Vegfest London 2018

My experience at Vegfest London 2018, including all the things to do (and eat), my top tips for attending food festivals, and a food haul of what I took home with me! You can check out my Instagram’s pinned story highlight to see all the behind-the-scenes action of my weekend at VegfestUK London.

I have attended two VegfestUK London events, and both rank as some of the best vegan festivals/events I’ve ever been to! My first experience at a vegan festival was at Vegfest London 2017, when Rebecca (@thezestylime) and Becca (@veritevegan) and I ate loads of food and even got to meet Evanna Lynch. I KNOW. It was a dream.

In November 2018, I actually got press tickets to attend VegfestUK London on Saturday and Sunday (I cannot even describe how excited I was about this), so I spent a whole weekend at Olympia London with all the vegan goodness!

Things to Do:

Sample ALL the Vegan food

Let’s be real, the main reason one goes to Vegfest is for the food, right?! And there is so much food to be had! Lots of it is free as well, which is always a win.

I like to go around sampling anything and everything. From bars to bites, lattes to superfood drinks, sweets to savouries, and loads of vegan cheese, it’s all so good. Basically, I spent two days eating my way through the stands.

If I could offer one piece of advice on sampling: get to know the people behind the stands. One of my favourite parts of these kinds of events is seeing the faces behind the brands – the entrepreneurs and creatives, those who spend all of their time getting their products out there. It’s fascinating to hear how their products came about, inspiring to hear their journeys, and lovely to get to meet people passionate about vegan and plant-based food.

(Try to) Decide what to have for lunch

This can honestly be a very difficult choice, because there is just so much choice!

This year I was fortunate enough to go in knowing exactly where I wanted to eat, so that helped a lot. I had a friend working at Eat Chay’s stand, and their food looked absolutely incredible. So I very happily ate my way through their entire menu over the weekend. You can read my whole review of all of their delicious dishes right here!

If you don’t have any idea of where to start, my advice is to walk around and see what hits your fancy. If you’re with a friend, get multiple dishes and split them, so you can try more. And make plans to come back the following year to try something different because sadly it’s impossible to eat everything.

Check out the Talks/Panels

My first year at VegfestUK Awards the only ‘talk’ I attended was the Vegan Awards (because they were hosted by Evanna Lynch!). I just spent my whole day going around and sampling. Honestly, that made for an amazing day. But this year I had tickets for both days, so I had more time to explore what Vegfest offers.

In addition to the stands of food, there are also a number of talks throughout the entire weekend. Look through the Vegfest Programme (which is always published online in advance), and see if there are any talks or speakers that peak your interest. As a fan of Maddie Lymburner, I went to go see her and two other Vivo Life athletes – Bianca and Izzi – speak about health, fitness, training, and their own personal journeys. It was an inspiring and practically helpful panel, plus was a nice chance to sit down after so much walking around.

Pick up tips and tricks watching Cooking Demos

This year I also attended two cooking demonstrations on each day of Vegfest – because they were hosted by my friend Romy (from Romy London UK)! I had never watched a full cooking demo live at an event like this before, and it was a lot of fun. Romy did a fab job (I may be biased, but she really did)! She was comfortable, engaging, funny, and peppered the cooking demo with helpful tips for vegan cooking.

Meet Vegan Influencers

The highlight of my Vegfest London 2018 was definitely meeting some of my favourite Vegan YouTubers! Maddie and Kyle, Derek, and Jon are all amazing people. If you haven’t already checked out their YouTube channels then you really must.

Maddie Lymburner: I’ve been following Maddie and Kyle for years now, and their channel exudes positivity and fun. Their travel adventures are always exciting to follow, and Maddie is constantly sharing new plant-based recipes and fitness routines. I got to chat to them both throughout the weekend at Vegfest and they are such grounded, kind, and generous people.

Simnett Nutrition: I actually found Derek’s YouTube channel just a few months before I met him at Vegfest, but I immediately was hooked. His ‘Ask Me Mondays’ series is one of my favourites, covering a diverse range of topics and filled with loads of useful information. I love getting inspiration from his ‘What I eat in a day’ videos, and Derek is a master at adding in golden nuggets of knowledge on health and nutrition – I learn something new almost every video!

Jon Venus: Jon Venus and his wife Kathrine Moen are some of the first Vegan YouTubers I started following. I love how down to earth they both are, and their YouTube channel showcases vegan food and fitness with a healthy balance of treats and real life. It’s been wonderful to see them embark on the adventure of starting a new family as well.

My Top Tips for Attending Vegfest (or any other Food Festivals):

1. What to Pack:

• Backpack
• Tote Bags – to carry all the food you’ll pick up.
• Portable Battery Charger – my phone’s battery never lasts the whole day without a top-up.
• Wallet with cash – Some stands only accept cash, so make sure you bring some with you. I like to put a set amount of cash in my wallet that I’m willing to spend for the day, so I don’t overspend.
• A nice camera – This is only necessary if you want to take nice photos of everything. It’s heavy to carry around, so if you’re not too bothered your phone is probably all you need.

2. Arrive early, or stay later…or do both. It can get crowded in the middle of the day. The queues for lunch can also get particularly long around lunchtime, so try to purchase your meal earlier or later as well. I’ve done lunch at 11am and 3pm, and those times the queues weren’t too bad.
3. Get your free gift! There’s usually a free gift or goody bag at these kinds of events. I always head straight for the queue to pick that up at the beginning – just in case they run out. Also keep an eye out for free products. There’s often at least a few stands handing out some of their products to take home with you!
4. Do a little bit of everything (if you have time) to get the full experience – sampling, attending cooking demos, and a talk if you’re interested.
5. Chat to the people behind the stands – everyone is so friendly and kind. I always find it fun to get to know those behind the brands I see in shops, or on Instagram, or get to know new brands just coming onto the scene!

Food Haul

I picked up so many vegan goods at Vegfest London 2018, so I thought I’d list them all out for you as an example of (what I think is) a pretty epic haul:

• Free Vegfest gifts – Bamboo straw, Organic raw chocolate brownie, and @pukkaherbs matcha and night time tea bags
• @eatvive bars and samples
• @daiyafoods deluxe cheezy mac, mozzarella style shreds, medium cheddar style farmhouse block – they gave these out for free!
• @bonanzafoodco peanut butter
• @fullgreen.official cauliflower rice packets
• @good4unutrition energy balls and protein snack packs
• @frill.uk ice cream vouchers
• @lennyandlarrys The Complete Cookie – I’ve been dying to try this for years, so was super excited to find it at @greenbay_uk’s stand!
• @dolceladolce_uk almond pecan crunch
• @coconutmerchant coconut chips
• @mr_organic apple cider vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, grilled aubergine stir-in sauce, dairy-free coconut and hazelnut spread, glaze