vegane 4ht w4h by coolkdei2

The lifestyle magazine written by vegans for vegans

February 2020 | issue 59 | £3.99

THE

FOUL TRUTH

Plant-based breakfast ideas

Dispelling the ‘free-range’ myth

It’s a

date!

Plenty more fish in the sea?

Fun vegan options for Valentine’s Day

We meet Matt Pritchard p20

“I want to spread the vegan word and love to as many as possible!”

Cover recipe: Butternut Squash & Cavolo Nero Pizza p66

We investigate the tropical fish trade

Nice to

Pizza! Tasty recipes to try this weekend

VOTED 'BEST VEGAN MAGAZINE' 2019

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Hello,

MANAGING EDITOR Emily Saunders EDITOR Phillipa Smith Phillipa@primeimpact.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR Gemma Tadman Gemma.Tadman@primeimpact.co.uk PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Keith Coomber MANAGING DIRECTOR Julie Saunders DESIGNER Scott Tyc ADVERTISING SALES Claire Rogers | 44 (0)1787 220650 Claire@primeimpact.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES Hannah Allen Hannah.allen@primeimpact.co.uk MARKETING AND PRESS Jane Lambert PROMOTIONS AND BLOGGER COMMUNITY MANAGER Jane Lambert PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY Alana Martin FOOD CREATIVE TEAM Shaun Warner LICENSING Bruce Sawford | 44 (0)1280 860185 Bruce@BruceSawfordLicensing.com

elcome to the new issue. February is synonymous with love and Valentine’s Day is the pinnacle of this most romantic of months. If you’re looking to celebrate, we’ve got some great ideas for unusual dates, gits and ways to show your appreciation for animals, too — it’s always important to remember it’s not just humans who need love and afection. This month we take a look at the tropical fish trade (p86), shining a light on the cruel treatment of these exotic and interesting species. Many people believe that fish have limited cognitive and emotion-bearing abilities — the stereotypes of ‘memory like a goldfish’ don’t help their reputation. However, many studies have shown that fish are sentient, with cognitive abilities that equal, and sometimes surpass that of non-human primates. We need to raise awareness of the plight that faces tropical fish, and all marine life, before we lose some of these beautiful breeds for good. Lex Rigby also shares with us her incredible experiences working with Sea Shepherd to help save whales (p28). From her participation in Southern Ocean whale defence campaigns to driving pods of pilot whales to safe waters and chasing poaching vessels, it’s a riveting and inspiring read. We’re also getting really excited about Vegan Life Live coming up on March 14th–15th and can’t wait to see you all there. What better place to share the love than a venue of like-minded people enjoying great conversation and sensational food? Make sure you get your tickets — a Valentine’s git, perhaps?

Have a great month,

ACCOUNTS Yolande Arnold The publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the appearance or nonpublication of any advertisement. Information about products and services featured within the editorial content does not imply endorsement by Vegan Life magazine.

Phillipa Smith Editor

Every efort is made to ensure that all advertising is derived from reputable sources. Vegan Life magazine cannot, however, accept responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers. The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from responsibly managed forests, according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. The manufacturing mill has both FSC and PEFC certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.

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“We strive for a world where every earthling has the right to live and grow. That's why we don't eat animals.” Ruby Roth

Cover Image: Butternut Squash & Cavolo Nero Pizza with Caramelised Onions p66

20 28

77 38

96 120

122

Contents On he Cover

Spicy Miso Corn on the Cob

The interview We catch up with Matt Pritchard

Miso Aubergines

Korean Style Brioche Sandwich

It must be love Celebrate Valentine’s Day the vegan way

Guinness Glazed BBQ Mock Ham Ribs

Plenty more fish in the sea... or are there? We investigate the trade of tropical fish

Cheesy Chkn, Leek & Mushroom Pie

Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Oreo Brownie Sundae

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Tofu Mousse

Banana & Chocolate Mousse

Vegan Coconut Cupcakes

The foul truth Dispelling the myths behind ‘free-range’ chicken farming Rise and shine Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

Food & Drink

The evolution of vegan travel Sean O’Callaghan looks towards the future

What I eat in a week We catch up with ultra-runner, Carl Adams

The beauty edit The vegan products you need on your radar this month

Maria Slough Our columnist meets Edric Kennedy-MacFoy

108

Vegans in love Karin Ridgers talks to us about dating

Special Features

110

Vegan spotlight Our favourites this month

Vegan book club Our favourite recipe and lifestyle reads

112

Grow your own Piers Warren provides his insight on cabbages and cauliflowers

A whale encounter Lex Rigby shares her experiences at sea

114

It’s time to get drastic on plastic Friends of the Earth explain why our planet is paying the price

Vegan bone health Yvonne O’Halloran explains the mysteries of calcium and a plant-based diet

116

Vegan in Ghent Karin Ridgers shares her experiences of the Belgian town

Overnight Oats

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Curried Parsnip Soup

Teriyaki Jackfruit Bowl

Vegan Poke Bowl

Soya Chunk Stir Fry

Tofu Schnitzel

Cajun Wedges

118

Sticky BBQ Tofu Skewers with Cucumber & Peanut Dipping Sauce

Fatt Pundit Georgia-May Collings visits this Asian restaurant

Red, Red Wine Oliver Coningham picks the best tipples for Valentine’s Day

120

Testing your appetite John Keeble explores if confronting reality TV is an efective way of advocating

122

Vegan art We meet artist Philip McCulloch-Downs

128

Vegan pages

130

It's not our land, either Jake Yapp looks into the debate on grazing

Chickpea & Peanut Butter Curry

Green Shakshuka

Sunny Sri Lankan Curry

Orecchiette with Pumpkin Seed Pesto & Tenderstem® Broccoli

Gnocchi & Tomato Bake

Butternut Squash & Cavolo Nero Pizza

Lentils with Maple & Cumin Roasted Carrots

Regulars 06

Over to you Your letters, emails and musings

Vegan news All the latest stories

Subscriptions Subscribe today for only £19.99 for 6 issues

Ask the experts The team at Veganuary answer your questions 5

Over to you Your letters, emails and musings

Next Month’s Star Letter Prize Worth £50

WIN!

Dear Vegan Life, Ever since I became vegan, Earthling Ed has been an inspiration to me — a pillar to turn to within the movement, and someone to recommend my querying friends and family to look up. I was so happy to read your interview with him last issue. I hope that non-vegans read it and see that what he says is the truth. Yours sincerely, Anastasia Novakov

The Ticking of the Clock Star Poem

by P.Ward

The ticking of the clock, the tick before the tock, the sparking of the fire, with flames now growing higher. I sit and rock myself to sleep, to dream of days gone by, remembering when, in innocence, I did not need to weep, because of that it now would seem, those errors we must reap. We must have known, we must have seen, that there would be an end. We must have known, inside our hearts, then, foolish to pretend. For time was running out, right from the very start. We bred and bred and bred some more, horses, cows and sheep. When I think upon the shame, I really have to weep. Pigs, dogs and cats, just anything — that would a profit bring. We even bred our babies, as though this Earth had wings.

Email your letters to Gemma.Tadman@primeimpact.co.uk to be in with a chance of winning a gorgeous Vitamin Rich Gift Set from Vemel, worth over £50. The package contains the Vitamin Boost Cleansing Balm, a gentle daily cleanser to give you younger looking skin, the Vitamin Rich Face Butter, blended with collagen-boosting sea buckthorn and antioxidant-laden carrot extract, and the Soothing Deodorant Balm, a natural, family-friendly and aluminium-free deodorant. Vemel are Vegetarian Society ‘Vegan approved’ and are committed to using only the purest, most potent and organic food-grade ingredients, vitamins and minerals. Visit vemel.co.uk for more information. The trees have had to go you see, no room left for them. Our cattle need the room, so we can feed on them. The wildlife had to go, too, OUR food of course, comes first, our politicians did not see, and did not want to know, they saw THEIR future through a rosy glow. So, what are we about to do to put this problem right? It would seem — nothing at all, but fight fight fight. We must believe that changes must be made, no point in waiting for others to die and yes, to fade. We must act now, not years ahead, for it would be too late, we need to approach with logic, and with a little faith, otherwise, dear sir, we may well just see the wraith. I have some good ideas, about a change in food, but, sir, if I told you, you may well be quite rude. It isn't hard to understand that changes must be made, for if we don't my friend, our bodies will be laid. Our futures are now running out, we have not time to wait. Then why, dear sir, are YOU leaning on your gate?

P. Ward wins a £50 Spicentice voucher

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Vegan

news

Product of the month

All things vegan from the worlds of entertainment, politics, sports, animal advocacy and more. Got news for us? Email vegannews@primeimpact.co.uk Chicago Town launch Tomato-Stufed Crust Takeaway vegan pizza

New to Tesco, ASDA and Iceland stores, Chicago Town have released their first-ever vegan pizza — the Tomato-Stufed Crust Takeaway, which comes topped with sticky BBQ jackfruit and vegetables, including peppers and onions, along with dairyfree ‘mozzarella’. The exciting pizza, which is priced at £3.50, has even been certified by the Vegan Society (vegansociety. org), ensuring you can eat it with a clear conscience that no animals have been harmed in the process of creating it. The pizza can be found in the frozen aisles of UK stores, and only takes 16 minutes to cook in the oven. The launch joins a myriad of new frozen vegan pizza options, including the two recent releases from pizza company, Goodfellas.

God

Fletchers Bakery Make No Bones Vegan Brioche Approved by the Vegan Society, these brioche buns from Fletchers Bakery and vegan restaurant, Make No Bones, are the first available in UK supermarkets. They are sot, flufy and perfect for plant-based burgers, elevating a standard sandwich into something really special. If you want to go the extra mile, lightly toast them in the oven before serving with your favourite vegan patty, lettuce and sauces for the ultimate lunchtime or dinner treat. makenobones.co.uk

Nestlé sells US ice cream business following boom in vegan marketplace

As more people shit to a plant-based lifestyle, an increasing amount of companies are realising that the dairy industry is not the way forward. It seems that Nestlé are embracing the world’s changing interests towards planet-friendly foods, having just sold their $4 billion US ice cream business, including the brand, Haagen-Dazs. Barron’s (barrons.com), reports: ‘Mark Schneider, Nestlé chief executive, has been restructuring the group’s portfolio as consumer tastes shit toward healthy products and the growth of some of its more traditional lines slows.’ Nestlé also sold its US confectionary business and is currently shopping its Herta cold cuts meat-based products unit, further suggesting a move towards a more vegan-friendly and eco-conscious customer base. Hopefully, this means more investment in plant-based foods, a move away from cruel and environmentally-damaging practices, and, in turn, an increased variety of vegan oferings from their brands.

news

Kettle Chips create vegan Sheese & Onion flavour crisps Crisp fans can rejoice — as another long-established brand announces a step into the vegan snack sector. In collaboration with BOSH! — Henry Firth and Ian Theasby — crisp brand, Kettle Chips, have created a plant-based Sheese & Onion flavour. The delightfully savoury crisps feature a red Leicester-style ‘sheese’, which is produced in a fully-vegan factory, ensuring that there is no cross-contamination with any animal products. You can find the bagged snack in Budgen’s, Tesco and Morrisons stores, priced at £1.99.

V-eat Out... Soul Food Kitchen Based in the heart of Glasgow, this 100 per cent plant-based restaurant has health and wellbeing at its core. Whether it's brunch or dinner you go for, all of Soul Food Kitchen’s meals are nutritious and delicious, using organic ingredients where possible, always sourced from local businesses. On top of this, the establishment have been working to ensure that all of their packaging is fully-compostable. Tasty starters include the blueberry and walnut pâté, vegan haggis bon bons served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, and a soul food meze — complete with roasted garlic houmous, baba ghanoush, olives, fresh salad and flatbreads, sourdough, crackers and crudités. For your main dish, indulge in options like the jackfruit goulash — a warming stew with jackfruit, butterbeans, carrots, potatoes and peppers, served with mash and cabbage, or the kimchi bowl, with homemade kimchi, grilled tofu, soba noodles, a sesame stir fry of pak choi and broccoli, and raw kimchi crackers. For more information, visit soulfoodkitchen.co.uk

3 Moroccan ways to eat...

Buy: Cauldron Moroccan Falafel £2.25, cauldronfoods.co.uk

Dine: Casablanca Restaurant, Ipswich casablanca-ipswich.co.uk Make: Lentil and Date Tagine veganlifemag.com/lentil-and-datetagine-2

51% of eggs produced come from chickens in battery cages

rspca.org.uk

Animal in focus Common wombat Behaviour

This large mammal belongs to the marsupial family. It’s heavily built, and can reach a size of 47 inches and 80lbs. It has small eyes and short ears, coarse dark hair and a bald nose pad. Common wombats can be found amongst the woodlands of hilly country along the Dividing Range in south-eastern Australia, from south-eastern Queensland to New South Wales and Victoria, into South Australia and in Tasmania.

• Wombats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day. • They use their claws to dig burrows in open grasslands and eucalyptus forests — they then live inside these tunnel complexes. • Common wombats are solitary and live alone, but other species, for example, hairy nose wombats, are more social and live together in larger burrows.

Food • They are herbivores who feed on grasses, roots and bark. • They possess rodent-like incisors that never stop growing, which they use to chew tougher vegetation.

Gender

Population/threats

• It gives birth to tiny, undeveloped babies that crawl into pouches on their mothers’ bellies. Females usually give birth to one ofspring at a time. • Young remain in the pouch for about five months before emerging, although they will frequently crawl back in to nurse, or escape danger. • Young become sexually mature at two years of age.

• The species is rated least concern on the ICUN red list. • By burrowing, they oten cause destruction to ‘human-owned’ fields and pastures, making them a ‘nuisance’ to farmers. • They are hunted as ‘vermin’, as well as for their fur and sport. • As farm and ranch lands are increasingly replacing natural areas, space for wombats is becoming increasingly dificult — future years might see the species struggling.

Vegan video Viva!’s Vegan Now video on YouTube, which promotes becoming plant-based to save the planet, has gone viral, receiving over 1,015,821 views since it launched September 2019. It highlights the impact of animal agriculture, and urges that we fight for the future of our planet.

Beyond Meat The company has launched its meatless beef in Canada, making the country the first outside of the US to market Beyond Beef. Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown, told Fox Business: “Canada is a very progressive market, and since launching in retail, we've seen a tremendous response from Canadians who are interested in our plant-based proteins.”

Avon Products Inc. The beauty giant has finally halted regulatory animal testing in China and other countries, after years of criticism and protesting from animal charities. The company will work with suppliers to ensure no ingredients in its products are tested on animals.

HERO to ZERO

Taco Bell develop vegan ground ‘beef’ meat substitute The international chain, Taco Bell, has developed two new meatless menu items, including the Oatrageous Taco, a crunchy taco filled with ‘meat’ made of pulled oats and legumes. The plant-based meat-alternative, designed to replicate ground beef, is seasoned with Taco Bell’s signature spices. So far, the taco appears on the menu served with lettuce, cheese and chipotle, but can be veganised by omitting the latter two items. Following a successful first trial launch in Finland, the Oatrageous Taco become a permanent fixture throughout multiple restaurants in Spain, and is set to appear in more European branches, including the UK, in the summer. Steven Gomez, Taco Bell’s director of international product development said, the ‘simple clean ingredients’ are ‘something you’ve never had before at a Taco Bell’.

What’s going up and down this month

Endangered pangolins New data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature shows that three species of pangolin are closer to extinction than ever. The white-bellied pangolin and giant ground pangolin have moved from vulnerable to endangered, while the Philippine pangolin has moved from endangered to critically endangered, signalling the continuing decline in these species.

University beef ban The University of East Anglia has taken a U-turn on its decision to ban beef throughout its on-campus outlets, after it received a backlash from students. The ban originally came into action in November 2019, but after a second vote took place in December, 52 per cent of Student Union Councillors voted to reverse the ban, 36 per cent voted for it to remain, and 12 percent abstained.

Duck farming Undercover footage from Animal Justice Project has found ‘distressed’ ducks without access to open water or enrichment, by the UK’s largest duck meat producer. The footage, taken at two Gressingham farms in Norfolk, shows one shed housing 6,500 birds, with only 50 drinkers — one drinker per 130 birds.

Ellen DeGeneres co-founds faux fur brand The comedian and TV presenter has taken a strong stance against fur in the past, and now, she has helped to create UnHide, a faux fur company. Partnered with animal rights charity, The Humane Society US (HSI), the brand currently produce a range of cruelty-free blankets, and have plans to make ready-to-wear items in the coming months. DeGeneres told PEOPLE (people.com): “I want people to stop using and wearing fur, it's that simple. The materials we use in UnHide products are sot, warm and comfortable and I hope people find it as a great alternative.” Money from all purchases will be donated to HSI, to support the charity in its work.

Folow me Socialy Mikaela Loach Mikaela is a freelance writer about all things sustainable as well as ethical living, refugee rights and intersectional activism. Based in Edinburgh where she studies medicine, Mikaela is passionate about collectively combatting the climate crisis and co-coordinates the Extinction Rebellion Scotland Instagram account. Follow @mikaelaloach or visit mikaelagraceloach.wordpress.com

Dairy cows have been bred to produce up to

10 TIMES more milk than they naturally would ciwf.org.uk

Editor's Choice Christophe Robin Hydrating Shampoo Bar with Aloe Vera

Treat your hair and the planet with this solid shampoo bar from Christophe Robin. Infused with aloe vera, it gently cleanses the hair and scalp without harming their protective barriers. It is perfect for everyday use, being 100 per cent natural, handmade and free of synthetic ingredients. ÂŁ16, lookfantastic.com

IKEA to become climate positive

45% of meateaters plan to reduce their meat consumption over the next year (mozzarisella.co.uk)

International home furnishings store, IKEA, is investing $221 million on sustainable infrastructure, in eforts to become ‘climate positive’. The money will be used for green energy (including for fuel and heating), forest protection and reforestation, to help to lessen the company’s carbon footprint. In 2018, IKEA’s sustainability report found that the company’s carbon footprint was 26.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, an increase of 2.8 per cent since 2016. Inter IKEA Group CEO, Torbjörn Lööf, says: “Our ambition is to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms by 2030 than the entire IKEA value chain emits, while growing the IKEA business. To reach this goal, we will continue to invest in areas that create impact. This investment will speed up the transition to using renewable energy across our supply chain and remove carbon from the atmosphere through reforestation and better forest management practices.” Last year, IKEA prohibited all single-use plastic from its stores, replacing them with wooden utensils, and in the future, all their paper will be FSC-certified. The company also introduced a myriad of vegan options into their restaurants, and have reported that 50 per cent of all their hot meals served are meat-free. ikea.com

What’s happening? The

Vegan events for your diary st

Saturday 1 — Sunday 2 February Plant Powered EXPO Olympia London Tickets from £10 plantpoweredexpo.co.uk

Wednesday 12th February Vegan Speed Dating The Frog Hoxton, London Tickets £22.15 eventbrite.com

Saturday 22nd February Brighton Vegan Festival Hilton Brighton Metropole Tickets from £5, under 16s free eventbrite.co.uk

Active vegan Jerome Flynn Distinguished actor and animal advocate, Jerome Flynn, is well known for his roles in popular TV dramas such as Game of Thrones, Ripper Street and Soldier Soldier. With a deep concern for farm animal welfare, Jerome is supporting Compassion in World Farming’s End the Cage Age campaign (ciwf.org). Jerome signed up to become a ‘Cagefighter’ for the End the Cage Age, European Citizens’ Initiative, boosting signatures for the organisation’s biggest petition ever. With a genuine interest in Compassion’s work, he shares their message across his social media channels, helping build a strong army of support to help end factory farming. Jerome commented: “As Bronn in Game of Thrones, I played a guy who I really wanted to be a hero but, likeable as he was, he didn't really turn up to save the world. Now, I have a chance in real life, where it counts, to stand up and do the right thing for our beloved farm animals.”

Reebok debut irst plant-based trainer It’s exciting news for trainer lovers, as sportswear giant, Reebok, announce their new vegan shoe. The Forever Floatride GROW trainers are made from a variety of plant materials — an algae sock liner, eucalyptus upper, natural rubber outsole, and — according to the company, ‘the hero of the plant-based mission’ — a midsole made from castor beans. The sustainablymade shoe, which took three years to fully develop, will be on sale in autumn.

being one of the recipients of this great honour, but of course, it is not me who is the winner. I am part of a global movement of school children, youth and adults of all ages who have decided to act in Coconuts Organic defence of our living planet. I share Founded in 2015 by vegan ice cream lover, this award with them.” Cecily Mills, Coconuts Organic (previously Coconuts Naturally) has gone from strength to strength. Within the first year of launching, Cecily’s coconut-based ice cream had secured her first Great Taste Award and a national distributor. Within two years, it was listed in Ocado, exporting to Dubai, and had won another four Great Taste Awards. In 2018, Cecily went on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, acquiring two investment ofers and a thrilling accolade from Peter Jones, who said her ice cream was ‘the best he’d ever tasted in the free-from sector’.

Vegan Entrepreneur

reebok.co.uk

“

I have plenty of protein in my diet and I've gained muscle, and I'm healthier and happier than I've ever been. Wish I did it sooner

Head to coconutsorganic.com

”

Lewis Hamilton on going vegan

3 of the best...

vegan pies

Sink your teeth into a plant-based pastry treat

Clive’s Pies

Mr Nice Pie

Linda McCartney’s

Packed with ingredients such as cauliflower florets and potatoes and seasoned with Indian-inspired aromatic spices and fresh ginger, this Aloo Gobi pie is a taste sensation. From £2.99, clivespies.com

Hearty and wholesome, the Drunken Mushroom pie is brimming with fresh vegetables, seasonings and British mushrooms, all wrapped up in a red onion and red wine gravy. From £3.50, mrnicepie.co.uk

This delicious Deep Dish Country Pie is filled with soya protein that is combined with an rich onion and beef-style gravy. Topped with a puf pastry lid, it is a go-to favourite for vegans. £2, lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk ■ 15

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Everything vegan is all under one roof, for one weekend only! Veganism is not just about the food we eat, it’s also about the choices we make every day. With a record number of people taking part in Veganuary in 2019, and six in 10 of those taking the pledge to stay vegan, we’re in the midst of a vegan revolution! Vegan Life Live is a celebration of everything vegan. We will be showcasing over 200 exhibitors, providing everything from vegan burgers, cheese and brownies, to handbags, supplements, spices and so much more. Top presenters will talk about topics from animal activism and environmental issues, to nutrition and itness. Come and be inspired – Vegan Life Live has three kitchens with cooking demonstrations from leading vegan chefs and bloggers, inspiring you to take new ideas and skills home.

Mitch Lee

Tempeh ‘Chorizo’ Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to stop eating the things you enjoy, let me teach you how to make tempeh taste like chorizo! Perfect for spanish or cajun dishes like jambalayas and paellas.

Come join us in 2020 at Alexandra Palace for Vegan Life Live!

100% Vegan Food Courts Try a wide range of vegan delights in one of our two vegan food courts including top vendors from around the UK including Simply Vegan, The Hippie Turks, One Planet Pizza, Sun Kissed Plates, En Root, Mally’s Gin Bar, Greek Vegan Deli, Beans and Bites Coffee, The Green Grill, Juice Junkiez, Power of Health, Global Fusion, Mumbai Mix, Bora Bora, Lets Do Temaki, Brownins and Pig Out!

Sponsored by

To buy tickets and download the show guide visit veganlifelive.com 18

Macka B Macka.B will be talking about his Vegan journey, starting with his Jamaican parents and the food they brought with them to England. He will cover his childhood, the inluences that shaped his identity, and his transition from meat eater to vegetarian to vegan. Macka will also talk about becoming a Vegan Society ambassador and going viral on social media.

Niki Webster

Maximum Flavour, Minimum Fuss Join Niki Webster, of Rebel Recipes, as she shares some of her favourite recipes inspired by her travels around the globe. Passionate foodie Niki refuses to accept that indulgent food is bad for you, or that healthy food is boring, so there will be no limp lettuce or boring oldÂŹ school vegan dishes in this demo!

Laura Gaga

Raiders of the Reduced Aisle

Toni Vernelli

Living in a Non-Vegan World Without Losing Your Mind Every vegan knows that choosing to go vegan was the best decision they ever made, and we want everyone to know just how great it is! But our friends, family and colleagues often just see the inconvenience it causes and the divide it opens up between us. While there is no magic solution to every dificult situation, these simple tips and advice should help you cope with most scenarios without losing your mind or your friends.

@reduction_raider1 a fully ledged, frugal foodie, passionate about avoiding food waste. When not loitering in supermarket reduction aisles, she blogs about eating well for less and writes a monthly food waste column for Be Kind magazine.

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Images from Dirty Vegan: Another Bite, by Matt Pritchard, Octopus Publishing Group

If people can see that I can complete 10 Ironman Triathlons in 10 days, then that speaks a lot to those who think that vegans are weak

We catch up with plant-based athlete and chef, Matt Pritchard ormer pro-skater, MTV Dirty Sanchez daredevil, ultra-athlete and passionate vegan chef, Matt Pritchard, has an expansive skillset. With two cook books under his belt (the latest released in December 2019), and as the presenter of the BBC’s first-ever vegan cookery show, Dirty Vegan, Matt makes plant-based food accessible and exciting, using his laid back style to appeal to the masses. We chat to him about why he went vegan, how it afected his performance as an athlete, and his upcoming projects.

Tell us about your vegan journey. Almost four years ago, I started to realise that a lot of endurance athletes were on a vegan diet. I began researching why this was and, in the process, educating myself on veganism. All of this opened my mind and made me question my food decisions and the cruelty I was feeding and supporting, something you don’t really think about until you look into it. From birth I was told how milk is good for you, and that meat is part of a balanced diet — all of which I now know is utter rubbish.

Someone told me to watch Cowspiracy, and the next day I changed everything. I suppose you could say that the documentary changed my life — I haven’t looked back since and don’t plan on doing so either. More than anything, I’m an animal lover and always have been, and that made me think, why the hell did I eat them for so many years?!

“Someone told me to watch Cowspiracy, and the next day I changed everything. I suppose you could say that the documentary changed my life — I haven’t looked back since” Did you notice any changes to your health and fitness? Yes I did — I lost a bit of weight at first, but I guess I’m putting that down to my body getting rid of the fatty build up from my

previous diet — however, as soon as my digestive system got used to the change I was more stable. My health became better, my fitness excelled and my triathlon time became faster. All positive things!

Why do you think some people are still averse to veganism? I just put it down to cognitive dissonance. Guilt normally triggers anger, and laziness is a big problem for it, too.

In your opinion, what is the best way to promote veganism? I tend to just let what I do in life do the talking. I very rarely do preachy posts on social media, as the backlash of abuse is a little too much for me, although I don’t have anything against others doing it. If people can see that I can complete 10 Ironman Triathlons in 10 days, then that speaks a lot to those who think that vegans are weak. I also give advice when people ask and if that helps then that’s great news. You can talk to some people about veganism until you’re blue in the face, and you will not get anywhere with them! At the end of the day, you can’t › 21

change the mind of someone who doesn’t want to know.

How and why did you get into cooking? I let school with an interest in cooking, so I got a position in catering college and studied there for two years. Then I had a bad experience at a Persian restaurant in Cardif and it put me of big time. My life took a completely diferent turn, so I started cleaning windows, worked in a factory, then became a professional skateboarder and it was from then that Dirty Sanchez formed. I have always enjoyed cooking — I love it, and as soon as I turned vegan, it re-lit my fire for it once again. So, I kind of went full circle.

How would you describe your cooking style? My cooking style is far from ‘chefy’ — it’s more home cooked comfort food. But, I really do love the ‘chefy’ stuf, too, and I love learning from others who prepare food. I don’t call myself a chef, I call myself a cook — I’m simply passionate about making healthy good homemade food for everyone.

presenting style, complete with plenty of comedy and a bit of fun. Let’s also not forget that it’s a very educational show, too, and I learnt a lot whilst filming it, which is why I enjoy it so much.

How do you feel about being the presenter of the BBC’s first ever vegan cooking show? I feel really privileged to get the first vegan cooking show to hit UK screens, it’s pretty mental. I have to try not to think of it like that as it freaks me out a bit. I do what I do and I am what I am, and I’m very honoured that others like watching the show.

Try not to give too much away, but what would you say is your favourite moment of the new series? The wedding episode was just the best. It was a big ask and a big mission to get everything perfect, for the whole team involved. For me, it was a mixture of hard work, stress, emotion and a lot of pressure, but in the end, we all got it bang on and I must admit that at the end of the day

I had a little tear. The bride and groom were amazing, along with their family and friends, and I’m pleased to say that ater their wedding day they are now vegan!

Have you got any more exciting projects planned for 2020? I’m hoping this year’s going to be workfuelled with all my projects planned with my new management, John Noel. We have a lot of things scheduled, but I can’t say what just yet!

What are your future hopes for yourself and veganism? To be honest, all I ever want from life as I move into the future is to work my arse of and live in Mallorca with my fiancé and dog, and hopefully, quite a few more animals, not far from the sea. That has been my plan for a while now, and, of course, I want to spread the vegan word and love to as many as possible! ■ For more from Matt, follow him at @pritchardswyd or visit, johnnoel.com/clients/matt-pritchard

What are your favourite things to eat?

How is the new book, Another Bite, going? I’m about to start promoting it now and I’m really looking forward to it. The first book went mental, so fingers crossed the second one will, too!

What are your favourite recipes to make from the book? My faves are the ‘Pritchanof’ — vegan Irish stew, with brined and barbecued root veg. Also, the ‘Wok and Roll’ stir fry and the vegan sausage rolls.

Tell us about what we can expect from the next season of your BBC cookery show, Dirty Vegan. It’s the same format as the last series. I get to meet some great people, from ice hockey players to ballroom dancers, and I cook them a vegan meal to power them through their games, dancing, work etc., and, of course, you get my unique, rustic 22

Images from Dirty Vegan: Another Bite, by Matt Pritchard, Octopus Publishing Group

I like curries, chillies and stews, but if I had to choose, it would have to be a chilli. It’s my go-to dish every time, my love for it was passed down to me from my mother.

Images from Dirty Vegan: Another Bite, by Matt Pritchard, Octopus Publishing Group

experts

Ask the

Send us your questions and we’ll pitch them to the team at Veganuary. Whether you’re unsure about the best way to cook tofu, or you need some vegan dating advice, they can help.

When you turn vegan, should you notify your GP/doctor? For most people, there is no need to inform your doctor — or anyone else — that you are changing to a plant-based diet. Ater all, would you book an appointment to let them know you’ve decided to eat more healthily?! That is essentially what you would be telling them. However, if you have any underlying health conditions or are on medication that might be afected by diet, it would be wise to discuss this with your GP. Remember, however, that GPs know very little about diet and health, and even less about veganism. One GP recently told the BBC that around 80 per cent of people he sees have lifestyle-related illnesses. As new medical students complain about the lack of training on dietary education, a vital part of our health, things will change, but it hasn’t happened yet. If you have concerns and can aford the cost, it might be more appropriate to seek advice from a vegan health and nutrition expert. Then take it slowly and assess your body’s response to the change in diet as you go.

Our

star

buy

Becoming Vegan: Express Edition, by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina This book is a great resource for diet-related health and nutrition advice, and can answer any questions you might have about things like how to get enough protein, how to have a healthy vegan pregnancy, and the best ways to obtain plentiful vitamins and minerals. It also comes in a Comprehensive Edition, for health professionals or those who want to delve even deeper. £16.99, amazon.co.uk

What’s the best way to tell a meat-eater that you’re vegan when you’re on a date? For most non-vegans, dating a vegan brings some challenges. First, they will wonder if you will limit their own choices — of restaurant or meal — and so by simply choosing a plant-based dish and carrying on with normal conversation, you can allay this concern. What our date orders tells us something about them, and so we all pay attention to what they choose. For this reason, your choice is likely to open up a conversation that starts with: ‘Are you vegetarian?’ and continues: ‘I’m vegan, actually’. How they respond ater that might just influence whether you want a second date, or start looking for ways to bail out of this one. Another main concern your date might have is that you will be judging them — and they might have a point! It isn’t pleasant to watch someone eating meat when you know what that animal went through, and you may both feel that this diference is a dealbreaker. But don’t rule them out at this point. They are not likely to go vegan on a first date just to please you, but if they are kind and compassionate, open-minded and decent, they may just get there one day. ■ For more from Veganuary, visit veganuary.com

Email Gemma.Tadman@primeimpact.co.uk with your questions about veganism.

Dirty Vegan: Another Bite by Matt Pritchard £14, amazon.co.uk

Think and Grow Vegan by Glen Jones £12.99, amazon.co.uk

Plant Powered Athlete by Zuzana Fajkusova and Nikki Lefler Available to pre-order £18, amazon.co.uk

Five Ingredient Vegan by Katy Beskow £14, whsmith.co.uk

Vegan book club For recipe and lifestyle inspiration, pick up one of these great reads

s your cooking lacking flavour? Do you keep repeating the same meals? Are you interested in finding out more about nutrition? Or, have you got burning ethical questions about veganism? There’s no better way to solve your queries than with a good book. Stock your shelves with our recommendations, get comfy, and stuck into pages of enlightening recipes and info. ■

Yes Ve-gan! A Blueprint for Vegan Living by Selena Nelson £10, amazon.co.uk

BOSH! How to Live Vegan by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby £10, amazon.co.uk

Happy Vegan by Fearne Cotton £20, waterstones.com

Rebel Recipes: Maximum Flavour, Minimum Fuss by Niki Webster £18, amazon.co.uk

The Vegan Kitchen by Rose Glover & Laura Nickoll £14.99, eddisonbooks.com

A whale encounter Lex Rigby shares her experiences working to save whales with Sea Shepherd t was January 2006 and I was working as a library assistant at The College of Law in York, when I read about a northern bottlenose whale trapped in the River Thames. Not a whale in its most recognisable form, but instead, a beaked whale — a mysterious group of deepdivers that are rarely seen in open water, never mind on the banks of the Thames! The young female may have been trying to find a shortcut to deeper Atlantic waters, but others flippantly suggested she was simply on a weekend visit to see the sights and catch a few shows. Either way, she was where she should never have been and, ultimately, her death changed the course of my life. There’s just something about whales, and the heart-warming reaction of the British public to ‘the London whale’ ignited something inside me. Whales have been persecuted for centuries, with industrial whaling decimating populations that are still struggling to recover to this day. It’s a history we are a part of, dating back to 1576, when a British vessel sailed to the coast of Labrador to hunt whales in the Biscay Bay. In 1986, a moratorium on commercial whaling came into force. Its intention was to protect our great whales, by allowing their ‘stocks to recover’, and was the culmination of two decades’ worth of antiwhaling campaigning. Yet more than 30 years later, they’re still being hunted.

Sea Shepherd I’m from a small town in the Stafordshire Moorlands, a place more famous for its pottery than its whale-watching, so I’m 28

not really sure where my passion to ‘save the whales’ came from. Much of what I know about whales I learnt from David Attenborough’s documentaries, but everything I know about the antiwhaling movement I learnt from Captain Paul Watson. I remember reading a few articles, years ago, about the 1979 sinking of the pirate whaling vessel, Sierra, and the 1986 sabotage of Iceland’s Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7. “Our organisation [sic] has the full right to sink the whalers, because Iceland is violating the moratorium,” said Captain Watson. Damn straight, I thought. The actions of Rod Coronado and David Howitt in Iceland essentially shut down the entire country’s whaling operations for the next 16 years. I was impressed. Despite having been operating for almost 30 years by 2006, Sea Shepherd (seashepherd.org) was still relatively unknown in the UK. There was one coordinator and less than a handful of volunteers, but with two Southern Ocean whale defence campaigns now under their belt, they were on the precipice of international mainstream recognition — with several documentaries and a hit TV show called Whale Wars on the horizon. It took me until 2008 to get myself organised enough to host a screening of Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater and convince Giles Lane, one of two activists that jumped on board a Japanese harpoon ship during Sea Shepherd’s 2007/2008 whale defence campaign, to come and talk about his experiences. My friends came out in full support and we raised a nice pile

of cash for Sea Shepherd’s next mission, Operation Musashi.

Direct action crew Throughout 2009, 2010 and 2011, I spent most of my free time hosting Sea Shepherd stalls at vegan fairs, music festivals and dive shows. During this time, I developed a love of diving and life underwater, which led me to Mozambique, where I volunteered on a Marine Megafauna Foundation (marinemegafaunafoundation.org) whale shark project. This was when I saw my first humpback whale breach the ocean surface; she captivated me. On arrival back in the UK I found out the Sea Shepherd ship, Steve Irwin, would be making a stop in London on her way back from the 2011 Faroe Islands campaign. Sea Shepherd UK were now a much better-organised group and volunteers from around the country flocked to help carry out ship tours and fundraise. I met the crew and listened intently to their stories of adventure. For me, it was the real life Whale Wars and I was hooked. I took a week of work, headed to Southampton to help with repairs and begged the crewing coordinator for a spot on board. He asked how quickly I could be in Australia. Five weeks later I boarded a flight to Sydney, having secured a five-month work sabbatical, and stepped on-board the Bob Barker (another ship in the Sea Shepherd fleet) for the very first time on 3rd November 2011. ›

Photo: Melissa Romao. Liberian enforcement oficer, Bewowu

I worked as a deckhand, carrying out standard duties like cleaning, rust repair and painting before heading out on my first Antarctic whale defence campaign. That’s when I learnt about small boat operations, making propfoulers, carrying out emergency damage control, fire-fighting with more than a nine litre extinguisher and how to sleep in monstrous 10 metre seas. It was a dream come true. Sea Shepherd’s direct interventions during Operation Divine Wind saved the lives of 764 whales and I headed home more determined than ever to up-skill and get myself back there. I went to night classes to learn how to weld, took a small boat operator’s licence on the River Humber and practiced navigation in my RYA exercise manual. Proving myself a valuable crew member was important to me and I returned to the Bob in August 2012. My determination came at a price though. I quit my career as an academic librarian, dumped my mortgage on my long-sufering ex-partner and swore to my cat that I’d return for her one day. My family may not have always understood why I chose to risk my life to save whales, but they were (and still are) immensely proud of me.

Anchors aweigh

Photo: Simon Ager. Yushin Maru 3, Japanese harpoon ship

Life as a Sea Shepherd crew member is, of course, not always about action — especially in port when you’re preparing the ship for a campaign. It’s a lot of hard monotonous work with very little glamour and a whole heap of cuts and bruises. While still in port we’d also run regular training drills to prepare ourselves for the dangers of being at sea, but there really is

Photo: Simon Ager. Toothfish poaching vessel, Thunder sinking

Ocean warriors

a limit to how much you can prepare for facing down a fleet of whaling ships in the frigid waters of Antarctica. Most seafarers never experience collisions; witness ships sinking; carry out evasive manoeuvres to avoid prop-fouling materials or build make-shit devices to cut them loose; have to duck to miss projectiles launched from aggressive harpoon ships; or need to hang over the side of their monkey decks to re-weld navigation lights in place ater a violent confrontation. Well, I’ve done it all. During my time as a Sea Shepherd crew member, I participated in three Southern Ocean whale defence campaigns; led Gabonese and Liberian boarding parties in patrolling their exclusive economic zones for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing operators; drove pods of pilot whales away from the Faroese shorelines back to the safety of open water and chased a notorious toothfish poaching vessel (as part of Operation Icefish) from Antarctica to the west coast of Africa, where the captain eventually sunk it to evade authorities — it didn’t work though,

he was arrested and charged in São Tomé along with his chief and second engineers. I found myself shiting from the deck department to the bridge, becoming a ship manager and navigation oficer in 2014 and achieved a Master of Yachts qualification in 2015. I continued work as a senior oficer and in 2016 headed to Turkey to join the Ocean Warrior — Sea Shepherd’s first custom-built high-speed interceptor. Its maiden voyage took us from Turkey to Australia, through the Suez Canel and Somalia’s pirate-infested waters, but not before a stop in the Netherlands to introduce the new-build to hundreds of supporters.

Life ater sea Operation Zero Tolerance and Operation Relentless saved the lives of a further 932 and 784 whales respectively; Operation Icefish resulted in the longest maritime hot pursuit on record, and our actions during the first Operation Albacore in Gabon led to the arrests of four illegal fishing operators, launching further campaigns around Africa that are still active today. These are some of my proudest moments with Sea Shepherd. At the end of 2017, I returned to somewhat ‘normal life’ and excitedly accepted the role of campaigns manager with Viva!. Now based in Bristol, I continue work campaigning for animals through exposing the atrocities of factory farming and promoting veganism to the masses. ■ Lex will be talking at Vegan Life Live (veganlifelive.com). Catch her discussion: Caught Out — Why Aquaculture isn’t the Solution to Overfishing. Words by Lex Rigby, viva.org.uk

evolution

The

of vegan travel

Sean O’Callaghan looks towards the future want to start this month’s column with a funny memory. My ex-partner, Josh, and I were on a flight to the United States of America and he wanted a cup of tea. This story takes place almost 20 years ago, making it quite optimistic of Josh to ask the cabin crew for soya milk with his brew. The attendant was flabbergasted. Without answering Josh directly, she shouted down the plane to her colleagues, ‘Can you believe what this guy just asked for? He wants soya milk!’ An equally incredulous co-worker laughed uproariously before answering, ‘Next thing you know people will be asking for cappuccinos in here. We are not a café’. Flash forward to 2020 and the travel experience for vegans has altered drastically. We certainly get laughed at a lot less. Most major airlines now have a vegan meal option, even though you must specify this choice with plenty of advance warning. I have been served some rather tasty dishes as a flying vegan including hearty stews, flavourful curries with tofu, and even a moist and dense chocolate cake. You might want to eat before you even get on your flight, so it is fantastic news that many airports around the globe are becoming vegan hotspots in their own right. Heathrow Terminal 5 is overflowing with vegan options such as the hugely satisfying plant-based menu at Wagamama and the grab-and-go sandwiches from Boots, while Terminal 4 of Los Angeles International Airport has,

100 per cent vegan, Real Food Daily on site. People in transit through LAX can choose from a delicious range of burgers, bowls, and salads before moving on to their next destination. Travelling as a vegan used to involve a lot of luck, but shopping and eating directory HappyCow (happycow.net) has done away with all the guessing. HappyCow is a user-driven database listing vegan and vegan-friendly businesses all over the planet. Search functions on both the web version and phone app allow users to narrow down results to purely vegan establishments or broaden the search to include non-vegan places with plant-based options. As a travelling vegan, you will never feel lost with HappyCow at your fingertips. It will help you eat, drink, and shop. Vegan bed and breakfasts have recently become a welcome addition to the vegan travel landscape. Bed and breakfasts are wonderful opportunities to stay in wellappointed family home settings, in rather more remote locations than you are likely to find a hotel. Traditional B&Bs can be a bit of-putting for vegans as bacon and eggs are usually on ofer. Vegan homeowners are giving intrepid travellers more compassionate options as 100 per cent vegan B&Bs are popping up all over the globe. Loaf B&B is in the northernmost town in England, Berwickupon-Tweed, and their riverside walks are bested only by the nights by the outdoor fire and hearty vegan breakfasts served by the hosts. Compassionate travellers are also getting more opportunities to take to the

water as vegan cruises boom in popularity. Vegan Travel started the trend for plant-based cruising a few years ago, taking passengers along European rivers and through Norwegian fjords. Flash forward to 2020 and we have seen the launch of Vegan Culinary Cruises (see over page), a high-end cruise company ofering vegans and their friends a chance to set sail in all-inclusive luxury. Mainstream cruise companies are also falling over themselves to develop plant-based menus in order to cater to the burgeoning vegan cruiser market. As we move forward into the future, I’m excited to see what changes are around the next bend for vegan travellers. It’s an exciting time full of so many possibilities. Asking for plant-based milk on a plane 20 years seemed like a joke to some people, but I can now stretch my imagination to envision a fully vegan airline. With all the incredible advances we’ve seen, it doesn’t seem that farfetched. ■ Follow Sean's vegan adventures on Instagram @fatgayvegan

Luxury vegan

river cruising Take your next holiday up a notch

s massive vegan changes roll out globally in response to consumer demand, a new river cruise company is filling the gap in sailing vacations for vegan and vegancurious travellers. Vegan Culinary Cruises, a collaboration between Seattle-based travel company K-Treks and Sean O’Callaghan/Fat Gay Vegan, is a luxury river cruising company set to take passengers on unforgettable journeys along some of the world’s greatest waterways. All the Vegan Culinary Cruises adventures, launching for the first time across 2020, are designed specially to give compassionate travelers an unforgettable vacation experience taking all aspects of vegan living into consideration. O’Callaghan said, “When I was approached to collaborate on Vegan Culinary Cruises, I didn’t have to think too long about it. My work over the past decade as Fat Gay Vegan has revolved around creating unforgettable events and social opportunities for vegans to feel celebrated in their life choices. With this is mind, it felt like a natural progression for me to become involved in crating 100 per cent vegan vacations. I’m interested in helping people go vegan and stay vegan. If people want luxury vegan travel, I want to make sure there is an outstanding option for them.” Vegan Culinary Cruises has designed each of their sailing adventures around a vegan approach to living. Their head chef has developed a high-end plant-based menu, luxurious vegan toiletries are sourced for each cabin, and every drop of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage served on their ships is vegan-friendly. The company aims to create cruising opportunities for as many people as possible, therefore Vegan Culinary Cruises can be enjoyed as an all-inclusive experience or as the more budget-friendly (yet, no less enjoyable) VCC Lite. The all-inclusive Vegan Culinary

Cruises allows for passengers to pay for their cruise and their flight but never have to reach for their wallet or purse again during their adventure. Airport transfers, meals, drinks including alcohol and shore excursions are all included in the price of the cruise. This luxury option is for those looking for a travel experience where everything is meticulously organised by the cruise company. VCC Lite is for vegan and vegan-curious adventurers looking to enjoy a plant-based cruise on a more à la carte, streamlined budget. The itineraries for VCC Lite are just as exciting and breathtaking as Vegan Culinary Cruises but passengers are given the opportunity to decide where they spend the extra money they save by not taking the all-inclusive option. All meals are included in this lower price and all to the same high Vegan Culinary Cruises standard, however passengers are then free to pay for any extras they want including local tours, alcohol, and airport transfers. When a travel company has the word ‘culinary’ in its name, it is fair to expect impressive things of their dining room. Vegan Culinary Cruises, under the stewardship of their head chef, has been workshopping a year ahead of their first departure in order to perfect their plantbased menus. With decades of food development under his belt, the Vegan Culinary Cruises head chef has mastered the art of bringing regional cuisine to life for vegan taste buds. Passengers will be tempted by gourmet cuisine influenced by the regions travelled. A succulent seitan strudel encased in golden, flaky pastry served alongside crispy potatoes will be on the evening menu in France while piping hot bowls of rice noodle soup overflowing with locally sourced vegetables and herbs will impress diners as they journey through Cambodia. A luxury river cruise is also the perfect opportunity to partake in a few nightly cocktails. Each Vegan Culinary Cruises ship

is stafed with a master mixologist ready to tempt passengers with expertly poured spirits while fine vegan wines compliment evening meals. If cocktails, beer, and wine sound a bit out of your league, the fresh juice bar is also a unique feature of all expeditions with Vegan Culinary Cruises. Choose your favourites from a selection of local fruits and vegetables and staf will create a bespoke nutritious drink right before your eyes, anytime the bar is open. Fine wine with dinner, ice cold beer on the sun deck, cocktails in the lounge, and fresh juice made to order is all included in the cost of the cruise. Passengers joining a journey with Vegan Culinary Cruises will not have to pay for any of the food and drink they enjoy on the ship. VCC Lite passengers will have the opportunity to opt into these extras during their cruise. The state-of-the-art river ships chartered by Vegan Culinary Cruises throughout Europe are equipped with environmentally conscious advances such as water filtration systems, solar panels and waste collection infrastructure making river cruising a much eco-friendlier vacation when compared with enormous ocean liners. Thousands of vegan and vegan-curious travelers in 2020 are looking for vacation opportunities that align with their ethics. Vegan Culinary Cruises and VCC Lite are the new cruise kids on the block happily working hard to make it happen. ■ Full details can be found at veganculinarycruises.com

It’s time to get drastic on plastic Our planet and its wildlife are paying the price e all know that plastic is a huge issue — we’ve seen reports on the news and heard about it from campaigners. But it’s about time that we started making a bigger dent in the problem, and took action to make our hometowns plastic-free. Friends of the Earth chat to us about why it’s so important, and what we can do to help.

Julian Kirby, plastic campaigner at Friends of the Earth The heart-wrenching images of marine wildlife tangled in plastic shocked the nation when Blue Planet 2 hit the screens in November 2018. Waves of public anger switly followed, along with calls for tougher action to tackle the plastic

scourge. It’s well-founded concern. According to the UK government, one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals die from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste every year. And, on top of this, an estimated 12 million tonnes of plastic end up in the sea annually, weighing the same as around 60,000 fully-grown blue whales. As well › 35

If you buy your lunch or snacks from a shop or supermarket you’ll notice that it is oten wrapped in plastic. • Use a reusable bottle refilled from the tap One million plastic bottles are bought worldwide every minute, don’t contribute to this number. • Ask for paper wrapping — or none at all — when buying produce You can also take your own Tupperware if you want food to stay clean and undamaged.

as bags, straws, bottles and wrappers, this tide of plastic pollution also includes tiny fragments from cosmetics, bathroom products, paints and tyres. This uproar has triggered a significant reaction, with retailers, manufacturers and politicians all feeling pressure to act. Hardly a day now passes without a new announcement on cutting plastic packaging or removing straws and sachets. Media-savvy MPs are rarely seen without a reusable cup whenever a camera is pointed in their direction. Many of the new initiatives have certainly been welcome, but, if you look below the surface, it’s clear that these actions are only addressing the tip of a truly massive plastic iceberg. Every day supermarket products are still excessively wrapped in plastic, restaurants continue to stock tiny milk and ketchup sachets, rather than refillable dispensers, and cafés still provide disposable cups when you

sit down for a drink, instead of ofering washable and returnable alternatives. And, unnecessary single-use plastic isn’t only widespread, it’s oten even encouraged. It’s ludicrous that buying fruit and veg without plastic packaging can too oten be more expensive than pre-packaged alternatives. Personal action is important, and we can all play a part in reducing the scourge of plastic pollution. There are many simple things we can all do to avoid it, including: • Enjoy your morning cappuccino in a reusable cup Fewer than one in 400 takeaway cups are recycled, and as many as 2.5 billion takeaway cofee cups may be chucked each year. The vast majority end up in landfill or incinerators. • Cut plastic waste — and cash — by bringing a packed lunch to work

You can also take advantage of email, twitter and other social media channels to make your voice heard. Unhappy with the pointless plastic on your local café or supermarket? Then send them a message and let them know. Getting involved with a local Friends of the Earth group, or community organisation to campaign for a reduction in plastic in your area can also be extremely efective. But, if we really want to see an end to the plastic pollution that blights our environment and harms our wildlife, then we need the government to get drastic on plastic. Tax incentives and bans on straws and stirrers have been a welcome start, but they must do more. This is why Friends of the Earth and the Women’s Institute is calling on the new government to introduce comprehensive legislation to prevent plastic pollution, including the phase-out of non-essential single-use plastics by 2025 — a measure supported by almost nine out of 10 people. If ministers are serious about eliminating the plastic problem they must legislate — it’s what the public wants and the planet needs.

Helen Tandy of Friends of the Earth, Chester and District For many years the plastic-free revolution hadn’t been televised. Bubbling under the surface, it was led by a passionate few — with nearly as much fight back as support. Chester residents, Helen Tandy and Dr Christian Dunn, had been aware of the issue even before Blue Planet aired, realising that the world simply could not sustain the path it was heading down. Without a major rethink on plastic, disaster beckoned. Working tirelessly, but separately, around the city, the duo were

determined to fight against the damage plastic causes — Christian with Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk) and Helen as co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth Chester and District. One day, Helen came across a tweet from Christian chastising the local council on their inability to act. They both quickly realised that if they were to make real change they would need to come together and take advantage of the public mood for action on plastic. The pair started straight away with the launch of the Plastic Free/Straw Free Chester campaign in November 2017. With the support of a small, hardworking team they set about speaking to local businesses, discussing the steps they could take to cut down on their singleuse plastic waste and become more sustainable. These changes included: • Cutting out plastic bubble wrap • Switching to paper or metal reusable straws • Using paper bags, rather than plastic throwaway ones • Selling glass or canned drinks rather than plastic • Ofering water refills to cut down bottled water The Plastic Free Chester team set themselves the ambitious goal of becoming the UK’s first major city to become Plastic Free — a target they managed to achieve in

late 2018, just over a year ater starting out on their journey. Despite achieving Plastic Free status, Friends of the Earth Chester and District’s work is far from done. Whether it be in local parks, on the beaches or even getting sopping wet out on the water, you can oten find them litter picking, helping to

keep their community as waste-free as possible. Regardless of all the dedication and tireless work Friends of the Earth Chester and District have put in over the past two years, they know it’s future generations that will determine whether the plastic-free revolution either lives or dies. That’s why a huge focus of Chester and District Friends of the Earth’s work is on education; going into local schools and teaching them about the impacts of single-use plastic and the importance of cutting it out. This approach is not only vital, it’s also hugely rewarding. The kids are probably as passionate, or more so, about the future of our planet than most adults. To see the hope in their eyes and hear how passionately they talk about saving the planet goes a long way to remind you of why you’re doing what you do. Knowledge is what will win the war against plastic. The future belongs to them and we need to make sure we equip them with what they need to build a plastic-free future. ■ Find out more about Friends of the Earth’s plastic campaign, including more tips and actions at: friendsotheearth.uk/plastics. For Chester and District Friends of the Earth, visit, facebook.com/FOEchester 37

Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Valentine’s

love It must be

Celebrate Valentine’s Day the vegan way ere at Vegan Life, we believe in sharing the love all year round, be that with your significant other, your family or animal friends. Showing someone that you care shouldn’t just be saved for Valentine’s Day, but they’ll certainly feel valued if you make the efort. Whether you want to put a smile on their face with a git or treat them to a date, we’ve got you covered, with our present guide and ‘out-of-the-box’ date suggestions. If Valentine’s Day, to you, revolves more around expressing your adoration for the planet, turn to our feature on how to help animals — they will certainly appreciate it. ›

Valentine’s

Thinking

outside

the box

Will Rankin shares his unusual vegan-friendly date ideas hatever kind of relationship you enjoy, Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to celebrate love and friendship. But, do you really want to be marking your enduring feelings for that significant other on a restaurant date surrounded by carcasses and clichés? Of course you don’t. So, here are a few more interesting date ideas to make sure your love knows you care.

A fancy fireside fling Mark the occasion at home. Might sound boring, but why be limited by walls — or your imagination? Not only can spending a date at home mean that it’s perfectly attuned to your likes and interests, but it also means things can be a lot… sexier. Dinner might be a romantic cliché, but why not create a themed meal? Also, if it’s made at home, you know it’s truly 40

vegan. Turn the dining table into a ship, make a 1920s Berlin nightclub in the lounge, recreate the vibe of the night you met — the choices are almost endless. Create an atmosphere that brings a unique mood, and you’ll have an evening to remember. Of course, dressing up can be part of the fun, too.

Countryside capers It’s a bit cold for camping, but a short break not too far from home can bring the hygge and the spark back into your relationship. There are plenty of AirBnB properties around at this time of year, and permanent campsites have cosy (read: waterproof) gypsy caravans, yurts, teepees and cabins to rent. Of course, a return to nature could involve a self-guided trek, a warm pub lunch, a cookery class or even a foraging tour. Take a scented soya

candle or two, some delicious homemade treats and a board game for a simple, relaxing stay.

Urban jaunts In the UK, we are blessed to have so many cities that cater to vegans and cruelty-free lifestyles. Think of escaping to Brighton, Bath, Durham or Edinburgh and take the time to discover the hyper-local culture and the restaurant scene (don’t forget the Happy Cow app). Any city has its interesting history and unusual sights. You don’t have to dig deep to discover the art galleries, museums and music that most cities ofer in abundance. And, you might just make some new friends, too.

Down the rabbit hole Sustainable living is high on all our agendas, and if you fancy spending

some time with your loved one learning about sustainable agriculture, Growing Underground (growingunderground.com) is the place for you. This futuristic vertical farm — in a former Clapham World War II air raid shelter — demonstrates how amazing food can be grown in confined spaces using hydroponics and LED lighting. You can also take home some of the amazing micro greens grown on-site.

Country capers II Head to The Retreat animal rescue farm (retreatanimalrescue.org.uk) near Ashford in Kent, and share your annual love fest with vulnerable animals. There’s also a great vegan restaurant on site, and beautiful wooden lodge accommodation. The farm has cared for a Noah’s Ark of animals, including pigeons, chickens, turtles, fish, pigs, horses and donkeys, to name a few. Personal tours are ofered, and they’re always looking for willing volunteers. While you can simply visit the retreat, you can help out with the animals or even in the café. The Retreat is also on a

fundraising mission to double the size of its sanctuary.

Love through litter Pick a place on Valentine’s Day to collect rubbish. Remind yourself to love the environment and, having gathered up a load of other people’s junk, feel good about doing something caring. Perhaps you could extend the idea and create a ‘Love Your Planet’ event for Valentine’s Day? Who knows, you might find your true love over a pile of manky crisp packets.

Get cupid in the kitchen Eating is always a way of sharing your love. Koreans even have a word for the love you impart into the food you make via your hands — son-mat. So, here’s the idea — you grab five ingredients each, and create a Valentine’s Bake Of challenge. One person makes a starter, the other a main. Everyone’s a winner — but the loser washes up, of course.

Craty ways to show you love them There are plenty of workshops available

— from ceramic cafés to zero-waste sessions. Pick something you can attend that will improve your understanding of, or interest in a subject and then bond with your loved ones over your newfound knowledge. Making recycled art is a fun, trendy and enduring way to spend a memorable Valentine’s Day. Whatever you end up doing, remember that you can fully support your vegan ethics and show your love in the most traditional way. There’s a massive variety of vegan chocolate available, and plants top flowers as more sustainable and just as romantic a git. However, perhaps the most loving thing you can ofer to anyone on Valentine’s Day is a simple kiss and a hug. Even if it is your companion animal on the receiving end. ■

Will Rankin runs London Vegan PR and constantly strives to outdo his partner with cool date ideas. You can find him on will@londonveganpr.com, or on Instagram @veganprlondon

Valentine’s

Lalla Wandavi Hummingbird V Neck Jumper £189, lallawandavi.com

Eden Perfumes No.032 — Miss Cherry From £18, edenperfumes.co.uk

The gift of love

Hurtig Lane Mykonos Vegan Leather Watch in Dark Brown £76, hurtiglane.com

Special presents for special people

ut a smile on the face of the one you care most for, by giting them something great. Whether they enjoy a cheeky tipple, love animals or adore working out, there’s something for everyone. ■

P WWF Adopt An Animal

GNGR Bees Louisa Sports Bra and Louisa Leggings in Midnight Blue

From £3 a month, wwf-adopt-a-animal.co.uk

£48 and £75, gngrbees.com

White Heron Drinks Framboise £20, whiteherondrinks.co.uk

Three Six Five London Vegan Leather Cross Body Bag From £40, three-six-five.co.uk

The Vegan Kind Be My Valentine Limited Edition Git Box £15, thevegankindsupermarket.com

Valentine’s

IChoc White Vanilla £2.45, planetorganic.com

Firetree The Firetree Collection

Enjoy! Salted Caramel Chocolates

£45, firetreechocolate.com

£9.99, planetorganic.com

Sweets for my sweet

NOMO Dark Choc Block £1.99, nomochoc.com

Gorgeous chocolates for your number one

ho doesn’t love receiving chocolate as a git? And the selection for vegans just gets better and better. Show them you care with one of these delicious gits. ■

W Love Cocoa Dark Chocolate Trufles £15, shop.roh.org.uk

Booja Booja The Booja-Booja Award-Winning Selection £9.99, boojabooja.com

Ombar Chocolate Git Box £8.99, ombar.co.uk

Hotel Chocolat The All Dark Vegan Chocolate Hamper Collection £27.50, hotelchocolat.com

Valentine’s

Divine Chocolate Vegan Organic Git Set Pana Cacao Strawberry & Pistachio Chocolate

Prodigy Chunky Chocolate Bar £5, prodigysnacks.com

£10, ocado.com

£2.99, planetorganic.com

Moo Free White Raspberry Trufles

Vego Vegolino Pralines £4.99, hollandandbarrett.com

£4.99, dairyfreechocolates.com

Valentines Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Valentine’s

Compassion for all Will Rankin suggests how to show your appreciation for animals on Valentine’s Day

ove is in the air, so, what better time to show the depths of your vegan compassion by sharing compassion with our animal friends? Valentine’s Day is a chance to spread the vegan message, and to remind others that love, in its purest sense, surely involves inflicting no harm on others. Leading up to the big day, why not drop a few social media posts reminding people that showing your love with gits of dairy chocolates or a meat dinner is hardly loving to the victims. We all agree animals need more love in this cruel world, so here’s a quick rundown of some ways you can help make them feel less forgotten, and perhaps have some fun, too.

Don’t eat them An obvious one, but a sure-fire way of losing a friend is by killing and eating them. Make a point of sharing the amazing vegan food and gits you might have organised for Valentine’s Day via your social media feeds to underline how easy and delicious they are. If you’re lucky enough to have a partner, but they might not be vegan, it’s a good time to suggest that for this day — if they really want to prove their love to you — it would be nice for them to abstain from eating, wearing or using any animals products, too.

Create a love garden We all know about the decline in the bee population, but you can care for all the bees, birds and bugs by creating a themed Valentine plant display or area of your garden. Even a window box can attract the creepy crawlies and provide them with good nourishment. Why not present your loved one with seeds, pots and advice, or make a display yourself? Think of making ‘seed bombs’ with wildflowers that attract butterflies. Now is the perfect time to

plant bulbs and the seeds that will make a beautiful spring or summer display (visit growwilduk.com).

To know them is to love them

Get down and dirty on one of the dozens of farms, sanctuaries and charities that ofer care for injured, abandoned or sick animals. Some of them even ofer accommodation. Many serve vegan food and sell vegetables. The animals will thank you for it, and you’ll create a day to remember. You might want to consult the Vegan Life 2020 calendar for some great places to visit. Just don’t forget your wellies.

We are all keen to spend time with animals, but how about taking it a step further with enrolling on an animal psychology course? We approach our love for animals from a human perspective, and perhaps the world would be a better place if we all viewed things from a diferent angle. There’s lots of courses in subjects like animal welfare and behaviour that are free online (classcentral.com/ course/animal-1357). Alternatively, take the opportunity to show how much you care for animals by studying a course in animal first aid, which could make a huge diference one day.

The git of life

Bake it, don’t fake it

A quick Google will reveal dozens of charities that ofer care to all sorts of animals — from snails and hedgehogs to girafes and rhinos. You can adopt or sponsor any one of a number of diferent animals — whether it’s endangered whales and dolphins (orcaweb.org.uk), or a symbolic adoption of a Costa Rican sloth (toucanrescueranch.org), the git of adoption or sponsorship helps saves lives and provides a thoughtful, enduring git.

Why not spend time in the run up to Valentine’s Day selling homemade vegan animal treats for a local animal charity of your choice? It’s cheap and easy to rustle up biscuits, for example, and might encourage humans to adopt a more compassionate lifestyle, too. There’s room for a little advocacy served alongside your wares. And yes, cats might be obligate carnivores, but veggies are healthy for everyone (visit, thecollienois.com/vegandog-food-homemade-recipes). Valentine’s Day should be a day when we show love and compassion to all, not just our significant other human. So, get out there and use the opportunity to remind others of the need to show more love and thought for the animal world and for the planet. ■

Sweet sanctuary

Have a happy holiday If you want to go big, treat you and your significant other to an animal-focused holiday. A step further than adoption or a day on a farm, many global animal welfare charities ofer trips and stays where you’ll not only be helping out in person, but also ofering some poor downtrodden creatures the opportunity to begin to build trust again. If you want a more academic approach, visit earthwatch.org, which ofers the chance to reach some of the world’s most inhospitable places to assist with scientific studies of wildlife and the environment. Imagine studying the habits of wildlife in Mongolia or checking out biodiversity in Cuba...

Will Rankin is the founder of London Vegan PR, The UK’s first and only purely vegan-focused public relations agency. If dogs could type, he’d have an ofice full of them. Follow the firm on Instagram @veganprlondon, or reach him on will@londonveganpr.com 47

PREP, COOK, EAT with Vegan Life Our favourite recipes this month

Vanilla Chia Pudding Serves 2 This dish is so quick and easy to make last thing in the evening. A lifesaver on busy days and perfect to eat at any time as it’s a really satisfying pick me up. • • • • •

Overnight Oats Serves 1 Much like the chia pudding, making this the night before means you always have a great breakfast in the fridge. It’s filling and comforting too, especially warmed through in a saucepan over the winter months. Apple and cinnamon or fresh raspberries with cacao nibs (or even powder) are also delicious ingredients to play with; swap until you discover the combination you love most.

For the banana and cinnamon: • • • • • • •

1 ripe banana (about 200g) 1 tbsp chia seeds ¼ tsp cinnamon 50g jumbo rolled oats 185ml almond milk ¼ tsp vanilla powder or paste Pinch of Himalayan salt

For the nut butter and sultana: • • • • • • •

50g jumbo rolled oats 1 tbsp chia seeds 2 tbsp almond or peanut butter 1 tbsp rice malt or maple syrup 2 tbsp sultanas 185ml (3/4 cup) almond milk Pinch of Himalayan salt

For the banana and cinnamon: 1 In a bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth. Now, stir in the chia seeds and cinnamon until combined. Add in the oats, almond milk, vanilla and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 2 hours. 2 In the morning, stir the oat mixture to combine everything. If it’s runny, simply stir in one additional tablespoon of chia seeds and place the mixture back in the fridge until it has thickened up. If the oat mixture is too thick, simply add a splash of milk and stir to combine.

4 tbsp chia seeds 250ml (1 generous cup) almond milk 120g coconut yoghurt 1 tsp vanilla powder or paste 2 tsp rice malt or maple syrup

1 To make the vanilla chia pudding, place the chia seeds in a bowl with the milk and yoghurt. Whisk the mixture with a fork to break up the chia seeds, which will all clump together. 2 Add the vanilla and your syrup of choice then whisk well again. Leave the pudding to set in the fridge overnight. Enjoy the next day with toppings of your choice.

For the nut butter and sultana: 1 In a bowl, mix the oats, chia seeds, nut butter, your syrup of choice, sultanas, milk and salt together. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 2 hours. 2 In the morning, stir the oat mixture to combine everything. If it’s runny, simply stir in one additional tablespoon of chia seeds and place the mixture back in the fridge until it has thickened up. If the oat mixture is too thick, simply add a splash of milk and stir to combine.

Recipe extracts published here with permission of: mymuybueno by Justine Murphy (Meze Publishing, £25)

Curried Parsnip Soup Serves 6 The natural sweetness of the parsnips pair well with the curry flavour in this soup. The fragrant spices in the temper and the texture of the parsnips give a super smooth finish, without the need for cream.

For the soup: • • • • • •

1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp turmeric 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, puréed 1kg (35oz) parsnips, peeled and chopped • 1.2l (5 cups) vegetable stock

For the tempering: • 2 tbsp olive oil

• • • • •

½ tsp dried chilli flakes 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

the seeds become fragrant and begin to crackle, be careful not to burn them. 4 To serve, drizzle a teaspoon of temper onto a portion of soup.

Per serving (197g) 1 To make the soup, add the vegetable oil to a saucepan. 2 Over a medium heat, add the curry powder, turmeric, onion, garlic and parsnips and cook for 5-6 minutes. Next, add the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the parsnips are sot. Add them to the high-speed blender and blend until smooth, then season to taste. 3 For the tempering, add all of the ingredient to a frying pan and over a medium heat, cook for 3-4 minutes until

Calories: 204, Carbohydrates: 35g, Sugars: 8.6g, Salt: 0.74g, Fat: 7.4g, Saturates: 0.9g, Protein: 3.4g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Teriyaki Jackfruit Bowl Serves 2 The Teriyaki Jackfruit Bowl includes a vegan cupboard staple — jackfruit. It can be used in an array of recipes and is super versatile, when cooked and has a similar texture to pulled pork. The teriyaki sauce and accompaniment of soy sauce packs a punch in flavour! • 1 tin young green jackfruit (approximately 300g drained weight)

Teriyaki sauce: • • • • • • •

2 tbsp Wing Yip Light Soy Sauce 1 tbsp Wing Yip Dark Soy Sauce 2 tbsp mirin 2 tbsp sake 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp water 1 tsp corn flour

Toppings (optional): • • • • • • • •

200g cooked rice, hot or cold 100g spinach, lightly wilted 1 avocado, thinly sliced 80g edamame beans, cooked 1 carrot, cut into thin strips ½ nori sheet, finely shredded ½ tsp white sesame seeds ½ tsp black sesame seeds

1 Preheat the oven 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Drain the jackfruit from the brine or water in the tin and pat dry with kitchen paper. Mix together all of the teriyaki sauce ingredients and add to the jackfruit. Coat the jackfruit and then lay out as an even layer on a baking tray lined with foil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the jackfruit is piping hot and starting to caramelise. 2 To assemble your bowls, divide the rice between two bowls to create a base and then top with your favourite ingredients. Spoon over any teriyaki sauce from the baking tray and serve.

Vegan Poke Bowl Serves 2 Wing Yip’s Vegan Poke Bowl is not only easy to make, but is also bursting with Oriental flavour. Tofu, which is high in protein and carbohydrates, accompanies the fresh vegetables and flavoursome hot and sweet chilli sauce perfectly. • • • • • • •

400g firm tofu 2 tbsp Wing Yip Light Soy Sauce 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp Cook’s Sambal Oelek 1 tsp Wing Yip Sesame Oil 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp ginger, minced

Toppings (optional): Recipes and images from: Wing Yip, the UK’s largest Oriental supermarket and leaders in authentic taste

• 200g cooked sushi rice, cold • ½ cucumber, thinly sliced • 6 radish, quartered and lightly pickled

• • • • •

in 100ml rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt for at least 1 hour ½ carrot, shredded ½ avocado, cut into chunks 1 spring onion, thinly sliced ½ tsp white sesame seeds ½ tsp black sesame seeds

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Cut the tofu into chunks approximately ½-in or 1.5cm in size. 2 Mix together the remaining ingredients, add to the tofu and coat well. Spread the tofu in an even layer over a baking tray lined with foil. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tofu is piping hot and caramelised. 3 To assemble your bowls, divide the rice between two bowls to create a base and then top with your favourite ingredients. 53

Soya Chunk Stir Fry Serves 4 This quick and simple stir fry uses soya chunks as the protein — a great meat alternative to add to a stir fry as they need minimal cooking. • • • • • • • •

1 tbsp sesame oil 200g (7oz) green beans 150g (5oz) baby corn, halved 4 carrots, shredded 4 spring onions, sliced 1 red chilli, sliced ¼ red cabbage, finely sliced 200g (7oz) soya chunks, hydrated as per packet instructions • 2 tbsp soy sauce • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce • 4 spring onions, finely sliced 1 To a large frying pan or wok, over a high heat, add the sesame oil. 2 Next, add the green beans, baby corn, carrots, spring onions, red chilli, red cabbage and soya chunks, then fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce then fry for a further 2-3 minutes, season to taste. 3 Top with the spring onions to serve.

Per serving (230g) Calories: 251, Carbohydrates: 23g, Sugars: 7.1g, Salt: 1.2g, Fat: 4.7g, Saturates: 0.7g, Protein: 29g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Tofu Schnitzel Makes 4 These tofu schnitzels are versatile and can be used for several diferent meals. They are great served as a burger patty or sliced in a wrap, as part of a salad, or with vegetables and potatoes. • • • • • •

120ml (½ cup) water 100g (3.5oz) plain flour ½ tsp salt 2 tsp dried thyme 2 tsp paprika 100g (3.5oz) breadcrumbs

• 280g (10oz) block extra firm tofu • Oil for frying 1 In one bowl, whisk together the water, flour and salt to make a smooth batter. In a separate bowl, mix together the thyme, paprika and breadcrumbs. 2 Slice the tofu into four pieces then dip the tofu in the batter, then dip into the breadcrumb mix, ensuring the tofu is completely covered in breadcrumbs. 3 Next, heat the oil in a frying pan over

a medium heat and fry the coated tofu for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp.

Per serving (160g) Calories: 360, Carbohydrates: 40g, Sugars: 1.8g, Salt: 1.2g, Fat: 15g, Saturates: 2.2g, Protein: 18g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Cajun Wedges Serves 4 These spicy wedges are the perfect accompaniment to a burger. Maris piper potatoes keep a flufy centre and crisp up beautifully on the outside. • 1kg (35oz) Maris Piper potatoes, cut into wedges • 2 tbsp oil • 2 tbsp Cajun spice 1 Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes together with the oil and Cajun spice. Spread over a baking tray and cook in the oven for 50-60 minutes, removing and turning occasionally until evenly cooked.

Per serving (258g) Calories: 229, Carbohydrates: 40g, Sugars: 3.1g, Salt: 0.52g, Fat: 6g, Saturates: 0.5g, Protein: 4.5g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Top Tip: The wedges can also be cooked in an air fryer and will be ready in 20-25 minutes. Try adding quarter a teaspoon of chilli powder if you prefer spicier foods.

Sticky BBQ Tofu Skewers with Cucumber & Peanut Dipping Sauce Serve 4-6 Influenced by Thai cuisine, these tasty tofu skewers are served with crunchy cucumber and peanut dipping sauce. • 6 large fresh red chillies • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper • 2 tbsp cooking sherry or Shaoxing • 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce (optional) • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce • 4 tbsp agave syrup • 1 tbsp sot brown sugar • 1/2 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped • 36 tofu pufs • Sea salt

To serve: • Cucumber & Peanut Dipping Sauce (see recipe) • Vegan nam prik pao (Thai spicy chilli sauce) (optional)

For the cucumber & peanut dipping sauce: • 1/2 cucumber, halved lengthways • 1 tsp light soy sauce

• • • • • •

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 2–3 tsp sot brown sugar, to taste 1 tbsp peanuts 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 red shallot, finely chopped 1 fresh red and 1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped • A pinch of sea salt • 12 bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes 1 To make the dipping sauce, scrape the seeds out from the centre of the cucumber, then thinly slice the flesh into crescents. Put the soy sauce in a bowl, add the lime juice and sugar and stir together until dissolved. Dry-roast the peanuts in a small frying pan/ skillet over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown. Leave to cool. 2 Using a pestle and mortar, crush the peanuts to a rough, chunky powder. Add the powder and all the remaining ingredients to the soy sauce mixture and stir well, before pouring over the cucumber and tossing to coat in the dressing. Set aside in the fridge. 3 In a large bowl, combine the chillies and

all the remaining ingredients, except the tofu pufs. Mix well until all the sugar has dissolved. Check the seasoning and add salt to taste. 4 Add the tofu pufs to the bowl and stir to coat in the marinade. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. 5 Preheat the grill to high. Skewer three tofu pufs onto each bamboo skewer. Lay the skewers on the baking sheet and put under the grill, turning occasionally, for 10–12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. 6 Serve two or three skewers per person, with a little pot of the cucumber and peanut dipping sauce and some vegan nam prik pao alongside each portion.

Recipes and images from: Vegan Christmas Feasts by Jackie Kearney

Top Tip: Most Asian supermarkets sell tofu pufs.

Chickpea & Peanut Butter Curry Serves 4 This chickpea and peanut butter curry takes influence from Thai and Indian food. The lime and peanut butter is a combination seen in Thai curries but it works beautifully with the chickpeas in this creamy dish. • • • • • • •

1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, puréed 50g (2oz) chopped peanuts 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 400g (14oz) tin chickpeas, drained

• • • • •

2 tbsp peanut butter 1 lime, juice only 1 400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes 1 400ml (14oz) tin coconut milk 1 tbsp mango chutney

simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened, then add the mango chutney and mix in well and season to taste.

Per serving (471g) 1 Begin by adding the vegetable oil to a saucepan and over a medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, peanuts, curry powder and turmeric. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the chickpeas, peanut butter, lime juice, chopped tomatoes and coconut milk. 2 Bring to the boil, turn down to a

Calories: 790, Carbohydrates: 70g, Sugars: 18g, Salt: 1.8g, Fat: 50g, Saturates: 22g, Protein: 27g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Green Shakshuka Serves 2 This gorgeously green pot of goodness uses plant-based yoghurt in place of traditional eggs. Za’atar is a blend of dried herbs, and it is a wonderful way to add a Middle Eastern flavour to any dish, while the combo of fresh mint, dill and parsley keeps it tasting light and clean. Packed with vitamins A, B5, B6, C, E and K, folic acid, potassium, manganese and thiamine, while being high in protein and fibre — trust us, this one is good for you! • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 tbsp olive oil 1 leek, trimmed and finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated 1 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 200g frozen peas 200g fresh spinach leaves 10g fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped 10g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 10g fresh dill, roughly chopped Salt and black pepper 50g plant-based yoghurt ½ tsp za’atar 1 ripe avocado, halved and stone removed and sliced 4 slices crusty wholemeal bread, to serve

1 Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the leek and cook for 5 minutes until sotened. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and stir for a further minute. Add the beans and peas and stir for 2 minutes followed by the spinach, one handful at a time. Stir constantly, allowing each batch of spinach to wilt down before adding the next 2 When all the spinach has wilted and the peas are thoroughly defrosted and cooked through, take the pan of the heat, stir through the mint, parsly and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper 3 Top with the yoghurt, za’atar and sliced avocado, and serve with crusty wholemeal bread.

BOSH! Healthy Vegan by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published 26th December (HQ, HarperCollins). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.

Sunny Sri Lankan Curry Serves 4 A big, rich Sri Lankan curry is one of our favourite dishes, but typically they are high in saturated fat due to the coconut milk. We’ve tempered this bad boy down, using reduced-fat coconut milk and some water and desiccated coconut instead, but it’s still big on flavour. Serve it on its own or, if you’re feeling extra hungry, add a portion of brown basmati rice. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 small butternut squash (about 400g) 1 tsp vegetable oil 20g cashews 1 tsp coconut oil 2 large shallots, peeled and diced 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated 5cm piece fresh ginger (about 20g), peeled and grated 1 fresh green bird’s-eye chilli, cut in half lengthways and seeds removed 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp black mustard seeds 1 tbsp tomato purée 15 curry leaves, optional 1 red pepper, trimmed, halved and cored 1 orange pepper, trimmed, halved and cored 200ml reduced-fat coconut milk 200ml water 10g desiccated coconut 100g fresh baby spinach leaves ½ lime Salt and black pepper 10g fresh coriander leaves (optional)

1 Trim and peel the butternut squash, halve it and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into 2.5cm cubes and spread them over a lined baking tray. Drizzle over the vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, put the tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes until tender. Toast the cashews in the oven on the small baking tray for the last 5–8 minutes until golden, then roughly chop. 2 Heat the coconut oil in the large saucepan or wok over a medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes. Next, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir for 1 minute followed by the turmeric, curry powder, mustard seeds, tomato purée and curry leaves (if using) and stir for 30 seconds. 3 Add the peppers and stir for 1 minute. Pour the coconut milk, water and half the desiccated coconut into the pan (reserve the rest to sprinkle over the curry at the end). Stir to combine, turn up the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes 4 Add the spinach and stir to wilt, then add the roasted butternut squash cubes and fold them into the curry. Squeeze the juice from the lime into the pan and fold it into the sauce. 5 Taste the curry, season to perfection with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the cashews, coriander leaves (if using) and remaining desiccated coconut and serve immediately.

Orecchiette with Pumpkin Seed Pesto & Tenderstem® Broccoli Serves 2 This fresh, vibrant and delicious Italianinspired delight is the ultimate pasta dish; it’s ideal for entertaining or even packed lunches.

• • • •

For the pesto:

1 Start by making the pesto: simply place all the pesto ingredients into a food processor and blitz for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth mixture. Add a splash of water if required to loosen the pesto. Set to one side. 2 Grill the courgette slices in a griddle pan, cooking on each side for 1-2 minutes. In a separate pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and once hot, add in the Tenderstem® broccoli. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, put

• • • • • • •

30g (¼ cup) pumpkin seeds A large handful basil leaves 2 tbsp nutritional yeast Juice of 1 lemon 1-2 garlic cloves A pinch of salt 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the pasta: • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 62

1 courgette, cut into thick slices 200g Tenderstem® broccoli 250g dried orecchiette pasta Sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)

the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet’s instructions. 4 Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and mix it straight away with the pesto. Add the grilled courgette and Tenderstem® broccoli and mix everything together. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Recipe and images from: Tenderstem®, and developed by food influencer Happy Skin Kitchen (happyskinkitchen.com)

Gnocchi & Tomato Bake Serves 4 This gnocchi bake is a great stand alone dish, but is also great served with salad or vegetables. The crunchy cheese topping, the tomato sauce and gnocchi make for a delicious combination.

For the gnocchi: • 600g (21oz) butternut squash, peeled and chopped • 400g (14oz) buckwheat flour • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

For the sauce: • • • • • •

1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, puréed 2 400g (14oz) tins chopped tomatoes 1 tsp sugar 200g spinach

For the topping: • 80g (3oz) dairy-free cheese, grated • 80g (3oz) panko breadcrumbs • 1 tsp dried oregano 1 Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the butternut squash. Cook until sot, then mash until smooth. Stir through the buckwheat flour and nutritional yeast, then mix to form a dough and season to taste. 2 Next, roll out the dough into a long think sausage shape and cut into pieces that are roughly 15mm long. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi to the boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they float to the surface and are cooked through. 3 For the sauce, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar and spinach and cook for a further 6-8 minutes, season to taste. 4 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Stir the sauce through the gnocchi and tip into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with the cheese, breadcrumbs and oregano then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top has browned.

Per serving (575g) Calories: 661, Carbohydrates: 131g, Sugars: 17g, Salt: 1.6g, Fat: 12g, Saturates: 5.1g, Protein: 23g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Cover recipe

Top Tip: This dough will take 8 hours to mature, so it can be prepared in the evening for lunchtime the next day or in the morning for the evening.

Butternut Squash & Cavolo Nero Pizza with Caramelised Onions Makes 1 pizza

A traditional Neapolitan-style pizza comes with a thin base and a pufy, airy crust — a combination that makes pizza light and sot in texture. At Purezza, they mix the common ‘0’ or ‘00’ flour with a blend of wholemeal flour to give the pizza a more rustic and authentic flavour. • Semolina flour or rice flour, for dusting • Shop bought pizza base/dough or use Purezza's authentic sourdough recipe featured in their book (enough to make 1 pizza) • 80ml (1/3 cup) Butternut Squash Sauce (see recipe below) • 50g Caramelised Onions (see recipe below)

For the cavolo nero: • • • • • •

75g cavolo nero, washed 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ garlic clove, peeled 1 tbsp vegan white wine A pinch of salt A pinch of freshly ground black pepper, to finish

Pick the pizza base up and gently stretch it a little further over your fists without tearing it. Brush of any excess flour. 4 Sprinkle a little flour on a pizza peel or baking tray and gently place the pizza base onto it. Pour the butternut squash sauce onto the centre of the base and spread it evenly using the bottom of a ladle or tablespoon, then top evenly with the caramelised onions and cavolo nero. 5 Transfer the pizza to the hot stone in the oven and cook for 6-7 minutes at 240°C/475°F/Gas 9, or for 5-6 minutes if the oven can reach 250°C/500°F/Gas 10. 6 Meanwhile, prepare the garnish. Heat the sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium heat for 1 minute, add the pumpkin seeds and stir until they become toasted, 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut aminos and stir briefly until it has reduced. Add the salt and stir for a few seconds. Turn of the heat. 7 Once the pizza is ready, remove it from the oven using the pizza peel. Garnish with the seed mixture, then serve and enjoy!

To garnish: • • • •

½ tbsp sunflower oil 20g pumpkin seeds ½ tsp coconut aminos A pinch of fine pink Himalayan salt

1 Turn the oven to the highest temperature setting and place a pizza stone on the highest shelf in the oven and leave it to heat for at least 1 hour (once the oven has reached full temperature) before baking your pizza. 2 To prepare the cavolo nero, remove the stalks and thickly slice the leaves. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, then discard the garlic. Add the cavolo nero and wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the salt and pepper and stir for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside. 3 To make your pizza, generously dust a work surface with flour and flour your hands. Place the dough ball on the work surface and coat it with flour, then shape it by flattening and stretching it using your fingers to make your base (you are aiming for a flat base with slightly thicker, raised edges to make the crust).

Butternut Squash Sauce Makes enough sauce for 4 pizzas Butternut squash sauce is a good alternative to tomato sauce. With its sweet, nutty taste, similar to that of a pumpkin, and its creamy texture, it makes a perfect base for a winter pizza! It is also a good source of fibre, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A. • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • ½ shallot, finely chopped • 1 butternut squash (about 300g total weight), peeled, deseeded and cut into large cubes • 1 tbsp vegan white wine • 240ml (1 cup) water • 1 tsp fine pink Himalayan salt • 350ml rice milk (or any other plantbased milk, but avoid coconut milk) • A pinch of freshly ground black pepper 1 Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat for 30 seconds, add the shallot and let it soten for 1 minute. 2 Add the butternut squash cubes and

cook for 1 minute, then add the wine and stir. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, adding 240ml of water to prevent the squash from burning. 3 Once the water has reduced, add the salt and 240ml of the rice milk. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until the butternut squash becomes sot, then transfer it to a heatproof bowl (or food processor). 4 Add the remaining rice milk and blend, using a handheld blender (or food processor) until the mixture becomes creamy. Add the black pepper and mix it again. 5 Use the sauce immediately, or transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Caramelised Onions Makes enough for 4 pizzas Caramelised onions are one of the most versatile ingredients to use on pizzas. Their sweetness marries well with diferent sorts of toppings, especially the bitter ones. They balance perfectly with the distinctive flavour of radicchio rosso, chicory, cavolo nero and other green leafy vegetables. • • • • •

1 tbsp sunflower oil 200g red onions, finely sliced a pinch of fine pink Himalayan salt 2 tbsp sot brown sugar 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the onions and salt then cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are sotened and become golden, stir in the sugar and vinegar. 2 Continue to cook the onions over a low heat for a further 5-6 minutes, until they become sticky and caramelised. Use as required. Recipes and images from: Purezza Vegan Pizza: Deliciously Simple PlantBased Pizza To Make at Home by Filippo Rosato, Tim Barclay, and Stefania Evangelisti by Kyle Books. £18.99, Photography by Faith Mason

Lentils with Maple and Cumin Roasted Carrots Serves 4

This is such a simple dish, but really tasty and filling. Serve it with a selection of vegetables and houmous or just on its own.

For the salad: • • • • • • • • • •

300g carrots, quartered lengthways 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 400g brown lentils, cooked 20g fresh coriander leaves, chopped 20g fresh mint leaves, chopped

For the garlic and caper dressing: • • • • • •

1 clove of garlic, grated 1 lemon, zested and juiced 2 tsp capers, drained 2 tbsp olive oil Flaked sea salt Grind of black pepper

1 To make the salad, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas 6. Add the carrot batons and cumin seeds to a large tin and drizzle over the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked and starting to caramelise. Brush each piece of carrot well with the maple syrup then cook for a further 5 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan then add the garlic and red onion and cook for a minute until sotened. Add the cooked lentils. Leave on the heat while stirring for a couple of minutes, and then pour the lentil mixture into a large serving bowl or platter. 3 To make the garlic and caper dressing, Stir dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jug. 4 Add the roasted carrots, coriander and mint to the lentils. Season well, then drizzle the dressing all over the warm salad. Finish with extra herbs and more black pepper.

Recipe extracts published here with permission of: mymuybueno by Justine Murphy (Meze Publishing, £25)

Miso Aubergines Serves 4

Spicy Miso Corn on the Cob Serves 4

• 4 fresh cobs of corn, shucked • 50g dairy-free butter, at room temperature • 50g white miso paste

For the topping: • • • •

5g fresh chives, finely chopped 1 tsp togarashi (optional) Flaked sea salt 1 lime, cut into wedges

1 Drop the corn cobs into a large saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. 2 In a small bowl, mix together butter and miso paste. Drain your corn and immediately brush all over with the miso butter mixture. 3 To make the topping, sprinkle with the chives, togarashi (if using) and salt, then serve the dressed corn with lime wedges. 70

I love miso, it's such an umami flavour that really elevates all vegetables in a wonderful way. Aubergines and corn are great to enjoy as a side for lunch or dinner, or just a big platter for everyone to tuck into. • • • • • • • • •

2 medium aubergines 2 tbsp sunflower oil 3 tbsp brown rice miso 3 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted 1 spring onion, sliced (white part only) • Handful of fresh coriander 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Halve the aubergines lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. 2 Heat half of the oil in a frying pan and cook the aubergines, flesh-side down, for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes.

3 Make a paste with the brown miso, maple syrup, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and the remaining tablespoon of sunflower oil. 4 Transfer the aubergines to a roasting tin, drizzle the paste over them and then roast them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure the tops don’t catch and burn. 5 Sprinkle the miso aubergines with toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and coriander to serve.

Recipe extracts published here with permission of: mymuybueno by Justine Murphy (Meze Publishing, £25)

Korean Style Brioche Sandwich Serves 2

Straight from the specials board of the Make No Bones restaurant, is this crispy fried mushroom and smoky aubergine sandwich, served with an array of delicious sauces. It’s great for entertaining, or for a midweek treat. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 Make No Bones brioche buns 1 large aubergine 1 pack of oyster mushrooms 1/2 small red cabbage 1 small carrot 2 spring onions 1 small Chinese leaf 250ml soya milk 125g (1 cup) plain flour 80g (½ cup) rice flour 3 tbsp Chinese 5 spice 2 tbsp miso paste 1 tsp Gochujang 5 tbsp rice wine vinegar 3 tbsp maple syrup ½ tbsp ginger paste 4 tbsp sesame oil 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds 3 tbsp of soy sauce ¼ tsp mustard powder 140ml (½ cup) ketchup 1 tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp sugar ½ tsp lemon juice 500ml (4/5 cup) vegetable oil 1½ tsp salt

For the aubergine: 1 Preheat over to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 Slice the widest part of the aubergine into 2 x 1.5cm rounds. Score the aubergine at 2cm intervals rotate 90° and repeat. Sprinkle both sides with salt and place on kitchen roll for 10 minutes to remove moisture. 2 For the aubergine glaze, thoroughly whisk 2 tbsp miso paste, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup and set aside. Dust excess salt from the aubergine and generously coat both sides with miso glaze. 3 Place onto a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you’re not a fan of aubergine, you can replace it for a vegan ‘beef’-style burger for a delicious alternative.

For the mushroom: 4 Tear apart oyster mushrooms into approximately 5 cm pieces. 5 To make the mushroom marinade, combine 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tbsp ginger paste and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar. Place mushroom pieces in the marinade and leave for 10 minutes. 6 Mix 1 cup plain flour, ½ cup rice flour, 3 tbsp Chinese 5 spice and 1 tsp salt. Toss the marinated mushrooms in the flour mix making sure they are fully coated. 7 Fill a frying pan with roughly 1cm of oil and place on a medium heat. An easy way to check if the oil is hot enough is to sprinkle a small amount of flour into the oil, if it begins to sizzle the oil is ready. Carefully lower the coated mushrooms into the oil for around 3 minutes, making sure you rotate them until brown and crispy on both sides. Remove from frying pan, and place on kitchen roll to soak any excess oil.

For the garlic mayo: 8 In a mixing bowl combine 250ml soya milk, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp of sugar and 1/4 tsp of mustard powder. Stick blend or jug blend until thick and creamy. If the

mayo is too thin, gradually a little more oil and keep blending.

For the Gochujang ketchup: 9 Whisk ½ cup of ketchup, 1 tsp gochujang, and 1 tsp maple syrup. Depending on the variety of Gochujang, this will be quite spicy!

For the Asian slaw: 10 Finely chop or grate 1 small carrot, ½ small red cabbage, 2 spring onions and a small Chinese leaf. Dress with 1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, a pinch of sugar and sesame seeds.

To build the sandwich: 11 Toast your Make No Bones brioche buns until warm and slightly crispy. Spread a decent sized dollop of gochujang ketchup on the base, then place your miso glazed aubergine on the bun. 12 Ater that, a generous handful of crispy fried mushrooms, then top with the Asian slaw. Drizzle with the garlic mayo, and then place the top of the brioche bun on. Give the top bun a gentle squash to help it hold together and enjoy! Recipe and image from: Make No Bones makenobones.co.uk

Guinness Glazed BBQ Mock Ham Ribs Serves 8 This unapologetic mock meat recipe has all the texture and flavour of a robust meat-focussed dish. It can be served whole to be sliced at the table, like a ham, or sliced into chunky ribs on a sharing platter. It will impress any omnivore diners, as well as mock-meatloving vegans and vegetarians. Despite the long list of ingredients, it is straightforward to prepare, and will keep in the fridge for up to a week, or can be frozen before glazing.

For the glaze: • • • • • •

1 440ml can of Guinness 150g sot brown sugar 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp cornflour or potato flour/starch Salt, to taste

For the ‘ham rib’ wet mix: • 2 tbsp olive or other vegetable oil • 1 onion, finely chopped • 4 sun-dried tomatoes (sotened in olive oil), finely chopped • 2 bay leaves • 100ml (1/3 cup) plus 1 tbsp passata/strained tomatoes • 100ml (1/3 cup) plus 1 tbsp good-quality vegetable stock • 2 tsp salt • 1 tsp caraway seeds • 1 tsp hickory liquid smoke • 2 tbsp maple syrup • 2 tbsp soy sauce

For the dry mix: • • • • • • • •

250g (9oz) vital wheat gluten 2 generous tbsp chickpea/gram flour 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tsp onion powder 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried sage 2 tsp dried dulse seaweed, soaked in cold water, drained and finely chopped • 4 bay leaves • 1 tsp coriander seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds, roughly ground to a powder

the dish, and cut another piece of foil to the same size. Set aside. 3 To make the ‘ham rib’ wet mix, in a medium frying pan/skillet, over a medium heat, add the oil. 4 To the pan, add the chopped onion and fry gently for 12–15 minutes until translucent. Try not to colour it. Tip half of the cooked onion into another small pan and set aside. 5 Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the remaining half of the cooked onion, including any residual olive oil and the bay leaves and fry gently for a few minutes. Then, add all the remaining wet mix ingredients, and bring to a simmer again. Cook gently for 4–5 minutes and then discard the bay leaves. Set aside to cool. 6 Put all of the ingredients for the dry mix into a large bowl and add the cooled onion and tomato mixture from the frying pan/skillet. Mix well and knead the dough until it comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish making a thick layer that covers the bottom of the dish. Cover with the greaseproof paper and then the foil, wrapping over the edges for a snug fit. 7 Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. This will give the seitan a very chewy texture. Reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes if you prefer a soter texture, and reduce cooking time by a further 10 minutes if using a metal baking dish rather than ceramic. 8 Meanwhile, for the glaze, add the Guinness, sugar, paprika, pepper and salt to taste to the small pan with the reserved cooked onion. Place on a medium high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30–40 minutes until reduced by a third. Mix the corn or potato flour/starch with a little cold water to make a paste, then mix into the glaze mixture to thicken. Simmer for a further 10 minutes until the glaze is sticky and well thickened. It should still have a pouring consistency. 9 Remove the ‘ham’ rib from the oven and remove the foil and paper. Generously coat with the glaze then carefully turn over — it should lit easily. Slather the top with more glaze and then return to the oven for another 8–10 minutes. You can also set aside ater glazing and reheat in the oven for 10–15 minutes when you’re ready to serve. Serve whole or sliced into 3cm/1-inch wide ribs, drizzled in more of the warm glaze, and serve any extra on the side.

You will also need: • Ceramic or metal baking dish, approx. 10 x 6 in, lightly greased 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. 2 Put the bay leaves in the bottom of the prepared baking dish and scatter the ground coriander and mustard seeds over the bottom of the dish. Cut out a piece of greaseproof paper that will cover the top of

Recipes and images from: Vegan Christmas Feasts by Jackie Kearney

Cheesy Chkn, Leek & Mushroom Pie Serves 4–6 This pie is great for many reasons. It’s easy to find vegan chicken substitutes at the local shops, and the recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. The unbaked pie also freezes well for several months, so you could make two at the same time, or several smaller ones to freeze for another time.

For the sauce: • 120g (1 cup) cashews, soaked in cold water for 3 hours • 500ml (generous 2 cups) almond or soya milk • 1 heaped tbsp tapioca starch • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast • 1 tsp garlic powder • 1/2–1 tsp sea salt, to taste

For the illing: • 2 tbsp olive oil • 2 shallots, finely chopped • 2-3 leeks, thickly sliced

• 200g (7oz) ready-made vegan ‘chicken’ pieces • 225g (8oz) chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and halved • 1/2 bunch of freshly snipped chives • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 1 500g (18oz) packet ready-made vegan puf pastry • Plain flour, for dusting • 2–3 tbsp dairy-free milk, for glazing 1 Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. 2 Drain and rinse the soaked cashew nuts and add to a blender with all the other ingredients for the sauce. Blitz together to make a smooth paste, then pour into a small saucepan. Heat gently over a low heat and stir well until the mixture thickens. 3 For the filling, add the olive oil to a large, deep pan and put over a medium heat. Add the shallots and leeks and cook for 10–12 minutes until sot and

translucent. Add the vegan chkn pieces, mushrooms, chives, mustard and cashew sauce. Stir well, then pour into a large baking dish, or several small ones. 4 Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface, and put on top of the pie filling. Trim and pinch the edges. Using a pastry brush, dip into the vegan milk and brush the top(s) of the pastry before baking. Make 2–3 small holes to allow the steam to escape. 5 Place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 40–50 minutes until the pastry is crispy and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Recipes and images from: Vegan Christmas Feasts by Jackie Kearney

Peanut Butter Energy Balls Makes 10 These energy balls are packed with protein and slow and fast release carbohydrates making them a great energy boost before or ater a workout. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate means they also taste great. • • • • • •

200g (7oz) peanut butter 1 tbsp maple syrup 80g (3oz) dates 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp chia seeds 100g (3.5oz) oats

• 3 tbsp sultanas • 50g (2oz) dark chocolate, melted • 2 tbsp desiccated coconut

chocolate, then into the desiccated coconut. Place back in the fridge for an hour to set.

1 Firstly, add the peanut butter, maple syrup and dates to a blender and blend until smooth. Then, mix this with the pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, oats and sultanas and combine until a thick dough like mixture is formed. Split this mixture into 10 pieces, roll them into balls and chill in the fridge for a 1-2 hours. 2 Dip the balls half in the melted dark

Per serving (44g) Calories: 209, Carbohydrates: 19g, Sugars: 8.7g, Salt: 0.01g, Fat: 13g, Saturates: 2.5g, Protein: 7.4g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Oreo Brownie Sundae Serves 6 These sundaes make a great dessert for dinner parties as the components can be prepared in advanced and assembled just before serving.

For the sundae: • • • •

6 scoops dairy-free ice cream 6 Oreo biscuits, crushed Dairy-free squirty cream 6 glacé cherries

For the brownie: • • • • • •

2½ tbsp vegetable oil 100g (3.5oz) dark chocolate, melted 2 tbsp cocoa powder 100g (3.5oz) self-raising flour 100g (3.5oz) caster sugar 120ml (½ cup) soya milk

For the chocolate sauce: • 120ml (½ cup) water • 4 tbsp cocoa powder • 4 tbsp caster sugar

1 Begin by preheating your oven to 180°C/355°F/Gas 4. 2 To make the brownie batter, mix together the oil, chocolate, cocoa powder, flour, caster sugar and soya milk until you have a smooth batter. Pour this mixture into a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the brownie is cooked but still gooey in the centre. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3 For the chocolate sauce, add all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and over a medium heat, boil for 3-4 minutes whilst whisking until the sauce has thickened. 4 To assemble the sundae, layer the brownie, ice cream, Oreos, squirty cream and then top with a cherry to serve.

Per serving (179g) Calories: 482, Carbohydrates: 73g, Sugars: 47g, Salt: 0.36g, Fat: 20g, Saturates: 8.5g, Protein: 6.5g

Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Tofu Mousse Serves 4 By substituting tofu for cream in these mousses it reduces the fat and calories whilst keeping the same thick and creamy texture.

For the chocolate mousse: • 100g (3.5oz) dark chocolate • 150g (5oz) silken tofu • 1 tsp maple syrup

For the peanut butter mousse: • 2 tbsp peanut butter

• 150g (5oz) silken tofu • 2 tsp maple syrup 1 To make the chocolate mousse, melt the dark chocolate in a bain marie. 2 Next, add the melted chocolate, silken tofu and maple syrup to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pipe this mixture into four glasses and place into the fridge to set. 3 For the peanut butter mousse, blend the peanut butter, silken tofu and maple

syrup together in a blender and blend until smooth. Pipe this mixture onto the chocolate mouse and place back into the fridge to set for 3-4 hours.

Per serving (151g) Calories: 359, Carbohydrates: 22g, Sugars: 12g, Salt: 0.04g, Fat: 26g, Saturates: 8.5g, Protein: 12g Recipe created in-house by the Vegan Life Chefs

Banana & Chocolate Mousse Serves 4 If you have any bananas hanging out in your fruit bowl that are past their best, then this is the recipe for you! Rich and decadent, these little chocolate pots taste expensive, so give them a whirl to wow your buddies. If you like it sweeter, add a little more maple syrup, but be aware this will up the calories. • 3 ripe bananas (300g peeled weight), peeled and roughly chopped • 150ml oat cream

• • • • •

¼ tsp ground cinnamon 75ml maple syrup 150g cocoa powder 50g fresh blueberries A handful of mint leaves

1 Put the bananas, oat cream, cinnamon and maple syrup in the blender and blitz until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and blitz again until combined. 2 Transfer the mousse into serving glasses and chill for at least 30 minutes

until thickened. Remove the glasses from the fridge, top with the blueberries and mint leaves and serve.

BOSH! Healthy Vegan by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published 26th December (HQ, HarperCollins). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.

Vegan Coconut Cupcakes Makes 12 Family and friends will be sure to go coconuts for these light and flufy cupcakes from Wing Yip, topped with a delicious creamy icing and coconut flakes. They are super simple to bake and make the perfect teatime treat. • 225g dairy-free butter • 400g granulated sugar • 400ml Nature’s Charm All-Natural Coconut Milk • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp coconut extract/flavouring • 400g self-raising flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • ½ tsp salt

For the topping: • 400ml Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream, chilled the night before in the fridge • 1 tbsp icing sugar • 80g coconut slices/flakes

You will also need: • 12 cupcake cases 1 Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a cupcake or mufin tray with the cupcake cases. 2 In a mixer or in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar, coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla extract and coconut flavouring , slowly mixing together. Once the mixture has just come together, mix for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and airy. 3 In a separate bowl sit together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet mixture at a time and slowly mix together until just combined. 4 Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 12-14 minutes or until a sharp knife when inserted, comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 5 To make the topping, ensure that

the whipping cream has been chilled in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Empty the contents into a large bowl and add the icing sugar. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, to whip the cream for 4-5 minutes until thick. 6 Add 2-3 tbsp of the whipped cream to a cupcake and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Finish with a 1-2 pieces of the coconut slices/flakes. 7 Serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Recipes and images from: Wing Yip, the UK’s largest Oriental supermarket and leaders in authentic taste

Fatt Pundit Georgia-May Collings visits this Asian restaurant in the heart of Soho arrying together Chinese and Indian cuisines to create what’s known as ‘Hakka’ food — Fatt Pundit fuses both styles into a menu of small plates, giving diners an experience that replicates moving from cart to cart when sampling street food. The restaurant — whose playful name is a nod to its culinary crossover, taking the common Chinese surname of ‘Fatt’ and combining it with ‘Pundit’, the Indian word for scholar — is found tucked just a short walk away from the bustle of Oxford Street in the centre of Soho. Fatt Pundit’s intimate layout is long and narrow, with a cosy atmosphere — perfect for catching up with friends over lunch or dinner. Plus, chairs line the bar area giving guests the chance to eat in a slightly more relaxed setting, too. And with a new vegan menu, it didn’t take much convincing to get me through the doors. I spent the next few hours grazing my way through a

selection of dishes that had very obviously been created with attention to texture and taste. The vegetable momos kick-started the first round of food delights. These dumplings contained spinach, mushroom, courgette and tofu — the spongy texture of the case, combined with the crunch of the veg and served with two dipping sauces, made this a real winner and set the tone nicely for what was to come. Next, the popcorn cauliflower was brought out, followed in quick succession by the sticky sesame vegetables and crispy okra salt and pepper. I’m forever amazed by the diversity and possibilities cauliflower has, and this dish, which turned them into crunchy bites made the vegetable feel indulgent. The sticky sesame vegetables were easily my favourite dish, hands down. For one, let’s discuss that sticky ginger glaze — slightly tangy

and sweet, giving an authentic taste, just how you’d imagine an Asian-inspired dish to be. The texture of the vegetables was tender and fell apart in the mouth. If it wasn’t for trying to save space for the rest of the dishes, I could have quite happily inhaled this in one go. A must-try if you visit! The crispy okra salt and pepper accompanied well to the saucy dish, providing a savoury crunch to balance out the plates. Next to arrive was the Bombay mock ‘chicken’ — and if you enjoy spice, you’re in for a treat. Served with celery, Szechuan chilli and mixed peppers, this dish packed a real kick. While even a jalapeño is probably too much for me on the spice scale, I appreciated the bold tang of this plate. The sides of bing bread, which had a pancake like texture and sweet taste — great for mopping up any letover sauce — and sweet potato fries arrived switly aterwards and were a welcome way to cool our mouths down. By this point, the table was crammed with dishes and there was hardly any room for drinks, let alone the next plate of veg manchurian (not that I was complaining!) which consisted of mixed veg croquette with shallots, coriander and soy sauce. This came with the sides of stir fry broccoli and fried rice. Once again, it was apparent that so much thought had been put into arranging and presenting the food in way that complemented each other. At some eateries which aren’t strictly plant-based and serve meat and dairy as the main bulk of their menu, the vegan options can occasionally seem a bit like box-ticking with little imagination, however, this really was not the case with Fatt Pundit. I loved every single dish and it was clear they had put so much efort into creating a menu that vegans will feel incredibly satisfied by. I finished the meal absolutely full to the brim, and Fatt Pundit were kind enough to box up all the letovers so I could take away and enjoy the next day — dreamy. Not only was the food exceptional, but the staf too were incredibly attentive, ofering us drinks and topping up my tap water without us even asking. I was driving myself home that evening so could only enjoy a mocktail, but that too, was delicious. I’d go back in a heartbeat. ■ For more information, visit fattpundit.co.uk

Vegan ultra-runner and co-founder of social enterprise, Primal Roots, Carl Adams, shares how he fuels his training Monday Ater years of abusing my body, I have found a healthy set of extremes to challenge my mind and body with — action on health, fitness and wellbeing. I lost four stone, got sober, ran marathons and completed the GB Ultras 215-mile Race Across Scotland in August 2019. I use the Rich Roll Plantpower Meal Planner (meals.richroll.com) to plan my meals. Today’s run is 10 miles across road. To train at the intensity that I do, I have to eat a lot, this morning, I eat overnight oats — blueberry cobbler comprising rolled oats soaked in rice milk overnight, blueberries, unsalted cashews, cinnamon and maple syrup. Lunch is lentil caponata — canned lentils, red pepper, plum tomato, garlic, courgette and canned artichoke hearts, served with a wholewheat pita and balsamic vinegar. My dinner is spiced chickpeas and sweet potatoes, with quinoa, kale, sweet potatoes, garlic, fresh ginger, chickpeas, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon.

Tuesday Today’s run is 14 miles, across a forest trail. Upon waking, I have a delicious lemon date chia pudding, made with rolled oats, dates, chia seeds, lemon, maple syrup and cashews. For lunch, I make lentil pasta with plant-powered pesto — green lentil rotini, canned haricot beans, garlic, basil, spinach and sunflower seeds. Dinner is un-pho-gettable — I have edamame, garlic, fresh ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, baby bok choy, brown rice noodles, peanut butter, lime and hot sauce.

Wednesday Breakfast is a beet berry smoothie, with a side of peanut butter on toast (the smoothie is made from beet root, frozen blueberries, rice milk, banana, chia seeds, lemon). Today I run 7 miles at 10,000t in the HY Altitude Chamber at St. Leonards. At lunch, I eat a wrap, made from roasted red pepper houmous, tortillas, spinach, orange, avocado, onion, yellow pepper, cucumber and sprouted mung bean. Dinner is shiitake and sprouted adzuki bean ‘one bowl’ comprising adzuki beans, fresh ginger, shiitake mushrooms, quinoa, kale, sweet potato, pumpkin seeds, kimchi and soy sauce.

Thursday Thursday is my rest day, so no run. It is also the second half of my 20 hour fast, started at 6pm last night, continuing until 2pm today. When I do eat, I have a Huel (uk.huel.com) — a nutritionally complete meal that has just the right amount of protein, essential fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. It’s also really convenient and afordable, with minimal impact on animals and the environment. For dinner, I make creamy quinoa garlic risotto, with quinoa, onion, canned lentils, cashews, nutritional yeast, spinach, rice milk, chilli flakes, carrot and garlic. 82

Carl Adams Friday Today’s run features interval training at 10,000t, once again in the HY Altitude Chamber at St. Leonards. Breakfast is a smoothie bowl — with mixed frozen berries, banana, and peanut butter, rolled oats, flax meal, coconut flakes and raspberries. Lunch is a classic — a peanut butter and jam sandwich — you can’t go wrong with this one. A tofu burrito bowl is my dinner, made from brown rice, spinach, salsa, extra firm tofu, olive oil, avocado and cayenne pepper.

Saturday It’s a big one, training-wise, today, I run 12 miles on the White Clifs of Dover, and follow this with an ice cold sea swim. To fuel my body properly, I start of with protein power breakfast pudding, made from dates, banana, extra firm tofu, unsalted cashews and coconut milk. Lunch is quickie tacos, with avocado, tinned black beans, tortilla, salsa and mixed greens — tasty and filling. I finish the day with a stir fry soba noodle and edamame bowl — soba noodles, edamame, garlic powder, ground ginger, soy sauce and a stir fry veg blend.

Sunday I run 16 miles across a trail today, ater a breakfast sea green smoothie. I make it with coconut water, spirulina, spinach, banana, flax meal, frozen pineapple, hemp seeds and kale. Lunch is almond, citron and asparagus pasta, made with whole grain pasta, asparagus, tomato, garlic, butter beans, raw almonds, olive oil and lemon. For dinner, I have a deconstructed vegan sushi bowl, with white miso paste, tempeh, kelp powder, apple cider vinegar, cucumber, avocado, spring onions, garlic, brown rice, carrot, tahini and olive oil. ■

For more from Carl, visit primalroots.org.uk

Photo by Andy Hooper, (Sports Photographer of The Year) and the Lucozade Sport Movers List lucozadesport.com/the-movers-list

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Plenty more ish in the sea... or are there? We investigate the trade of tropical fish

hink of a coral reef beneath a warm, turquoise ocean — buzzing with brightly coloured and lively species of aquatic life zipping between anemones and rocks, in search of food, mates or shelter. This gorgeous ecosystem is slowly becoming something of the past, an idyllic image in our heads, replaced by a new, depleted reality that features a bleached reef barren of fish. There are a lot of reasons for this having happened, global warming is one major cause on the list, overfishing for human consumption also plays its part, and the trade of tropical fish for keeping in tanks is another, less spoken of, instigator. It’s undeniable that tropical marine species are amazing to look at, and it is for this reason that they are severely sought ater by the pet industry for display in people’s homes, and by collectors for exhibition at aquariums around the world. However, the capture and imprisonment of these species create massive opportunities for poor welfare and animal abuse, are causing a decline in populations, and bringing about an ecological breakdown to natural marine environments. Frustratingly, the trade of tropical fish for aquariums and for ‘pets’, is virtually unregulated as an industry (worth $200 million annually, according to unep.org)

— it catches and breeds as many fish as possible, with little regard for animal welfare or the environment.

Sufering It is heartbreaking to think that fragile tropical fish, born to dwell in the open oceans and to forage amongst plentiful marine plants, are instead captured and forced to live out their days inside glass habitats, a fraction of the size and variety of their former homes. They are watched relentlessly by their keepers (oten people who do not realise the responsibility that caring for a saltwater fish requires), denied the ability to swim and travel freely and prevented from being able to express the majority of their natural behaviours. Many people believe that fish and other aquatic animals have limited cognitive and emotion-bearing abilities, much less than non-human primates and other non-human animals. Yet, numerous scientific studies have shown that fish are sentient, with cognitive abilities that equal, and sometimes surpass that of non-human primates (peta.org). Just like us, fish can recognise individuals, use tools to get food and they can form and maintain complex social relationships. In fact, biologists wrote in Fish and Fisheries that fish are ‘Steeped in social intelligence, pursuing Machiavellian strategies of manipulation, punishment

and reconciliation, exhibiting stable cultural traditions, and co-operating to inspect predators and catch food’. Just like many other living beings, fish are able to communicate with one another, using this interaction to navigate their everyday lives, survival, and to form relationships. According to PETA, they do this ‘through a range of lowfrequency sounds, from buzzes and clicks to yelps and sobs. These sounds, which are audible to humans only with the use of special instruments, communicate emotional states such as alarm or delight and help with courtship.’ A behavioural ecologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, says, “Fish have some of the most complex social systems known. You see fish helping each other. You see cooperation and forms of reciprocity.” However, this communication is interfered with by the pumps and filters necessary in many home tanks and big-scale aquariums. Ichthyologist (a zoologist specialising in the study of fish) Phillip Lobel, comments: “At the least, we’re disrupting their communication; at worst, we’re driving them bonkers.” By keeping these interactive beings inside tanks, we are disturbing their innate forms of communication, and preventing them from being able to form the bonds and social structures that are natural to them, severely impacting their lives. ›

You might not know, but fish have complex nervous systems and react to painful stimuli just the same as other animals — Dr Donald Broom, scientific adviser to the British government, states that anatomically, physiologically, and biologically, the nervous system (which interprets pain signals) in fish is virtually the same as in mammals. Yet, in many cases, these sentient beings are not recognised as such, and instead are seen by many people as ornaments, or fashionable pets for display and entertainment. For example, Siamese fighting fish are oten sold as ‘decorations’ or party favours, as well as for amusement purposes, and their popularity is growing year on year. These highly territorial fish are sold by pet shops and even online catalogues housed in tiny cups or bowls in only a few litres of water, to customers that know little about how to care for them, or who want to see them fight another fish for their territory. Shockingly, tanks that contain no more than one-half gallon of water (a size inadequate to give home to even the tiniest ‘ornamental’ fish) continue to be sold. According to awionline.org, Bed Bath and Beyond is one of many shops worldwide that sell tiny six-inch, half-gallon cube tanks. Horrendously, the retailer boasts on the product that, ‘They take up very little space and look great on counters, desks, podiums or even mounted on a wall’, and their ‘Chic design blends in nicely in a variety of household or ofice settings and is a simple way to introduce a calming element to your everyday environment’. To put human enjoyment and convenience at the expense of the welfare of a living creature is unethical to say the least. Yet, even a larger home tank, or established aquarium cannot provide the same diversity of conditions and habitats that are found in nature. They fail to meet both the physiological and physical needs of the animals they contain, and oten, according to various animal rights organisations, these tanks are overstocked with fish living in poor quality water, resulting in longterm distress and premature death. Many scientists debate whether fish experience pain the same way that humans do, but Dr. Culum Brown of Australia’s Macquarie University, in a 2015 paper on animal cognition, concluded that, “Fish perception and cognitive abilities oten match or exceed other vertebrates,” and that, “The extensive evidence of fish 88

behavioural and cognitive sophistication and pain perception suggests that best practice would be to lend fish the same level of protection as any other vertebrate (awionline.org).”

Capture and breeding The majority of captive fish live very short lives, but they are easily replaced with new ‘pets’ and ‘stock’. This creates a constant demand that fuels a cycle of capture or production, acquisition and death, along with a continued distorted view of fish as products for display, and a disbelief in their sentience. But where do these fish come from?

“98 per cent of species of saltwater fish currently can’t be bred in captivity on a commercial scale” According to information collected by National Geographic, 98 per cent of species of saltwater fish currently can’t be bred in captivity on a commercial scale — instead, to supply the demand for the 1,800 species of marine aquarium fish in the trade, they must be taken from ocean reefs. Divers capture about 30 million ornamental fish annually, with about 16 million entering the US, according to a report from the US National Marine Fisheries Service (coris.noaa.gov). Most of these species are taken from reefs in Southeast Asia, Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya and Hawaii. Even worse, most are caught from the wild illegally, using poison, with up to 90 per cent of saltwater fish brought to the US for display being caught using sodium cyanide (peta.org). To capture fish, divers saturate their coral reef habitats in this toxic chemical compound, squirting it into coral cracks and crevices, which is then ingested by creatures living there. As reported in Scientific American, ‘The resulting asphyxiation stuns some fish and sends others into spasms, making them easy to grab by hand or net’, (scientificamerican. com). Rene Umberger, director of For the Fishes (forthefishes.org) cites a scientific study explaining the efects on fish. She says that upon being squirted with cyanide, fish sufer: “Severe gasping, followed by loss of balance and a complete loss of all respiratory activity.” Umberger explains that some

fish get too much exposure at collection and die straight away. Many more die in transit, whilst others may hang on until they’re in an unknowing aquarium owner’s tank and then pass away. A 2016 report from the environmental groups, Center for Biological Diversity and For the Fishes, found that the poison killed another 14 million in the wild or during transit and handling (biologicaldiversity. org). Umberger continues: “The name of the game for those in the trade is ‘sell the fish as quickly as possible’, because then you’re passing the risk on to the next buyer.” But it’s not only the cyanide that can harm the captured fish though, mortality rates from stress, injury, disease and mistreatment in capture, transit and when they are held as ‘stock’ in retailers exceeds 80 per cent, according to awionline.org.

Cyanide impacts A shocking article uncovering cyanide fishing in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, estimates that during the past half century more than 2.2 million pounds of cyanide was used illegally across Philippine coral reefs (the largest supplier of live fish imported into the US), in order to seize fish for the aquarium and live food trades. But, in addition to sometimes killing the desired fish, cyanide kills other fish, microscopic animals, invertebrates like sea stars, snails, nudibranchs and crabs, as well as coral — in parts of the world where over 95 per cent of reefs are considered ‘at risk’. Sam Mamauag, biologist from the International Marinelife Alliance in the Philippines, says that each live fish caught with cyanide destroys roughly a square metre of coral. Even extremely low doses of the poison can cause bleaching, and tamper with the coral’s biology, and sometimes, it is killed outright. When the coral of a reef dies, the entire ecosystem will collapse, and without coral, the creatures that depend on it, including reef fish, plants and crustaceans will no longer have food, shelter or breeding grounds — followed by an atermath of efects that ripple up the food chain, afecting thousands of species. Whilst the use of cyanide in this way is illegal in the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, it still occurs on a massive scale, because enforcement is not strong enough. A World Wildlife Fund (wwf.org.uk) report found that in the Philippines, private planes bring in cyanide to fishermen, and then fly away the fish before authorities are

Natural Resources states on its website that the state's ‘Existing aquarium fishing practices are sustainable and environmentally sound’. However, data collected by the department actually shows significant declines in several valuable aquarium species, including the Achilles tang, ornate wrasse, and fourspot butterflyfish. But, also according to the department, other species, including the yellow tang, have increased (dlnr.hawaii. gov). Umberger, along with many other experts, disagrees with the claims that Hawaii’s collection fishery is sustainably managed, stating that she has witnessed high-value target species decrease on Hawaii's reefs since she began diving here in the early 1980s. Instead, she believes they have largely gone to aquariums and at home tanks. She says: “The diference between then and now is huge — it's like, ‘Where have the fish gone?’.”

How to help any wiser. And, when they are discovered, few cases are oficially filed, and even less culminate in convictions. Dante Dalabajan, a lawyer from the Environmental Legal Assistance Group, says that there have only been “six in the past six years.” With cyanide fishing, the number caught is massively increased compared to line and net fishing, resulting in chronic overfishing. Joe Padilla of WWF Philippines comments: “Look at the places where live reef fishing started a decade ago. They have all been fished out now. The traders and the migrant fishermen just scoop it all up and move on.” As well as being directly damaged by cyanide, coral is afected indirectly by the sheer scale of overfishing that is conducted in this manner. Many species of tropical wild-caught fish play key biological roles in keeping coral structures clean — they do this by eating algal vegetation. When these species become eliminated or reduced in numbers, coral can become overwhelmed by algae, afecting the ability of coral polyps to reproduce. John Gorman, head curator at the Maui Ocean Centerreproduce explains: “You can wind up with these algafied coral reefs that can't recover.”

Threatening populations Although the trade of tropical fish is a huge and worldwide industry, very few of the fish species that go into aquariums are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). When we consider how expansive the industry is, the evidence of how fish are collected and how many species are afected, along with the lack of credible information about the impacts of the trade, CITES protections must be instigated. Without global restrictions on the trade, the fate of thousands of fish species is controlled by national laws which, in most countries, are insuficient.

“During the past half century more than 2.2 million pounds of cyanide was used illegally across Philippine coral reefs” As a result of the lack of protections, laws and enforcement of the cyanide ban, some species have become threatened, including the Banggai cardinalfish. Collectors have depleted this fish from its native waters of Indonesia, with it recently being listed as threatened by the US government. Yet, there is somehow still debate as to how tropical fish collectors, as opposed to fishers in other industries, are afecting target species in the countries they are taken from. For example, in Hawaii, where cyanide is used less than in other places, the Department of Land and

The most direct way to end the trade of tropical fish is to stop buying them — for keeping in a tank at home, or for eating at an exotic restaurant — and to boycott aquariums, zoos or similar institutions that house them for viewing. This is the only way to decrease the demand, thereby reducing the supply. If you love watching fish, environmental organisation, For the Fishes, recommends creating a virtual aquarium (using an app, images or video programme), as a low-cost and ethical way of enjoying the beauty of marine life. If you have friends or family who are keen hobbyist fish collectors, advise them of the impacts of keeping fish (to the animals themselves, and the environment), with especial mention as to how they are caught. If they are adamant to continue, direct them to the free smartphone app, Tank Watch, conceptualised by Umberger in 2014. This programme was designed to help collectors determine whether ‘ornamental’ fish in retailers have been taken from the wild, or bred in captivity. It lists reef fish species that are widely available through captive breeding programmes, to sway them from cyanide captured breeds. Understandably, it does not prevent the immoralities and exploitations that captive bred fish oten experience, yet, the app is at least a means of moving buyers away from wild caught fish, thereby preventing overfishing, ecosystem destruction and fish deaths in transit. ■ 89

“ There is nothing more damaging to your soul than living a life that doesn’t line up with your morals and values ” Maria Slough meets Edric Kennedy-MacFoy here is a grounded warmth to Edric Kennedy-MacFoy and an enthralling energy fills the space around him as we chat about his journey to veganism, a path that is peppered with great personal loss and a dash of celebrity. “I am a self confessed mummy’s boy,” he tells me. “My parents split up when I was 15 and mum and I were a team. I knew all her work mates and worked several jobs to help her. I was 22 when my mum died and I took on the role of guardian to my 12 year old brother.” As a child if anyone ever put a plate in front of Edric that didn’t have meat on, the

plate seemed empty, but 11 years later he went on a date with a girl who was vegan and she challenged him to watch Earthlings. “The next day I watched the movie and I felt sick; disgusted with myself as I witnessed the death of cows and pigs. Why had I not made the connection?” “As soon as the film finished I watched it again immediately. Did I think that what I had seen was ok or acceptable? Did I have the right to say if an animal gets to live or die? Could I continue to eat meat from this day forward? There was a resounding ‘no’ in my head and in my heart.”

The next morning Edric cleared every animal product from his kitchen. “Two days later, I visited my aunt in hospital. She was battling cancer. I looked around and death was in the room. I was reminded of the cows in Earthlings who were hung upside down, slit and in pain waiting for a premature death, forced by man, to come. It was a profound awakening so early into my journey and from that point on I made it my duty to give people as much information as possible on plant-based living.” Edric is perhaps best known for the ITV documentary Inside The London Fire

Brigade and as the vegan firefighter in the Kellogg’s Be A #ForceOfNature TV campaign. But before the cameras found him he served as a dedicated firefighter for 13 years, attending two of the UK’s largest incidents of that time, the Croydon tram crash and in 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire. A flicker of a shadow crosses his face as he talks. “We arrived eight hours in and the heat was so intense. Our role was to search and rescue, to identify the locations of victims found and report back on the extent of the fire internally. The following day we went back again to recover the bodies of the victims. What I witnessed will stay with me for my life. I sufered PTSD, depression and anxiety ater that and it opened the floodgates for everything else that had happened in my life. I was always uncomfortable with being considered an automatic hero whenever I turned up to a call out, but the one thing that I am proud to have been a part of is the fact that any firefighter will risk their life to save yours. It was an honour to serve alongside these extraordinary men and women.” As a result of the ITV documentary, Edric was ofered a publishing deal and his first book, Into The Fire, was published in 2018. He resigned from the brigade, feeling it was the perfect choice to enable him to impact people’s lives for the better on a daily basis, through his work as a plantbased personal trainer. “Ater Grenfell when I was sufering from depression, the only time I found peace and stillness was when I practiced yoga. If I didn’t go to class my mind would become fraught again and the depression would creep back in. I wanted

to do a teacher training course so I could incorporate it into my PT work so I travelled to Rishikesh, India, the home of yoga.” “In yoga, Yamas are the five moral and ethical guidelines to control the behaviour, words, thoughts, actions and desires of a person, to prepare a strong foundation for yoga sadhana. Ahimsa is part of Yamas and is the practice of non-violence. A is Abstinence from animal products, H is Harmlessness with reverence for life, I is Integrity of word, thought and deed, M is Mastery of self, S is Service to humanity and creation and A is Advancement of understanding in truth. So for me that is veganism. Veganism is Ahimsa.” So what is the new book about? “The Fit Vegan is about how fitness and veganism go together like salt and pepper, and is the kind of guide I wished I had at the start of my journey. When I found veganism having been such a meathead, the first thing I wanted to do was share it with people. My transition was so instant. For the first couple of months I felt this level of enlightenment. I felt pure and clean and the subconscious guilt had gone.” Not long ater Edric went plant-based he quit the gym and for one year, only did cardio exercise. “I got back to the size I was before I started training to prove the point about plant-based proteins. I felt healthier going back into training, stronger and faster. I get a lot of enquiries about what I eat to get the results I do and I am able to say truthfully — just plants.” “My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years ago and he asked my advice on nutrition. I told him before undergoing chemo he should go plant-

based. He did and now his ProstateSpecific Antigen (PSA) levels are normal. Having seen first-hand how switching to a plant-based diet can save lives, I want to promote good health for people and alert them to all the evidence that is out there. There is no need to filter your nutrients through dead animals that contain antibiotics and hormones. If I can present the information with love, compassion and non-judgement, whether someone takes it or not, my work is done.” A final thought for anyone reading about your journey? “To me there is nothing more damaging to your soul than living a life that doesn’t line up with your morals and values. It is only in the last few years that I have fully accepted and dealt with the loss of my mum. Mum was my best friend and I am just so grateful that I had her in my life for 22 years. Life is a miracle, however long we are on this Earth.” “If you look at a meat-based diet it comes from fear, pain and terror — you are literally eating death, compared to a diet based on peace and calm and compassion. I like to believe that if I brought a little calf or piglet to someone and let them connect, one warm-blooded sentient being to another, then gave them the choice to spare its life by not eating meat for that day, that 95 per cent of people would agree. If I then went back and did the same thing again the next day and the day ater that, people would make that connection and that compassion would filter through.” With a flash of a smile Edric heads of into the night, but his parting words hang in the air long ater he has gone. “The best any of us can do? Be the change that you want to see in others in this world.” ■ For more from Edric head to edrickm.com Follow Maria’s photography journey at mariasloughphotography.com and Instagram at @mariasloughphotography

The foul truth

Animal Justice Project campaigner, Ayrton Cooper, dispels the myths behind ‘free-range’ chicken farming

n 2019, Animal Justice Project launched our flagship campaign, The Foul Truth, which reflects the work that we do and our stance towards animal exploitation. We take an abolitionist approach towards any animal abuse; we do not ask for better welfare in our campaigns, we ask for an end to the cruel and needless exploitation. These ethics guide the work that we do. Animal Justice Project was founded in December 2014, and since then, our team has remained small, but our work for the animals has continued to grow. We began as a group campaigning for the rights of animals which are needlessly experimented on in laboratories with our Cures Not Cruelty and Campus Without Cruelty campaigns, focussing on experiments at universities. These account for around half of all experiments in the UK. We have campaigned all around the UK at British universities to urge them to stop torturing animals. Since then, our vegan arm of Animal Justice Project has grown from strength

to strength over the last 18 months with the creation of our Lifeline Campaign and the launch of The Foul Truth. With campaigns from other groups promoting welfare improvements, such as space adjustments and selecting diferent chicken breeds to farm, we wanted to say no to all animal exploitation. Only by ending this exploitation can we truly be kind to animals and be happy with our work. This attitude formed the basis of The Foul Truth campaign.

The foul truth With many investigations already exposing the cruelty behind factoryfarmed broiler chickens, we chose to shine a light on chickens which are referred to as ‘free-range’, RSPCA Assured, Red Tractor approved and ‘higher welfare’. These chickens live in standards which are considered to be the highest possible in the UK and are actively promoted by other groups. We wanted to show that ‘free-range’ is another façade brought to you by welfarists that want to

continue exploiting and killing chickens, and all animals. We undertook an extensive three month investigation at two of these such facilities. We followed the life cycle of these ‘lucky’ chickens and saw all parts of their life — from entering the shed as day old chicks, to being rounded up for slaughter by catching teams. Our exposé was hard-hitting and ran in many national media outlets, including the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and the Independent, among others. We launched our campaign outside the National Egg and Poultry Awards in London with around 60 volunteer activists. It was a great way to take our findings — on huge TV screens — directly to the industry bosses which are ultimately responsible for the chickens’ sufering.

The better chicken commitment What we found on those farms will stay with us forever. From day old chicks being thrown from crates and stood on, to the countless times we saw purposeful and ›

industry standard abuses and neglect, this cemented our need to expose ‘free-range’ meat chicken farming. Standards currently promoted by the ‘Better Chicken Commitment’ (BCC) ask for standards which were equal to, or even below, those that we found during our investigation. This BCC document is one which should be scrapped along with all other farming documents. It does not help chickens. It helps the industries look as though they are progressing and treating animals kindly. It helps the consumer feel less guilty about their choices. All of our findings can be found at thefoultruth.org and I am sure that you will agree with us that even the ‘higher welfare’ systems are failing chickens. Following our national launch, we promoted our ‘Meet the Cluckers’ series — a story of three rescued broiler chickens who escaped to freedom: Fleur, Rosie and Basil. Over our series, we showed them becoming more confident, Fleur healing from an eye injury and overall, watching them being able to act like chickens. It was incredibly heart-warming to see three six-week-old chickens, who had completely given up on life, become inquisitive and excited little characters. They felt the feeling of safety and compassion for the first time and they sure did love it. They became gentle souls who loved nothing more than foraging around in the mud, eating sweetcorn kernels and helping me finish of my apple! A very exciting part of our campaign has included sharing and disproving the myths behind ‘free-range’ chicken farming. To increase our reach, we went on tour. We visited multiple British universities during our Life of Lucy tour, directly asking hundreds of people — mainly students — questions such as ‘How many chickens are killed annually in the UK?’ and ‘At what age are ‘freerange’ chickens killed?’. Unsurprisingly, the knowledge from the public regarding chicken farming was very little; chicken farming is an industrialised-sized secret. We also launched our social media campaigning to highlight these myths, which has truly started some fantastic conversations and helped us educate people in a fun and interactive way.

The myths behind ‘free-range’ chicken farming Currently, around 95 per cent of chickens in the UK are raised intensively on factory 94

farms. The remaining include ‘free-range’ and organic chickens. The picture painted by the industry for these chickens’ lives is one of acres of green luscious grass, trees and dust baths. These chickens are seen to have a life that even a person would be lucky to have. But, what is the reality?

“We saw purposeful and industry standard abuses and neglect, this cemented our need to expose ‘free-range’ meat chicken farming” Are ‘free-range’ chickens actually free-range? No. We found that thousands and thousands of birds were kept in a single shed with no access to the outdoors for the first four weeks of their lives. They didn’t even have natural lighting. The latter few weeks included small doorway access to barren and nettle-filled concrete pens. The square in the image to the right portrays the exact space each of these ‘higher welfare’ chickens receives. Despite chickens being incredibly sociable and having a complex hierarchy, they also appreciate alone time and like

us, they can have their of days and want some peace and quiet. This is impossible in a loud shed full of thousands. But ‘free-range’ chickens get to have a long life, right? Wrong! With their factory farmed cousins being killed at an average of six weeks, these ‘lucky’ chickens are allowed to live until nine weeks old. The industry will sell that as a huge positive, ‘50 per cent longer!’ but in reality, it is an extra three weeks of living through miserable conditions. That is, if they survive that long. In the first week of our investigation, nearly 500 chicks died through stress, abuse and neglect. Eating chicken is healthy, isn’t it? Wrong again! If you eat a chicken, that’s a whopping 150g of pure fat you are taking in. That is more than four ‘Flame Grilled Whopper’ beef burgers from Burger King and more than double your daily recommended consumption of fat. Plant-based foods and fats are better for our health, as well as being kinder to chickens. They have a happy life before they are killed, though? Unfortunately for them, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our findings from

These are a few of the myths that our undercover work has directly helped

to expose. We wish that chickens truly had better lives here in the UK, free from exploitation — but until that is so, we will continue to campaign for their right to freedom. The next phase for The Foul Truth campaign was exposing a British duck farm from the largest supplier in the UK: Gressingham Ducks. During an undercover investigation from OctoberNovember 2019, we successfully showed that ducks are sufering tremendously behind closed doors. Their basic needs are not met — they do not even have access to a body of water, an innate need for all ducks.

Whether chickens or ducks, our The Foul Truth campaign has showed that whether factory-farmed, ‘free-range’ or organic, British farming is 100 per cent Harm Assured. To be truly kind to animals, we must leave them of our plates and advocate for a cruelty-free lifestyle. ■

For more information head to animaljusticeproject.com thefoultruth.org

All images: Animal Justice Project

our investigation highlighted abuses and neglect that we can never forget. Dayold chicks thrown and kicked, chickens having their necks snapped, filthy feeders and drinkers, insuficient ‘welfare checks’, a worker urinating where the chickens lived and also never-seen-before of chickens being caught for slaughter. The workers catching the chickens threw them so hard into crates they flew out the other side, all whilst they shouted and swore at them.

Breakfast

shine

Rise and

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

o matter whether you are an early bird or a late riser, we all need to start the day the right way with a satiating and nutritious meal. Do you usually skip breakfast? Over the next few pages, we uncover the reasons why you should always make time for the morning meal, and give you plenty of delicious ideas on what to eat, at home or on the go. If you’re oten running late in the mornings, we’ve also included a round-up of transportable and reusable products, so there is no excuse not to make your brekkie the night before. ›

Breakfast

Break fast the

Why do we need to eat in the morning? ith many dietitians and doctors saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you might wonder why research shows that nearly half of all Brits regularly skip breakfast (thegrocer. co.uk). People have lots of reasons for missing out on the morning meal, including not feeling hungry on waking, not having enough time, wanting to reduce calorie intake and to have more time in bed. Whatever the excuse, breakfast is important — here’s why, and how you can make the most of it.

Upon waking, your body’s stores will be low as a result of having gone without food, for, sometimes as long as 12 hours, and they must be replenished to restore your energy levels for the day ahead. When glycogen stores are depleted, your body will start to break down fatty acids to come up with the energy it needs, and without carbohydrates, fatty acids are only partially oxidised, which can cause low energy levels. Eating breakfast refills your body’s glycogen stores and consequently boosts your energy levels, as well as kick-starting your metabolism for the day.

Replenish your energy Eating breakfast every morning is essential — it literally breaks the overnight fasting period, replenishing your body’s supply of glucose and therefore your energy, and it provides vital nutrients to keep these levels up throughout the day. Glucose is the body’s main energy source, and ater you eat, it is broken down and absorbed from carbohydrates — it is then stored as glycogen in your muscle tissue and liver. When you sleep, some of this glycogen is slowly released to keep your blood sugar levels stable. 98

Improve performance and mood Glucose is also an essential carbohydrate for cognitive function, with many studies showing that eating breakfast improves memory and concentration, as well as upliting mood and lowering stress levels. Mays Al-Ali, nutritionist at healthymays. com explains: “Our diurnal rhythms [the pattern of activity based upon a 24-hour cycle] naturally have a high cortisol response as soon as we wake. A lot of people who skip breakfast automatically reach for the cofee, and cafeine then stimulates the further release of cortisol,

our stress hormone, which is activated in fight or flight mode. That’s why it’s so important to eat something first and then have that cofee later. As soon as we eat breakfast (as long as it’s a balanced nutritionally healthy meal) our cortisol levels are reduced helping us to start the day stress-free and continue as such.” In investigations amongst children, eating breakfast has also been shown to improve attainment and behaviour, and has even been linked to better grades.

Control your appetite Whilst many people like to think of skipping breakfast as a means of cutting down on their daily calories, eating in the morning is actually more likely to help keep your overall calorie intake and weight down. Those who eat breakfast tend to have more nutritious diets overall, make better food choices throughout the day and are less likely to snack on unhealthy options. Al-Ali comments: “Some people think that if you are overweight it makes sense to skip a meal, but by not eating at regular intervals your body thinks it’s going into food deprivation conditions, like starvation, and produces

Breakfast more hunger hormones, causing you to crave more calories. Eating a high protein breakfast also helps to balance your blood sugars so they stay stable throughout the day, avoiding snacking, energy crashes and that aternoon dip, which again may encourage you to reach for something sugary or cafeinated (and cafeine in the aternoon definitely afects the quality of sleep negatively).” Sharon Collison, registered dietitian and clinical instructor in nutrition at the University of Delaware, comments further: “People who consume breakfast regularly have increased physical activity. They have better dietary profiles and lower intake of snacks. Skipping breakfast is associated with increased disease risk — not only obesity, but diabetes, heart disease and just lower dietary quality.”

Power your body Most nutritionists advise that you should eat within two hours of waking, and that we ought to make breakfast the largest meal of the day. In a study conducted for the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), where scientists analysed the health data of 50,000 people over seven years, it was found that those who made breakfast the largest meal of the day were more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who ate a large lunch or dinner. Collison says a good morning meal, should be made up of four components: protein, whole grains, healthy fats and a fruit or vegetable. This recommendation is based on research that shows that protein and fat can increase satiety and cut down on unnecessary snacking later, while whole grains and produce add nutritious fibre, vitamins and minerals. Al-Ali explains why including some protein at breakfast is vital: “Always make sure you eat a high protein breakfast. Protein is the most important macronutrient, it helps to balance blood sugars keeping you full until your next meal and avoiding snacking, which is better for digestion (constantly snacking never gives the digestive system a break, it’s great to have 4-5 hour gaps between meals). Most of my clients don’t eat enough protein, but for an average weight person who doesn’t exercise too regularly, you need to be eating 1g per kilo of bodyweight per day. So, if you’re 60kg, you need to eat 60g of protein,

that’s 20g split between three meals and breakfast is the most important one to include that protein in!” Breakfast provides the perfect opportunity to secure yourself a big proportion of the day’s required nutrients — use it to get ahead on your recommended daily intake of essential vitamins and minerals (which can only be gained from food), including B vitamins, fibre and iron. Many cereals, breads, and plant-based milks and yoghurts are fortified with these, so eat foods that will top up your levels to maintain good health and immunity. The body needs these essential nutrients, and research has proved that if we skimp out on many of these at breakfast, they are less likely to be compensated for later in the day. Fruit and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, so make sure to include at least one portion at breakfast. According to another study conducted by the NCBI, where the breakfast habits of 1,600 young people in the UK were monitored, researchers found that the fibre and micronutrient intake including that of folate, vitamin C iron and calcium, was better in those who had breakfast regularly (bbc.com).

Al-Ali recommends the following morning meals: “My favourite breakfasts include smoothie bowls with added vegan pea protein powder. I will also pack this full of antioxidant filled veggies (like kale, carrot, ginger, half an avocado or steamed sweet potato or cauliflower, which make a smoothie super creamy), plus low-sugar, organic berries and plant-based milk — I love hemp milk for that extra omega-3 boost.” “I also love protein pancakes — super easy to make with a mashed banana, protein powder, ground flax seed, a flax ‘egg’ and a dash of plant milk. I top with berries and almond butter, or coconut yoghurt.” “Porridge is a great breakfast, but I would never recommend eating it without a good amount of protein added, for example, vegan pea protein or plenty of nuts/seeds/nut butter — this is because it’s heavy on the carbs and without the added protein you will get hungry again in a few hours. Add the protein and you will stay full — it’s as simple as that.” ■

For more tips from Mays Al-Ali, healthymays.com

Breakfast

White’s Oats Oat Bran — Medium Cut £1.69, whitesoats.co.uk

Pure Free From Dairy Free Spread — Soya, Olive, Sunflower & Perfect Baking £1.50, purefreefrom.co.uk

The Coconut Collaborative Natural Yoghurt Alternative £2.55, coconutco.co.uk

Wake up and power up Waitrose Vegan Mushroom & Leek Bangers £2.99, waitrose.com

Fuel the day ahead with these breakfast foods

hether you’re into making porridge, granola is your morning go-to or you’re looking to cook up a plant-based fry up, we’ve found an assortment of breakfast items that you should stock in your fridge and cupboards.

Freee Gluten Free Organic Fibre Flakes

£3.35, freee-foods.co.uk

Minor Figures Organic Masala Chai Biona Organic Baked Beans

£5.95, minorfigures.com

£1.25, biona.co.uk

Dorset Cereals Simply Nutty Muesli £3, dorsetcereals.co.uk

New York Bakery Co. Cinnamon & Raisin Bagels £1.60, newyorkbakeryco.com

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Naturya Organic Superfood Breakfast Boost in Superberries and Cacao Crunch £5, naturya.com

Deliciously Ella Crunchy Buckwheat Granola £4.15, deliciouslyella.com

Waitrose Vegan Streaky Slices £1.99, waitrose.com

Manilife Original Smooth Roast Peanut Butter From £3.79, mani-life.com

Baker Street Seeded Rye Bread £1.75, thevegankindsupermarket.com

Percol Ground Cofee — Vibrant Guatemalan Strength 4 £4.25, percol.co.uk

The Great British Porridge Co. Natural Instant Porridge £4, thegreatbritishporridgeco.co.uk

Alpro Alpro Barista — Oat, Almond & Soya £1.90, alpro.com 101

Breakfast

Breakfast of champions We find the best plant-based establishments to enjoy your morning meal hether you’re out and about running early errands, meeting a friend for a catch up, or just fancy a treat before the long day ahead, take a trip to one of the following UK-based vegan eateries for an outstanding breakfast.

W Redemption Bar

Created by two empowered female entrepreneurs, Catherine Salway and Andrea Waters, Redemption Bar is fully vegan, with an abundance of delicious and nutritious breakfast options on their menu, including multiple gluten-free and sugar-free choices. With three venues throughout London (Covent Garden, Notting Hill and Shoreditch), Redemption Bar’s motto is ‘Spoil yourself without spoiling yourself’, and their ethos is rooted firmly in caring for the planet, its animals and people. You’ll find both sweet and savoury breakfast options, including toasted banana bread with chocolate chips, whipped coconut cream and date syrup (£6.95), and the T.L.T — smoky fresh probiotic tempeh, avocado, baby gem lettuce and tomato in a warm charcoal brioche bun (£10.50). Popular on the menu is the adaptogenic creamy mushrooms, comprising shiitake, reishi, chestnut, lion’s mane, chaga and nameko mushrooms in almond cream and mustard with parsley, served on seeded toast (£13.95). They also have an assortment of cold pressed juices, smoothies and ‘powered by plants’ spritzers — a stand out is the Humble Warrior tulsi and pomegranate, made from 1500mg whole tulsi leaf, ginger, cinnamon, green tea, pomegranate and beetroot (£5.50). You can also make it a booze-free ‘bottomless’ brunch, with a £2.50 add on for unlimited filtered still or sparkling water, in line with the establishment’s alcohol-free philosophy. redemptionbar.co.uk 102

Breakfast

The Nourish Co. The 100 per cent plant-based eatery in Colchester in Essex, serves delightfully fresh food prepared onsite daily, using natural whole foods in their most organic form. The team pride themselves in supporting small and local businesses, sourcing all their produce from as close to home as possible. The breakfast options mainly feature sourdough dishes, like the toasted artisan sourdough bagel with smoked aubergine, served with cashew cream cheese, spinach and tomato (£5). If you want something sweet, try the sourdough spread with almond, cashew or peanut butter, topped with chai seeds and desiccated coconut, and if you want more, add a sliced banana (£1 extra). If you’re big on hot drinks with your brekkie, they have an abundance of specialty cofees and teas, including the intriguing charcoal matcha green tea latte — a blend of activated charcoal, matcha green tea and steamed oat milk (£3), and the beetroot latte, made with spiced beetroot and dragon fruit, with coconut sugar and steamed oat milk (£3) — delicious! thenourishco.co.uk

Seeds for the Soul This Edinburgh-based café is on a mission to show people that vegan food is exciting, filling and full of flavour, and their expansive menu does just that. The owner’s goal is to plant a Seeds for the Soul in every city of Scotland, with the intention of promoting plant-based food, educating people about the benefits of a vegan diet, and, ultimately, helping to keep the planet as clean as possible. All of their takeaway boxes, bags, cups, cutlery, and napkins are 100 per cent biodegradable, and all of the waste that they produce is composted or recycled daily. Sit inside their cosy and homely interiors to while away the morning, sipping on one of their delicious smoothies or cofees. If it’s a filling fry-up you’re ater, Seeds for the Soul ofer a full vegan breakfast, served with plant-based sausages and bacon (homemade!), tofu scramble, potato scones, beans, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, vegan haggis and toast (£10.95). Another hearty option is the breakfast wrap, which comes packed with vegan sausage and bacon, a potato scone, beans, mushrooms, spinach, red onion and vegan cheese (£8.95). Also popular on the menu, are the sweet pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup and topped with fresh fruit, coconut and cinnamon (£6.95). seedsforthesoul.co.uk

Café Kino This vegan café and community space in Bristol is a welcoming and friendly breakfast spot. Kino not only ofers delicious homemade food, but they are a workers’ co-op and a non-profit organisation, so any money made by the co-op goes back into improving the café for customers and staf. They strive to help the people that live near, hanging the work of local artists on their walls, ofering an afordable DIY events space, and using only ethical and environmentally-sustainable suppliers that are based in Bristol. Try their homemade muesli, made with toasted coconut flakes, almonds, cashews, apricots, cranberries and raisins, served with your choice of plant milk (£3.70). Also great is Kino’s plant-based fry-up — you can go big or small — with vegan sausages, hash browns, garlic mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and granary toast (£9.50, or £7.50). For a fruit boost, order a freshly-made red berry, blueberry, carrot or spinach smoothie (£4.10), or, if it’s breakfast indulgence you’re ater, go for one of their deliciously smooth milkshakes made with soya-milk and vegan ice cream (£4.10). cafekino.coop/food ■ 103

Breakfast

Alpro Greek Style Strawberry Raspberry £1, alpro.com

Nakd Cofee & Walnut £2.75 for 4, eatnakd.com

Put a spring in your step

Deliciously Ella Bircher Muesli Pot with Apple & Raspberry £1.50, deliciouslyella.com

Eat breakfast on-the-go Froosh Peach & Passionfruit Smoothie B. Fresh Plant Based Bircher — Berry £6 for 4, b-freshfoods.co.uk

£1.69, thevegankindsupermarket.com f you’ve got a busy morning ahead of you, and you haven’t the time to sit down and eat breakfast at home, don’t skip it — take it with you! The following products will ensure you never miss a morning meal again. ■

La Boulangère Vegan Pain au Chocolat £2.50 for 6, noracfoodsuk.com

Minor Figures Nitro Cold Brew Cofee — Black, Latte & Mocha £2.10, minorfigures.com

Coconut Collaborative Little Coconutters Strawberry & Banana £1.05, coconutco.co.uk

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Breakfast

Kilner Round Clip Top Jar, 0.5l £3.25, dunelm.com

Black & Blum Stainless Steel Lunch Box £27.95, black-blum.com

Vegan Food Wraps Medium Kitchen Pack £20, veganfoodwraps.co.uk

No excuses Make breakfast on the go easy

rCUP Recycled Cofee Cup, in cream & green £12, rcup.co.uk

on’t have time to sit down and eat breakfast at home? Prepare it the night or morning before you leave for work, and pop it inside one of these containers. Whether you want to make overnight oats or take in hot cofee, there is something sustainable you can pack it in. ■

Klean Kanteen Insulated Food Canister, 473ml £34.95, kleankanteen.co.uk

Vaya Life Vaya Tyfyn 1000ml, in cats From £45.50, vayalife.com

Yours Sustainably Eco-friendly Bamboo & Cornstarch Lunchbox, in olive £15, yourssustainably.com

Boobalou Bamboo Eat & Drink Kit £18.75, boobalou.co.uk

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Vegans in love Our newest columnist, Karin Ridgers talks to us about dating any of us want to find love and believe nothing beats that bond with your perfect partner. And, I feel that there isn’t anything that trumps the connection we get from meeting and sharing our lives with like-minded vegans — whether that’s as family, friends or spouses. Since setting up VeggieVision Dating (veggievisiondating.com), so many people have asked me how they can find onthe-same-wavelength, non-meat-eating people for both friendship and love. It has made me aware that this is a huge deal for a whopping percentage of people, all looking to share their lives with that someone special. According to various Google searches, there are around 15 million singles in the UK — nearly a quarter of the population. So, if we equate this to the 500,000 vegans there could be at least 125,000 single vegans in the UK. I just wish they would all sign up to my dating site! However, if you are looking for someone to ‘complete’ you, or make you resolutely happy, then think again. Finding your soulmate or perfect partner should enhance the happiness you already have — so working on yourself, your confidence and your self-acceptance is key, too. I love helping people find relationships, and it’s why I set up my dating site using the best online technology around. Following VeggieVision Dating, I’ve also gone on to run vegan speed dating sessions, which are brilliant. I would love to spend more time organising them — the feedback I get is so positive. People have told me that ater these, they’ve felt more empowered, experienced a confidence boost, and were ready to go out there to connect with others. Some speed-daters, as well as online singles, have met people on my site or events, gone on dates and even met the one that, hopefully, they are still with. As

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well as hearing good news from online daters, sadly, I’ve also heard some really shocking stories as more people turn to online sites. Fellow vegans have told me they have been insulted, ridiculed and stood up — just because they have mentioned being vegan. Some have even told me about how they have been sent images of meat, as well as reading messages and bios stating things like, ‘I don’t date vegans!’ Several people on my website have told me that, at times, they felt like giving up, although many have gone on to say that ater the speed dating sessions at VegfestUK, they got a much needed boost. No one should feel downhearted when it comes to dating, but if you do need a bit of a pick me up, read on. I have hosted dating specials on my weekly radio show on Phoenix FM, one of which included the plant-based author, ‘Gorgeousness’ coach and presenter, Tristan Lee (tristanlee.com), who gave some super advice. During the interview, Tristan advised daters who feel despondent with dating: “Rejection is not personal. You may simply not be what they are looking for right now — it doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. Believe that you are valuable, unique and loveable just as you are and you will attract what you’re seeking. When we understand that we are the cake and are looking for the icing — that we don’t need someone to ‘complete’ us, but to add the cherry on the top, then it takes the pressure of finding ‘the one’. Oten, we are searching in the wrong places for what we want. Change where you look, find your tribe (vegan dating sites etc.) and you’re much more likely to make meaningful connections.” Passionate vegan psychosexual and relationship therapist, Sylvia Milton (sylviamilton.com), ofers similar advice: “When dating, it is important to possess good feelings about yourself — self-

acceptance, belief, worth and love. If you don’t have these, or at least one of these things, you will be searching for a partner who can ‘fill in those gaps’ and a partner cannot give us things such as self-love. These are things we need to work on for ourselves, maybe through therapy, selfhelp books or podcasts. It’s about our own personal growth and development.” Sylvia adds: “If a vegan is going to date a carnivore there are, obviously, difering values, and it will not work if the couple keep trying to change each other. If you enter such a relationship, do so with extreme caution, or there may be trouble ahead.” So, work on yourself. Accept yourself. You are good enough. Know what you want. Know what you are looking for in your ideal partner. Write this down, and add it to your vision board! Make steps to connect with the right sort of people. Go to events like Vegan Life Live, Vegan Nights and VegFestUK — talk to everyone! Join social media groups or local vegan groups. Find a vegan dating site that feels good for you to support. Don’t always look for the cheapest, or a free site — is that the sort of person you want to be, or are looking for? Take a deep breath and be yourself. ■ For more from Karin, visit veggievisiondating.com and mad-promotions.com

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Popping Tasty Oh Lily Snacks Popped Waterlily Seeds Used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine for its nutritional value, the water lily seed is a good source of protein, fibre, iron, magnesium and amino acids, and they are naturally gluten and sugar-free. Coming in six gourmet flavours, including Cheezy Vegan (‘cheese’), Parisian Kiss (raspberry chocolate) and Indian Gold (turmeric and black pepper), Oh Lily’s treats wouldn’t be out of place at a cocktail or kids party, or in your lunchbox for an aternoon snack. £3.50, ohlilysnacks.com

Vegan

Spotlight Our favourites this month Power Powders Drink Me Chai Superblends Less Is More binary botanical 0.5% beer The newest beer from binary botanical has the same fresh profile as their 4% ABV brew, but with just 0.5% ABV. It’s refreshing with hints of passionfruit and white peach, a light bitterness and an exceptional tangy finish. binary 0.5% is perfect for pairing with food or making cocktails — try it in a stemmed glass with sugar syrup, cucumber and muddled with rosemary for a refreshing, lowalcohol cocktail. £30 for pack of 20, binarybotanical.com

Health in 3D Nourished Vegan Nutrition Stacks Nourished ofers the world’s first truly personalised nutrition product. It uses patented 3D printing technology to combine seven diferent, highimpact active ingredients into customised vegan nutrition stacks. Simply complete a short lifestyle questionnaire to receive a recommendation based on your lifestyle and goals, or select your own preferences. Orders are dispatched directly to your door with less waste, hassle and cost than purchasing all the supplements separately. It’s the new way to get healthy. £39.99, get-nourished.com

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Rich in raw, nutrient-dense superfoods and bursting with colour and flavour, Drink Me Chai’s vibrant range of superblends ofer a convenient way to supercharge your daily intake of vital vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants and are all endorsed by the Vegan Society. All three flavours — tumeric, raw cacao, beetroot — are cafeine and gluten-free, and contain plantbased ingredients, perfect for creating the latest cofee shop creations at home, adding to baking, sprinkling over soups and salads or scooping into your smoothies. £3.95, drinkmechai.com

Eat Yourself Fit Vibrant Vegan Protein Power Box Vibrant Vegan’s Protein Power Box comprises tasty protein-packed meals to take your workouts to the next level and keep hunger at bay. Inside, you’ll find the delicious Diavolo no-meatball Bolognese, piri piri jambalaya, rainbow falafels, tofu sriracha, samba stew and tokyo chick katsu. The plant-based meal delivery service pride themselves on using only locally-sourced, whole plant ingredients in their dishes, creating meals that are good for you, the planet and others. You can subscribe monthly, or go for a one-of purchase. £36, vibrantvegan.co.uk

Snack Attack Creative Nature Superfoods Gnawbles Crispy Protein Nibbles New from Creative Nature Superfoods, these crispy nibbles of protein, coated in dark chocolate are deliciously moreish. Coming in four flavours — orange cacao, vanilla dark chocolate, super salted caramel and deeply dark chocolate. They are free from the top 14 allergens, including dairy, soya, and nuts, and are also palm-oil free. Enjoy as a quick and tasty on-the-go snack. From £6.50, creativenaturesuperfoods.co.uk

Packets of Good Two Farmers Salt & Cider Vinegar crisps Looking for a tasty, sustainably made and plastic-free snack? Try Two Farmers Salt & Cider Vinegar crisps. The crisps are zingy, crunchy and will have you finishing of the whole bag in no time. Two Farmers is the UK’s first sustainable crisp brand to launch a 100 per cent compostable crisp packet, which will biodegrade in just 26 weeks in a home composter, and 12 weeks in a commercial composter. So, you can indulge without a guilty conscience! From £1.10, twofarmers.co.uk ■

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Grow Your Own Piers Warren provides his insight on cabbages and cauliflowers abbages and cauliflowers are both vegetables where use of a selection of varieties which mature at diferent times of the year will enable you to harvest fresh brassicas all year round.

Recommended cabbage varieties: Pyramid: For spring greens or hearted cabbage, harvest from March to June Premiere: Round heads, harvest in July and August Marner Lagerrot: Harvest from October to November, a red variety that stores well and is also suitable for pickling Enkhuizen 2: A Dutch white cabbage suitable for coleslaw, salads or cooking, harvest November to December Vertus: A hardy Savoy variety, harvest from October to February Sowing times will depend on which varieties you choose. Early spring cabbages can be sown in August the year before. Summer cabbages are oten sown under cover in modules during February and March, whilst autumn and winter cabbages are sown in May. In each case they will need planting out to their final growing positions a couple of months later. They will benefit from netting protection to keep the young plants safe from wood pigeons and to keep butterflies from laying eggs on the leaves later in the season. If plants grow poorly, and/or wilt and die, they may have been attacked by cabbage root fly. The white larvae of the fly burrow down to eat the roots of the young plants. Practicing crop rotation will help reduce the incidence of this; crops can also be protected with horticultural fleece. Otherwise, you can make collars for individual plants using a circle of cardboard, about 12cm across, placed at soil level around the stem of each plant. This prevents the fly laying eggs near enough to the cabbage. Most cabbages can be let to grow and cut as required. The white cabbages are perfect for coleslaw and sauerkraut, green summer and pointed ones for salads or light steaming and savoy varieties steamed as a vegetable dish. Red cabbages, apart from pickling or shredding into salads, can be braised slowly with red onions, cooking

apples, brown sugar, spices and vinegar for a comforting winter treat. Storage: Cut winter cabbages at the end of autumn; remove the outer leaves and store nestled in straw or shredded paper in crates. They should be placed in a cool, dry building where the cabbages will stay in good condition until spring. Pickled Red Cabbage: Essential at Christmas in our household! Shred the cabbage, layer with salt and leave for 24 hours. Rinse the salt of, dry, pack into jars, and cover with vinegar. Pickled cabbage can be used ater a week and should be consumed within 3 months or it loses its crunch. Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) has been a staple dish of Eastern Europe for centuries. To make your own, finely chop (or grate) 500g of cabbage hearts into a bowl, mix with 15g of salt and massage the mixture with your hands (or bash with a rolling pin or wooden spoon) to soten the cabbage. Ater a few minutes juices should form in the bottom of the bowl. Pack tightly into a large sterilised glass jar ensuring the juices are at a higher level than the cabbage, (add a little water if necessary). Seal and leave for a few weeks in a warm place, checking daily and briefly unscrewing the cap to release any pressure. Taste it ater a week. You can eat it at this time or let it ferment for a further week or two for a stronger flavour. Once you are happy, place the jar in the fridge to stop fermentation. It will keep for several months.

Recommended cauliflower varieties: Medaillon: Harvest from February to March Aalsmeer: Harvest from April to May Snowball: Harvest from July to September Belot: Harvest from October to December Sow the seeds in modules according to the variety chosen. We oten make at least an early sowing under cover in February, then a later one in May, but you may wish to practice successional sowing and do it more frequently. Plant out in the final growing position when the seedlings have reached a good size. Depending on the time of year the young plants may need protection from pigeons and white butterflies. They benefit

from a rich soil, plenty of watering and a good layer of mulch, as stunted growth caused by the soil becoming too dry will result in small and deformed curds. Cut heads as required. Try a few shavings eaten raw in salads or steam or roast the florets. It also works well in curries. Cauliflower rice is a recently popular alternative to rice. Pulse florets in a food processor until it resembles rice then roast on an oven tray with a little oil at 200Â°C for 10 minutes, stirring half way through. Excess cauliflower rice can be frozen before or ater cooking. Storage: Cut into florets and blanch for 2 minutes before freezing. Adding a little lemon juice to the blanching water will help the cauliflower keep its white colour. To cook from frozen, boil the florets for about 6 minutes. They are also a main ingredient in the popular chutney Piccalilli. For three or four jars, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need about 1kg of mixed vegetables (cauliflower, marrow, small onions and gherkins for example) 10g salt, 10g turmeric, 10g ground ginger, 10g mustard, 10g cornflour, 100g sugar and 750ml vinegar. Break the cauliflower into tiny florets, and cube the marrow and gherkins. Peel the onions. Soak all the vegetables in brine (100g of salt dissolved per litre of water) for 24 hours. Put the sugar and spices in a pan and stir in the vinegar. Add the drained vegetables, stir and heat to boiling. Simmer until the vegetables are tender but not pulped. Add the cornflour (mixed in a little vinegar), stir and boil for a further 3 minutes before jarring up in sterilised jars and sealing. Once opened, keep refrigerated. â&#x2013;

Piers Warren is the co-author (with his daughter, Ella Bee Glendining) of The Vegan Cook & Gardener: Growing, Storing and Cooking Delicious Healthy Food all Year Round available from shop.permaculture.co.uk 113

Vegan

bone health Dietitian Yvonne O’Halloran explains the mysteries of calcium and a plant-based diet or new vegans, removing dairy from their diet can leave them worried about what they should eat for calcium. Ater all, milk is supposedly ‘needed’ for strong bones, right? Wrong. Dairy products do contain calcium, but they also contain animal proteins, lactose (that many people are unable to break down), contaminants, hormones, growth factors, dioxins, saturated fats and cholesterol — all of which we should avoid. About 75 per cent of the world's population loses the ability to produce the enzyme lactase in the small intestines ater weaning, which is necessary for breaking down lactose — perhaps because we are not meant to continue to drink milk ater this time, especially from another species. Calcium is an important mineral and is the most abundant of all the minerals in the body. It is found in many foods, can be added to others and taken

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in supplement form. Almost all calcium in the body is in the bones (99 per cent) with a very tiny amount found in our bloodstream (one per cent). Calcium in our bloodstream is lost through urine, sweat and faeces, this is then renewed by calcium in our bones or through our diet. We build more bone than we lose until around the age of 30, and if we lose too much bone calcium then we can develop osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a serious health concern. This is a common chronic condition and is a progressive loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and compromised bone strength. It is associated with increasing risk of fracture over time. More than 200 million people worldwide sufer from this disease, and 30 per cent of all postmenopausal women in the United States and Europe have osteoporosis. According to a scientific review, calcium intake is much

lower in Asia and Africa, due to the very low intake of dairy products, yet, the prevalence of osteoporosis is much lower in these countries than in the United States and Europe. There are many plant-based sources of calcium, including certain leafy green vegetables, broccoli, calcium-set tofu, almonds, beans, pulses, sesame seeds and dried fruit. If you are not keen on these foods, opt for calcium-fortified foods like fruit juices, breakfast cereals, protein bars, or plant milks made from soya, almonds, rice, hempseed and oats. In comparison to dairy products, which have a calcium bioavailability of around 30 per cent, calcium absorption from plant-foods ranges from 5-60 per cent. This range in bioavailability within plant foods is largely dependent on the oxalate content within that food, which inhibits calcium absorption. Leafy greens such as collard, kale and mustard

greens provide the best absorption rates, although fortified products also have extremely high calcium bioavailability. The recommended daily intake (RDI) for adults is 1000mg per day. So, what does research tell us about dairy? A 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women found that those who drank milk three times a day broke more bones than women who rarely drank milk. Another study conducted in Australia on elderly men and women found that higher dairy consumption was associated with increased fracture risk. Getting calcium into your bones is only half of the story though, you also need to ensure that calcium stays in your bones, too. For healthy, strong bones, we need to focus on obtaining adequate calcium, vitamin D, whole plant foods, exercise regularly, and to reduce our intake of salt and cafeine (and abstain from smoking).

How can we improve our bone strength and keep calcium in our bones? • Strength training: A study conducted on older adults found that exercise was reported as one of the best natural ways to improve bone mass throughout life. Strength training was found to be the most beneficial, with high load intensities of three

•

sessions a week with two to three sets per session. There was a significant improvement between four and six months, but this increased dramatically ater one year. Reduce your protein intake: Diets high in protein cause more calcium to be lost in urine. Animal-based proteins are a particular concern, as they are more likely to cause calcium loss than protein from plant sources. This may be one factor in why vegans and vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than meat-eaters. Consume less sodium: Diets high in sodium increase loss of calcium through your urine. Cutting down on packaged foods, fried foods, salty sauces, such as soy sauce and peppercorn and reducing the amount you add to your food. Stop smoking: Smoking increases the loss of calcium from your body. Giving up smoking or reducing it will be a great help. Get enough vitamin D: Aiming to get 10-15 minutes of sunlight on the face and arms every day will allow the body to make the bone building hormone vitamin D (remember, never allow your skin to burn). If this is not possible, it’s best to take a veganfriendly vitamin D supplement daily.

• Eat fruits and vegetables: Consuming plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables daily will help maintain the calcium in your bones. • Reduce your cafeine intake: Cafeine can increase the rate that calcium is lost through the urine. • Choosing plant-based calcium: Consuming plant-based calcium sources (green vegetables and beans) over animal sources will help provide building blocks for bone building (adults require 1000 mg per day). Find Yvonne on Facebook at @livingveganoficial ■

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Vegan in

Ghent

Karin Ridgers shares her experiences of visiting the Belgian town 116

am so excited to be visiting Ghent again — a hidden Gothic gem in Belgium that's really easy to get to. Last time I travelled by train, and this time, we are taking the P&O Ferry (poferries.com) from Dover to Calais and then driving. P&O Ferries are launching more and more vegan options, and, of course, we are excited to give them a try. We arrive in plenty of time, no trafic, no queues and straight on the ferry. We are treated to the Club Lounge with such fantastic views that we actually feel as if we are taking a cruise. The team is really helpful and we chat with some of the managers about their new vegan options. They are all excited to be expanding their plant-based food options, and tell us about the full vegan breakfast that is now available, too. Staf members, Glyn and Callum, assure me it tastes great, but by this time, I’m too occupied with trying to relax with some self-hypnosis, as I don’t have the best sea faring legs! The team tell me they are working on improving their catering staf training — as a vegan of about 22 years now, I would love to help. We arrive in Calais in 90 minutes, and have a pleasant drive to Ghent. Why is it that driving through France is so much better than driving though the UK? The time flies by and we are at our hotel in no time, ready to unpack and explore. The centre of Ghent is great to walk around — there are also trams, bikes, guided boat tours and hop-on-hop-of water tramways, ofering multiple modes of transport. It is well worth investing in

a ‘City Card Gent All In’ for €30 for 48 hours. This seems to cover just about everything touristy, including entrance to the famous Castle of the Counts — a must-see while visiting. First of, we head to the famous Epiphany’s Kitchen (epiphanyskitchen. com), designed and run by Epiphany Vanderhaegen, daughter of the famous Belgian fashion designer Kaat Tilley. In her lifetime, Kaat worked with superstars such as Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand and Halle Berry. The decor, tables, lights and colours are stunning and the magical chandeliers in the restaurant are a legacy of Epiphany’s mother. The food is amazing, freshly made with some unusual twists, including their ‘Flower Power’, a whole roasted artichoke flower with a vegan cheesy sauce in the middle — perfect for sharing. Mushroom of Life and Green Envy are pizzas with a diference and taste incredible. However, the ingredients are all good for you, including a yucca base and topped with all sorts of delicious veggies. We have one of the best nights out as a family ever at Epiphany’s Kitchen — the food is stunning, and the team are helpful and friendly. Upon leaving, we are tempted to return, and looking back, really wish we had gone again during our short visit. Vegan eateries are dotted around the Belgium town catering for all budgets, Le Botonist (lebotaniste.be) looked stunning, and Mie Vie (mievie.be) proudly

ofers ‘Vegan food and advice’. We find an organic market and treat ourselves to some vegan Belgium chocolate. We are catered for so well for breakfast at The Ghent River Hotel (ghent-river-hotel.be), although this means we are only able to try out onthe-go snacks for lunch. So, we will need to return to try more vegan eateries. The team at The Ghent River Hotel impress us by knowing our vegan requirements, and on both mornings of our stay present us with an array of Alpro yoghurts, milks and butter. They advise us that the warm sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms are veganfriendly too, so with these, toast, fresh juices, fruit and teas we really are set for a day of sightseeing. The hotel’s location is perfect — within walking distance of the main city centre, and the rooms are stunning. Ours is one of the nicest and most traditional rooms we have ever stayed in. We even find a small homemade confectionary shop, called Confiserie Temmerman (temmermanconfiserie. com), whose owner assures us that their Cuberdon’s are vegan-friendly, made with a seaweed instead of gelatine. These famous Ghent sweets are bright purple and in the strange shape of a nose, filled with a sweet raspberry filling. If, ater all of this, you are still unsure, Ghent is well worth a long weekend visit — it is a stunning friendly city, with interesting history and architecture. Words by Karin Ridgers, karinridgers.me

Karin’s top tips: • Visit midweek, or Thursday to Saturday, as many places are closed on Sundays. There will still be plenty to do, however, you may want to check in advance if there is somewhere you are particularly keen to visit. • Booking can be essential for the higher-end restaurants as they do get busy, even out of holiday season. • Treat yourself to the Club Lounge with P&O Ferries — well worth a little bit of extra space and luxury. • Walk around Ghent at night — lit up, it looks even more amazing. ■

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Red, Red Wine Oliver Coningham picks the best tipples for Valentine’s Day any people divide wine into several quite rudimentary categories. You have your reds, your whites, your rosés and your sparklings. To do so though seems to oversimplify things somewhat… Red wine alone can be separated out into many diferent styles. The most common way this is done is in terms of the weight of the wine. Before you get the scales to weigh your next glass, weight here refers to the intensity of the

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wine, which oten sits on a scale from light to full. At the light end of the spectrum are Pinot Noir and Grenache. Wines such as these pair well with root vegetables, aubergine, fennel and mushrooms. Try these wines alongside Portobello mushroom burger or roasted aubergine pasta. Right at the opposite end are heavier reds including Malbec, Shiraz and Syrah. With their full bodies and

high acidity, these strong flavoured wines complement dishes with a similar intensity. Think barbecued foods, rich casseroles, fajitas, Indian cuisine and other spicy dishes.

Find out more about vegan drink and food on the forkandcarrot.com website, or follow Oliver Coningham on Instagram and Twitter @forkandcarrot. ■

Argentinian Red Blend (14.5%) — Finca la Pampa £9.99 for 75cl, aldi.co.uk

Jammy Red Roo (12%) — yellow tail £6 for 75cl, sainsburys.co.uk

Originale Rosso Veneto (13.5%) — Neropasso £10.99 for 75cl, thedrinkshop.com

Beautifully packaged, this premium Malbec from the Uco Valley in western Argentina is the perfect balance between intensely powerful flavours and balanced elegance. Spicy aromas with hints of blackcurrant and liquorice are smoothed out by the 12 months of oak ageing. It’s initially sweet with sot tannins and a long, lingering finish.

Produced using a combination of predominantly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Jammy Red Roo is rich with fruit aromas and flavours. The first sip is sweet and vibrant with notes of juicy red berries. Vanilla and chocolate follow the initial fruit flavours. Enjoy with your favourite BBQ dishes!

This exceptional ruby-coloured wine is produced using the appassimento technique, where the grapes are dried in the sun to heighten the fruit flavours. The result is a powerful burst of cherries, plums and blackcurrants on the palate. These concentrated and complex flavours are balanced by some spicy and herbal notes.

Suitable for vegans.

The yellow tail wines which are veganfriendly are clearly identified by the vegan logo which is printed on the back label.

Suitable for vegans.

Pinotage (12%) — Mountain Vineyards £5 for 75cl, tesco.com

Proudly Vegan Merlot (12.5%) — Proudly Vegan Wines £5.99 for 75cl, proudlyveganwines.com

Chateauneuf Du Pape (13.5%) — Louis Raynald £16 for 75cl, groceries.morrisons.com

The beautiful linocut label illustrates South Africa's Western Cape, where the best vineyards are oten found on the slopes of the majestic mountains. This smooth red wine is bursting with intense blackcurrant and blackberry flavours. Balanced with gentle spice, light oak and sot tannins, it’ll work with a variety of richly flavoured dishes.

Proudly Vegan Merlot is an elegant, rich and fruity wine from Chile's Valle Central. Strong fruit flavours of juicy cherries and plums are woven with luscious aromas of cofee and chocolate. Served at room temperature, this wine wonderfully complements fresh pasta with rich tomato-based sauces or lightly spiced roast butternut squash.

Deep purple in colour, Louis Raynald’s Chateauneuf Du Pape has an enticing and complex aroma of ripe black fruits and subtle spices. Fruity and rounded on the palate, ripe plums and juicy raspberries are balanced by the spicy finish. It pairs wonderfully with rich, hearty stews.

Suitable for vegans.

Suitable for vegans. Proudly Vegan wines are all, obviously, suitable for vegans and registered by The Vegan Society. 119

New reality TV show will test meat-eater’s appetites John Keeble explores if this confronting show will be an efective way of advocating used to know some thoroughly loathsome people who bought tiny lambs in the spring of the English countryside. They gave them names, treated them as pets and watched them grow. Their friends did the same. When the lambs were big enough, they swapped them with their friends, took the exchanged lambs to a butcher and had them killed with a knife and a scream. Then they took home the butchered

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carcasses and, over time, ate them. A new British reality show, Meat the Family (which makers say will air early this year), is capitalising on that kind of idea. Dedicated meat-eaters take a ‘food animal’ and keep it as a pet for three weeks. When it is ‘ready’, they have to decide whether to have it killed or sent to an animal sanctuary. If it is killed, they have to cook it and eat it. The dreadful penalty, if they fail the

test of their brutality, is... they have to become vegetarians. In a twist that fits with the incredibly complicated issues of ethical eating, the show is being commission by Channel 4 which, at the same time, is investing heavily in the vegan food industry. The much acclaimed production company Spun Gold TV is making the series and hopes it will sell widely, including in the US. Its managing

director, Daniela Neumann, explained: “We [will] confront some really timely themes of ethical eating in a unique and entertaining fashion.” “Why do we find it acceptable to eat a lamb but we wouldn’t eat our pet dog? Could you go back to meat once you’ve put a name and face to a meal? This is a series that will combine amazing research about animal intelligence with some heart-warming moments.” Actually, as a citizen of a number of countries, you might be happy to beat your dog to death and eat her. This emerged as I investigated the Thailand dog meat trade and fronted a TV documentary about it, Shadow Trade, which you can watch on Amazon Prime. As a lifelong vegetarian and vegan, I'm not sure how many four-letter words I can find to describe Meat the Family and everyone associated with it. However the words the filmmakers conjure up are: good, kind ... oh, ****, I need more letters for their views of the programme... clever... humane... enlightened... The history and histrionics of reality shows probably indicate that the people involved in Meat the Family are not any of those things per se. But the outcome of the ghastly business probably will be good — except for the poor animals — in getting viewers to feel rather than just know the moral price of their meat. It will engage the emotions and hopefully make the millions of viewers consider what they are doing when they pick up a lump of dead flesh in the supermarket. Many people have already caught up with the appalling cruelty of animal food production, with about three billion animals and fish slaughtered every day, and the damage it does to our planet and every living creature on it. For others, personally evolving from loving cuddly animals to deciding not to eat them is a jump too far at the moment. Over recent years, there has been a tidal wave of evidence about the cruelty and damage of the meat, dairy and fish industries — you would have to be a human ostrich to miss it. How are people coping with the tension of understanding what is involved in animal industries, knowing it is morally wrong, and yet still consuming animals? One of my meat-eating friends told me: “I saw a video about the animals. It was not just their deaths that were terrible — it was their lives, too.”

However, confronting the brutal truths does not necessarily lead to a more evolved reaction. Another friend loves alpacas. They are pretty, sot and friendly to touch... and, he says, tasty on his plate. A third said: “If you stop us eating farmed meat, we’ll just go out and shoot our own.” Where do you stand on these issues? Telling scientific evidence has linked meat-eating with cancers in humans, and meat production with gas emissions (ecowatch.com). The tension between moral and health beliefs on one side, and taste and habit on the other, may account for the rapidly rising number of flexitarians, the

dietary middle ground between vegans and hardcore meat-eaters. Flexitarians reduce their tensions by eating some meat and fish but mostly choosing a plant-based diet. Thus beliefs and actions can co-exist, both in the home and in restaurants. Those moving on to vegan or vegetarian diets are adapting their actions to their beliefs. The dedicated meat-eaters support their actions by hardening their beliefs that they have the right to kill to live. How are you living with this moral dilemma? ■ For more from John Keeble, head to johnkeeble.net

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Creativity is enriching the burgeoning vegan movement and connecting people of likemind across the globe

Philip McCulloch-Downs talks to us about the uncompromising power of art hen I was 19 years old I became vegetarian overnight, ater being stuck in trafic right next to a truck full of sheep being transported for slaughter. I was eye-to-eye with the animals and I was forced to face the truth (literally) about what it meant to consume meat. Back then (in the early 1990s) it was a diferent world — there was no social media, and veganism was unknown to me, other than as an ‘extreme’ lifestyle choice. But ater completing an illustration degree at Polytechnic in Leicester, I began to gradually investigate ways of living more ethically, and of course, this included several (failed) attempts at being vegan. It wasn't until 2005 that the penny finally dropped.

I started a job at a local animal rights charity, and being surrounded by literature about dairy, eggs, leather and vivisection forced me into that same ‘facing the truth’ moment. Cheese, cream, and eggs could never taste good ever again. I still feel so guilty that it took 16 years of being fooled by advertising and my own ignorance, before I made this life-changing decision. I've been painting, drawing, and writing stories ever since I could hold a pencil the right way round. My parents always encouraged me, my art teacher at school guided me through the dificult/ pretentious/angst-filled teenage years, my polytechnic tutors broadened my horizons, and my partner, Catherine, continues to support me in my adult life

as a professional artist. Ater all, being ‘an artist’ may be an admirable calling, but it comes with no guarantee of security. I'm very lucky indeed to have been allowed to become what I truly wanted to be. One day, I may get a ‘proper job’! Choosing a vegan lifestyle influenced my art and writing for almost a decade, but always in an oblique, subtle way. In 2014, I decided to be more confrontational and composed a book of ethical fables, written in a ‘magical realism’ style. I decided to illustrate one of the stories with a portrait of the animal rights photographer, Jo-Anne McArthur, as I’d just read her book We Animals and was incredibly moved by it. I emailed her the portrait as a surprise, expecting nothing › 123

more than a ‘thank you’ — ater all, we were complete strangers. She immediately posted the image on social media, and the response from thousands of people was astounding. Once more, my life changed overnight, and I had to ‘face the truth’ again — I was beholden to combine my art skills, my ethics and my priveleged access to information and images at my job, and become an activist for animals. It seems inevitable now, but I really had no idea that my life would take this turn. I'm so grateful that it has — it elevated me into a whole new world of ‘active art’. And, as a bonus, I’ve become good friends with Jo-Anne and actually spent an evening with her in Bristol in 2018, when she came 124

over from Toronto to give a lecture. She bought me a pizza — result! With my factory farming work, I seek out the images that I find unbearable to look at, but that still have a certain aesthetic and emotional quality. I then reproduce them in acrylic paint as realistically as possible. In doing so, I naturally filter the reality of it through my own personal technique, and the result is a hybrid of brutal realism and my own innate feelings. The artist always reveals a little of themselves in their work, and this is what changes a horrible photograph into something new, something that a viewer can engage with on a completely diferent level.

I have always absorbed the sights and sounds of the everyday world around me and reproduced them in an eclectic mixture on the canvas and page, but in recent years, I have begun to realise that there are some deeply rooted influences that govern all my creative output. I adore the theatre and its symbolism, opulence and intense sense of heightened drama, and, at the other end of the scale, I’m lucky to have grown up in the beautiful surroundings of the Malvern Hills, where I was surrounded by nature and ate produce from my dad’s allotment. The sense of the interconnectedness of all things was palpable. I innately knew that the soil and the weather fed the fruit and vegetables that we grew and harvested, in the same way that the experience of the natural world outside fed my inner world of creativity. I hope that my more uncompromising work gives the viewer a chance to empathise with the forgotten and abused animals I choose to portray, and also that this quiet connection leads to some internal change of heart and conscience. I want to be challenging, but at the same time it's very important to intrigue and educate. I never forget that these animals are my unwilling subjects, and I want to memorialise each individual with dignity, respect and pity. Mostly, I put myself in the place of the audience, and allow myself to feel strong emotion without intellectualising it too much. Then, I get on and paint, and trust I’ve done the right thing. At least that way I can take all the credit or all the blame! For five years I’ve focused on factory farming, as well as trying some allegorical imagery of human babies in place of dairy calves. I’ve also painted a series of determinedly melancholy and symbolic portraits of the cows that I photographed from the back window of my house. I live in farming country in Somerset, and these particular cows were all recently taken away. For me, these last portraits have more gravitas and personal sorrow in them than any of my work, and I think it shows. Now, I’m trying to move beyond those appalling images and ‘break out’ into the world of conventional art by painting work that is still animal-related, but is celebratory, exuberant and fantastical. I won’t ever hide my ‘controversial’ work, but it may be an efective (and nonpreachy) approach to gain an audience that likes this newer work, and who then ›

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discover the origins of it are rooted in my activism and veganism. I have a variety of responses to my art. I‘ve had everything from online arguments and abuse (from dairy farmers and outraged meat-eaters) to very tearful activists who empathise so much that they are deeply moved. Mostly, I have had a huge and much-appreciated groundswell of support and praise since I began my animal work. A lot of people are surprised that the pieces are very small scale (mostly A4 size) as they contain so much detail. But ALL reactions are valid, as this can open a dialogue and a debate. That’s the power of this deliberately ‘active art’. It just sits there, silently provoking you. Art is extremely useful in spreading vegan awareness. It adds a unique aspect

to the movement — it’s all-encompassing and very imaginative, as it can be anything from paintings in a gallery, to placards on a protest march. Poems, songs, novels, plays, sculptures — there are no limits! Creativity carries emotion and information across borders and it transcends language. It is enriching the burgeoning vegan movement and connecting people of likemind across the globe. When I was first featured in Vegan Life magazine four years ago, I had only just joined the fledgling Art of Compassion Collective (AOC) as one of its first few members. Now, we have over 150 vegan artists worldwide, have published our own art book, and had art exhibitions in Vegfests and vegan fairs in China, Italy, Germany, France, Ireland, America and

the UK. We’ve also raised money for over 40 diferent animal charities via online auctions, art shows, and calendar and book sales. Thanks to this amazing collective, I not only have a group of close friends and confidantes living everywhere from Canada to New Zealand, it’s also allowed me the great privilege of being part of a small team of AOC artists who now curate an exhibition of our work at the International Animal Rights Conference in Luxembourg. My fellow artist, Helen Barker, and I also gave a talk on ‘Art and Propaganda’ there last year. What a long and varied journey it’s been from that moment with the sheep truck in 1989, to that nerve-wracking but triumphant talk in 2019! At the moment, due to the intricate and intense nature of my art, it takes up virtually all of my time, but I intend to break out of the ‘vegan bubble’ and take my finished work (decorative AND animal rights) out into the ‘real world’ in 2020. It’s time to stop seeing ‘animal rights art’ as somehow a ‘specialist’ or ‘minority’ discipline. It’s as valid as ANY form of ‘conventional’ art. A major part of this plan is that my work is being featured in a professional, hardback art book due out this year. This could be yet another one of those life-changing moments, so watch this space. ■ For more from Philip, visit philipdownsart.co.uk, artofcompassionproject.com or follow @vegan_artivist

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many people cook their food in a cast iron pan, but if your iron levels are already within range, using this type of pan may result in excess iron, which can be toxic to your bodyâ&#x20AC;?

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It’s not just animals – it’s not our

land,

either

Jake Yapp looks into the debate around grazing feel like there’s been quite a strong backlash against vegans in the press lately. For years, we were just the hilarious, marginal cranks that could be a source of much derision. Even then, we had limited value for derision, since hardly anybody knew a vegan. But with vegan numbers increasing exponentially, I feel like a lot of more traditionally-minded people are now tired of the novelty of buying their youngest, Daisy, packs of Violife in Tesco, and having to deal with the sneaking suspicion that, dammit, Daisy might Have A Point With All This Vegan Business. The people I do have some sympathy with are farmers. It’s easy to demonise the people who are at the sharp end of animal commodification, but, be honest — it’s a lot easier to go vegan than it is to figure out what to do with all your money sewn up in the animal agriculture industry, and try to figure out an entirely new business model. (On that note — have you seen the film 73 Cows yet? It is utterly beautiful, and there aren’t any distressing images — it’s just a really happy story — go and find it on the internet). And farmers with access to the media and the press are pushing a new argument. They’ve given up on trying to pretend that what they do is humane (by the way, I am not saying that farmers don’t care about their animals. But I DO think they have had to force their brains into a highly convoluted cognitive dissonance). The new tack is all about food sustainability, and land management. The new line, trying to sound super-reasonable, actually, guys, is that, guys, eating a little bit of meat, guys, might actually be better for the planet? The argument sounds annoyingly plausible at first. They say that grazing animals allow us to raise food (meat) on land that would otherwise be unfarmable, and yield nothing. They argue that the

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manure from them replenishes the soil, and we all know the degradation of soil is pretty serious, guys. Some regale readers with anecdotes about rewilding their farms and just how marvellous it is. No antibiotics! (Hardly). Happy cows! Such TASTY MEAT. So, guys — a little bit of meat might save the planet, mmmkay? Great chat, guys. But there’s a problem with this. Well, several. I understand that owners of vast tracts of land not suited to crop production want to make some money out of it. Just as I understand that dairy farmers want to make money out of their cows. But needing to make money isn’t a moral justification for what you’re doing. Most vegans would probably agree that, in principle, the idea of ‘owning’ an animal is a bit wrong. One might look ater an animal, or co-habit with a non-human companion if it’s to their mutual benefit, but few would describe it in terms of outright ownership. Even if you DO believe in ownership, literally everyone agrees that that doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want to it. And maybe, in these frightening times of climate change, with politicians scrambling for photo-ops in front of treeplanting initiatives, we need to apply that idea to land, as well as animals. I was in the highlands a few months ago — a stunning wilderness. Driving down the west coast, the views of the mountains were spectacular. Until I noticed what had been troubling me faintly. There were no trees. Like, not one. Apart from plantations of pine — not a single wild tree grew. I assumed at the time it was the strong winds and harsh climate that stopped them from growing, but I was wrong. You know what it is? It’s grazing animals. Even conservationists are calling for a massive, massive cull of red deer. The estimated 1.5 million of them in Scotland prevent

anything from growing more than about a centimetre high. So much for rewilding. That landscape is not a ‘natural’ or balanced landscape. Many people are fighting to protect what remains of ‘The Caledonian Rainforest’ — the ancient woodland that used to cover the mountains and valleys. Grazing animals — far from replenishing the soil — are eating everything in sight. If there’s another thing on which pretty much everyone agrees, it’s that we need as many trees as we can get, sequestering carbon and giving everybody the slimmest chance of surviving the next 100 years. Grazing animals is not the answer. It’s a terrible idea. I’m not saying there should be no grazing animals, but I am saying that to have them in any kind of numbers as to make it commercially viable, is not a good idea. I could talk about soil replenishment and how it’s er, our soil that needs to be going back into the land, but I’ll save that for another time. Lucky you. And finally, none of this rewilding and grazing flummery deals with the fundamental principle that taking the life of a sentient creature for one’s momentary pleasure is wrong. Right, guys? Guys? ■ For more from Jake follow @jakeyapp on Twitter.

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