Who would say when entering that there is not a single corpse in its exhibitors?
On November 1, the entire planet was commemorated world vegan day . In London, however, a group of followers of this philosophy of life celebrated it in a particularly special way: queuing at the door of the first vegan butcher shop of the city hours before it opened.
They knew what they were doing: less than five hours later, all the store's stock had been sold out . "We are completely overwhelmed by the love and support we have received from our customers over the past few weeks! Rudy's Vegan Butcher tells us. "This shows that there is a huge appetite for plant-based foods," they say.
The stock was replaced the next day, also reaping great success, but, ten days later, they had to close the online store: they were definitely left with nothing to sell . "We continue to offer Rudy's Vegan Butcher products in Islington, and are currently looking for an even bigger kitchen to meet customer demand and get back online as soon as possible", its creators, Matthew and Ruth, explain to Traveler.es.
Both have been selling their cruelty-free delicacies for two years at Camden's Stable Market, and this 2020, despite the difficult global circumstances, they decided to go one step further: "We are lucky to be one of London's favorite places to eat vegan , so we set out to create the first permanent vegan butcher shop in the capital to make our 'meat' products accessible. Over the years, we have shown that our meat alternatives are as good as the real thing , and what better way to certify it than with this store. In this way, vegans and flexitarians no longer have to rely on eating out for the best vegan experience; now, they can wander over to our butcher shop, stock their coolers, and create their own plant-based masterpieces at home. We're very excited about it!"
Burgers, meatballs, rolls stuffed with 'turkey', black pudding, bacon, pulled pork, pastrami, smoked ham, scrambled 'eggs', chili 'con' carne... His shop is full of tasty dishes that are normally banned from this community. "Our original Camden restaurant sells vegan versions of classic American food. For people following plant-based diets, Rudy's is a break with the old assumption that being vegan always has to mean being super virtuous : It's not just meat eaters who should be able to get their hands dirty!" say Ruth and Matthew.
HOMEMADE FAST FOOD
All the dishes they sell in their 'butcher's shop' are homemade, created by Matthew himself and made by him and his team of chefs from scratch. "We pride ourselves on manufacturing all of our products ourselves; this way we know exactly what we are selling to our consumers and we can continue perfecting our recipes", they tell us from the company.
Thanks to this manufacturing, they avoid foods that come from plants but are not very healthy, which are often part of the vegan prepared dishes that we find in supermarkets: hydrogenated fats, refined sunflower and coconut oils, palm oil, starch, salt and too much sugar...
"Most of our products are made with plant-based alternatives such as soy or seitan , a type of protein that has a very meat-like texture and flavor when combined with other ingredients and seasonings," explains the chef at Rudy's Vegan Butcher, who he does not rule out that his products are also put on sale for the Spanish market . "Right now, it is not possible to order from Spain, but stay tuned, because you never know...".