The Veggie Vision Blog

Hiya! 

We thought that you would love to know about this fab new DVD.......Acclaimed chefs, Rose Elliot, Tony Bishop-Weston and innovative vegan chef, John Bayley present culinary techniques and recipes for creating tasty healthy meals without the recourse for fatty animal produce.

The DVD combines Rose’s approach to traditional and special occasion meals; with Tony’s every day simple meals; complemented by John’s creative approach to using raw food to create some simply mouth watering and nutritionally balanced menus.

The DVD is created for vegans, vegetarians and those wishing to reduce their meat intake. The DVD introduces comprehensive and exciting meal options other than the usually perceived vegetarian food options such as bean burgers, pasta with tomato sauce, nut roast etc. For those that are already vegetarian and vegans, it introduces whole meal foods, full of flavours, texture and goodness made with ingredients that they may or may not have tried before.

Extras on the DVD include dietary advice by nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston, BSc Dip ION mBANT, culinary equipment techniques used by chefs and a simple guide on shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. This DVD is a must have for all those wishing to implement healthy eating and lifestyle changes.

Please contact: Andy Kelleher

Tel: 020 7354 5320 Email: info@wdfproductions.co.uk 

www.thehealthyvegandvd.com

See you there!

Heather Mills is proud to announce the official opening of VBites, her innovative new vegan community café at Hove Lagoon in East Sussex. Young and mature, vegans and carnivores – Heather is inviting everyone along to VBites on Saturday 4th July 2009 to celebrate the launch of this exciting new venue for Sussex.  

Heather and the VBites team will open their doors at 9.30am ready to welcome the community of Brighton and Hove offering a creative & varied international menu of vegan dishes. At 12:15 a special opening ceremony will take place with words from Heather Mills, with Celia Barlow, the MP for Hove and Portslade, in attendance.

As well as being able to taste the full VBites range of delicious food and drink, visitors will be treated to a selection of live music throughout the day. Grandma and Grandpa will be able to bop along to a full Glenn Miller style band hopefully in the sunshine and as the afternoon draws to a close, the party will move inside where a variety of music with a DJ will take over to satisfy every musical taste.

VBites will offer a balanced menu of unique meatless meats and vegan treats with a gastronomic feast of dishes inspired by every corner of the globe. VBites talented chefs will be serving Heather’s recipes, everything from Bangers and Mash to Chicken Style Nut Korma, mini pitta pockets with Beefy Wok Strips to amazing salads and yummy fruit smoothies, a Traditional English breakfast, Pad Thai served with rice noodles, Saag Paneer with vegan feta cheese, full Sunday roast with all the trimmings and a wide range of delicious sandwiches including a ‘ham’, cheese and tomato toastie and a classic BLT.

To keep the kids happy, there is also a yummy children’s menu with a wide range of choices to satisfy even the fussiest of eaters. The little ones can choose from a varied selection including ‘Fishy Fingers’ or ‘Chiky Nuggets' served with chips and a choice of peas or baked beans (all of the chips served at VBites are oven baked) and Spaghetti Bolognese.

For those with a sweet tooth, VBites will feed your desires with gorgeous chocolate muffins, tasty cakes and delectable desserts. The café’s ice-cream bar will serve fruit smoothies, plus a very special VBites version of the traditional Mr Whippy ice-cream…Mrs Swirly!

Incredible, delicious, proprietary recipes and secret seasonings will change the way even the most hardened carnivore thinks about "meatless" meats.

Everyone loves a cheeky burger now and again, so Heather has ensured that the customers of VBites get the tastiest vegan fast-food on offer. A suitably healthy filling station, complete with serving hatch straight from the play area to the kitchen, will serve a range of quick dishes that are guaranteed to not only make your mouth water but be affordable too.

The facilities at the café are first class with a dedicated area for mums, dads, and kids, complete with baby changing facilities, interactive kid’s crèche, internet access and a stunning bar area where you can enjoy those long summer evenings.

VBites really is something quite special and unique for the whole community – so please bring your family and friends along to Hove Lagoon on Saturday 4th July and give it a try for yourselves. 

VBites
Hove Lagoon
Kingsway
East Sussex
BN3 4LX

Happy National Vegetarian Week!

Its been a crazy time this end – well what’s new!

This week Tim (Bristol Vegan Fayre) and I are doing at least 10 radio interview between us – the first was this morning and what a grilling I got! + BBC Essex is in for a treat Saturday morning when I take them in a good vegan fry up!!

We are flat on this end and will love you forever if you would vote for us as best vegan media at The Bristol Vegan Fayre – There are only a couple of weeks until the voting is complete so please do this today! )

VOTE FOR VEGGIEVISION TV NOW!

Also if you are around please support this fab sounding event put on by our super chums at SMTV to see “A Delicate Balance – the Truth”, in the presence of the Aussie Film Director Aaron Scheibner. Please see the extended message for full info....

Have a wonderful National Veggie Week!

Karin and the VV Team xx

Britain could be fully vegetarian by later this century

THE amount of meat being eaten in Britain is fast diminishing according to the latest Government agricultural figures.*

Viva! – Europe’s largest campaigning animal group – believe if current trends continue, the UK will be fully vegetarian by later this century**. The news gives an added boost to National Vegetarian Week later this month (May 18-24).

Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that last year over 13 million fewer farmed land animals were slaughtered in the UK than the year before. The group maintains that the trend is continuing downwards, with nearly 50 million fewer killed in 2008 than in 2005.

Viva! also argue that this fall is not because we are importing more. Figures show that consumption of poultry meat in the UK last year fell by a massive 67,000 tonnes (four percent); pig meat consumption fell by a staggering 74,000 tonnes (down by over five per cent).

Viva! campaigns manager, Justin Kerswell, says: “It is great that so many British consumers are turning their backs on meat and going veggie. However, almost nine hundred million animals are still killed for meat each year in the UK, most of them living appallingly short lives in squalid conditions and facing a terrifying death so we clearly have a long way to go but we are winning. Concerns about animal cruelty, health and the state of the planet are growing daily and vegetarianism and veganism provides a solution to all of them. It’s needed like never before.”

To find out more about meat reducing, going vegetarian or vegan, contact Viva! for a FREE Go Veggie Pack, by emailing info@viva.org.uk or calling 0117 944 1000.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

According to Mintel (2006), 5-6 per cent of the population is now vegetarian and the number is rising. A 2007 survey for Linda McCartney Foods, found that around 10 per cent of Brits eat no red meat, and there is a huge amount of ‘meat reducers’, with 31 million people eating vegetarian most of the time. The number of vegans has increased ten fold in the last 10 years, up to a million ***.

The average Brit eats 11,047 animals in his or her lifetime: 1 goose, 1 rabbit, 4 cattle, 18 pigs, 23 seep and lambs, 28 ducks, 39 turkeys, 1,158 chickens, 3,593 shellfish and 6,182 fish. Viva! provides help for those wishing to give up or cut down on meat. Anyone can check their own animal slaughter rate at http://www.timetogoveggie.com

For more information on Viva!’s campaigns go to http://www.viva.org.uk.

For details on the figures in this media release please see http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/publications/auk/2008/excel.asp (note: these are the most up to date figures provided by Defra and will next be updated in March 2010). Or contact Viva!’s press officer Helen Rossiter or Justin Kerswell for a breakdown on 0117 944 1000 or justin@viva.org.uk.

** According to Defra statistics 881,801,000 land animals (chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, sheep and cattle) were slaughtered in the UK in 2008. 881,801,000 divided by 13,035,000 (the number it went down in 2008) = 67.64 (the number of years before Britain goes fully vegetarian if current trends continue).

** http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/an-ethical-diet-the-joy-of-being-vegan-469964.html

Well at VeggieVision TV we say – have half a freshly squeezed lemon in warm water - grab some fruit, Brazil nuts, walnuts, have a fab smoothie with fresh and frozen fruits or an easy green drink!

Delicious!  

It’s pitched as the most important meal of the day, but with only 8 per cent of cereals getting a green light for healthy sugar levels, many Britons are waking up to poor nutrition, a new Which? report has uncovered*.   

Adults and children have a hard job finding a healthy start to the day, as cereal companies continue to add large amounts of sugar to their top brands.   

31 cereals out of the 100 looked at contained more than four teaspoons of sugar per recommended serving and only one of the 28 cereals specifically marketed to children was found not to be high in sugar (but was still high in salt)**. 

Morrisons Choco Crackles topped the sweet mountain with more sugar per serving than a Cadbury’s Chocolate Flake***, followed  closely by Kellogg’s Coco Pops Moons and Stars, Frosties and Ricicles which were over a third (37 per cent) pure sugar.   

Many brands thought of as healthy, such as Kellogg’s All Bran, Bran Flakes and Special K did little to bowl over Which? researchers.  Starting the day with Special K, for example, would be almost the sugar equivalent to waking up to a bowl of Tesco’s Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Ice Cream****. 

The report Going Against the Grain, published today, analysed 100 leading UK cereals.  Although sugar levels remained high, positive changes could be seen with reductions in salt content. Despite this, 100g of Tesco Special Flakes was still found to contain the same amount of salt as 100g of Walkers Ready Salted crisps*****. 

Other issues included confusing labelling, and questionable health and nutrition claims allowing some companies to promote a wholesome image for their brand, while failing to emphasise the high sugar or salt content******. 

Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which? said: 

“Breakfast is important, and some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don’t.  It’s especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy.  With such little choice, it’s a daily struggle for consumers. 

“Cereal manufacturers need to wake up to the fact that people want to eat healthily and provide them with the means to do so by reducing sugar and salt levels and making labelling clearer.  With over a billion pounds spent on cereals every year, it’s time they rose to the occasion. ”

Hey!

We get tons of great media releases and have decided to add the best ones on here while we sort out the system that will enable us to share tons more with you - We thought that this may be of interest.....

K x

Banks should throw in the towel, says Which? 

As the judges in the bank charges test case appeal rule in favour of the OFT,

Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith, says:  

“The courts have made it clear the banks should now throw in the towel. This case has been going on too long and it’s about time they tried to regain some of their dignity and paid customers their dues. 

“This whole saga has severely damaged the banks’ reputations. If they try to appeal in the face of such a clear decision, they will suffer further losses in the court of public opinion.” 

What will happen next?

The banks have the option to appeal the decision at the House of Lords. If this happens then the FSA waiver* is likely to remain in place during the appeals process. This means that all pending cases in the county courts or with FOS are likely to stay on hold and banks will continue to charge overdraft fees.   

If the banks decide not to appeal, then their Terms & Conditions will be assessed for fairness. Where current terms are unfair, the OFT will agree a fair charging regime with the banks – effectively placing a cap on the level of overdraft fees. This will be similar to the approach taken for credit card late payment fees.

 *The FSA waiver, which has been in place since the test case was announced in July 2007, means that banks can continue to charge people for slipping into an unauthorised overdraft while consumer complaints remain on hold. If the banks decide to appeal, then it is highly likely that the waiver will remain in place until the appeals process has run its course.

 Which? is the leading independent consumer champion in the UK. We provide impartial, expert information on products and services in our magazines, books and online to help consumers make more informed choices, and we campaign on issues that matter to all consumers, from food to finances, health to estate agents. For more information on how we can help you, visit Which

Hi VVV

Here is a note from our great friends at SMTV - Please do drop them a line if you can make it.....

We are organising a worldwide veg event on the 22nd of February. The one in London will be held on Trafalgar Square from 12 noon to 3pm. 

We will give speeches and distribute handouts to make the public aware of the urgency of climate change and to let them know that to stop consuming animal products is the quickest, easiest, cheapest and most efficient way to curb global warming. To attract more attention, we will have a 2 min "freeze".

Hope you and your friends will join! You are welcome to give a speech, just let us know beforehand please. And any handouts you may have, just bring!

We really need to work all together, hand in hand, to save our Planet!

We sincerely hope to see you there!

Well it’s another crazy week isnt it? – the UK comes to a standstill because of a bit of snow! I was just worried my hair would go frizzy but then we saw that there were no buses, trains were up the wall, schools and nurseries closed – and looks like there is more snow to come!

All I say is go back to your childhood and enjoy it!!

Recently we enjoyed the gig from vegan super star DRIVER – Debbie Driver is the singer, guitarist and songwriter. Please do check them out.

The gig was filmed for VeggieVision TV too so please do check this space! 

About to add a lot more content and tons happening at VV HQ.   

Again VeggieVision has been nominated for Best Vegan Media and we would love love love for you to vote for us as this cheers us up when its 3am and we are still working hard on editing, writing, working on technology and working out who to film next!

Please do give us your vote and you can do so every month until the super Bristol Vegan Fayre 

Click here now to vote for us!

Thank you!

With huge vegan wishes

Karin x 

"If you have the courage to step outside of your comfort zone, you will not only be amazed by the marvel and sights of the world, but also with the wonders that lay deep within yourself."

Rosanna Ienco

Hello!

A huge thanks to the guys that sent this in - We just think its FAB! Is it all completely true? - check it out and enjoy either way!

Cheers Karin x

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye.