Veggie Events: Just V Show 2015

From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th July, the Just V Show (formerly V Delicious) set up camp in London Olympia (and yes, I am a little late on posting this one). Teaming up with both the Allergy & Free From Show and the Love Natural Love Organic Show it was an exhibition hall bursting with great food, drink, beauty and lifestyle goodies.

This year I dragged along invited an omnivorous friend. It was nice to have someone with me who had a different perspective on food and I got a little excited introducing her to some of my favourite brands and products. We spent most of our day in the Just V show but also wandered the other two sections as there were many cross-over brands in the other two shows – Goody Good Stuff, Rude Health and Ms Cupcake to name a few. Given my fragile state, my friend definitely ended up sampling more treats than I did but I still managed to stock up on plenty of goodies.

I started off my day with a watermelon, pineapple, coconut water and lime juice from Cocoface to attempt to cure the hangover. It may not have been the miracle cure that I was hoping for but it was delicious and I must say, I did perk up a tad after downing it.

Feeling a little more myself, we wandered the stalls sampling everything from coconut bacon (friend’s verdict: delicious; my verdict: gross) to lingonberry powder to natural bug sprays and perfumes.

My favourite moment of the day came when visiting the Ms Cupcake stall. As I was deciding between a giant cookie, an amazingly decorative cupcake, or a fruity so-I-can-pretend-it’s-healthy muffin, a woman came up to Ms Cupcake to proclaim herself a massive fan. Nothing out of the ordinary there but then she started explaining how her little girl was allergic to a huge array of foods including dairy and eggs but all she wanted was to be able to eat pretty cupcakes on her birthday like her friends. Ms Cupcake’s allergy-friendly vegan party treats had been a lifesaver for this lovely lady and by the end of their chat, there were tears and hugs all round. It was such a sweet story and such a lovely moment that I am so happy I got to witness.

It’s not just the food that I love about these events. It’s also the experience of feeling like I am in a room full of like-minded people. I love my friends but I don’t have many who share my dietary choices, my opinions on animals for entertainment or fashion, or my excitement over vegan cupcakes. I may never have been teary-eyed over meeting a superstar of vegan baking but I have definitely felt the overwhelming excitement of being near people and companies that I worship at these events.

I didn’t take as many photos as clear-headed Sarah would have but here’s a few more snaps of the event.

And finally, here’s my haul including treats from The Vegan Society, Goody Good Stuff, nakd, Secret Sausages, Smooze and more! Aside from the wobbly start. it was a pretty successful day at the show. My friend even found herself buying a vegan cookbook and veggie sausages so maybe she’s coming over to the dark side…

Oh, and I went for the muffin…