So I had a great Saturday, there was a Vegan Food Festival being held in Reading. I love this city as a lot has happened to me here, but since I moved here last April, nothing this exciting has happened!
It was great wondering around and being able to eat almost everything, obviously not everything was Gluten Free but almost every stand had a Gluten Free option! I didn't buy something from every stand, however I bought some things that I missed the most, these are the delights I managed to get...
The first amazing cake that I bought was from The May Bakery, it was absolutely delicious. The cake was a Vegan and Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge Cake, now I haven't had one of those for years and years. To say I was in heaven whilst eating it would be an understatement, the cake was moist and crumbly for a Gluten Free cake which are typically dry. The icing was incredible, chocolatey, not too sickly and the perfect addition to the cake itself.
I wish this place was closer, but they are mainly based in Birmingham. I may well order online some of their cake though! Their website is http://www.maybakery.com.
The second and final cake (I know, I should have gotten more!) that I picked up was a Vegan and Gluten Free Brownie from April's Table. It was a great brownie, it was fudgey but not too gooey or soft, it had more of a cakey consistency than I would normally like from a Brownie. Although one can't be too fussy when cake is a rare commodity when you have the diet that I do. The topping of chopped nuts and sugar were a good addition to make the brownie a little more flavoursome.
I wish this place had a cafe (I'm wishing a lot in this post), but the good news with this bakery is that you can order. So if I so wish, I can order cake when I fancy it, although I might have to order an entire cheesecake, I am sure I can convince people to share with me! Their website is https://www.aprilstable.co.uk.
Just incase I didn't have enough to satisfy my sweet tooth, I found a fudge counter called Hartland Fudge selling Vegan and Gluten Free options! One thing that I really miss from when I no longer could eat Dairy was 100% fudge, I used to live for going on holiday to Center Parcs, Devon or Cornwall to get my hands on some proper fudge. There are some options from the shelf of some supermarkets but it's processed and pretty hard. This fudge was fresh, soft, melt in the mouth and I'm drooling writing about it! I only got Salted Caramel even though I could have bought a lot more, as I am still not that well so it wasn't wise to overindulge too much! But let me tell you, every bite was thoroughly enjoyed!
They also do some breakfast spreads, the one that took my eye was the Vegan Chocolate and Roasted Hazelnut Fudge Spread. That was absolutely incredible, I have no idea what I'm going to spread it on but there is always a spoon option!
Hartland Fudge have a sweet shop in Reading and seem to feature themselves at a lot of events in the local area. They are currently launching a website, so all they have at the moment are their social media links... http://www.hartlandfudge.co.uk.
Second to last, is my Vegan Strawberry Milkshake from Go with the Fro. Again, I used to be a sucker for a milkshake, I was known when I was younger to have a Nesquik milkshake before bed (waking up every morning feeling sick wondering why...). So when I saw a freshly prepared to order milkshake stand, everyone had to move out the way because I made a beeline straight for it.
The milkshake was lovely and fresh, he used frozen strawberries, almond milk and soya ice cream with some ice cubes. I am glad he used almond milk because I cannot stand the aftertaste of soya milk. This milkshake was surprisingly light for an ice cream milkshake and I managed to finish the whole thing after eating lunch as well (that's to follow).
This place is a food stall in Bridgend, mainly again focusing on events such as this one. They have a Facebook page to find out when they may be in a town near you... https://www.facebook.com/GoWithTheFroUK/.
The last thing that I will feature from the Reading Vegan Festival, is my lunch. Now thanks to my phone, I don't have a picture of it (it has a habit of deleting some of my pictures), however I can tell you it was delicious.
I had a Vegan, GF Tofu Pad Thai with Courgetti noodles from Vegivores, it was topped with spring onions and roasted nuts and oh my was it amazing. It was full of flavour, light to eat and tasted just as good as if you'd had usual soba or rice noodles!
Outside of the festival, their day to day is as a Catering company (again I hear boo's) which means I haven't found another restaurant to eat at. However, if I have a party, I know where I will be going and they are actually based in Berkshire so that is better than Birmingham! Their website is http://www.wearevegivores.com incase any of you have Vegan events that need catering!
So, that is the end of my blog about the Reading Vegan Festival. I'm so sad I had to leave it to go to work and that it couldn't stay year round because it really helped me reconnect with foods I have lost to my intolerances over the years. I hope it makes a come back next year with even more stands as I know I for sure will be going and I hope the stands that I have tasted open cafes and restaurants in Reading. The festival was super busy so the demand is definitely there!
The website for the event is https://www.readingveganfestival.co.uk if anyone wants to check out all of the vendors that were there on the day, as I say it was a great event!
Until next time...