Britain may be the place where meat and potatoes reign, but it seems that the restaurant industry is suffering from a shortage of talent as plant-based diets became increasingly popular. The problem these innovative restauranteurs are running into is that while there are plenty of great chefs running around the UK, many of them don’t quite know how to work with plant-based ingredients. On the flip side, those who are interested in vegan cooking don’t have the restaurant experience required.
In response, a new plant-based cooking school has opened in London with an accelerated course to get more vegan chefs up to speed. Chantal Di Donato, who is one of the co-founders of the Vegan Chef Institute explained that the idea was inspired by the multitudes of chefs who had to train their line cooks from scratch. She told The Guardian, There’s a lot of really good chefs in the industry, but it’s really hard to find enough of them because it’s so new.”
While more casual eateries were doing just fine, it seems the finer dining establishments have been bearing the brunt of the shortage. “A lot of the food on offer was uninspired,” Di Donato explained about the problem with finding plant-based options at regular restaurants. “But vegan food can be more than just a salad or a roasted cauliflower – that’s why we think this is important.”
The London Vegetarian and Vegan School in Bermondsey, owned by Chico Francesco, will also be opening a professional level vegan cooking course within the next few months. “We have to, there’s so much demand for it,” he shared with The Guardian. Though the workshops are only a day long, their focus is upscale catering. “We often get inquiries from restaurants and hotels asking if we have any students we can recommend to them.”
35 Cool Moms Who Couldn’t Care Less About Stereotypes
They Know All the References
There are only a few people in this world who you can pretty much always count on, to be honest, and your mom is probably one of them. Most moms out there just want us all to live our best lives, and sometimes in order for that to happen, they have to keep it 100. Often, it is their unbridled honesty that translates to pure hilarity. And if there’s anything we love better than a well-timed Mean Girls reference, it’s an amazingly cool mom.

She Made This
Kudos to this mom who made this stunning wedding dress, not only is she this talented, but she put in so much hard work and time into her daughter’s wedding dress. She added all the embellishments and lots of jewels by hand. This kind of job takes months, and she spent all of her time working so hard on her daughter’s dress for her special day. It’s incredible the things mothers will do and the lengths they will go.

This Fashonista
There are a few stereotypes about moms in our society, some may be true while others are exaggerated but that doesn’t have to mean they can’t rock an amazing outfit. Despite being mothers, they can still be the coolest people in the world. This mom was on her way out to a themed corporate party, and she’s breaking stereotypes already. Since when did moms have to lose their style once they had kids? We don’t even need to tell her she looks great because she already knows it.

They Buy Cool Gifts
Some moms are just ultra-hip! Like this mom, who knew her son was going to have a hard time keeping up with cleaning the house, so to make his life more comfortable, she bought him these bad boys. Can you guess what they are for? Yes, they are house slippers, but they also serve another useful purpose. While slipping and sliding around his apartment, they catching any dust and dirt along the way. Now if that isn’t a fantastic present, we don’t know what it is!

Skills
If we were to ask our friends who their biggest inspiration is, chances are they’re going to get a lot of them saying it’s their mother. They are the ones who brought us into this world, and they’re the ones who are going to help us through all the disasters that life may throw at us. Like this prom dress that was ordered online, in the end, it was her mom’s sewing skills that helped and made it look as amazing as it does on the right!

21st Century Communication
With people sharing all the times they got burned by their sassy mothers, we know that as mothers, these ladies take no prisoners. Moms can be genius sometimes, and their amusing antics take us by surprise! Moms are aware that texting is the real key to 21st-century kid-to-parent communication, so instead of trying having to give us a hard time about something or hound us, they text us. We can only hope that one day we will reach this level of savviness.

Moms Keep it Real
Sometimes, when we hear the truth, it can really hurt. But the great thing about hearing the truth from our mom is that we can be 100 percent sure that she isn’t deliberately mean to us. When their candor words come from a place of love, it only makes coming to terms with the reality of things much easier. Plus, there’s no reason that we need to feel embarrassed in front of our mom because she will love us no matter what.

She Has the Best Ideas
This dog needed to go out for his morning walk, but it was raining. This mother wasn’t about to let her dog get wet so she came up with an ingenious solution. Let’s face it, if moms weren’t around, we’d have a lot more to worry about than the dog getting wet and if we were to ask our friends who their biggest inspiration is, chances are we’re going to get a lot of them saying it’s their mother.

She Does What She Wants
Who really wants to pay so much for a coke and some popcorn when you can get it for less than half the price in your local supermarket? Most of us give in to the prices and blame it on the ‘cinema experience’ but it doesn’t make it any more okay. While some people deal with this by sneaking candy into the theaters, this mother snuck in corn on the cob! We love the look on her face!

Making Friends
Society dictates that moms have to be on their A-game when it comes to raising their kids—ensuring that their kids are grown the proper way, a way that is deemed acceptable by society. But that does not have to mean that they cannot have some fun of their own. This mom shows us how it’s done while she’s out making friends. She clearly has no trouble making new friends, regardless of age or gender, she does just fine!

Priorities
This mom had no misgivings when it came to calling out her daughter Lauren over social media. They know precisely when it’s time for a little tough love; it may be savage, but how else would she get the message across? Nobody ever said that being the best mom ever is easy, but being a mom means making sure her kids have priorities in order, and because she knows what’s going on, she isn’t afraid to pass on some sage advice.

Matching Ties
Mom’s knitting is probably the ultimate act of love. Over the years, moms all over the world have industriously knit for their family and friends, everything from socks and hats to ponchos and sweaters. And now for this young man’s birthday, his mom made him and his cat matching ties, how adorable! There’s an implicit understanding that when someone knits something for their children, we know it’s a product of love, care, and time. Knowing how much her son loves his cat, we can see this mom cares, not only about him but the things he loves.

Let’s Get to Work
This photo was taken of missionaries gardening with a no-nonsense mom and went viral on Reddit. What happened was two Mormons came eager to share their convictions, well dressed in their ties and brochures in their hands. They insisted on speaking to this mom, she agreed but only if they helped her in the garden. This photo perfectly epitomizes what a practical mom would do, yes she’s friendly and hospitable to strangers but she’s not afraid to dish out some chores.

Helicopter Mom
This cool mom flew helicopters for the Army in the ’80s. Just because a mom has other roles and responsibilities that are important does not diminish her role as a mother. In fact, this just proves that moms can do anything! By working as an army pilot, this mom is setting an excellent example for her kids by fighting stereotypes. Because the truth is, watching a strong and successful woman expertly multitask different aspects of life motivates children to follow suit.

Lifting Us Up
This post on Twitter read: “I sent my mom my grades, and she sent me a photo of her in a tree. The caption was “I see you climbing your mountains.” If this doesn’t motivate us to be great, we don’t know what will! Our moms are always the ones to encourage and lift us up, no matter what. Got a dream? We can bet our mom is there to support it, and she will always remind us that we need to chase it, even when we’re not so sure of it ourselves.

Fearless Mom
This mom wasn’t afraid to ask for a selfie with Hulk Hogan, and why would she be? In our eyes, mothers are fearless and think nothing of cutting through hierarchies and approaching anyone. It’s a well-known fact that moms are pure magic, they devote their entire lives to taking care of their children, so it’s no surprise that moms can do literally everything. They’re the definition of perfect and embody the qualities that we need to grow as we get older.

She’s Considerate
This mom was not going to let her son dirty the seats on the subway, so she made plastic wrappers for his feet! How inventive, and thoughtful! not only did she want her son to rest while sleeping on her lap, she didn’t want to leave a mess on seats where other people may sit later on. That is such a mom thing to do, always thinking ahead and solving problems. Her considerate ways are just another thing we love about her.

Flu Care Package
Everyone has sick days, but what’s worse than having a sick day? Being sick on your own and having to take care of yourself. But this mom wasn’t going to let that stop her from caring for her son. As soon as her son told her he wasn’t feeling well and was definitely coming down with something, she made it her mission to give him this flu care package, with everything her son might need. Another reason why moms are the best!

It’s the Little Things
We’ve never seen anything more adorable and cute than this pet gecko wearing his little yellow hat, so the minute we saw this picture we knew we had to share it with you. If you need a dose of positivity in your day, or even if you simply love cute animal pictures, we know you will appreciate that this mom knitted it. Some moms seem naturally wired to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life, and we love it!

Living Her Best Life
This guy was so proud of his mom, he shared a post about her birthday: “So my mom had her ‘Sweet 56’ birthday party in the Philippines, and she’s out here living her best life.” This particular mom knows how to have a good time, like any cool mom, she’s the one planning all the family trips, parties and doing it with style! No matter what age their age may be, she’s still organizing fun events outside of the house and knows how to have a great time!

Creativity and Motherhood
Moms really know how to decorate, even if we don’t see eye to eye when it comes to having the same taste, they always have amazing ideas up their sleeves. This mom made a fantastic spectacle for Christmas from their window. It would seem that creativity in motherhood is a hidden talent that they all possess as each day as they deal with the unexpected. Mothers are among the most creative people on the planet; innovation could be their middle name.

Sneaky Mom
Moms, we really can’t live without them. Whether it’s all the love they give, all the opportunities they offer and all the advice that’s given, there’s no one more important than mom. Even though as kids, we may have only wanted to eat sugary treats and junk food, our moms knew better than to let us indulge. Everyone always wants to “make their own mistakes”, but sometimes they aren’t worth making. Take this sneaky mom, who hides the snacks where she knows her kids will never find them…the dishwasher.

Monetary Motivation
This mom knows that her kids aren’t going to spontaneously do their chores, so she added a little bit of monetary incentive to encourage some help around the house. Having to nag doesn’t always reap results so she snuck in some dollar bills inside the toilet rolls waiting to be used, so whoever changed it next, found a reward. If there’s one thing we can say about this mom, she really gets it when it comes to much-needed motivation.

Style Sense
With so much of your time and energy being taken up by mommy-ing, it can be hard to get motivated to change out of sweats or their standard easy-on work outfit. But somehow moms still manage to look stylish. “So my mom asked me what I was wearing at the Beyoncé concert… And she is going to wear a similar outfit.” From this photo, we can tell, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and if we have anyone to thank for our whimsical flair, it would be our mothers.

Mom and the Opera
This mom knows how to make something her own. Instead of going the traditional route, she turned her wedding into a dramatic opera-themed ceremony, with photos to match! Operas are built on love and romance, so naturally, wanting to have your photos look this theatrical and sensational makes for some of the most exciting ideas ever. With the striking red and black colors and smoke in the background, we can’t help but admire this mother for her unconventional wedding.

Mom Jokes
We all know that dads are funny; that’s why we’re all familiar with ‘dad jokes,’ But moms get an entirely different word attached to their title. So when our dads are hilarious, our mothers are often called savage. Granted that the word savage is typically used to describe someone wild or impolite, it does get a slightly different meaning when describing moms. This word means that they are ferocious, and know exactly how to make us laugh, even when it’s at our expense.

They Can be Goofy
We can’t always tell what they’re thinking, but we can probably give it a good guess. What really makes a mom a mom? We think its a mix of love and being a total weirdo. We mean that in the best way, of course — who else could pull off being as goofy as our moms? Our mom’s motto has always been: if you like it, do it. She just wants you to be happy, but might mean in it with a funny photo before you can enjoy yourself!

The Funniest
Sorry dads, it’s official: our moms are the funniest members of the family. She somehow manages to be hilariously sarcastic and wise at the same time. We don’t even need to tell her she’s funny, because she already knows, and she’s passed down that beautiful, radiant sense of humor on to us (we hope.) When we were younger, we always hoped we would be different from them, but now, we’ve never been more proud to be just like our mother.

She’ll Be There
After she drops the honesty bomb, 90% of the time, our moms will totally be there to let us cry it out. We know that no matter what happens in life, our mom has got our back is truly an amazing feeling. And having the self-awareness to understand our shortcomings and how to improve them can be pretty tricky, but moms will always be there to call us on all our nonsense and love us in spite of it.

Our Biggest Cheerleader
Our mom went to ALL our games. It didn’t matter if it was as a seven-year-old in a recreational basketball league or all-star baseball teams as an early teen or cross-country matches in high school. She was always there; it was basically guaranteed. Even when we traveled to competing high schools, she was there. This is Elon Musk’s mom, and she is one of those moms that supported her son throughout his life. After graduating high school, when Elon decided to move to Canada, Maye Musk followed him there with her other children six months later.

Calm and Composed
We totally wish we were as cool as this mom, who ran into Waka Flocka, the famous American rapper at the airport. Not only did she manage to stay calm and approach him, she even posed for a photo with him, sending her kids this picture. If we realized there was a celebrity around, we doubt we could remain this calm and composed. We’d probably scream and freak out, shouting their name and drawing more attention to them than necessary.

She’s Fluent in Emoji
While some people still have yet to master the art of texting, our mom is throwing out emojis left and right as if she invented them. She threads together those tiny pictures like a poet, a master of modern-day communication. Sometimes, we’re not even totally sure what it is she’s trying to say because her emoji game is just that strong — but we would never tell her that because we wouldn’t want our mom to feel like she raised a lousy barbarian, you know?

Selfie Game
Our moms might not totally understand everything we do, but she’s still there to make sure we succeed. Thesemoms decided to recreate their son’s selfie at the Dodger game, and ultimately showing them how silly their selfie game is! We might have a repertoire of rubbish dad jokes to call upon, but as we can see from this hilarious photo, these moms take it to a whole new level. Of course, they were mocking their sons, but they did it so lovingly.

They Love the Family Pets
Whatever kind of pet we may have in our family, we know she’s going to treat it like one of her kids. One day someone could hear their mom talking outside from the window, so they went to have a look and saw their mom talking to the cat. It’s funny and sweet, and we just love how this mom couldn’t care less if anyone else noticed. They’re just catching up on the good old days, mind your business, nosy kids!

Queen Beyonce
Being a mom can be hard! Taking care of the family, putting up with complaining kids, and still trying to have a life of their own… That’s what being a mom is all about, but Beyonce makes it look easy, she’s killing it! Motherhood may mean being the snack holder for children, but that doesn’t mean she can’t look amazingly stylish while doing it. All while taking her daughter, Blue Ivy, out to a sports game, even her lipstick matches the snack’s packaging perfectly.

Being Brave
This mom asked her daughter for a fun hairstyle to play with before her chemo treatment began. By getting a brand new haircut, this mom is simply being brave in the face of cancer. A new hairdo doesn’t have to be short or news anchor-y in the slightest. Why not go pink? Once you’ve given birth to another human being, getting a bright new pixie cut is no sweat. This mom is showing one way to jump-start a difficult time in this messy road of life!
