Not Dogs are Celebrating All-Things Vegan this November

The first of November is World Vegan Day… and for the whole month we’re celebrating 

Vegan Month!

In November 1944 a group of friends wanted to distinguish the difference between not eating meat versus not eating any products from animals and so the Vegan Society which Not Dogs is part of, formed. Every November year since 1994, the Vegan Society have been celebrating World Vegan Day and, because of its popularity, it’s grown to become World Vegan Month where vegans and veganism is celebrated all over the world!

The first ever Vegan Society records show there was just 25 members now there’s over 7,000! The demand for meat-free food increased by a whopping 987% in 2017 and the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled between 2014 and 2018! It’s not only health that’s benefitting from this change; plant-based diet cuts the use of land by 76% and halves greenhouse gases and other pollution caused by food production.

This month is a time to recognise how far the vegan movement has come and to highlight how beneficial, easy and accessible (especially now Not Dogs has arrived!) can be. It’s not just for vegans, but everyone can get involved whether it’s simply for World Vegan Day or the whole month with the 30 Day Vegan Pledge - every little bit helps health, animals and the planet.

We’re really excited about a new app called VeGuide that the society has developed which launches on the 1st of November. There’s an easy 30 day programme to follow and regular encouraging boosts tailored to your motivation.

In-store to celebrate World Vegan Day we’re giving you 20% off all vegan Not Dogs! Our utterly delicious seiten-based Not Dogs topped with all-vegan toppings (on request) are a big hit with our customers so, if you usually stick-to our original Not Dogs (we love them as much as you do!) why not try our lightly smoked vegan option and make use of November's special offers!?

Every Friday in November at Not Dogs Birmingham, to mark World Vegan Month, you can get 20% off our favourite vegan menu items…

2nd - What the Duck Dog

9th - Chris-P Chicken Burger

16th - Any of our Nice Shakes

23rd - Cha-Cha Chilli Not Pot

30th - Hello Houmous

Happy World Vegan Month! See you for some delicious goodies this November!

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Meat-Free Chilli-Con-Carne AKA The Cha-Cha Chilli!

Get cosy whether you're staying in or heading to your nearest bonfire with our vegetarian chilli-con-carne recipe which deliciously tops our Cha-Cha Chilli Dog but goes equally well with rice, spooned onto a jacket potato or simply topped with crushed nachos and chilli flakes. It’s time to get cosy and indulge in some delicious warming food!

Cha-Cha Chilli-Con-Carne - serves four hungry people!

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp hot chilli powder

2 tsp chilli flakes

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp chopped red chillies

2 peppers, diced

Pinch of salt and pepper

300g meat-free mince

800g chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

400g kidney beans

250-500ml vegetable stock

Method

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan

• Fry all the spices and chilli flakes, garlic and chopped chillies until fragrant, constantly stirring

• Add the peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper

• Sauté for around five minutes until the peppers are starting to brown

• Add the meat-free mince, stir well

• Add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and kidney beans, stir well

• Simmer for ten minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally

• Add 250ml of the vegetable stock, stir and simmer for ten minutes

• Check back regularly to see if more vegetable stock is required

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October's #SausageSelfie Competition!

September’s group winner, posted on Twitter by @schmoomar has won a feast for four - Not Dogs, burgers, Nice Shakes, sides… their wish is our command!

This month you can win free sides for the whole of November! Imagine… all the Waffle Fries and Not Dogs Nuggets you can eat! And exciting news too - we’re launching a new top secret ‘special side’ for November so the winner can enjoy that for free too!

All you need to do is upload your picture tagging in #SausageSelfie on Twitter and/or Instagram this October and you’ll be in with the chance of winning free sides for the whole of November - it’s that simple!

All terms and conditions are on our website: https://www.notdogs.co.uk/t-cs

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Student Sessions Have Arrived!

A new term is here so we’re celebrating all things student at Not Dogs Birmingham! 

Firstly, all students can get 20% off anything from the menu for the whole of October - just show your NUS card at the till. 

Secondly, we’re launching a £5 Meal Deal consisting of the Plain Jane, Waffle Fries and a drink from the chiller which launches today until Sunday 14th October - again, just show your card to Crew. 

Finally, this offer is for everyone… there’s 20% off all Deliveroo orders until Sunday 14th October - enjoy Not Dogs from the comfort of your own home - perfect!

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Not Dogs Heads to Manchester for the First Time!

We are very excited to be heading to Manchester’s Charles Street next week to celebrate the student activity across the City with our ‘Meaty Without the Meat’ menu!

For three days only, the Not Dogs Crew are bringing three of our most popular Not Dogs to Spar on Oxford Road. The menu features Plain Jane, named after Not Dogs co-founder Jane Yates which includes Heinz Ketchup and French’s Mustard, Kickin’ Katie Nacho Dog, named after co-founder Katie McDermott featuring house-made guacamole, cheese, crushed nachos and jalapeños and finally The Original Frank topped with Heinz Ketchup, French’s Mustard, American Cheese Sauce and house-made fried onions.

The last time Not Dogs was in Manchester was to film the very scary Dragons’ Den! Manchester’s food scene is full of amazing, inspiring brands and it’s somewhere we’d love to have a permanent Not Dogs presence in. Hopefully our little pop-up is the start of something great.

Not Dogs will be popping-up at Spar Charles Street, Manchester from Tuesday 2nd to Thursday 4th October opening 11am until 3pm. See you there!

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Cameras Ready... it's #SausageSelfie Time!

A new month brings a new #SausageSelfie competition and boy are we excited about this one!

August’s winner made it just in time… we loved this indecisive #SausageSelfie and Ant just had to win 25% off Not Dogs for Life with this winning shot!

In September, you can win a Not Dogs feast for four people of your choosing featuring items from the whole menu including…

Not Pots - pots of fluffy white rice topped with all the Not Dogs flavour - just without the dog or bun! Choose from Cha-Cha Chilli, Ticklish Tikka and Hoisin Duck

The Chris-P Chicken Burger - ‘Chicken’ burger topped with crispy ‘bacon’, lettuce and Not Dogs’ house-made mayonnaise

What the Duck Dog with crispy shredded ‘duck’, spring onions, cucumber, hoisin sauce and crushed rice crackers

And wash your feast down with a Not Dogs’ Nice Shake!

All you need to do is upload your picture tagging in #SausageSelfie on Twitter and/or Instagram in September and you’ll be in with the chance of winning this epic feast - it’s that simple!

All terms and conditions are on our website: https://www.notdogs.co.uk/t-cs 

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The Explosion of ‘World Plant Milk Day’

The second annual World Plant Milk Day is August 22nd following huge success in 2017 with millions of people all over the world showing support for the campaign with the hashtag #WorldPlantMilkDay trending on Twitter.

Our meat-free fast food restaurant in Birmingham is celebrating with 20% off ‘Nice Shakes’ - our popular all-natural, dairy-free shakes. Choices include the most popular Cheeky Choco and the Raspberry Ripple, Peppermint Patty and Straight-Up Strawberry made from fresh fruits, plant-based milk and simply natural ingredients. All Nice Shakes are finished off with a swirl of dairy-free whipped cream.

Plant-based milks are really delicious and are worth a try! We decided to launch our Nice Shakes using a blend of soya milk at Not Dogs Birmingham and Chessington not only for veggies and vegans but for flexitarians and those who are lactose-intolerant too meaning no-one misses out. They are a big hit!

World Plant Milk Day celebrates the explosion in popularity of dairy-free milk alternatives and raises awareness of their many health, animal welfare and environmental benefits something which we happily align with; better fast food for us, animals and the planet.

According to Kantar Worldpanel, ’free from’ milk and cheese is up 10% year-on-year and in 2017, dairy-free cheese has grown an incredible 80% suggesting they are becoming a staple for consumers, and a trend that is here to stay. It’s not just the rise of vegetarianism and veganism that’s impacting on the shift but another group known as ‘flexitarians’ who reduce the amount of animal products in their diets, whether it be for one meal or a whole day.

The range of quality milk alternatives has grown massively; in the past six years, plant-based milk sales have doubled worldwide. The dairy industry contributes highly to climate change, making the simple switch to plant-based milk helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Soya milk, used at Not Dogs, is a great source of protein as it includes all nine essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein). It also helps boost calcium and iron levels as well as being a rich source of B vitamins. Choose the unsweetened versions to minimise added sugar.

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See you on the 22nd at Not Dogs Birmingham for 20% off!