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SHOP AW24 NEW ARRIVALS

Meet Lewis Gill: Edinburgh-based café owner shares vegan recipe

Lewis Gill, Founder of Grams and Plant Bae, wears Clae
Lewis Gill, Founder of Grams and Plant Bae, wears Clae's unisex Edson Vegan Sneakers​​

This week, meet Lewis. He’s the brainchild behind two of our most frequented spots in the city: Grams and Plant Bae. Lewis is on a mission to help everyone introduce more plant-based foods into their diet—an ethos that we support and endorse.


Dressed head-to-toe in Wax London’s latest arrivals, we caught up with Lewis in Stockbridge (the neighbourhood we share) to discuss his mission in greater detail. Grams was born from the idea that it’s possible to eat better, not less. In 2015, they sold raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free cakes. In 2016, they opened their first café in Haymarket and expanded into healthy “fast food”. In 2020, Grams joined us in Stockbridge. Now known for their savoury options as well as their sweet, their first location (located in Leith) is now their sister brand. Plant Bae showcases their vegan and vegetarian options.


Lewis has kindly shared his recipe for vegan pesto pasta. With a bold, fresh basil pesto and greens, it's a guaranteed hit.

“Our mission is to make healthy food available to everyone. We want to show people that eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring.”

Lewis wears Wax London
Lewis wears Wax London's Kurt Trouser​​
Lewis wears Wax London
Lewis wears Wax London's Whiting Overshirt​​
Lewis Gill, Founder of Grams and Plant Bae, outside treen
Lewis Gill, Founder of Grams and Plant Bae, outside treen's flagship store in Stockbridge​​

Vegan Pesto Pasta

Serves two

Ingredients

220g spaghetti

90g fresh basil, large stems removed
25g pine nuts
4-6 garlic gloves, peeled
35ml lemon juice
20g nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
45ml extra virgin olive oil*
70ml water (plus more as needed)

80g asparagus, cut into spears
80g courgette, roughly chopped
80g carrot, peeled and chopped
80g red pepper, roughly chopped
100g cherry tomatoes
20g pine nuts
Vegan parmesan*


*Why not make your own parmesan? Add the following to a food processor and blitz:


90g cashews
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

1. Put the spaghetti into a pot of boiling water and follow instructions on pack (roughly cook for 8-9 minutes)

2. Meanwhile, add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon and salt to a food processor and blitz. Scape down the sides every now and then. As the mix churns, slowly add the oil and water. Don’t add it too fast or you’ll end up with lots of chunky basil. The consistency should be thick, but pourable.

3. Drain the spaghetti, keeping some of the water aside.

4. Place the carrot, pepper, asparagus and courgette in a pan with a small amount of oil and cook on a medium heat until they start to soften and get some colour.

5. Add the spaghetti to the pan and pour over your pesto (a few big tablespoons should do, but it’s up to you). Add a little splash of the reserved spaghetti water and stir. Add your cherry tomatoes and cook for one final minute.

6. Serve with pine nuts and some vegan parmesan.


Top tip: put any leftover pesto in the fridge or store in ice cube trays in the freezer.

Lewis Gill
Lewis Gill's Vegan Pesto Pasta—a vibrant and satisfying dish​​

Vegan

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