We love taking part in vegan events – it’s the main thing that runs right through our business. All of our products are 100% vegan friendly, 100% zero palm on and 100% delicious. At vegan events we get to schmooze with lots of like minded people, and we absolutely love bringing them a hefty chunk of fudgy brownie to their day!
So it’s no surprise that we’re super hyped for a weekend FULL of vegan events, starting off in Devon.
Dark Matters @ Plymouth Vegan Festival
We’re heading even more south and even more west for Plymouth Vegan Festival, and we can’t ruddy wait.
Taking place at Plymouth Guildhall on Saturday 11th September, the venue will be stuffed chockablock with vegan traders. More than 40 stalls will line the hall, with doors opening at 10.30am until shut down at 4.30pm.
Standard tickets are just £4, and once you’re in you’ll be surrounded by a butt load of vegan companies flogging their wares. Come on down and get your vegan jewellery, clothes, cheese, skincare – and, of course, BROWNIES.
Dark Matters @ Tewkesbury Vegan Fair
Then on Sunday 12th September, we’re whizzing back up the M5 all the way to Tewkesbury for Tewkesbury Vegan Fair!
Tickets are just £2 – bargain! We’ll be flogging our wares (mainly brownies tbh) in Watson Hall from 11am to 4pm.
There’ll be vegan jewellery, clothes, cheese, skincare – and, of course, BROWNIES.
As always, bring along a container for your brownies to any of our markets and we’ll knock 50p off your total. All of our packaging is sustainable, but you know what’s more sustainable? BYOB (bring your own box/bag).
Order online
If you can’t wait that long, don’t worry – we got you. Check out our online shop where you can order brownies 24/7 and we’ll get them shipped right to your door.
If you’re wondering what gift to buy for your vegan foodie friend, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with our decadent, chocolatey presents – made fresh to deliver all over the UK. It’s not just brownies on offer, oh no! Here are a few of our best gifts for vegans – and non-vegans too.
We may be biased, but who (vegan or not) wouldn’t love to get stuck into a rich, fudgy treat that’s been made with the best ingredients and absolutely zero palm oil?
Maybe you’re making a gift basket, or looking for the perfect treat for a friend. Maybe you want to treat yourself – we’re totally here for it.
We perfected our vegan brownie/cookie hybrid just a few years ago, but they have been a best-seller ever since.
We make a layer of vegan cookie base, with the perfect amount of chew. Then a thick, chunky layer of double chocolate chip brownie. All topped off with a generous sprinkling of Dandies plant based marshmallows.
A decadent addition to any vegan gift basket, or a delicious treat on its own. There’s a chill in the air, and we all know the best way to combat it: a steaming cup of luxury hot chocolate topped with Dandies plant based marshmallows.
We’ve perfected our own secret Dark Matters blend of hot chocolate, ready for you to mix with a milk of your choice. The result is a thick, chocolatey mug of cockle-warming goodness.
Now these are just *chef’s kiss* perfection. The perfect chocolatey gift – but let’s be real, also a great gift from you to you. Bigger and chunkier than a little, single chocolate. Slightly less hefty than a whole brownie – unless you eat the whole bag, and why not?
We take our OG Salted Caramel Brownie, add an extra generous helping of settled caramel and ganache (all vegan, obvs). Then dip that in a vat of tempered chocolate. The result is… I mean just try for yourself, you will not regret it.
Dark Matters Vegan Brownies – Online Store
Have a nose round our online shop! We bake all our brownies (and other chocolatey treats) in small batches, made to order. So you’ll get the freshest, fudgiest brownies around. We offer delivery throughout the UK.
We are a 100% vegan company established in 2013 and are proudly palm oil free. We use ethically sourced ingredients and use beautiful yet sustainable packaging.
We are hitting the South West big time next weekend, baking a big ol’ batch of vegan brownies for a double whammy of events. Find us at eat:Wellington on Saturday 4th September, and Frome Independent Market on Sunday 5th. If you can’t make it to the markets – fear not! Place your order in our online shop for delivery all over the UK.
We’ll have Brookies, vegan marshmallows, salted caramel, peanuts, coffee, pecans and so much more, all baked into decadent vegan brownies using 70% Fairtrade dark chocolate and absolutely zero palm oil.
BYOB – bring your own box/bag! As always, we’ll give you 50p off your total if you bring your own container for your brownies. If you don’t have a bag or box, it’s all good – we’re proud to say that all of our packaging is plastic free.
We’re setting up shop from 10am on Saturday 4th for eat:Wellington. If you’ve been before, you’ll see that there’s a slightly different layout this time, making adjustments for social distancing. But we shouldn’t be too hard to find – hopefully your brownie senses will be tingling.
Wellington Fun Fact: The Iron Duke pub in Wellington is home to Gemma’s favourite pub toilet. “It’s the best toilet that I’ve ever been in in my life”, said the brownie queen – and you could tell she really meant it.
Although we don’t condone spending money in a Weatherspoons, we do suggest popping in to spend a penny. Every time Gemma’s in town she makes a special trip to the toilet that won Loo of the Year!
Then we’re off to FROME.
It’s finally happening – Frome Independent Market is back for its first big event since March 2020.
There’s been a big Frome shaped hole in our diary for the past year and a half. We did manage to get a little Frome fix when we traded at the night market not so long ago, but now it’s time for the main event!
We’ve been trading at Frome since the very early days of Dark Matters, and we’ve loved each and every market – only ever missing out on one event since we started. We love supporting other local, independent businesses, and this really is the best place to do just that.
There are way too many amazing little businesses trading in Frome to be able to mention them all, but we’re really looking forward to seeing Wolfe Academy sustainable clothing, Dakota Rae Dust jewellery, and as always lunch will be provided by Jacob’s Finest Vegan Falafel.
The letters are up and we cannot wait to get back to Victorious Festival. After a year out thanks to the pandemic that shall not be named, we’re bringing the vegan brownies back to Portsmouth and setting up shop on Southsea Common over the bank holiday weekend – 28/29 August 2021.
Gemma will be around our usual spot on Market Way on the way from the Main Stage to the real ale bar. As always, if you bring your own bag/box we will give you 50p off your total.
There will be an array of gorgeous, gooey brownies (100% vegan and free from palm oil – naturally) including Brookie (brownie/cookie hybrid), Salty Dog (salted caramel swirl) plus one of our brand NEW flavours: CHUNK – triple chocolate fudge. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more fudgy. That’s really the tip of the iceberg – there will be so many more flavours on offer.
Although Gemma will be flying solo, so won’t get much time to see many bands, you can guarantee she will be running away to watch Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at the first opportunity. Click here to check out the full line up.
As well as music there’s the Kid’s Arena, market stalls, comedy and literacy stages and even a bloomin’ circus for crying out loud.
Day tickets are between £40 and £50 per adult, or £135 for the weekend – much less for littles! Head to their website for the most up to date info on prices and availability. If you’re travelling form further afar there is a camping option available, but it’s looking to sell out so get in there quickly!
Come and get your vegan brownie fix at the award winning eat:Portishead! We’ll be setting up shop in the Dockside New area of the Marina and slinging all of your favourite fudgy brownies from 10am to 4pm tomorrow – Saturday 14th August.
We’ve got two NEW FLAVOURS for you to get in your gob, and boy are they tasty. Introducing: Hazelnut Praline and Triple Choc Fudge. As always, made with top quality fair trade 70% dark chocolate. Drool away, folks.
Dark Matters at Eat:Portishead
We will, of course, have all the classics, including Salty Dog (salted caramel swirl), Brookie (brownie/cookie hybrid)and New Yorker (peanut butter). All 100% vegan, 100% palm oil free, and 100% delish.
BYOB – Bring Your Own Box – and we’ll give you 50p off your total. That’s good for you and good for the planet. It’s a win, win – you’re welcome, Mother Nature.
Eat:Portishead is totally free to attend and supports 90 local food and drink businesses and producers from the south west. But wait, there’s more!
As well as tonnes of fab foodie stalls, there’s live music and street entertainers, plus lots of great little pubs along the Marina. Top Dark Matters tip: grab yourself a brownie and a pint of local cider and after you’ve had a mooch around the festival, take a lovely little walk along the coast. There might even be a spot of sunshine to bask in… maybe.
This will be our fourth year trading at eat:Portishead! We love this event for many reasons, one in particular is that it’s just 15 minutes as the crow flies from our brownie base. This means it’s super local, and helps us keep our carbon footprint as low as possible.
Not only that, we get to see, hang out with and support some of the BEST traders in the SW, maybe even the world? Including Boo Cottage Botanicals – Gemma has already got her order in for some totally gorge natural skincare, and she is loving it.
One of the very best things about running a small business and trading at events is meeting, hanging out with and becoming friends with some amazing folk who also run incredible businesses all across the country (usually making great food. I love food.) Below are a handful of my absolute fave vegan businesses I think you need to know about!
Got No Beef The best vegan burger joint in the world, I often have dreams about the vegan shrimp (Cardiff)
Mr Nice Pie Maker of fine pies and all round nice guys (Events + South Wales based)
Iuvo Skincare Incredible cruelty free skincare and the nicest family ever. Their rose body butter works wonders on dry and irritated skin.
VE Cosmetics One woman empire creating magical vegan and cruelty free cosmetics
The Doughnut Pod Incredible vegan doughnuts (Events + Manchester area)
Alternative Stores 100% vegan superstore, owned and run by a wonderful vegan family
Good Carma Foods Amazing vegan parmesan alternative, could easily eat with every meal.
I Am Nut Ok Some of the best vegan cheese on the market. Fight me.
Mighty Brew Incredible organic kombucha and wonderful family run biz.
Viva La Vegan Fashion as activism with % of profits to rescue animals.
Anticarnist Metal AF designs by vegan artists for vegan activists with attitude.
As this gets longer I may split it into categories: Food, Beauty, Clothing etc 🙂 Drop me a line with your favourite vegan businesses for me to check out!
We were chuffed recently to be asked to feature on the Bristol Pound blog, to chat business, brownies and Brizzol. Check out my recommendations at the end of the article, and maybe even a cheeky discount too!…
We spoke to Gemma Ann Lewis, who runs Dark Matters – a vegan friendly, anti palm oil independent brownie business.
Veganism is no longer a niche food movement, it’s growing rapidly throughout the UK and globally, with recent research suggesting that over 7% of the UK’s population now identify as vegan. After turning vegan herself, Gemma saw the potential to change the direction of her company and worked hard to ‘veganize’ her products without her customers noticing a difference to the taste! She replaces eggs and milk with high quality alternatives and she doesn’t use any margarines or vegan spreads that may contain palm oil.
Gemma tells us about the highs and lows of running an independent business and tells us why she loves Bristol.
Hi Gemma, tell us how you got your business up and running… I started trading as Dark Matters in Spring 2013 when I was looking for a way to supplement my minimum wage job in Bournemouth. I had run another small chocolate business when I lived in South London and loved the freedom and challenges that come with working for myself, so was keen to see if I could make it work elsewhere with a new business. Delighted to still be here after 6 years, but it’s not been stress free.
What makes your business unique? We started simply as an artisan chocolate brownie business with a focus on dark chocolate (hence the name), which was unusual at the time, but as the brownie market grew (and I became vegan myself for a number of reasons) I saw that there was definitely a gap in the market for us to convert the business to being vegan also.
This was in late 2015 and its one of the best things we’ve done business-wise. I worked incredibly hard to ‘veganize’ our existing recipe, taking out the butter and eggs and replacing them with high quality vegan alternatives but without our existing customer base noticing too much of a difference. We’re also a palm oil free business, so don’t use any margarines or vegan spreads as people might assume.
The real secret is we’ve actually increased the amount of dark chocolate couverture that goes in every batch, so our customers are getting even more of a chocolate hit per bite! For this reason we believe that our brownies are definitely not just for vegans (I would say our customer base is probably 50/50) and think the only real requirement is that you really love chocolate
And what do you love about your job? What’s your favourite thing about running an independent business? As I mentioned above, I love the freedom that comes with running my own business. Once I’d had a taste of that it’s very difficult to be an employee again! The job satisfaction that comes with a really great market day is indescribable, especially if we sell out early and get the chance to grab a drink with the other traders or have a good chat with our ace customers.
The real secret is we’ve actually increased the amount of dark chocolate couverture that goes in every batch, so our customers are getting even more of a chocolate hit per bite!
What are the challenges? I think the hardest things about running an independent business is also one of the best, I can take time off whenever I like, but I won’t get paid for it, so this is definitely a motivation to work hard in order to play hard! Not having a set reliable wage is always a worry, but in the current economy I don’t think anyone can say their job is 100% safe anymore, and the freedom and control that comes with running a small independent is definitely worth the sleepless nights in the early days of building the business and becoming profitable.
How do you keep it going? Being in a community of like minded business owners is the best way to feel continually inspired and motivated to keep going, even in the toughest of times. Most weeks I work 6/7 days including markets, so it can be very isolating, but the comradery and support, both in person at markets and on social media is honestly one of the main reasons I’m still trading. Being able to reach out to people who are experiencing similar things in similar industries and ask for advice or feedback is absolutely priceless. We’ve also built up a brilliant customer base in the last few years, many of whom I would now consider friends (even if they only want me for my brownies!), so having that is incredibly motivating to keep baking.
Are you from Bristol? If so what part? If not – when did you move here and why? Originally from North London but came to Bristol via Dorset two years ago. I’ve always loved the fierce independence of the city, its individuality and diversity, and support of small businesses and local enterprise. I also love being so close to nature, despite living in a city. Plus my family live in West Wales, so being closer to them is a bonus too!
Why Bristol Pound? Whenever we visited friends who lived in Bristol before we moved it was the Bristol pound that stood out to me as one of the many incredible things about the city. I loved the idea of a circular currency, that would ensure money stayed within the city and was spent with small Bristol businesses, so I think I signed up to accept £B only a matter of days after we moved!
Where do you like to shop and where do you spend your Bristol Pounds?Are you even a vegan in Bristol if you don’t mention Cafe Kino? Still one of my favourites, no matter how many times I visit, although Bun Fiction at Kongs is creeping up to the top spot. The Portcullis pub for Sunday afternoon board games and Belgian beers after a busy market day, or the Vegan Vend vending machines in The Island or Galleries for a quick snack on the go (you can also buy our brownies!).
We’ve only recently started trading regularly in Bristol despite being located here for a while, so we’ve not had a huge amount in via £B, but when we do I tend to excitedly save them for the two things most crucial to the smooth running of the business…coffee and beer. So Grain Barge for bevvies, or Small Street Espresso for brews!
Do you have any special offers for Bristol Pound customers? Or any other offers on at the moment? Nab 15% off our whole website range with offer code B15 and have them delivered to you, or save on postage too and collect from us (BS11) with code BRISTOLPICKUP
When I registered our interest to hear more on the new Virgin StartUp webpage I honestly didn’t think it would amount to anything. It was March 2014 and I’d been running Dark Matters for almost a year alongside my part-time cafe job, where everything I made on top of what was needed to basically stay functioning was ploughed back into the business (including tips!).
The idea of getting a Start Up loan seemed terrifying, and a huge commitment, so when I got a call the next day from Alyson over at Business West (a delivery partner for VSU) I was fairly overwhelmed. Luckily she was well versed in talking to stressed out start-ups, and in the 20 minutes or so that we chatted I became more and more aware that this was exactly the opportunity we needed in order to reach the next step in our business.
I was paired up with an amazing mentor who held my hand through writing an absolutely kick-ass Business Plan and we had the loan in our bank account within three weeks. Bonkers.
Obviously, the money was a HUGE boost to the business. We were able to book large (and costly) Summer events, buy more much needed kitchen equipment, finish driving lessons (then pass my test!) and buy our first Brownie Mobile! When I first sent off an email to Virgin StartUp I had been focused on what the loan could do for my business, I hadn’t factored in the amount of support and mentoring (Hi Matt!) VSU would continually offer over the two years after receiving our loan. From paying for our pitch at Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival, inviting us to Virgin HQ to flog our brownies to their staff at Christmas, having us cater their incredible Women In Business events and featuring us numerous times on their blog, they’ve continued to go above and beyond for us, and I couldn’t be happier that we took that step two years ago!
Search the Virgin Start Up Blog for lots more advice and articles about setting up your own business, with the right support its easier than you think!
Beloved customers have always known how awesome our brownies are, but now we can truly say they are ‘award winning’!
Big-ups to the tasters over at 2015 Taste of the West Awards for giving SILVER our divine ‘Queen of Sheba’, and ‘New Yorker’ as Highly Commended- we’re over the moon at the results and are spurred on to get a Gold next time around.
We’re really proud to be members of both Taste of the West and Dorset Food & Drink who work really hard around the clock to promote all the amazing food and drink producers we have across the South West. Without their support and events we wouldn’t be where we are today, so if you’re a foodie explorer then have a nose and see what they’re doing over the coming months, and see which producers you have on your doorstep!
I don’t know about you but I am getting royally ticked off with feeling under the weather. I have always been a sufferer of the Winter Blues, however usually the promise of fairy lights and mulled wine (or mulled cider or mulled ANYTHING) gets me through Pre-Christmas, and after that I try to enjoy the short days and use them as an excuse to eat dinner at 5pm and be snuggled under a blanket with a Stephen King book by 9. Despite the usual dread on January 2nd of the few months ahead before Spring shows its face, it usually comes along quicker than I think, and I never actually see out my plan of setting fire to *that* winter coat that never seems to be off my body, indoors or out.
This year, I admit, I haven’t made life easy on myself. You see, on January 5th myself and The Bearded Wonder (Dark Matters Market-selling Maestro and my partner in life, not just in crime) decided we would ‘do one’, as they say, and disappear off to Mexico for a month. “Hooray!” we said that day, and for every day after that for three and a half weeks while we ate and drank our way around the Yucatan Peninsula (more on THAT soon), but it had to end at some point, and by January 29th we were definitely ready to come home to the beautiful crisp Winter days and big cosy jumpers.
Yep, I’m an idealist. And I forgot about cold season. Since returning from Mexico I have been in a daily battle with my immune system, pumping it full of Echinacea, herbal (‘Cold Buster!’ ‘Flu Fighter!’ etc ect) teas and as much Vitamin C as I can get my antibacterial-gelled hands on. Lidl sell an enormous grocer’s case of oranges, and we’ve been getting through one of these a WEEK. It seems to be doing the trick and any sniffles I’ve had tend not to amount to much, but by GOD, its hard work being this healthy! So today I’ve treated myself and baked one of my absolute all time favourite treats (that aren’t Brownie based- obv!) to use up a couple of sad looking oranges in my fridge. I try not to eat too much dairy myself as it triggers some skin problems, so went on the hunt for an easy-breezy vegan recipe I could knock up just in time for a 4pm cuppa. Success! Delicious vegan Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins – they’ve certainly made me feel much better, despite the low Vitamin C…
2 cups plain flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 salt 3 tbsp poppy seeds 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp caster sugar 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rapeseed/sunflower oil zest & juice of 2 oranges 1 cup soy milk 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Lemon Glaze
3/4 cups icing sugar 1+ tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a muffin tin with baking cups and set aside.
In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes to curdle. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together sugar, canola oil, and the juice and zest. Slowly add curdled soy milk, whisking while adding, until completely incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding in gently until just combined.
Fill the muffin liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean. Set the muffins on a cooling rack to cool.
Meanwhile whisk together the powered sugar and juice. You may need to add a little extra orange juice to get a thick and smooth consistency.
Spoon about 1 tbsp of glaze over each warm muffins then let the muffins continue cooling until completely cool.
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