’re doing donner kebabs, sticky BBQ ribs, slow pulled Jackfruit, burgers and that kind of thing. We’re hoping to do a sit-down menu event soon to showcase the full range of what we do. We love challenges, and if there is something people ‘miss’ since going vegan, or that helps them to go vegan they can let us know. If we can create something that tastes and looks similar and nothing died in the process then we’re winning.

“Battle Lines at The Ostrich is a brilliant event. The first event had a very ‘omni’ crowd, so we created a menu that was for everyone and would work there. It sold out within an hour. The latest Battle Lines had more vegans show up (and vegan discussions going on), which was a really great thing to see, it’s one of the best nights in Peterborough at the moment: Independent, creative, and with vegan grub to boot.”

Jackfruit & salad
Pulled Jackfruit from Resist!

Resist! food reviewed

I went along to the latest Battle Lines event and tried what Resist! had on offer. Here’s my short review:

The donner kebabs were so packed with good stuff, they were hard to get my big mouth around them.

Being vegan, I totally enjoyed the abundance of salad – and I’ve always been a huge fan of onion anyway. Adding the available mint sauce and a splash of chilli sauce certainly brought out the flavours.

Seitan – when prepared correctly – is a great “meat” of choice for a vegan kebab. Resist! Kitchen slice the “meat” thinly and it has a chewy, but not too soft texture. It’s great at working with the other flavours in the salad and, in particular, the sauce.

It is also telling that the naan bread used to wrap it didn’t dominate on the flavour front, but added enough bulk to fill your belly during a night out.

The Sticky Ribs are certainly very sticky. Time has obviously been spent on the texture of the seitan, which is pretty much perfect. They are chewy, but not overly so, and they’re not too soft. The sticky, barbecue-style sauce is sweet, but not too sweet with a spicy hit that doesn’t overpower the sweetness – but is enough to keep it in the realms of an overtly savoury offering. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a sticky barbecue dish.

I’ve tried Gareth’s Pulled Jackfruit before, and it’s a dish that delights every time – in fact, I make pulled jackfruit at home, but it’s never quite up to the standards set by Resist! Vegan Kitchen. Jackfruit absorbs flavours and takes in all the spices used in its preparation. I have no clue what pulled pork tastes like, but I’m told that pulled jackfruit is indistinguishable from it – just 100 per cent natural and cruelty-free.

meringue
Meringue from Resist!

Shirts for sale

T-shirt

Dan from the band Ducking Punches (vegan artist) has designed the T-shirts for Gareth, and these are for sale at Resist! events.

 

You can contact Gareth at https://www.facebook.com/resistvegankitchen/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @resistvegankitchen

Resist logo2

A film more important than Earthlings

~ Paul ~ 2 Comments

Land of Hope and Glory is described as the “UK Earthlings”.

It basically consists of undercover film shot in UK farms and slaughterhouses.

It’s harrowing, it’s hard to watch, it’s heartbreaking and shocking. It is also a film all vegans in the UK should watch.

Why?

Well, it’s free to view online – either from the website at the bottom of this article, or on Youtube.

The film is about 50 minutes long.

But mainly because the facts are laid bare. It’s a stark reminder of what is happening every single day of the year. Plus, everything you need to know to form a solid argument while debating with others is there.

These facts are also printed out on the website – as are links to where the footage came from.

So, if Earthlings already exists, why make this?

That too is answered on the website. The makers – Surge (surgeactivist.com – the group behind the Official Animal Rights March) said that people were saying “that doesn’t happen in our country” in response to Earthlings. This film proves it does.

I, personally, think that this film should now replace Earthlings in UK “experiences” as it’s more start, more relevant and will resonate with people on a deeper level in this country – this is their bacon, pork, eggs and milk.

Yes, eggs and milk. Make no mistake, this is a vegan film, not a vegetarian film – footage of the eggs and dairy industries are also laid bare.

It also dispels the myth that halal slaughter is somehow different to traditional methods of slaughter – stunning often does not work, and animals are still conscious when they have their throats slit.

The documentary is split into chapter by species – pigs, cows, sheep and birds. It does focus on farming and the use of animals for food – but there are other films available that tackle subjects such as animal experimentation and hunting.

There is a link on the website to a short film on fish.

Despite the fact this film was released earlier this year, it seems to be getting very little publicity among vegan groups on social media. That is the main reason I have decided to write this blog.

It is an important film. It’s modern, it shows what is happening on farms and in slaughterhouses here in the UK and it does not shy away from graphic, hard-hitting scenes.

In other words, it is vital ammunition in an activist’s arsenal.

It doesn’t go into the health benefits of a vegan diet (again that is discussed in other documentaries) and it would be nice to see a farmer try and defend what they do in a film such as this. I may think it’s indefensible, but I like to see a little balance just so the charge of “vegan propaganda” can be discounted.

I also think the fact the film lacks star appeal may put some people off – as does the fact that Earthlings is seen as THE animal rights film – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for other movies! There is certainly room for this – I cannot reiterate enough how relevant it is to the UK! It is notoriously difficult to obtain footage from inside slaughterhouses and farms, so this really needs to be seen by everyone:

By vegans to remind them of what goes on and to arm them with the facts.

By non-vegans to show them the suffering behind their diets.

See the film at https://www.landofhopeandglory.org/

 

 

Gosh, these vegan sausages are natural

~ Paul ~ 2 Comments

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Gosh Naturally Fee-From 6 Sweet Potato and Black Bean Sausages reviewed

One look at the ingredients tells you these are jam-packed with natural goodness. Although, reading the ingredients, or, indeed, the cooking instructions, is a challenge in itself. The horrible white on green print means that less than perfect eyes, or less than perfect lighting, renders the back of the packaging illegible.

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The big plus, however, apart from the natural goodness, is the fact that this product is both gluten and soya-free – in other words, they are suitable for almost anyone – which is great news.

Now, the name might imply blandness – I have to say that this is deceptive. Tucked away at the end of the ingredients list is two words that completely annihilates all thoughts of blandness – and also disperses any taste of sweet potato (27 per cent of it, according to the packaging) that may have been there when the sausages were first formed!

“Just tell us the words,” I hear you scream. Well, they are chilli flakes! Two innocent words that spice things right up when it comes to sausages. In fact, the heat is the overriding taste that takes control of your taste buds with every bite.

The fact the packet neglects to mention this means you’ll either be pleasantly surprised (like me) or utterly horrified. Let’s face it, not everybody likes spicy food, so the fact the box says “with a hint of lime”, rather than “with a kick of chilli” is a bit perplexing to me – especially as I failed to detect the “hint of lime”.

However, I could taste the black beans (25 per cent of the ingredients) – something which was a huge plus for me – I’m a big fan of beans, and sausages and beans are, of course, natural bed fellows.

They sausages are very dry, so a brush with oil before cooking is a good idea – as is covering them in gravy (especially if you wish to lessen the chilli hit), but they have a soft texture and a rusk-like taste and feel to them – again, this is a plus in my book as it makes them more sausagey (yes, I did just make that word up).

All in all, a pleasant surprise for me, but not one for those who dislike spicy food.

I got mine from Morrisons, and they are, at the time of writing, priced at £2.47 on their website – https://groceries.morrisons.com/webshop/product/Gosh-Sweet-Potato–Black-Bean-Sausages/389798011 – which seems more than reasonable to me.

 

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Where have all the vegans come from?

~ Paul ~ Leave a comment

The number of vegans keeps growing and growing and social media keeps uniting them.

It’s odd really – animal rights protests and protest movements are attracting a fraction of the participants these days in comparison to the ‘70s and ‘80s, but it does actually make sense.

Many new vegans are driven by celebrity culture promoted by social media – often this means people are vegan for health reasons – and the argument that veganism is a healthier diet is certainly compelling.

But there is certainly a rise in compassionate vegans – people who are vegan for animal rights reasons – and the rise in social media means that there has also been a rise in social awareness. Look at the reaction to the film Earthlings compared to the Animals Film – the latter was actually broadcast on Channel 4 during its opening week. At the time, of course, there was no social media, internet, or even mobile phones, so the Animals Film was only talked about in school playgrounds, offices and common rooms.

Yet, in many ways, the Animals Film is more important than Earthlings because it got there first and got mainstream coverage – and it includes footage of the ALF and hunt sabotage. It’s worth tracking down on e-bay.

One could argue that the huge increase in the number of vegans saves countless lives in itself – and it does. Vegans are everywhere. When I first became vegetarian, there was one brand of soya milk in my local health food shop – and it tasted like dish water.

Now, every supermarket stocks plant milk and most stock plant cheeses. Most restaurants have vegan options and veganism is talked about in the national press.

Even farmers have been complaining about plant milk being called “milk” – because they see the rise in its popularity as a threat to the declining dairy industry.

However, social media also promote laziness – anyone can share a petition, comment on a story or fire off an email – getting out and demonstrating, or doing direct action seems less, well, popular these days. That’s probably because electronic protest is so easy, or maybe it isn’t seen a socially acceptable – I’m not sure why.

The rise in veganism has, by many, been labelled a “middle class thing”. The rise in luxury foods like hummus and avocado as vegan staples hasn’t helped – the latter is over-priced and over-rated in my opinion.

The main issue I have with vegans on social media is bullying. People who are vegan for different reason, new to veganism and transitioning are often shamed, shouted down and attacked for using this or that product, liking this or that person and not boycotting this or that company – it’s a very easy way of turning someone against veganism. Gentle debate often produces better results – especially with people who are, broadly speaking, on the same side as us.

On the plus side, information sharing – such as where is good and bad to eat, where you can buy what and swapping recipes and cooking tips has never been easier – and sometimes, online friends can become real-life friends.

It is also true to say that film of animal abuse is now easier to share – you are not limited to TV as a medium and nearly everybody in the Western World can take video on their mobile phone. This means that animal abuse is very often caught on video and shared widely. The same goes for vegan messages and recipes – and definitely for vegan products – look at the Gary publicity!

So, which came first, the decent vegan food, or all the vegans? Well, firstly, there is no replacement for cooking from scratch and using natural ingredients. I, and many other vegans, eat too much processed food – because it’s available.

Supermarkets are driven by demand – and social media gives a medium to voice such demands – so, the rise in veganism can, I believe, be the reason supermarkets are catering for us.

The message is being heard and spread because it’s backed up by science, welfare concerns, health concerns and, it has to be said, the promotion from celebrities and, in particular, sports stars, as a healthy diet.