Lake Country 7:08 a.m. CT March 10, 2017

Volunteers Meghan Shannon (left) and Julia Van Horn load up a plate during Friday fish fry at St. Charles Catholic Church and School in Hartland on March 3, 2017.(Photo: Scott Ash/Now Media Group)Buy Photo

To have Sunday entertainment events listed in Sunday Happenings, fax 262-367-1136 or email news@jrn.com. Make sure the time, date and place are included. Deadline is noon Monday.

Live music:11 a.m. Sunday, March12, Mama Ds, 102 W. Main St., Wales.MiLow performs. Free.

A look at Landscapes:Noon Sunday, March 12,Almont Gallery, 342 W. Main St., Waukesha. Featuring artists Audrey Casey, Mark Mueller and Lucien Woodring. Three different artists, three types of media, three different approaches to the world around them.www.almontgallery.com.Free.

Series on end-of-life subjects:1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12,Hales Corners Library,5885 S. 116th St.,Hales Corners. Part two of afour-part series on end-of-life subjects every other Sunday through March 26. Topics include palliative, hospice care and health directives with Sarah Meyer, palliative care social worker with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. Free.

The Children's Playhouse presents "Charlotte's Web": 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12,West Performing Arts Center,18695 W. Cleveland Ave., New Berlin. General seating tickets can be purchased online or at the door: adults $7, seniors over 60 $5, students $3 and children under 10 $2.www.nbexcellence.org/community/westpac.cfm.

"A German Requiem" presented by Waukesha Choral Union: 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12,Carroll University Shattuck Music Center, 218 N. East Ave.,Waukesha. Other vocalists will be featured, WCU will partner with the Jubilate Chorale, another longtime Waukesha choral group, as well as independent community singers who are invited to participate annually in the WCU early spring concert. Free.

Full Moon Meditation with Sound Helming: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12,Pathways of Light Wellness Center,W314 N720 Highway 83,Delafield. An evening of focus on the full moon,gentle stretches,education about the energies of the moon this month and resting while listening to gemstone alchemy bowls and Tibetan singing bowls. RSVP toMary Beth Rezek, ProfoundlyPeaceful@massagetherapy.com,216-849-8462.$20.

Winter farmers market:9:30 a.m. Sunday, March 19,All Saints Lutheran Church,705 W.Tomlin Road, Wales.Food, Faith, and Farming Network collaborates with All Saints Lutheran Church for a winter farmers market. Brunch tickets in advance are $6 per adult and $7 at the door,$3 for children ages3-10. Free.

Lake Country Orchestra:2 p.m. Sunday, March 19,Oconomowoc Arts Center,641 E. Forest St., Oconomwoc. $6 to $12 .

Mrs. Lincoln - The First "First Lady":2 p.m. Sunday, March 19,Delafield Public Library,500 Genesee St.,Delafield. Historical reenactor Laura F. Keyes will play Mary Todd Lincoln.Free.

The Ricochettes fundraiser for Wauwatosa West High School:2 p.m. Sunday, March 19,American Legion Post 449,3245 N. 124th St.,Brookfield.The Ricochettes will perform "The Best of The British Invasion" era music to benefit students at Wauwatosa West High School. Raffles, door prizes and fun. $5.

Master Singers of Milwaukee present "Between Two Worlds":3 p.m. Sunday, March 19, St. John's Lutheran,20275 Davidson Road,Brookfield.Guest Slovenian Conductor Marko Vatovec and the Carthage College Choir will join the Master Singers of Milwaukee in presenting choral music from Slovenia and the countries that share borders with Slovenia. mastersingersofmilwaukee.org or 888-744-2226.$20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for students.

Irish, folk, acoustic music:4 p.m. Sunday, March 19,Hawks Inn Visitor Center,426 Wells St.,Delafield. The lively sounds of Irish music with Bill and Lin O'Connor at the Delafield History Center. $17.

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Originally posted here:

Lake Country Sunday Happenings: Farmers market, meditation, orchestra concert - Lake Country Now

On clique ... Synnve Karlsen and Aisling Franciosi. Photograph: Mark Mainz/BBC/Balloon/Mark Mainz

What is it? Skins paints its bedroom black and graduates with a BA Hons in very bad things.

Why youll love it: The accidental investigator is such an irresistible narrative trope. Holly (the excellent newcomer Synnve Karlsen) is just your everyday university fresher, but when her best friend, Georgia (The Falls bad babysitter Katie, Aisling Franciosi), is sucked into a sinister-looking group of alpha girls, Holly must probe their untoward activities in the hope of saving her friend. But is it really just altruism that drives her on, or a desire to move in on Georgias new clique? Theyve been close since childhood, but can their friendship endure this turbulent ride into adulthood?

This glossy six-parter, another smart commission from the bold types at BBC3 (Thirteen is nominated for all the awards this season), features a beauteous cast of demographically appealing youngsters, going about their financially uninhibited university social lives, taking drugs, smoking and drinking till theyre sick. Students are not poor any more well, not these students at any rate.

So far, so Skins writer Jess Brittain is a former alumnus with much pumping trance and slo-mo hair-flicking. Then our heroines meet the enigmatic economics professor and walking inspirational-feminist-quote generator Jude McDermid (Sherlocks Louise Brealey). The pair vie for a place on her internship scheme with the aforementioned alpha females, but its never made clear what will qualify the successful candidate apart from amazing grooming and total confidence. Get in with this ultra-beautiful, poised crowd and a big-money job awaits. No more baked bean-stained coursework for these thoroughbreds. They spend their days and nights schmoozing important clients for McDermids Solasta Finance corp, drinking free champagne and snorting lines of massive, nameless success.

Theres a lot of vaguely weak-sounding business talk about landing the Steiner account without any specifics on what that actually means. But the corporate stuff is just a sinister backdrop to this tightly strung story of female friendship, what it is to be a young woman in the capitalist idyll we have created and how far competing uni students will go to secure themselves a minted future.

This is not university as I remember it, and it makes me sad for times past, of brown sauce on noodles for dinner and day-long sessions on the pool table lubricated with dry cider. These girls dress their slight frames in edgy, tiny, garments, straighten their hair till they can see their faces in it and have an obedient driver permanently on call to ferry them to enormous, brutalist houses overlooking the sea, there to enjoy furlongs of coke by a beautifully lit basement pool.

Its part teen fantasy, part meditation on youth, and all horribly, horribly moreish. As Holly falls deeper down the rabbit hole, champagne glass in hand, her past swims into focus and the consequences of all this Thatcherite excess begin to float to the surface.

Clique is a madly seductive thriller that, once you get past the glare of all that young, perfect skin, will hook you whatever age-box you happen to tick. And as Brittains first series-creator credit, its a cause for great excitement about her future work.

Where: BBC3 on iPlayer

Length: Six 45-minute episodes, one already available, with a new episode released each Sunday.

Stand out episode: The three that I have seen have all been very strong and never tell where they can more effectively show. But episode one wins for the punctuation mark at the end.

If you liked Clique watch: Pretty Little Liars (Netflix), Search Party (All4).

Original post:

Clique: part teen fantasy, part meditation on youth, and all horribly moreish - The Guardian

Prime Minister Modi | File- PTI

VARANASI: On the third day of back-to-back campaigning in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited the famous Gadwaghat Ashram, a place most revered by the Yadavs.

Modi drove to the ashram at around 10.30 a.m. Hundreds of people lined the route to the ashram and shouted "Modi, Modi" as the Prime Minister's cavalcade passed.

He was welcomed by the management of the ashram and many seers offered him garlands made of rudraksh beads.

Modi responded to his welcome by bowing to the saints and talking to them with folded hands.

The ashram has over a crore followers and is said to have a powerful say in the political decision making of the Yadav community.

The Prime Minister then walked up to the 'gaushala', the cattle shed where he fed the cows with fodder and 'gud' (jaggery).

After the 'gau seva', he took a round of the campus decorated with marigold and rose flowers for the high-profile visit.

Modi later met the head of the ashram Guru Sharandanand and was closeted with him for over ten minutes.

Since many years, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been coming to the ashram to seek blessings during elections.

Modi last year visited the Sant Ravidas temple here on the saint's anniversary and had won hearts of many Dalits for whom Ravidas is a venerated spiritual guru.

The move was seen as a ploy by the Bharatiya Janata Party to dent the Dalit votebank of Mayawati.

Excerpt from:

Modi visits Gadwaghat ashram in Varanasi - The New Indian Express

Written by Anand Mishra | Varanasi | Published:March 10, 2017 3:52 am Widows from Varanasi and Vrindavan at a programme in Kolkata in 2016. (Archive)

They were one section who went unheard during a loud election in Varanasi. For the widows of Varanasi, even Womens Day, coinciding with polling, passed uneventfully. Rejected by family or society, they come from India, Nepal and Bangladesh to live in vidhva ashrams, their home for the rest of their lives. Estimates put their number at 35,000 to 40,000. They follow a common faith, seeking salvation at the feet of Lord Vishwanath, another name for Shiva.

At Varanasis many ghats in the morning, they can be identified as widows from their white saris. Some came here after being driven out by in-laws, some after they lost a son supporting them, and some, like Rajkumari, because their parents shunned for having married outside their caste. At 29, Rajkumari, of Karnataka, is the youngest at Sarnath Ashram. And at Birla Ashram at Dashshwamedh ghat is Annapurna Sharma, 38, whose in-laws threw her out holding her responsible for her husbands death.

Far from taking up any issues concerning the widows, no party even visited them, says Annapurna. She recalls that she had gone with other widows to New Delhi with a raakhi for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Varanasi MP. She cannot recall any MLA or MP ever visiting them. NGOs Sulabh International and Birla Sanstha provide the widows with a roof and electricity.

In the bylanes of Vranasi, the widows are mostly at an advanced age, while those in Mahila Vridha Ashram Sarnath, 25 km from the city, are younger.

Most widows near age 60 seek Kashi Pravas and want to live in Varanasi for salvation as they feel they are close to death, says Chanchal Rawat, coordinator of Sulabh International Varanasi. In Sarnath, most want a roof over their head and some help to live. Sulabh International looks after five ashrams, which house 141 widows, over 100 of them elderly.

Pashupati Nah Nepali Ashram in Lalitaghaat houses widows mostly from Nepal while Rajkiya Vridha Ashram near Durgakunds residents are mostly from states outside UP, and many from Bangladesh. Birla Ashram is at Neelkanth Gali near Maithili Mandir at Dashashwamegh ghat, Ramkuti Ashram is near Manglagouri Mandir, and Mother Teresa Ashram run by the Missionares of Charity is at Shivala Ghat.

Geeta Mehra, caretaker of Birla Ashram, describes a change in the life of widows after a pension and medical welfare scheme launched by Sulabh International. Some of the younger women are engaged in sewing and making diyas, while the elder ones are engaged mainly in morning rituals at the ghat and reciting from the Bhagwad Gita. Many of them are aware about the need for social security, with applications filed regularly for Aadhar and voter cards, especially from among the younger widows. Last year, a dozen widows defied a centuries-old ban to celebrate Holi, part of an event organised by an NGO at Assi ghat.

Also last year, 5,000-odd widows under 40 were identified by the district administration for training in various skills under the UK-based Loomba Foundation; Modi launched the programme. The Loomba Foundations World Widows Report, unveiled at the United Nations last year, gives comprehensive data about discrimination and injustice faced by widows. Filmmaker Deepa Mehtas Canadian production Water highlights the plight of widows at a pre-Independence ashram, although it was shot in Sri Lanka following protests in Varanasi.

Originally posted here:

Uttar Pradesh Elections 2017: Unaddressed in election din, the widows of Varanasi - The Indian Express

Yield: About 8 to 10 (6-inch) pancakes

1 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

teaspoon salt

1 cups water

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons soy or almond milk, optional

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, oil, vanilla and optional soy or almond milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until just blended.

A weekly treasure trove of tastiness, featuring reviews from restaurant critic Ian Froeb and how-to videos by food writer Dan Neman.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour batter onto the griddle or skillet until it forms a 6-inch puddle. Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry; check underneath to see if the bottom is lightly browned. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Per pancake (based on 8): 102 calories; 2g fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2g protein; 19g carbohydrate; 4g sugar; 1g fiber; 125mg sodium; 78mg calcium

Canola oil and almond milk were used in calculation.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

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Vegan Pancakes | Recipes | stltoday.com - STLtoday.com

If you thinkwineis just made of some crushed up grapes fermented in a barrel, think again. Fish bladder protein, crushed crustacean shells, egg whites, gelatin, and casein milk protein are all commonly-used in wine-making process, from your bottom-shelf rose to a vintage Bordeaux.

So finding an animal-friendly tipple if you're ahardcore veganorvegetariancan be tricky. And may be one of the reasons that while there has been a 360 per cent spike in people dabbling in veganism in the UK since 2006, separate research from the US shows that 84 per cent turn back to consuming meat and animal products soon after.

Animal products find their way in wine as fining ages, which are used to clarify the drinkand to carry unstable proteins. A fining agent is added to the top of a wine vessel. As it sinks to the bottom, the agent binds with proteins in the wine.

The majority of people are unaware that wine, although made from grapes, may have been made using animal-derived products, the PETA animal welfare website readers rather sadly.

But a bit of fish bladder protein or crushed up crab isnt going to stop vegans from enjoying a glass of red. And much like using sweet potatoes as a replacement for eggs in cakes, or even switching cows milk for almond or soy, vegans have thought up plenty of cruelty-free ways to get their wine fix.

According to Peta, carbon, bentonite clay, limestone, kaolin clay, plant casein, silica gel, and vegetable plaques are all used as alternatives to animal products.

AndEliza Frey, assistant winemaker at Frey Vineyards, has been making vegan wine way before the lifestylewas fashionable. She has worked at the Frey Vineyards in Mendocino County, California around 100 miles from San Francisco, for a decade. Pinor Noir, Sangiovese, Merlot and Pinot Grigio are all made by the vineyard.

Founded in 1980, Frey is theoldest certified organic winery in the US. The team there specialise in making additive-free, gluten-free andorganic wines.

There has been an increase in interest in vegan wine, in line with the rising popularity of plant based diets in general," Frey tellsThe Independent. "In the past most people assumed wine was vegan."

We have always worked with vegan wine. We practice low impact winemaking, so we never use sulphites, animal based fining agents, colours, stabilisers, enzymes or extracts. We rely on the quality of fruit to make wines of high quality and character," she adds.

So what does vegan wine taste like, exactly? While we can all argue that a pizza tastes just as good not dripping in mozzarella, its hardly true. Does wine suffer the same fate?

Vegan wine taste similar to other wines, says Frey. In fact, animal products dont seem integral to the winemaking process at all, she argues.Factors like varietal, growing region, the ripeness of the fruit at harvest, choice of yeast, contact with grape skins during fermentation and exposure to oxygen and oak have more of an effect on what a wine will taste like than whether or not it is vegan.

Wine is inherently vegan until an animal based processing aid is chosen by the winemaker, adds Frey. At Frey vineyards we test each batch of wine to see if fining is necessary to ensure that the wine will be stable on the shelf for consumers. We do not fin our red wines, but our white wines often require fining. For batches that need to be fined we use bentonite clay.

But dont be fooled into thinking that vegan wine is any more virtuous than regular plonk.

Vegan wines are not necessarily healthier than others," she warns. "Factors such as growing methods in the vineyard and preservatives in the wine are the biggest factors in determining the healthiness of a wine."

Those intrigued by pairing vegan food and vegan wine should try richer and more robust wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot pair best with heavier, heartier foods like roasted mushrooms in olive oil and lemon, root vegetable puree, or a hearty primavera sauce with olives and rosemary, according to Frey.

For spicy, ethnic cuisine like coconut lemongrass soup or fresh basil spring rolls with peanut sauce choose a crisp white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc, a dry, not sweet, Pinot Grigio, or a light bodied Pinot Noir.Medium bodied reds like Sangiovese, Zinfandel and blended table wines like Frey's Natural Red or Organic Agriculturist are great with grilled vegetables, hearty kale salads or quinoa pilaf with parsley and pumpkin seeds.

See more here:

Vegan wine: Meet the woman removing the fish bladders and eggs from our bottles of red - The Independent

Go Vegan World has accused the National Farmers Union of entirely missing the point in its recent criticism of the campaign which has been appearing across the UK and Ireland on billboards, taxis, motorways and at underground stations as well as full page adverts in national newspapers.

The campaign features powerful, highly thought-provoking messages such as Dairy Takes Babies from their Mothers, Humane Milk is a Myth: Dont Buy It and Vegetarianism is Not Enough for male chicks who are killed at birth by the egg industry.

The award-winning advertising campaign is designed to encourage people to question the notion that humans are better than other animals; and to get them to think seriously about the ethics of continuing to use animals as food, clothing, entertainment, and for research.

On 5th February, the Sunday Telegraph ran a full page Go Vegan World advertisement featuring one of the campaigns Dairy Takes Babies from their Mothers slogans.

However, Michael Oakes of the National Farmers Union (NFU) dairy board responded to the advertisement, by writing an open letter criticising the GVW campaign, calling it misleading and claiming standards of animal welfare in dairy production were high.

The Go Vegan World campaign, however, is not trying to mislead anyone. Rather, the adverts portray an accurate picture of the dairy industry, substantiated by evidence which can be researched thoroughly on the Go Vegan World website.

GVW Campaign Director and Founder of the Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary Sandra Higgins said: For the NFU to defend the dairy industry by referring to animal welfare and benign treatment entirely misses the point of the campaign.

Veganism is about justice. Justice cant be accorded to others unless we are willing to swap places with them. None of us would voluntarily choose the life and death of any mammal used in the dairy industry or any other form of animal agriculture or animal use. The only way to be fair is to abolishalluse of them. Other animals share our capacity to feel and have an interest in living for their own reasons. To respect this fact, we are morally obliged not to use them.

There is no need for farmers to feel threatened or disheartened about veganism. We will need and value farmers more than ever in a vegan world.

Farmers can rest assured that there will be no more vocal and effective a voice in ensuring that they receive all necessary support to transition to alternative, more ethical and sustainable ways of making a living, than that of the vegan community.

Sandra is passionate that the general public has a right to know the facts involved in dairy production, including those farms that carry a Red Tractor quality assured label. These labels are part of the myth of humane farming that the campaign aims to highlight. She points out that most people are not aware of the exploitation of the female reproductive system and the slaughter on which dairy is predicated.

The GVW campaign seeks to dispel the myth that dairy is essential for human health, a myth that the dairy industry has promoted as fact for decades. In fact, studies have demonstrated that consumption of dairy increases the risk of bone fracture, breast and prostate cancer, as well as obesity, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes. There is a growing body of research that shows that a switch to a vegan lifestyle would actually benefit the environment, human health and help alleviate world hunger.

The Go Vegan World Free Vegan Guide can be downloaded click here.

The London Economic published a story of a woman who tried to go Vegan for a week, read her story here

Is it time to let dairy fail? read article here

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Go Vegan World Hits Back At National Farmers' Union For Entirely Missing The Point Of Vegan Campaign - The London Economic

Last semester, a group of vegans banned together to create the new Vegan Cooking Club. Now, they meet once a month to discuss, cook and eat vegan recipes as a group.

The organizers of the club were impressed to see that Sodexo already provided a full section of food that was vegan and gluten free. With these options already popular for students on campus, Caitlin Applin knew there would be enough people interested in starting a new club based on vegan food.

The fact that we had a whole section of food that was vegan and gluten free meant to me that Johnson had a significant number of students who ate vegan food every day, and I thought I could bring these people together and make it mean something, said Applin.

For a new club, the Vegan Cooking Club has met the requirements that the Student Government Association has in place for all clubs including monthly meetings and attending all club fairs. Their success has impressed SGA members including Brittney Malik, who is the director of clubs for the SGA. The Vegan [Cooking] Club started from nothing, said Malik. They only just became a club last semester, but they hit the ground running. We get a lot of new clubs each semester, and they usually have a hard time getting off the ground, but that wasnt the case with the Vegan Cooking Club.

Applin started to build the club by working closely with Sodexo employee Peggy Edwards, who is the vegan chef on campus. Edwards then started to reach out to other students who were interested in the possible club.

She started talking to more of the people who came by her station every day and found other vegans and vegetarians, even just students curious about it. We could tell we had enough people interested to get something going, said Applin.

Edwards, who is a vegan herself, is the clubs advisor and cooks with them at every meeting along with teaching the group tips to improve their cooking skills.

There have been quite a few things I have learned so far. I have been introduced to a bunch of new ingredients and a handful of tips and tricks that are important to know when cooking and baking vegan that I had never even heard of before, said Applin.

During the club approval process, there were some initial concerns about a Sodexo employee acting as a club advisor because the college does not directly employ them, and that partnership had never been done before.

We were worried about the collaboration between the club and Sodexo, but after meeting with Edwards and hearing the goals she had for the club, I knew that the club would grow to be something great, said Malik.

Edwardss dedication to the club is clearly shown, and anyone who attends lunch at the college will see Edwards serving up her vegan dishes and enthusiastically inviting students and staff members to the clubs events.

I love working with this club. Its the best part of my job, said Edwards.

Currently, the club has 10 members who are working closely with Sodexo and cooking every month with Edwards. The club has been able to gain more control over what they are eating and have even made a difference when it comes to what Sodexo serves during mealtimes.

The club has made it easier for us to talk to the people in charge of what we are eating, said Applin. We have been able to make a lot of suggestions and tell them what we like, and so far we have seen a lot of changes to what vegans and gluten-free students here are able to eat. More desserts, salad dressings and toppings such as nutritional yeast and gluten free croutons. Tom does like to make sure all the students know that if you write anything down and give it to them, they do take all suggestions into consideration.

The club is preparing for a dinner that they will be hosting in April, and during every meeting, they practice cooking one dish that they will serve and discuss what they may change in the future.

One of the first things we made was barbecued jackfruit, and when you saut it, it has the same texture as pulled pork, and its delicious but also doesnt remind you of meat. We are going to use it in one of the appetizers, and I cant wait for everyone to try it, said Applin.

The next meetings for the club will be March 18, March 25, April 15 and April 19 at 10 a.m. in the kitchen in Stearns. Applin encourages anyone to show up ready to cook no matter their experience level. The club is also looking for anyone who is interested in volunteering to serve food at the event on April 27 at 5 p.m.

We are holding our first dinner to raise money for the North Country Animal League, said Applin. Not only is this full course meal 100 percent vegan and gluten free, but we are also doing it almost completely waste free. So basically everything you are served will be edible down to the silverware and cups.

Tickets cost 15 dollars per person, but students with a meal plan are free. The event will be held in the Stearns performance space, so tickets are limited and sold on a first come first serve basis.

Tickets for the event will go on sale in March, and club members will be selling tickets in Stearns. Students or community members interested in the event can also contact Caitlin Applin through her JSC email, caitlin.applin@jsc.edu.

Its great to see that people are excited about what we are doing. I never imagined so many people to be talking about it or interested in the event, and now its almost overwhelming to see how much this is doing, said Applin.

See the rest here:

A place where Vegans meet - Basement Medicine

San Antonio Express-News (subscription)

Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Buckle San Antonio Express-News (subscription) Instructions: Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish or cast iron skillet and set aside. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sugar and margarine in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until light and ...

Read the original here:

Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Buckle - San Antonio Express-News (subscription)

Popular Newcastle cafe Super Natural has pulled off a first by introducing vegan beer on draft.

The vegetarian favourite is leading the way in serving up the hard-to-get beer and not just any old beer: top brands Stella Artois and Boddingtons will be on sale to customers from Friday.

Already the pumps are installed and, following a brief closure on Thursday, the Grainger Street eatery will re-open this Friday with a new-look bar area set to be the first vegan bar in the country.

Fresh branding will be seen soon too on the exterior of the cafe which has become a favourite with customers since its move to a more central location around eight months ago from its previous home in upper Princess Square.

The vegetarian and vegan food it serves - such as spicy Mexican Burrito; chicken and mushroom-style pie and sandwiches with inspired salads - is a far cry from the old days of nut roast and is clearly winning over non-veggie customers too.

Many would be hard-pressed to taste any difference in, for instance, its dairy-free cakes or meat-free curries. And co-owner Andrew Bloomfield, who runs the business with Mark Rogers and cooks a lot of its dishes himself, reckons its the same with the beer.

If you dont know its vegan, you wont know the difference, he said.

Which are the best vegetarian restaurants in Newcastle?

The vegan Stella Artois and Boddingtons taste like the real deal and if, as expected, they prove popular then more additions could be on the cards.

Already, Super Natural offers a range of vegan wines, ciders and bottled beers - as well as soft drinks - but it took Andrew quite some time to source a draft beer that met the exacting standards.

Alcoholic drinks dont, obviously, contain animal products but what many people dont realise is that the same cant be said for its filtering or clarification processes which tend to make use of a substance obtained from fish bladders.

Andrew said: There are vegan beers out there; you just have to source them carefully.

These beers weve found are popular and very big brands: its just so happens they dont use the that manufacturing process.

Andrew has been in catering for years, running his first cafe in the city when he was 27.

Now the joint business reflects both his and Marks lifestyle choice, born from a concern for animal welfare.

Its our passion, he pointed out.

He himself followed what he says is a common process - being vegetarian before turning vegan - and Super Natural caters for people at each stage.

But its also proving a hit with non-veggies and enjoys plenty trade from passers-by who are keen to enjoy a meal or a snack in comfy surroundings, with relaxing music and art as a backdrop.

An exception is made for them with the option of cows milk for their coffee - as not having it might prove a step too far! for those willing to try something completely new.

Andrew said: Our concept is to try to take vegetarian food and vegan food to a wider audience.

Were trying to make it more mainstream and to get people just to come in and try it.

Super Naturals new-look bar will coincide with the introduction of late opening on Friday and Saturday nights which will also see a range of bar snacks, such as loaded nachos, on the menu.

We believe there isnt another vegan bar in the whole country, added Andrew.

Its unique and, hopefully, it will be good for the city.

Excerpt from:

Vegan beer in Newcastle: Three cheers for Super Natural as the city's eatery serves up a first - ChronicleLive