London Vegfest 2014 Part 3

So here's the third and final instalment of my Vegfest posts. Apart from having a fab time checking out all the awesome stalls and stuffing my face I spent some time in the cinema area where they were showing some interesting documentaries. I had planned to watch one in-particular and that was 'Cowspiracy.' I had already watched the trailer a couple of weeks prior to the event and when I heard that they were showing it I wanted to make sure I got a good seat.

'Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret' is most definitely a must see, minus the distressing parts which I just couldn't bring myself to watch. You may want to look away during a certain part when they are talking about back-yard farming if you get around to watching it. Kip Andersen, co-producer/director of the film documentary does a heap load of research and discovers that animal agriculture is the leading cause of global warming and most of the other things that are going wrong in the world such as rainforest destruction and species extinction. It's incredibly eye-opening. Watch the trailer provided below.

I managed to catch a couple of comedians, one being the quirky and a little crazy Harriet Kemsley (look her up) and Vegan Smythe who writes and performs songs related to Veganism. He earned himself a standing ovation at the end of his very amusing set.

I should have made an effort to catch some more entertainment and talks, I suppose this is where a weekend ticket would have been useful. It's worth attending both days just to fit everything in. Overall I had a great time and can't wait to attend another 'Vegfest' event in the near future.

London Vegfest 2014 Part Two

There was a wide range of cooked food available at Vegfest, so as I was around from opening to closing I had both my lunch and dinner there. I tried my best not to fill myself up on chocolate samples because I had already had my heart set on a hot dog from 'Vegusto.' I wasn't disappointed, the hot dog was tasty and I was left happy and ready to venture on.

When I went to check out the stalls upstairs I discovered 'Big Fat Vegan Bakery'. There was a swarm of people around their stall so I went to see what all the fuss was about. When I feasted my eyes on some of their cakes I knew I had to have one. I chose the apple strudel and I loved it. Unfortunately 'Big Fat Vegan Bakery' is based in Bognor Regis, a little bit too far for me to travel for cakes but if I'm ever in the area I would definitely look them up.

Towards the end of the event I was feeling hungry again so I bought a Pad Thai at Bang Wok who were very enthusiastic when preparing their noodles. I liked it but didn't love it. I think it was because I was expecting it to taste like Wagamama but it didn't. The taste was a little sharp for my liking but it didn't stop me from scoffing the lot.

I wish I could have ate more as there were many stalls selling different types of food but I would have most certainly popped. So I took some photos of the food stalls instead.

London Vegfest 2014 Part One

Vegfest is a festival of all things vegetarian, vegan and cruelty-free and takes place annually in large venues around different parts of the country. I found out about it through word of mouth so I made plans to attend this year for the first time. I had heard good things about the many products they had to offer so I went prepared with my ruck sack in tow.

I arrived at London Olympia just before 10am for the 11am opening and realised I was third in the queue. Just half an hour later the queue was down the road and round the corner. Vegfest had grown in popularity and I could see why. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of stalls packed with food products, clothing, cosmetics and information. I was in heaven and I couldn't wait to explore.

I picked up a programme for £1 which gave me listings of everything that was happening. This became my bible for the day. I was also given a voucher to collect some Vegfest freebies which included Chia seeds, Love Beets beetroot juice and two items of my choice, Provamel almond drink and Bourne & Willis red cabbage. I do love a freebie and I'm looking forward to trying them out.

There were lots of free samples on some of the stalls so I took the opportunity to try some of the chocolate available which subsequently led to me purchasing a little (OK, a lot). I also tried some Sheese which was awesome. This was a new product for me as being veggie I hadn't experienced substitute cheese before, but I liked what I tasted. I must have gone around the stalls multiple times and I was still finding more products that I had missed.