Cafe Van Gogh


I am so excited to share with you my experience at Cafe Van Gogh. The wonderful Precious Vegan invited me to share this with her after a sweet morning of yoga on Southbank.

Where and what

Cafe Van Gogh started out as a vegetarian restaurant – celebrating more recently turning all vegan! As you can probably tell I was loving life trying out the hearty, home cooked menu.

Cafe Van Gogh resides in a listed building, in between Brixton and Oval. I was wondering why it took its name after the notorious artist until I discovered he once lived in the building around the corner in the 1830’s. A bit of history for you there. 

The venue itself has a couple of different feels, from the cosy cafe vibe inside with candles to the beautiful terrace outside with the trickling fountain and beautiful flowers. They also have a private hire area upstairs suitable for birthday bashes or work parties – with a view for soon to be BYOB. 

Social Enterprise 

Not only is it now an all vegan restaurant, Cafe Van Gogh has the added benefit of having a social mission. Being a social enterprise business, they reinvest in the local community by providing opportunities for local youth and for people with mental health and learning difficulties to gain real skills in the kitchen. 
They’ve now got a link with a local primary school in Brixton who supplies the kitchen with local, organic and seasonal vegetables. And to top it off, Cafe Van Gogh offers food nutrition workshops to share their expertise. 

The staff are attentive and friendly, advising us on what to order so we could maximise the tastiest treats on the menu. 

So down to the food! 


The menu is so varied with beautiful inspired tastes. The main influences are Carribean and South Asian dishes, alongside some veganised comfort foods. 

First of all the portions are so generous. So you can certainly fill your boots. You might like us, get excited and want to try a bit of everything. Here’s what we ordered:

Mains:

Sri-Lankan Pulled jackfruit and Aubergine stuffed chapatti, dhal, salad and pineapple chutney. This was a delicious blend of flavours on one plate. The jackfruit and chutney were a win for me.

Seitan ribs

Famous Seitan Sticky Ribs with grilled corn and bacon butter, potato and pickled onion and salad. This was in the owners words – hangover heaven! I found this was the most filling of the mains. It was hearty, sticky and messy – as far as ribs go. I’ve always been a fan of sticky BBQ sauce. I sometimes get a little weirded out by some mock meats but knowing what seitan is was reassuring. The whole dish was tasty especially with the well thought out trimmings. People often ask what’s the point in being vegan and having mock meats – but if I’m honest growing up eating meat, some meals bring back fond memories, despite the concept of meat making me feel a bit queesy now. I personally have fond memories as a child of sticky ribs from Roches Stores in the Square after doing a big shop with my Mam. 

Sides:

Jerk Plantain

Jerk Plantain with smoky beans, brown rice and mango salsa. This was delicious with the spice just perfect. 

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese – this side dish was made avoiding the usual highly processed vegan cheese. The cheese is made from a base of whole foods – butternut squash and nooch – it made this dish a little less guilty amongst our feast and more nutritious.

Desserts

Black Forrest Oreo Sundae – this was naturally my favourite dessert as black forrest has always been a classic for me. So nice that it is served up vegan here.


Sticky Toffee Pudding with hot toffee sauce and cream – this was so good and luscious as sticky toffee pudding goes. You might want to save some room for this though, if you can! 


Drinks: 

  • Iced tumeric lattes – so good we drank them dry of it! Ok it was a hot day. 
  • Oat milk latte 

All in all – gastronomic alchemists some might say. Cafe Van Gogh have nailed all the latest vegan food trends. You will certainly leave with a satisfied palate and a full belly. All this with the added satisfaction that they are making a real difference in the local area, which personally makes my heart sing! Cafe Van Gogh is a hidden gem amongst the hustle and bustle of busy London. 

They are also now running a competition to eat free for a month – click this link to follow to their website. 

Thanks to Cafe Van Gogh for this delicious food experience. 

Nosh Vegan Afternoon Tea

Enjoy a wonderful dining experience by booking a vegan afternoon tea at Nosh’s Kitchen, La Suite West.

Vegan Afternoon Tea

Having spent an afternoon at Nosh Garden Kitchen previously – I was really keen to return to try out the famous vegan afternoon tea. Many people had recommended Nosh’s afternoon tea at La Suite West – even on the Vegans in London Facebook group this was coming out on top for recommendations. I’ve written about Nosh’s tranquil garden terrace at La Suite West previously, part of the reason I was so keen to return.

Although it was a rainy London day – the leafy roof protected us and still enabled an al fresco dining experience. It is like a leafy oasis on the terrace.

La Suite West
Once again, I was not disappointed with the experience or the food. Nosh’s twist on a classic afternoon tea, a la vegan was a special treat to share with a good friend. Despite afternoon tea being quite a traditional concept, Nosh have made it contemporary and nailed it by offering a lush vegan alternative. Not only is a vegan afternoon tea offered, true to their ethos Nosh have options to cater for a number of allergies. Nosh specialise in superfoods, which are naturally preservative and additive free.

Served on individual slates, we had a combination of finger sandwiches, cakes, fresh berries and of course the delicious coconut cream. I had been particularly excited to try the coconut cream having heard nothing but good reviews on how delicious it is. There was no disappointment what was on offer.  Our waitress Maria, who was super friendly and helpful, explained everything to us clearly. Maria was attentive to refill our drinks and provide any extra favourite nibbles to us.

Nosh

 

 Nosh

Vegan Afternoon Tea – What did we have?

We started off with a refreshing glass of sparkling grape juice. We then had a choice of various teas and coffee, with all the alternative milks available. There was no limit on top ups – but you soon get full! I enjoyed an almond milk latte before sharing a pot of peppermint and a pot of hibiscus with my friend.

The beautiful platter included:

Sandwiches

  • Smoked tempeh and rocket salad
  • Scrambled tofu and mustard cress
  • Cashew nut cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil

Sweet Treats
The chefs selection of desserts 

  • Warm home made scone with fresh whipped coconut cream and strawberries
  • Gooey chocolate brownie
  • Carrot cake
  • Bliss ball

Nosh

The two most memorable treats for me had to be the smoked tempeh sandwiches, the gooey chocolate brownie and of course that coconut cream. We shared a top up of the smoked tempeh sandwiches as these were our favourite. If you’re full, you have the option to take any remaining treats home for later.

As always at La Suite West, the service is outstanding. The vegan afternoon tea here was a memorable occasion. It would be the perfect treat to catch up with family or friends. It would also be a wonderful surprise for someone’s birthday, baby shower or to kick off a hen do in London. I believe the vegan afternoon tea is well worth the value for money, as pure quality is delivered.

Not far from Portobello Road market, it’s easy to make a day of it. Despite the rain, we enjoyed visiting some of the local colourful houses in the area. You can book in for a vegan afternoon tea at Nosh right here at La Suite West.

 

 

Nosh provided us with this vegan afternoon tea experience. I was not obliged to write about it, however felt the need to share it with other foodies. I would return in a heartbeat.  

Golden Milk

Golden Milk
Ayurvedic writings suggests Golden Milk is a wholly cleansing, grounding and nourishing drink. Liver function, improved circulation and digestion are some of the calming and healing properties Golden Milk can bring, all while making the skin glow. It is sometimes referred to “Holy Golden Milk” due to it’s powerful ingredients. This is no surprise with all the goodness you can pack into this creamy, golden, warming drink.

What are these powerful ingredients?

  • Turmeric’s medicinal uses dates back to almost 4000 years in South East Asia. Turmeric’s powerful and vibrant curcumin is renowned for detoxifying the body and alleviating inflammation. It is therefore well known as an anti-carcinogen. A recent 2011 study further suggest tumeric’s activity in the body includes: antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-septic, anti-tumor, with added protection to the heart, kidneys and liver.
  • Cinnamon is known to balance blood sugar levels. It is anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and protects cognitive functioning. Cinnamon is thought to help prevent virus and infection.
  • Ginger enhances digestion and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body. It is also known for reducing joint and muscle pain, which is handy after a workout! Lots of women swear by ginger during pregnancy to prevent morning sickness – with modern research suggesting it aids with travel sickness.
  • Cardamon is rich in antioxidants and packed with heart loving minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. It is thought to give protection with cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and cholesterol issues. It’s easy to be weary at first of adding cardamon to a drink because it is so fragrant – however one little pod gives it just the right hit.

Golden Milk

Are the benefits of Golden Milk convincing you? Although a tumeric drink can sound off-putting, it only calls for  a little bit and the taste is balanced out by the other ingredients, like the vanilla and maple syrup.

It’s usually a go to in the winter months due to it’s warming properties, however equally as tasty all year round. It can  be used on your morning oats or cooled and drank with ice. I do find myself craving it’s goodness year round. It’s honestly such a delicious and satisfying drink. It is also more noticeable that high street coffee shops have clocked onto Golden Milk and started to sell turmeric lattes – the West are always a bit late with capitalising on ancient traditions!
I’ve tried and tested a couple of combos previou

sly, however found this one a winner more recently.

Golden Milk
Recipe (2 cups)

  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 4 tbsp boiling water
  • 1 thumb grated ginger
  • 1 cardamom Pod
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Drop vanilla essence
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Method

1. Dissolve turmeric in boiling water

2. Add all ingredients to a pot and simmer gently for 8 minutes – stirring regularly

3. Use a strainer to filter out any lumps into a jug

Golden Milk

4. Pour into your favourite mug and enjoy the goodness!

Some people opt for a sprinkle of black or cayenne pepper, nutmeg or a little blob of coconut oil for good fats. It’s fun to play around with the different ingredients to get your own personal winning combo. Make sure to add a comment below and share what your favourite additions are!

Golden Milk

Further Information:

Herbal Medicines: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects

Made in Hackney


I had the opportunity to attend a raw dessert making masterclass at Made in Hackney, Stoke Newington. I learnt how to make lots of delicious, beautiful raw chocolates, raw tarts and petit fours. Sounds fancy, and delicious right? 

But first, before I chat about the day let me tell you a little about Made In Hackney.

Made in Hackney is an eco-community based kitchen set up with locals at heart. It is a non-profit organisation, offering free and pay by donation food growing and healthy cooking classes to a diverse community, particularly inclusive of vulnerable and marginalised groups. 

Not only does Made in Hackney equip people with healthy eating knowledge and skills to benefit ones self and the environment, a sense of social inclusion is promoted. London, despite being a great city, has high levels of social isolation which can lead to physical and mental health problems. Coming from a background in mental health, I could totally appreciate the importance of having a community. 

I loved hearing the story of a recently widowed gentleman who’s wife had cooked for him his whole life. Although he attended to learn how to make himself eggs and bacon, he kept returning to the classes as they made a difference to him, despite it being plant based cooking! 

Made in Hackney also maintains an ethos of sustainability, with the foods used in classes being 100% plant based, primarily locally farmed, organic and seasonal.

Additionally, they provide training and volunteer experience – helping people into longer term employment by providing a space to enhance ethical food entrepreneurship. This whole model, if replicated, would bring innumerable benefits to local communities across the country. 

Made in Hackney promotes a real sense of empowerment whilst having a positive impact on the community. It left a great impression on me and left me feeling quite inspired. I could really resonate with it’s ethos and core values. And that was in addition to what I learnt at the cooking class.

✨ The Masterclass ✨

The whole day was informative yet informal. I attended the “Food For All” health food shop at 11:45, where Made in Hackney is located on the bottom floor. I had the chance to buy some treats in the health food store before commencing class at 12:00.
There was a group of around 7 learners, 2 volunteers and the wonderful instructor, Natural Chef Ceri Jones. Ceri’s approach was relaxed, warm and engaging – ready to answer any questions the group had.

Following introductions, we talked through the pantry essentials for raw dessert making, alongside the process behind it and useful equipment. We had the opportunity to observe demonstrations then built on the basics of making raw chocolates to the more skilled cheesecakes and tarts. All ingredients may I mention are supplied by the kitchen.

I loved breaking for lunch half way through with the group – enjoying some (ok lots) of home made hummus and a big plate of roasted veggie buckwheat tabbouleh with rocket salad and balsamic glaze – all freshly prepared by Ceri. It was great to chat to the others about their passions for plant-based living, permaculture, sustainability and natural cooking. 

We also had the opportunity to find out more about Made in Hackney’s journey. I’ve included founder Sarah Bentley’s recent TEDx talk at the bottom of this page about how she built this organisation. 

Getting back to the kitchen afterwards – we learned how to make pretty garnishes from fruit and other ingredients. Garnishing is always my favourite part of making food.

Another memorable moment of the day was at the end when all the desserts were cooled and ready to be eaten. Rather than tucking right in – we each took a piece of chocolate and tasted it mindfully with our eyes closed, allowing us to appreciate it’s texture and flavour.

Overall, the masterclass was a truly immersive experience. We all had the chance to put our own individual style to each dish. We finished up at 16:30 – and thanks to the volunteers, we didnt have to wash up. I managed to make the journey home without eating all of my take home treats. I felt the need to share them with the other half and not be a complete greedy guts!

What we made:

  • Basic Raw Chocolate – little raw chocolate buttons, various shapes and after eights, dehydrated blood arranged dipped in choc. 
  • Chocolate orange mousse in chocolate cups 
  • Avocado Lime Cheesecake
  • Individual Lemon Tarts
  • Apricot and ginger bliss balls.


 So by attending a masterclass at Made in Hackney, not only have you got a day jam packed with learning and delicious food, you are also contributing to this vital work they do with the community. It’s a win win. Remember you can book this experience through visit.org

Watch founder, Sarah Bentley’s TEDx talk here.

Also check out Ceri’s Natural Kitchen Adventure website for more raw food, seasonal and plant based recipes – although not entirely plant based – Ceri does provide some good recipes. 

Choco Mylkshake

This has to be one of my go to shakes!

It’s creamy, satisfying and gives that sweet kick you’d get from a standard milkshake – but only wholefoods used here, so completely guilt free – you can have as much as you want 😋

Ingredients (2 servings)

  • 5 frozen nanas
  • 1 pint almond milk 
  • 3 medjool dates 
  • 1 tbsp cacao
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter 

If you’ve not got any frozen nanas you can use some ripe ones and chuck some ice cubes in there to make it refreshing. If you’ve not got almond milk you could just use water and add some extra nanas for creaminess 😋

Blend all up and enjoy! 

I have to rate metal straws quite highly also – they make it so much nicer and refreshing to drink a cold drink from. You can get them from amazon as a pack of four for under a fiver – saves all those plastic ones going to the dump!

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil Uses
Coconut oil has so many uses in food and beauty. It really is a magical product and I like to think of it as white gold ✨

The virgin type is pure, unbleached and unrefined – taken straight from fresh coconut milk so it retains all its nutrients and antioxidants. This is why we always have a pot in the kitchen, one in the bathroom and a fresh one in impending baby’s toiletry bag.

There really are countless uses for coconut oil – here are some of the ways we use it already in hair, skin and beauty care and plan to use it with bubba. Some more posts to follow on yummy food recipes!


Hair, skin and beauty 
Coconut oil is an all in one if you’re looking to cut back on so many bottles and tubs. 

Here’s why:

1. Oil pulling: an ancient Indian tradition – swirl a teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth instead of mouthwash. It has natural antibacterial and antibacterial properties – while also keeping your teeth white 😁

2. Moisturiser: all over, just your hands, just your face, on your beautiful growing pregnant belly. Coconut has deeply moisturising and nourishing properties – and smells great as a bonus. The other half uses it regularly to keep his tats looking fresh. I’ve more recently been lasting it on after getting sunburnt! It’s so soothing. 

3. Hair mask: coconut oil can penetrate the hair follicles better than your average conditioner. Smooth some in your hands and rub it through the ends for half an hour before you wash your hair – or overnight for extra care. It will give your hair added shine also and lots of nourishment – like giving it a drink ✨

4. Face scrub: this comes with a warning – it is divine. For a one use batch – add two tablespoons of melted coconut oil to four tablespoons brown sugar – with a few drops of your favourite essential oil (vanilla is lush with this). Alternatively you could make a bigger batch and keep it in a jar. It is so good and a literal face food ✨ and big bonus of NO MICRO-BEADS. You could be tempted to eat this! 

5. Shaving/body hair: a very inexpensive, natural and nourishing alternative to mainstream shaving products. It has natural antimicrobial properties and is deeply nourishing for your skin during a somewhat corrosive process. Otherwise – don’t shave and nourish your beautiful body hair with a drop of coconut oil 😜

6. Makeup remover – I tell the truth! It’s pretty effective in breaking down all those tough pigments plied during the makeup process. I use the large oval cotton pads with a blob of coconut oil to get all the grime off. I even love smoothing it down my neck 🙂

7. Massage oil – if you can’t convince your partner to give you a massage – convince them by instigating. It feels so good melting a lump and watching it melt away into your other halves skin. 

For baby

Please be mindful that coconuts can be an allergy for some people including newborns 🌿

1. Nappy rash: a natural alternative for baby’s sensitive skin – without the worry of extensive chemicals in some products. Coconut can heal the nappy rash while also protecting against it.

2. Moisturiser: post bath ✨ again a natural alternative for little dry spots on bubba with all its healthy fats and vitamins absorbed. 

3. Baby massage: I cannot wait for this! Such a bonding time with baby – I will mix coconut oil with lavender essential oil for a soothing massage

4. Cradle cap: newborns are prone to dry flaky scalp – so a little blob of coconut oil can be deeply nourish for his head

5. That first poo! Meconium – which is apparently like tar that sticks everywhere. I’ve read advice to put Vaseline (um petroleum) on babies legs before putting on first nappy – we’ll be avoiding petroleum on our newborn and opt for this natural alternative. I’m going to put a small blob in a little pot for our hospital bag ✨


I was sent this pot of virgin coconut oil by Natural Empire and can vouch for its quality! It has certainly lived up to many of the ways I usually use coconut oil. 🌱

Nosh Garden Kitchen Review

Nosh Garden Kitchen, La Suite West, Inverness Terrace,
Nosh Garden Kitchen is tucked away in the leafy corner of Bayswater, located perfectly at La Suite West. This oasis is the ideal spot to unwind and enjoy a range of delicious, nutrient dense food, where a very special vegan menu is delivered. Needless to say I was in my element. 

La Suite West has perfect chilled summer vibes and it felt like being on holidays. Having taken a half day from work to meet my sister and a friend, we enjoyed an extended afternoon munch, while sipping on non-alcoholic strawberry mojitos. These were to die for. The location and experience was perfect for us pregnant ladies as we kicked back in the tranquil garden terrace. 

Nosh Detox
Nosh are already well established in the health industry. They have pioneered home weight loss and detox programmes in the UK with raw juices, while collecting many awards along the way. They provide nutrient dense, intelligent food while not compromising on flavour – I can vouch for that! 

Nosh now offers a number of niche diet programmes including low carb, low sugar, paleo, vegan, pegan (paleo + vegan), alkalising and cleansing. These are tailored in a holistic manner aimed to empower the individual to take control of their own nutritional needs. This is enhanced by the nutritional coaching offered.

It’s easy to pass some of these diets off as fads. However, there is a science and ethos behind it. Nosh have a great understanding of what food does to our bodily system, particularly the gut. I have a great interest in probiotics and maintaining a healthy gut so was intrigued to find out more. 

With such fine tuned, nutritious food, a mixed clientele have been supported through various problems such as chronic fatigue, allergies, weight loss, post-partum recovery in addition to achieving overall health and wellbeing. 

I was fascinated by owner, Geeta’s journey as Nosh’s founder. Geeta developed this specialised service following years of supporting her son through numerous allergies. Amazingly, he has gone from 150% to 10-20% allergies which is just one testament to how adapting what we feed ourselves can benefit our health immensely. 

I loved Geeta’s charisma and how she has turned her passion and knowledge in caring for her son into the public sphere – offering a holistic service revered by many, including celebrities. 

Vegan Carpaccio
I had the pleasure of trying their new vegan menu available at the Nosh Garden Kitchen. All of the foods we had were additive, dairy, gluten, egg and preservative free and naturally high in nutrients being primarily raw. Being almost 8 months pregnant and waiting to finish full time work, I can occasionally feel stressed and tired. It felt good to leave with a happy tummy and feeling replenished. 

Funnily enough nosh means to eat food enthusiastically – here’s some of the treats we noshed (devoured!):

* Nibbles: mixed Italian olives, activated tamari almonds and kale chips. 


* Starters: courgette rolls with pesto and tapenede, beetroot carpaccio with activated cashew cheese and capers 

Vegan Pesto Courgette Rolls
* Mains: Black bean and mushroom burgers, Vegan Caesar Salad with Tofu, Black and White quinoa salad with white beans and artichokes

Vegan Caeser Salad
* Dessert: Chocolate brownie with banana and vanilla iScream

Vegan brownies
* Drinks: virgin apple martinis, strawberry mojitos, fresh mint tea

Virgin strawberry mojito
With excellent customer service offered by La Suite West staff, we felt very well attended to. Our drinks never went dry and having such lovely friendly faces really did enhance the overall experience. 

Rumour has it the vegan afternoon tea there is divine – and the coconut cream seems to have gained some notoriety. I’m thinking I must return and share the experience with others. 




Nibbles and drinks were provided as part of a collaboration – a written review was not required, however I felt the need to share my wonderful experience. 

Vegan Makeup

 
I was asked by an old school friend to do a blog post on cruelty free and vegan makeup – which I was so happy to do. It is awesome that more and more people are purchasing more consciously. 

Dogs, rabbits, mice and rats are subject to allergy tests in the most sensitive areas – nose, mouth and eyes. These have little or no comparable results to that of humans and can cause burning, irritation, pain and death due to infection. This is why it’s so important not to contribute to companies who practice such testing.

I will be completely honest and say vegan makeup took me a bit longer to get my head around than vegan food as it wasn’t so straight forward. There are lots of smoke and mirrors around some brands who change their policies based on profits regularly. Some who claim to be cruelty free or who previously were cruelty free but are not anymore. 

And what actually constitutes cruelty free and vegan makeup? 

Cruelty free makeup is usually signified by the leaping bunny sign – meaning it is not tested on animals. The leaping bunny logo means the product is recognised internationally by the Humane Cosmetics and Humane Household Products Standards and has not been tested anywhere worldwide. 

This does not necessarily make it vegan as it legally can still contain animal products such as beeswax, lanolin, carmine and shellac. 

Vegan makeup means it is cruelty free but also does not contain animal products such as the ones just mentioned. You may find however that many cruelty free brands offer lots of vegan products – which is where familiarising with ingredients and looking online is handy.

There has been great progress recently with certain countries like Australia banning animal testing. The EU banned testing in 2013. However any product that is sold in China – has to by Chinese law be tested on animals. These include some of the bigger brands such as L’Oréal, MAC and Lancôme. Previously MAC were cruelty free – until they began selling in China where they test so MAC are no longer kind to animals. Profits over compassion. 

It’s useful to know the main perpetrators in the beauty industry – but also to know your options are not limited with vegan makeup – there is in fact an abundance out there! 

Vegan makeup, like all makeup is extremely varied. It ranges from high street to high end so you never have to compromise on quality or cost depending what you’re after. 

When replacing my makeup bag – I decided to either give away my old stuff or to use it up. I figured there was no point in wasting it. I did this bit by bit as I did my research and tried and tested some products.

Brands that test on animals:

  • Mac 
  • Benefit 
  • Lancôme 
  • Rimmell 
  • Este Lauder 
  • Avon 
  • Bobby Brown 
  • Clarins 
  • Dior 
  • L’Oréal 
  • Maybelline
  • Max factor 
  • Revlon

Cruelty free brands with vegan products:

  • Barry M 
  • Gosh 
  • St. Tropez 
  • Urban decay 
  • Kat Von D 
  • Anastasia Beverley Hills 
  • Makeup Revolution 
  • Charlotte Tilbury
  • Sleek 
  • Too Faced 
  • Face Atalier 
  • Body shop 
  • Tarte
  • Soap and glory 
  • elf 
  • NYX
  • Wet and wild 
  • Lush
  • Smashbox 
  • Models Own 
  • Real Techniques

Vegan brands:

  • B by Superdrug 
  • Lime crime 
  • Jeffrey Star 
  • Flique Cosmetics 
  • Arbonne 
  • Pacifica 
  • Ringana 
  • Hourglass 
  • OCC
  • Ecotools 
  • Dose of colours
  • Furless
  • Spectrum 
  • Geek chic 
  • Beautiful me 

A lot of these brands are available online – so it’s helpful to match your usual shade with this website: 

✨ Findation ✨

It’s an automated system where you put in what shade and brand you usually use and gives you what alternatives are available for you – clever right? 

I’ve included what’s in my make up bag at the moment – I definitely don’t use them all daily but have ended up with a few bits experimenting with new vegan makeup. 

My makeup bag

Face:

  • Arbonne – primer. Silky and smooth
  • B liquid foundation – great coverage 
  • Beautiful me mineral powder from H&B 
  • Gosh mineral powder with B powder brush (devine)
  • Autograph mousse from M&S

Contour/Shimmer

  • St. Tropez powder bronzer – swear by this and have done for years.
  • Barry M – strobe shimmer 
  • Sleek – highlighting kit 
  • Barry M – dazzle dust 
  • Too faced – powder contour 
  • I Love Makeup blush shimmer – Superdrug 

Brows:

  • Makeup Revolution – eyebrow kit

Eyes:

  • Barry M – Lash Vegas 
  • Arbonne – Bamboo Mascara 
  • Barry M – Liquid Liner 
  • Barry M – Shimmer Pots
  • Makeup Revolution – smokey eyeshadow palette
  • Too faced – Chocolate Bar, eye shadow palette 

Lips: 

  • Barry M – Lip Liners 
  • Barry M – Super Slick Lip Paint
  • Kat Von D -Studded Kiss Lippy
  • I Love Makeup – Lip Lave (Superdrug)
  • Hurraw Lip Balms

Nails:

  • Barry M – nail polishes are all vegan! So this is all I usually buy and have the best range of colours which last long without chipping. My favourite is the nail hardener which makes my nails super strong. 


               Barry M red lip liner 💄


                Wedding makeup no. 1

                 Wedding makeup no. 2 


             Barry M – strobe shimmer 

Au Naturel – because I love my bare face days too ✨

Vegan Banana Bread 

A very easy recipe that everyone will love 😋 make sure to use ripe bananas as this will make them easier to mash and give a better taste.



Recipe 👇🏾

2 large ripe bananas (mashed)3 tbsp coconut oil

2/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup almond milk

✨

200g spelt flour

20g ground almond

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 handful chopped medjool dates

1 handful of dark choc chunks

✨

1. Preheat oven to 200c

2. Mix all wet ingredients together

3. Mix in dry ingredients – adding the dates and chocolate once dough has formed

4. Add to a lined or greased loaf tin

5. Bake for 25 minutes

✨

Enjoy warm or later it goes all gooey 😋

We had ours later with iced coconut cream and fresh strawberries. The ground almonds we used was the leftover from the almond milk so no waste  🍌

Almond Milk

🥛 A L M O N D – M I L K 🥛
What’s the hardest thing about being vegan? Waking up at 5am to milk the almonds 😭


NOT! I did not wake up at that ridiculous hour but have actually gained a sense of smugness and satisfaction having milked almonds! And you can do it too.!

.

Homemade and everything – I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time but as usual procrastinate and just buy the pre-made stuff, which has minimal almond milk in it anyways.

.

Homemade almond milk does not disappoint – it was so creamy, fresh and delicous.

.

Recipe:

  • 2 cups almonds – soaked for 2 nights
  • Water to soak
  • 4 cups fresh water
  • 2 medjool dates
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Materials:

  • Bowl for soaking
  • High speed blender
  • Muslin cloth
  • Sieve
  • Bottle to store
  • Spoon

Method

1. Soak your almonds overnight or for a second night if needed to soften (place in fridge for second night)


2. Rinse before use – washing off all the released Phytic acid (browny colour)

3. Place almonds in a high speed blender with 4 cups fresh water, vanilla essence and medjool dates.

4. Blend on a high speed for around 2 minutes – make sure to gradually increase the speed and use the lid cover or you risk it exploding out the top like I did (precious milk lost – noooo)


5. Place sieve on top of jug, covered by appropriate sized muslin cloth

6. Begin the filtering process – adding enough milk through the cloth – using a spoon to encourage it through. You will see almond meal collecting in the cloth and the glorious milk filtering through to the jug

7. When there has been a build up of almond meal – take the cloth and squeeze the rest of the milk out


8. This process will probably be repeated around 3-4 times with the remaining milk – depending on size of your sieve and cloth.


9. Fill up the milk jug and refrigerate! Use within 2 days

10. Bake something tasty with the almond meal (recipe for banana bread to follow!)

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We used this almond milk on our homemade granola and in a blueberry smoothie – it was delicous! Have you made your own milk before? How did you find the process and what did you use? I hear you can use most nuts, some seeds and even coconut 🌴