The Blacksmith & Toffeemaker, a London-based pub — in Islington, specifically — has started 2018 off with a BIG change. They tossed out their meat grinder and rolled out a fully vegan menu. Evidently, not all people’s enthusiasm for this new year was dulled by cynicism.

According to their Instagram, this move was inspired by sustainability. Meat and dairy, as two examples, are not sustainable products. Between all of the food and water required to feed animals, massive pollution from factory farms, the development of superbugs, increased chances for disease, and being the largest contributor to climate change, meat and dairy simply require a lot from the planet.

Vegan products, on the other hand, don’t require animals or any gargantuan factory farming set up, for one. For two, their carbon footprint is nowhere near the carbon footprint of animal agriculture. Veganism isn’t perfect, of course, but it’s far more sustainable.



Starting today, the menu will be completely vegan. Folks are already sounding off on social media about the new menu. The offerings are far from the “salad and grass” stereotype about vegan food. The new menu includes, among many things, vegan chorizo, jalapeño and refried bean grilled cheese sandwich, and polenta fries. The food, really, speaks for itself.

In addition to a vegan menu, The Blacksmith & Toffeemaker don’t serve straws with their drinks, and all of their menus, napkins, toilet paper, and takeaway bags/boxes are 100 percent recycled. They also try to minimize their waste. Their site reads: “Nearly all waste from the bar is sent for recycling and our food waste is collected and used to create renewable energy through anaerobic digestion.”

This pub shows that 2018 — and any year — can be one of change, if you’re willing to put the thought and action into it.