Hackneydowns

Hackney Downs Vegan Market July 2018

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My friend Karen and her 6 year old son came up to visit me from Bournemouth so we decided to spend the day in East London.

Our first stop was The Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green. If you haven’t been before I would definitely recommend it. They have toys from different eras and different countries and it will take you a trip down memory lane. There are also lots of interactive exhibits to keep youngsters entertained too. Like all the museums in London it is free to enter.

We then headed to Hackney Downs, we passed Love Shack just by Cambridge Heath station. I have been following their Instagram for a while and can’t wait to go there, it’s a chilled out space with hammocks, Miami vibes and of course vegan food!

We walked through the Downs to get to the vegan market which was lively but gladly none of the stalls had long queues. I opted for a herby seitan and mac wrap from Café So Vegan. The portion of seitan was very generous and the creamy mac and cheese was a great addition without it being too messy!

I had recently heard about Dope Soft Serve so on a day like Saturday with temperatures reaching 30°C ice cream was definitely needed! I chose the cinnamon crunch which came with cinnamon cereal flakes popcorn and miso caramel. The ice cream is actually quite thick for soft serve and very creamy.

I couldn’t go to Hackney Downs without picking up some cakes to take home from Vegan Delice. I got this gooey chocolate peanut delight for Husband which he really enjoyed.

And I had this brownie topped with a Baileys Almande cream. The Baileys flavour really came through, I was lucky to get one of the last ones!

I also stopped by Temple Goods to get an iced latte and I picked up a couple of croissants for breakfast as finding vegan croissants is so difficult!

I always enjoy my visits to Hackney Downs Vegan Market and my friends enjoyed it too!

Have you been? What did you try? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

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Hackney Downs Vegan Market July 2018

Hackney Downs Festive Vegan Market

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This weekend Hackney Downs Studios hosted Fat Gay Vegan’s three day Christmas Vegan Market extravaganza so we certainly couldn’t miss out.

My Sister-in-law Gemma decided to drive so we missed the pushing and shoving on the bus, tube and Overground and parked near the downs.

We started off with a mulled wine to warm us up. I’m more of a mulled cider person but this went down in a treat in my travel cup.

We were hungry so we quickly headed over to Temple of Seitan. They had two Christmas subs on, I went for the beef wellington with bacon, mushroom duxelles and mustard and Gemma had the chicken with stuffing, cranberry sauce and crispy onions. Both were delicious and the hot English mustard really cleared my sinuses!

After that we needed something sweet and I had been looking forward to having Vegan Delice’s fresh hot doughnuts. We went with one lot with chocolate and nuts and the other with raspberry sauce and both were fabulous!

I also bought my Husband an Oreo cupcake and I enjoyed this gingerbread person with a cup of tea later at home.

I’m already a convert to bamboo toothbrushes but Gem had to pick some up for her and my Brother. This enterprise started as a uni project and is now a full blown ethical business that plants a tree for each toothbrush sold.

She also picked up some make up as a present and was gifted a little extra too! I won’t show the items in case the receipient sees this!

Viva La Vegan were selling Eden Perfume on their behalf so I brought my empty bottle to get a refill (and a discount!), I went for 78 which is similar to Paco Rabanne’s Lady Million.

I also picked up a candle from Vegan Bunny. I had seen these as Gemma had got some for her birthday in October. I love rose scents so I had to go for the rose blossom variety, I also loved the jasmine scent which I might go for next time.

I also grabbed one of Fat Gay Vegan’s tote bags which I love as the text can be read up-side-down as well. I also caught up with the man himself and congratulated him on his recent appearance on the Chickpeeps podcast which I would recommend you listen to straight away!

We finished up with some cheese fries from Club Mexicana. These are gooey and crunchy but don’t leave you feeling heavy and greasy like dairy cheese does.

We had a fab time and it was lovely speaking to all the vendors and being introduced to some new ones.

Did you go to the market this weekend? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Hackney Downs Festive Vegan Market

Hackney Downs Vegan Market

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On the third Saturday of every month Hackney Downs Studios plays host to the Hackney Downs Vegan Market. I’ve been once before with my Sister-in-law and this weekend my Husband decided he wanted to come with me.

He was most looking forward to having a burger from Big V (which I’ve previously reviewed here) and some doughnuts from Dough Society.

When we first arrived we realised how many people were there by the length of the queues! Temple of Seitan were showcasing their bacon cones which lots of people were interested in.

We made our way through the market to where Big V were and although there was a long queue it went down quite quickly.

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There is some seating in the market but due to the numbers of visitors it was all taken so we went and sat on the downs next to the market while we ate our burgers.

When we returned we saw that Dough Society had unfortunately (for us!) sold out. It was only 1pm when we arrived at the market (which opened at 11 and closed at 5) but it just goes to show the popularity of events like these.

We weren’t disappointed in the sweet side though as we headed to Vegan Delice‘s stall to pick up some goodies. My Husband chose a couple of these chocolate hazelnut biscuits. I took a cheeky bite and I must say it was delicious!

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I was visiting a friend later in the afternoon so I chose a lotus caramel cupcake and a bakewell slice to share. I really enjoyed both these cakes especially the cupcake with lotus spread running through the middle.

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The popularity of events like these go to show how many people there are interested in vegan food and Sean of Fat Gay Vegan has said he’s planning on opening another market in another part of London.

I also wanted to highlight Sean’s policy regarding the traders who are at the market.

In the spirit of inclusion and for the promotion of people often overlooked/sidelined at mainstream vegan events, I have earmarked my percentage of stalls for those traders who identify as BME, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and/or as women.

To clarify, this policy ensures that at least nine out of the twelve stalls each month will be owned or co-owned by someone who identifies as BME, LGBTQ, a person with a disability and/or a woman.

Have you been to Hackney Downs Vegan Market? What did you think?L Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Hackney Downs Vegan Market