==== TUESDAY 18 JANUARY ==== ---- Live Music ---- Orlando Weeks (of indie rock band The Maccabees) in Store | Vinilo Record Store <18:00> www.facebook.com/events/459646349081160
---- Events ---- Transition Southampton: Sustainable Hairdressing and Is This Street Made for Me? | October Books <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/622243955666034
==== THURSDAY 20 JANUARY ==== ---- Live Music ---- Blues Rich Atkinson & The New Billionaires (Americana singer / sax player) | Belgium and Blues <20:30> www.facebook.com/events/470445414435975
==== FRIDAY 21 JANUARY ==== ---- Live Music ---- Swamp Stomp String Band (americana, London) | Belgium and Blues <21:00> www.facebook.com/events/242002408076351
==== SATURDAY 22 JANUARY ==== ---- Live Music ---- Electric Milk (rock, Hampshire) | The Loft <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/284261076879536 support: Speaking of Witches, Bloodhounds, Demure
The Sweetchunks Band, with Devil's Prefects and Jolly Roger - The Hobbit
After careful consideration we decided to bring the listings back for the New Year because our venues are open, and need our support đź’–. Please do what you can to be safe - get your booster and test regularly - and go out and support our lovely venues and great bands ^_^.
==== MONDAY 17 JANUARY ==== ---- Live Music ---- <sold out> Porridge Radio (art-rock, Brighton) | Heartbreakers <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/796634837489841
Music Student Performances | Turner Sims <13:00> Free opportunity to check out performances by University of Southampton Music Students www.facebook.com/events/1402863843504172
Whether you're a long time vegan, going vegan for the month, or just wanting to try out the large range of vegan food on offer in January, Southampton has you covered. Local businesses have really pulled the stops out this year, so let's all go out and support them, they need it after the year they've had!
The Black Phoenix(Bedford Place) have a new and returning vegan special for every single week of January. The stars of the first week are the brand new Elvis (pictured) with peanut butter, caramelised bananas and bourbon infused cherry jam. This is paired with the returning 'Monster' burger with black garlic 'mayo', mushrooms and pickled onion crisps (yep). On Mondays you can also get 20% off all the new vegan dishes of the week. To top it off, their excellent vegan mozzarella sticks (rated by Chris as actually better than real mozzarella sticks) have returned for January.
For even more burger goodness, head to Lakaz Maman, home of Masterchef winner Shelina Permalloo's Mauritian restaurant. They've just announced their latest burger for Veganuary - the Meaty Jack - a mountain of spicy battered jackfruit in a brioche bun.
Just a couple of doors down you'll find Piecaramba, home to 4 vegan pies on their standard menu, vegan mash and mushy peas, additional vegetarian pies, and a Veganuary special 'Spudnik' featuring leek, mushroom and potato in a white sauce. This is truly pie heaven, and possibly the best pie shop in the country. Jay Rayner (Masterchef, The Guardian) reckons so.
Stakks is a pancake house on the upper level of Marlands shopping centre. A pancake house might not be the most obvious choice for vegan food, but Stakks have your Veganuary covered with a separate fully vegan menu featuring 9 delicious savoury and sweet vegan pancake stakks. All can be made gluten free on request.
Popsi's, a gorgeous Bedford Place pizza restaurant (currently takeaway / delivery only) have gone the extra mile for Veganuary, creating 3 new vegan "meats" - bacon (pictured on the pizza below), chicken and peperoni. They've also created vegan garlic butter bites.
The Nest Coffee House on London Road has an almost unbelievable range of vegan pastries and doughnuts, and indeed I had no idea they were vegan until I saw the '#vegan' hashtag with one of their posts. Even once I knew, I was still blown away with how delicious and creamy the doughnuts were. January's doughnut lineup includes raspberry & white chocolate, boujee biscoff, brownie, and their gorgeous cinnamon rolls. Some of their doughnuts are pictured below. See you there?
Rice Up Wholefoodsis Southampton's vegan supermarket on Hanover buildings, with a great deli of pastries etc to take away (I believe they can warm them for you on request). Sadly, Rice Up has been hit hard by recent events and they need our support - visiting and buying things is definitely one way, they're also running a Crowdfunder if you'd like to support but can't get down there.
Even traditional restaurants such as Ennioshave gotten in on the Veganuary action, how nice does their vegan take on Crespelle (stuffed pancakes) look?
Baboo Ji in Portswood is offering 15% off all vegan dishes on collection. And yep, everything in the image below - from the masala dosa to the Bombay potatoes, is vegan.
Crossing over the river, Bitterne Park Stores re-opens on Tuesday 11th January and hosts a huge range of vegan alternative meats, cheeses, chocolates, beers and much more. You'll also find that a surprising number of the pastries at Cottons Bakery next door are vegan.
For Sunday roasts there are always plenty of options - including Black Phoenix and The Alexandra. The photo below is of Belgium and Blues' offering, which does look mighty tasty (and I do like beer)...
Overdraft in Shirley have always got a tasty range of vegan options, tacos and nachos. They have announced a Veganuary special, tostadas filled with local purple sweet potatoes, homemade queso, chilli and avocado - sounds delicious.
The final shout out (at the moment, if I can't resist adding others!) goes to Board in the City. Not a vegan eatery, but they have plenty of options for you to much on whilst playing board games, from a burger to pizza, pie, soya mince nachos, and truly fantastic chips.
Hope you have fun trying out the excellent culinary options Southampton has to offer, whether vegan or not. This isn't a complete list of course, I'd love to hear your favourite local businesses and what they're doing for Veganuary on our Facebook post.
A brand new Italian deli has opened in Bedford Place, offering a wide variety of Italian products including wine, biscuits, cakes, cheese, San Marzano tomatoes (widely accepted as the tomato to use in Italian cooking), a huge array of pastas, preserves, beer and spirits.
The staff are welcoming and happy to help you make an informed decision on which goodies to take home. It's not as easy to travel to Italy in the current situation, but alongside some of our great Italian restaurants, Florio's D'Italia is one of the best ways to transport yourself to the great flavours of the country whilst never leaving Southampton.
Inside the freezer you'll find pistachio gelato, and even bread baked in Milan ready for you to take home and thaw. I can verify that the bread is delicious toasted.
Florio's D'Italia, who also have a shop in Portsmouth, is open 6 days a week from 1000 - 1830.
Here we go, it's the run up to Christmas and there's lots to see and do. Please grab a booster if you can and support our great local venues and shops this Christmas season. From the brilliant chaos of The Sweetchunks Band and their friends The Devil's Prefects and Jolly Roger, to the brilliant Southampton Christmas tradition that is the Ukulele Jam's Christmas Cabaret and much in between, there's a lot to be excited about.
Oxford band Kanadia's first gig in Southampton, The Hobbit
==== THURSDAY 16 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Will and the People (indie, Brighton) + Bash + Colour of the Jungle | The Joiners <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/257237079585411
==== FRIDAY 17 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Black Kat Boppers (rockin' blues, Southampton) | The Platform Tavern <21:00> www.facebook.com/events/394969748976720
==== SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- The Sweetchunks Christmas Bonanza | The Hobbit <20:00> www.facebook.com/events/569834434343578 ft. The Sweetchunks Band, Devil's Prefects, Jolly Roger
Charley Macaulay (Vocalist, Southampton) | Marco's, Oxford Street <17:00> www.facebook.com/events/396008945340486 - Supported the likes of Tom Jones, Will Young and Anastacia
---- Events ----Last Day of the Gods House Tower Christmas Market(Gods House Tower will then be closed until Mid-January) Dawn's Snowy Blowy Christmas Tea Party | The Stage Door <13:00> www.facebook.com/events/1043790919495816
An explanation as to why there are two cover photos from last week's gigs - put simply I couldn't chose between Hannah Moule and The Moulettes, and Mad Dog Mcrea. Both were sublime gigs that I thoroughly recommend the next time they are in town. Unity Brewery is also an excellent live music venue it seems, once they've moved some of the beer out of the way!
==== TUESDAY 07 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Spunge (ska punk, Tewkesbury) - Room for Abuse 20 (+1) Years | The Joiners <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/583587512772320
==== WEDNESDAY 08 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Ozric Tentacles (psychedelic-rock, Somerset) | The 1865 <19:30> www.facebook.com/events/156598039648522
==== THURSDAY 09 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Micro Music | Mettricks Guildhall <20:00> www.facebook.com/events/479894696795063 ft. Dan O'Farrell, Siobhán & The Sunset Haze, Pegasuses
---- Events ---- Veg Out Evening Cafe | October Books <19:00> ft. Spanish Classical Guitar music from Jose Ramon Horcas www.facebook.com/events/613454903173817
The Lost UK Showcase Tour (punk, Newcastle, Essex, Wales, Southampton) | The Hobbit <18:00> ft. Hometruths, A Few Too Many, Who Saves the Hero?, Royals www.facebook.com/events/190987306455133
==== SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER ==== ---- Live Music ---- Grant Sharkey (Double Bass / Comedy, Southampton) | Cricketers Bedford Place <21:00> www.facebook.com/events/616025449760205
