Making the Most of Apple Season
Plus a vegan food tour of London
Here’s my advice for surviving fall: find yourself a friend or family member with apple trees. My Mum and Dad came to visit this week, and just as I’d hoped, they stepped off the train with two plastic bags full of fresh apples from the trees in their garden. We did our hugs and excited hellos, but then I couldn’t resist grabbing an apple (with leaf still attached, so you know it’s good) and taking a bite right there in the station. It was so sweet, so tart and so crisp I swear I could hear my bite echo around the concourse.
It was Mum and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary this year, so in addition to being apple couriers, they came to visit for a little celebration. They’ve been vegan since 2018 and love food as much as I do, so I planned a vegan food tour around London for them. 3 days, 2 nights, 8 incredible vegan meals. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate (and to say thanks for the apples too).
So, today’s newsletter is a little hurrah for apple season, a little hurrah for London’s vegan scene and a little hurrah for Mum and Dad. This week I’m sharing with you my all-time favourite Apple Crisp recipe (the best way I know to use up two plastic bags of apples). I’ll also give you a virtual walk-through of all the places we visited on our vegan food tour of London, so you can repeat it yourself next time you’re in town!
As a thank you, paid subscribers get a downloadable/printable PDF of the Apple Crisp recipe, as well as access to an exclusive newsletter segment “Cookbook Diary”. If you follow on Instagram, you’ll know that last week I began development for my second cookbook! I’ll be using Cookbook Diary over the coming months to share updates on the process of writing the book, and I’ll even ask for your input selecting recipes, choosing a cover and maybe even naming the book!
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OK, let’s get started with a quick wrap-up of what you might’ve missed on the blog.
Weekly Wrap: Recent Recipes On The Blog
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
A quick win for your autumn/winter dinner table! Ideal for roasts, bangers and mash, Thanksgiving or Christmas. More substantial than my classic vegan gravy, with a whole bunch of extra flavour and texture, it’s almost a meal in itself!
Vegan Halloween Monster Cookies
You guys got this one early and ad-free last week, but it’s now on the blog, which means you can access all the nutrition data of the recipe. If you missed this one, it’s one of my favourite cookies I’ve ever made. Not a huge fan of “spooky” recipes personally, but this one just has that something extra! Plus it’s free from food dyes and artificial flavours!
A Three Day Vegan Food Tour of London
So, I want to be clear that this is by no means an exhaustive list of London’s vegan food scene. London is the #1 most vegan friendly city in the world and I reckon it would take months to try out everything the city has to offer. But these are some of my favourite spots and I think this is a great place to start if you’re in town for a few days!
Note 1: This is the exact schedule I followed for Mum and Dad. They arrived at noon on the first day and left at noon on the third day (hence no breakfast/dinners those days). If you’re on a different time-frame, feel free to shift things around!
Note 2: I tried to plan a balance of different cuisines and levels of “fanciness” to keep the experience varied. This meant that we ended up visiting a few different neighbourhoods. The best/cheapest way to do this is via the tube and buses, but cabs/uber work fine too, if you’re not a fan of public transport.
Meal 1: Tofu Vegan, Charlotte Street
100% vegan Chinese spot - probably the first place I recommend to anyone visiting London. They have four locations and are opening a fifth in South Kensington soon. Food combines fun vegan innovation with traditional Chinese dishes (and staff are super nice too). If you’re arriving in London by train at either Euston, St Pancras or Kings Cross, this branch is a short walk or even shorter tube ride away.
What to order: Smacked cucumbers, Gong bao king oyster mushrooms, Twice cooked “fish” lotus buns, Wontons in house special sauce, Assorted dim sum.
Meal 2: Studio Gauthier, Stephen Street
Less formal, slightly cheaper version of 100% vegan restaurant Gauthier Soho. The menu is refined and modern enough for this to be a special occasion dinner, but the setting is casual enough for a mid-week walk-in.
What to order: Brioche feuilletée, Crispy rice ‘green dynamite’ sushi, Truffle Tortellini, Marinated 3D Soy Meat Flank, Apple Tarte Tatin.
Meal 3: WAVE, Hackney
100% vegan cafe. Ideal for light breakfast or indulgent lunch right in the centre of East London. Think pastries, sandwiches, acai bowls and really good turmeric lattes.
What to order: Almond croissant, Sunnyside tofu scramble, Caramel pancakes, Turmeric latte.
Meal 4: Club Mexicana, Shoreditch
100% vegan Mexican food. Shoreditch is the biggest spot with the most extensive menu but there’s also a location in Soho, just off Carnaby Street. A true founding member of the London vegan scene, they’ve been perfecting their menu for years and started as a humble street-food stall.
What to order: Baja fish tacos, Cheeseburger tacos, Birria tacos, BBQ Short Rib Burrito, Corn on the Cob.
Meal 5: Harrods, Knightsbridge
Not the most vegan venue (Harrods is one of the most famous department stores in the world) but don’t worry! Head pastry chef Phil Khoury just so happens to be a plant-based pioneer. He has been gradually increasing the number of plant-based options at the patisserie counter and they are consistently incredible. The offerings change seasonally, so make your way to the bake hall and ask the staff to show you the vegan choices. I guarantee you’re in for a treat.
What to order: Every vegan patisserie available! We tried the pecan, mango and banoffee options.
Meal 6: Holy Carrot, Portobello Road
A very welcome, stylish and trendy addition to London’s vegan scene. Easily one of the top three vegan meals I’ve ever had. This is the star of the show for this food tour. The menu is vegetable and mushroom focussed with an emphasis on avoiding processed products like meat alternatives. I’m so glad this place exists.
What to order: Koji bread, Stracciatella with figs, Hen of the woods with tofu soubise, Pink fir potatoes.
Meal 7: Mildred’s, Kings Cross
We chose this location because it was close to our home-bound train station, but there are many Mildreds across London. They started with a single location in Soho and have since expanded. This is a great spot for a quick breakfast before travelling. Everything is 100% vegan and their breakfast menu offers a selection of loaded focaccia toasts or sweet stacked pancakes.
What to order: Smoky tofu mayo focaccia, Pea and kale focaccia, Apple, pineapple and turmeric juice.
Meal 8: Packed lunch from Third Culture Deli, Broadway Market
One of the cutest vegan spots in London. Not a huge place, so seating is limited, but it’s located right on the canal, so if you’re not running for a train, take your sandwich and find a bench to watch the ducks from. I picked up a packed lunch for Mum and Dad to have on the train and you can do the same from 8am.
What to order: Reuben sandwich, New York cheesecake, Homemade Snickers bars, Pain Au Chocolat.
Recipe: Vegan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
6 medium apples (I use gala or baeburn because they’re sweet but hold their shape while baking), peeled, cored, and cubed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or maple syrup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
For the crisp topping:
55g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
130g (1 cup) all-purpose flour (or almond flour for a gluten-free option)
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g (7 tablespoons) vegan butter, cold and cut into small cubes (or coconut oil)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish or a similar-sized dish.
In a large bowl, combine the apples, granulated sugar (or maple syrup), lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and cornstarch. Toss until the apples are evenly coated, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
In another bowl, mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold vegan butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the apple mixture in the baking dish.
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
Let the crisp cool slightly before serving. Enjoy it warm, optionally with vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F (175°C).
If you’re a free subscriber, thanks so much for being here again! Let me know how you get on with that Apple Crisp recipe and I’ll see you back here next week.
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