Words of Wisdom

VBITES 07 SPICY SOYA SAUSAGE AND CHORIZO CASSEROLE

VBites of wisdom

I know becoming vegan is a winning formula for life! It was the best decision I have ever made and it has had such a positive effect on my life. Greater nutritional awareness of the food that I put into my body was the foundation stone of my new beginnings after my accident and I will never ever look back. Enjoy this warming winter night casserole.

Heather Mills on weapons of mass distraction

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mportant news abounds at the moment. Just like an action movie, our newspapers are filled with glitz and glamour, sex, war, death, political intrigue, conspiracy and an end-of-the-world plotline worthy of a Hollywood movie.

It must be a tough job for the editors of our tabloids to decide which story to run on the front page these days when there is so much important news to report. Now, do they go with the latest earthquake or tsunami, drought or famine in Africa... or maybe just a salacious little rumour about an X Factor finalist?

Tough decision, this one. Phew, Paris Hilton flashed her knickers getting out of a car – and have you seen that cellulite? That’s the lead, yes! Genius.

Useless trivia prevails. News has become entertainment, and entertainment is news. And the glue that binds this all together is television celebrity. I’m not anti-celebrity at all since I’m not blind to the fact that this would be just a tad hypocritical. I am, however, anti ‘the cult of celebrity’ that has made any old nonsense about a celebrity newsworthy and then goes on to hog the front pages in place of real news and genuine issues.

We all love to be entertained. But what I’ve “There seems to be direct been pondering is the thought that our lust for correlation between an entertainment, amusement and increasing intensity in world distraction is preventing us all from genuinely events and an increase in grasping reality and the puerile news reporting” seriousness of the most important issues of the day. It is this that is holding back so many of us from getting active in our democracy and making sure our voices are heard right now, when they are needed the most.

The lines between news and entertainment are so blurred these days that, perhaps, so much that comes out of the television is presumed to be purely for our amusement rather than education. However serious the subject, TV can turn it into show business.

Could it be that what makes for the most popular television and newspapers these days is diverting our attention away from the very real problems our society is facing? There actually seems to be a direct correlation between an increasing level of intensity in world events and an increase in puerile news reporting. I wonder if this current trend will continue when the polar ice caps melt? Will The Sun’s front page lead be a close-up photograph of pee dribble on Peter Andre’s trousers while the nation’s doing the backstroke in a deluge of salty sea water?

Tabloid weapons of mass ‘distraction’ continue to explode liberal sprinklings of glitter, fluff and bile all over public discourse. The truth is we have never lived in more serious times and our inaction will have genuinely catastrophic consequences for life on earth.

Do you think the tabloids have got their priorities wrong? comment@thelatest.co.uk

Serves 4 Ingredients 1 white onion thinly sliced 2 spring onions julienne style 1 small red onion thinly sliced 2 carrots diced 2 potatoes diced 1 red pepper diced 1 yellow pepper diced 1 packet of soya chorizo 1 packet VBites soya sausages 1 tsp crushed chilli/chilli flakes 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbs Boullion with 500ml water 1 tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbs tomato paste 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar 1 tbs oregano 1 tsp paprika

Heather’s

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love all the winter festivals.

Halloween and Bonfire Night were such successes at VBites that we’re now planning our Christmas celebrations. I mustn’t give away any surprises too early but I’ll update you soon with everything we’re lining up. I know how hard it is to entertain children on miserable winter days. But VBites has the solution! We've started the VBites Kids' Klub every Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Switch off the telly and get them down to the seafront for some fresh air and activities with friends. Now, I need to start thinking about my New Year’s Eve bash.

A VBites Christmas Special

Kingsway, Hove Lagoon, Hove BN3 4LX 01273 933757 www.vbites.com Open 7 days a week 10:30-22:30 (Open 09:30 weekends)

Heather and our Head Chef have being working hard to create a delicious Vegan Christmas menu with plenty of festive cheer. Get the party started with a glass of bubbly before being seated for your choice of starter, main course and dessert. Finish off with our very own mince pies and your choice of Fairtrade coffee or tea. Tables will be decorated with complimentary Christmas crackers and decorations. Our attentive staff will do everything possible to accommodate your special wishes so let us know if there is any particular entertainment you’d like us to arrange (we can do Father Christmas but reindeer may be a little more difficult).

Book early to avoid disappointment

Method: • Sweat red and white onions with peppers.

• Then add diced potatoes and carrots.

• Add cayenne pepper, crushed chilli, tinned tomatoes and tomato paste.

• Allow to simmer for approx 10 to 15 mins.

• Add balsamic vinegar and oregano.

• Add paprika and ground black pepper to taste.

• Simmer for another 5 to 10 mins.

• Add vegan soya sausage and chorizo at the last minute, cook until hot through.

Christmas at VBites

It’s time to start th inking about the festive se ason, be it a work Christmas lu nch or a part y w ith friends.

VBites is the perfect venue. Ch eck out our website, call or pop in for further details.

see you – Heather

VBITES 07

VBites of wisdom

Victoria Beckham. Dan’s artworks are stunning: vibrant, enormous images printed onto sheet metal.

What I had loved was the clash of traditional tales or classical imagery with modern themes.

There’s a delicious and almost naughty mix of irony and humour in his artworks. In this collection, fabled tales like Snow White and Alice In Wonderland meet celebrity culture. Who wouldn’t want to be Dan’s muse?

It takes Dan six weeks to complete his artworks. A lot of work for one pic! Who could live up to Jessica Rabbit? Certainly not a nearly 42 year old Geordie! I was going to be seeing it for the first time along with everyone else invited to the gallery opening. This was going to take nerves of steel.

You can see the artwork along with the complete collection at the Frame of Mind Gallery on Blatchington Road in Hove. And my reaction? It hit me that I was

Heather Mills thinks society has become one big fame academy

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can’t say it strongly enough: celebrity culture is harming our children. It puts undue importance on what is superficial and instills a belief in children that fame is more important than anything else. It’s hindering the development of our children’s genuine gifts and abilities and potential to become well-rounded adults. They are being taught that fame is a relatively easy target to reach – and nobody really cares how you achieve this goal.

As far as I can see, this is what the mainstream media is pushing on our children. Kids are absorbed in pop culture almost from day one. But there has never been anything as powerful as the television cult that perpetuates myths about fame whilst all along reinforcing messages about consumerism. Politicians are powerless to do anything except complain about the nation’s moral compass having gone haywire.

Is getting on the telly the new “Is getting on the nirvana for the noughties? Has the dream of an access-all-areas telly the new nirvana golden VIP ticket and a guaranteed pull on a Saturday night reached for the noughties? religious heights?

Has the dream of a After the daily information overload of fragmented news clips VIP ticket reached and soundbites, the important issues are all too easily forgotten. religious heights?”

All our children are left with is the overriding and all pervasive mainstream influence of a celebrity cult pushing the importance of money, fame, status, beauty, sex and self-recognition of a red carpet nirvana as the ultimate goal for all human aspiration.

Maybe it’s an establishment conspiracy to dumb us all down and narrow our kids’ perspective. Or, maybe it’s just another example of the decline in integrity, which goes hand-in-hand with corporations seeking greater and greater profit ahead of civic responsibility for the welfare and wellbeing of the population and our planet.

Some say we are living in the ‘information age’. I prefer to call it the ‘too much information age’ where we have elevated irrelevance to the status of news. It might give children in the playground and teenagers on street corners something to talk about when they have little else to do, but this irrelevance does not lead to anything constructive in their lives.

Our children deserve better. They are more passionate about the state of our planet than most adults I’ve ever met, and care deeply about the plight of other children worse off than them. We have to stop smothering them with this avalanche of irrelevance, and let their enthusiasm breathe.

The future of our planet depends on it.

Do you worry about the cult of celebrity affecting children? comment@thelatest.co.uk

Heather’s

DIARY

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he’s glamorous, sultry, and has men falling at her feet. A real oldschool Hollywood star.

Marilyn Monroe? Jayne Mansfield? No, I’m talking about Jessica Rabbit. And on top of all that glamour, she’s smart and moralistic. We all know she’s just a cartoon but, I think you’ll agree, she’s risen above her pen and ink existence.

So, why has Brighton artist Dan Cushing decided to depict me as Jessica Rabbit? Flattered? Who wouldn’t be!

I’d already seen Dan’s images of Michael Jackson, Madonna and

A VBites Christmas Special

Kingsway, Hove Lagoon, Hove BN3 4LX 01273 933757 www.vbites.com Open 7 days a week 10:30-22:30 (Open 09:30 weekends)

Heather and our Head Chef have being working hard to create a delicious Vegan Christmas menu with plenty of festive cheer. Get the party started with a glass of bubbly before being seated for your choice of starter, main course and dessert. Finish off with our very own mince pies and your choice of Fairtrade coffee or tea. Tables will be decorated with complimentary Christmas crackers and decorations. Our attentive staff will do everything possible to accommodate your special wishes so let us know if there is any particular entertainment you’d like us to arrange (we can do Father Christmas but reindeer may be a little more difficult).

Book early to avoid disappointment

looking at a powerful statement about the media’s depiction of me.

When I first saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, little did I know how Jessica Rabbit’s immortal line could be applied to me: “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.”

[See pictures of the Dan Cushing private view in Social Diary, p 4]

Christmas at VBites

It’s time to start th inking about the festive se ason, be it a work Christmas lu nch or a part y w ith friends.

VBites is the perfect venue. Ch eck out our website, call or pop in for further details.

see you – Heather

VBITES 07 AUBERGINE AND CAULIFLOWER BAKE

VBites of wisdom

Try this wholesome crispy bake, as featured in December’s Cook Vegetarian magazine.

Heather Mills is dreaming of a green Christmas

Serves 6 Ingredients 3 large aubergines 2 medium cauliflowers 4 tbsp soya margarine 4 tbsp plain flour 600ml soya milk Soya cream (optional) 1 block Melting Mozzarella-style Cheezly 1 tsp mustard (optional) White Cheddar-style Cheesly (optional)

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’m dreaming of a green Christmas. Maybe that sounds corny or just a little sentimental, but doesn’t it prick your conscience about all that wasted food, discarded wrapping paper and cards, and unwanted presents that even the shops can’t sell come Boxing Day? Every year, the bright lights and sparkle of Christmas descend into a heap of plastic packaging, rotting food mountains and broken, unloved gifts. You see it all lined up in the piles of rubbish outside our homes on Boxing Day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a killjoy. I love Christmas. I just don’t think it has to be an annual blowout of excess that even the ancient Romans, with their love of a gluttonous feast, couldn’t rival.

We are so lucky in Brighton. The North Laine is “I’ve been pondering overflowing with shops offering ethical and how to reconcile my love environmentally-friendly alternatives to high street of fairy lights and all gifts made by desperate things sparkly with my children in sweatshop factories. And they are a pleasure to visit! There isn’t environmental concerns” a boy (young or old) who wouldn’t want one of Eco Logic Cool’s solar-powered helicopter kits. Their shop on Sydney Street is a haven of gadgets for boys. Then there’s InHouse Space on Gloucester Road with its trendy home accessories all made from sustainable renewable sources or certified organic farming sources. Away from the North Laine, there’s the Fairtrade Fair and Farmers’ Market every third Saturday of the month in the Friends Meeting House on Ship Street, with everything from jewellery, clothes and art to locally-made jams. Why contend with the hustle and bustle of Churchill Square on a Saturday afternoon?

Christmas doesn’t have to be a burden on the environment. I’ve been pondering how to reconcile my love of fairy lights and all things sparkly with my environmental concerns, and have found some outside solar-powered Christmas lights. We all love a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and it’s easy to make sure it’s from a sustainable grower – or, even better, buy one with roots and plant it in the garden afterwards to use again next year.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in my house without a vegan feast. I’ve put together an amazing menu and you can share it at VBites if you book a Christmas party for work colleagues or friends.

And all those unwanted Christmas presents? We’re planning a Swap Shop at VBites in the new year with legendary entertainer Mike Reid. I’ll keep you posted with the details. Recycling just got a lot more fun! Merry Christmas!

Got any unwanted gifts you’d like to take to Heather’s Swap Shop? comment@thelatest.co.uk

Heather’s

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must tell you how Claudio, our head chef, got on when his kitchen was invaded by Hove’s troop of Girl Guides. They soon had him wrapped around their collective proverbial finger.

I gave them a talk about food and following a vegan diet, and we discussed the impact of intensive meat and diary farming on the global environment.

Claudio and I enjoyed it so much, we’re up for more visits from school classes and clubs. VBites will be open on Christmas Bank Holiday Monday. I know I’ll be ready for some fresh air and a walk along the seafront by then!

I’ll also be starting to think about our New Year New You programme of health and wellbeing that I’m starting in January.

Method: • Cut the aubergines in half and scoop out the insides leaving a shell of around 1 cm flesh. Boil in water until almost tender, then drain. Do not overcook!

• Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil for five minutes (you don’t want them too tender) then drain.

• Push enough cauliflower florets inside the hollow aubergine to fill it half way.

Set the rest aside. Place the semistuffed aubergines into a baking dish and turn the oven on to heat (180C/350F/Gas 4).

• To make the vegan cheese sauce, melt the soya margarine in a pan, take off the heat and stir in the two tbsp plain flour. Return to the heat and slowly add the soya milk (and mustard if liked).

• Keep stirring the sauce constantly until it thickens nicely. Then stir in the soya cream (if desired) and a handful of the VBites melting mozzarella.

• Pour around half of the cheese sauce into the aubergines. Now fill the aubergines with the rest of the cauliflower florets so they slightly pop out of the top, and pour on the remaining sauce.

• Bake in the oven until the sauce is bubbling and crispy. For a crispy topping, sprinkle grated cheddar-style Cheezly on top and grill briefly.

FREE Vbites New Ring in the new year with Heather Year’s Eve part y

Kingsway, Hove Lagoon, Hove BN3 4LX 01273 933757 www.vbites.com Open 7 days a week 10:30-22:30 (Open 09:30 weekends)

Heather’s throwing a New Year’s Eve party at VBites – and everyone’s invited. Entry is free to say thank you for all the fantastic support VBites has had since its summer launch. There’ll be food and music with a special vegan buffet and a DJ. The fun kicks off at 7pm and goes on ’til late. Start the year with a bang at Brighton and Hove’s most fashionable vegan party venue.

Happy New Year from all the staff at VBites

7pm til late, DJ and vegan buffet. And remem ber to join us ever y Saturd ay and Sunday from 10.30a m to 12.30pm for the po pular VBites Kids’ Klub

see you – Heather

VBITES 07

VBites of wisdom

CHILLI NONE CARNE – NEW ON THE VBITES WINTER MENU

Heather Mills says there’s one NY resolution we all have to make

Ingredients 1 onion 2 cloves garlic 1 pepper 1-2 carrots 1 packet of soya mince, preferably VBites or Redwood 1 can of sweetcorn (optional) 2 tins of plum tomatoes 2 tbls tomato puree 2 tins kidney beans – drained and rinsed 2-3 tbls tomato ketchup 2 tsp mild chilli powder or to taste 2 tsp (or to taste) cayenne pepper 2 tsp garra masala 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp cumin Splash of red wine (optional)

Serves 1

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’m not going to hold back this week. Stop turning a blind eye and wake up to what’s happening to our planet. Complacency won’t stop global warming, the polar ice caps from melting or the destruction of our natural environment. It’s a new year and it’s time to turn over a new leaf.

Don’t make excuses about environmental issues having nothing to do with you. It is everyone’s responsibility. Together we are killing the planet, and individually we can make a difference.

The food you eat has a global impact. Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars. You might dismiss this saying I’m exaggerating but this isn’t me speaking, it’s the United Nations. Got your attention now?

Maybe you need a little more evidence to be convinced? Friends Of The Earth have worked out that if “Do you remember everyone in the world lived as we do your mum taking in the UK, we’d need three planets. If you only bought what you need (an rotting, slimy bags of alien concept, I know, in this age of pre-packaged salad consumerism), reused stuff, and recycled the things you do get rid of, out of the fridge?” we’d use up less of the planet’s precious resources.

It might seem odd to you, but throwing away food is not normal. Think back; do you remember your mum taking rotting, slimy bags of pre-packaged salad out of the fridge once a week and putting them into the bin? If everyone stopped throwing food away, climate-changing emissions could be reduced by the equivalent of taking one in five cars off the road. Puts it in perspective, doesn’t it?

Small changes don’t have to impact on your quality of life. But they will save the lives of others in developing countries. One billion people depend on forests for food, fuel and fresh water. Experts say, in Indonesia there will be no more forests left in ten years’ time if they continue to be cut down at the same rate as they are now.

My tip? Start small. Make your new year’s resolutions changes that you will hardly even notice. Get into the habit of putting your recycling out, eating one less meal with meat a week, buying products without unnecessary wrapping, and turning your thermostat down by two degrees – hardly a big sacrifice.

Tomorrow never comes. Make a difference today.

What green resolution are you pledging to keep this year? comment@thelatest.co.uk

Heather’s

DIARY

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s you’ll probably know by now my new year is getting off to a flying start (quite literally!) with Dancing On Ice. I’ve had such fun in training, I’ll keep you posted on my progress (across the ice)!

New Year New You! It’s everyone’s chance to make a fresh start, and I know I’ll be picking the brains of the nutritionist we’ve got onboard at VBites. She’s given me great advice for the new winter menu, and it’s the warming soups and hearty meals I’ll be looking forward to after a day on the ice.

If having a good clear out is part of your fresh start, bring your unwanted Christmas gifts down to the Swap Shop we’re having at VBites on 9 January.

New Year New You! Take the chance to make a fresh start with VBites’ new winter menu inspired

by Heather and endorsed by a nutritionist for its health benefits.

Kingsway, Hove Lagoon, Hove BN3 4LX 01273 933757 www.vbites.com Open 7 days a week 10:30-22:30 (Open 09:30 weekends)

If you’re ready to make a change to your lifestyle, make VBites your first port of call for healthy shakes and fresh fruit smoothies.

Here’s to a healthy, vegan new year!

Method: 1 Sauté the onions and garlic and cook through for about 5 minutes in olive oil.

2 Add spices to taste and cook through. Add a little water if necessary.

3 Add carrots, peppers, (sweetcorn if desired).

4 Add tomato puree, ketchup and tinned tomatoes, and stir through.

5 Add kidney beans.

6 If necessary add more water.

7 Cook through and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.

8 Add the soya mince and simmer on low, heat for a further 15 minutes.

9 Take off the heat and leave to stand. The longer the better (min 40 mins, max overnight).

10 Add a splash of red wine.

11 Add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of olive oil.

12 Heat and serve on rice or on a baked potato.

Love is in the air Book your table now for VBites LGBT Valentin es on 6 February.

see you – Heather

VBITES 07

SWEET & SOUR VEGETABLES

VBites of wisdom

Ingredients 1/4 cup water 2 medium sliced peeled carrots 2 cups sliced mushrooms 1 large onion cut in 1 inch chunks 1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained 1 large green pepper cut in 1 inch chunks 1-tablespoon cornstarch 1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice 1 minced garlic clove 1-tablespoon water 1/3 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple chunks 1 tablespoon vinegar

Heather Mills isn’t taken in by the green posturing of supermarkets

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ave you noticed how supermarkets are telling us they are the great saviours of the world with their eco-friendly marketing and sales pitches? All falling over themselves to prove how much greener they are than each other? They must think we were all born yesterday. Stop and look at the food on the shelves. Fruit from South America and New Zealand – it couldn’t have come from any further away!

And all the time our farmers and small businesses are struggling to survive as the big supermarkets squeeze prices and push them to the brink of bankruptcy. This isn’t a good deal for us. The prices we pay for food are not going down, it’s the supermarkets’ profits that are going up.

“They shout about installing sophisticated fridges – do they think we can’t see they don’t have any doors on them?”

The hypocrisy is astounding. I’ll give you an example. They shout loudly about installing sophisticated fridges that reduce consumption of climatechanging gases, trying to impress us with how sustainable their stores are.

It’s nonsense. Do they think we can’t see the fridges don’t have doors on them? And do you know why? They worry sales figures will drop if shoppers have to open a door before reaching into a fridge or freezer. I rest my case.

And where is the government in all this?

It should be protecting our farmers and food producers, helping them to survive the recession and grow our rural economies. Instead, our politicians are too scared to stand up to the big supermarkets. Supermarkets are bullies and their bullying should be stopped so that farmers and shoppers can get a good deal.

But, don’t forget, we all have a choice. Food is our number one contributor to climate change. The food we eat, the way it is produced and eventually thrown away, has an impact on the environment. You don’t have to buy apples from South Africa wrapped in metres of plastic packaging. Go down to London Road market, buy some that were grown down the road and take them away in a brown paper bag. Do your bit for our local farmers and the planet – and don’t forget to recycle the bag.

Do you have a favourite local market seller? Big them up! comment@thelatest.co.uk

Heather’s

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ew year, new you. How’s it going for you? For me, my body may be feeling battered from Dancing On Ice but I’ve been having a ball! Bring on the Bolero, I say!

The only way I’ve got through each training day was by making sure I was eating properly. Some days, when the training got tough, it really was the thought of the new winter menu at VBites that kept me going.

We’re into January now and it’s easy to start to flag on your commitment to your new year’s resolutions. Come down to VBites, and let my imaginative, nutritious and tasty vegan menu remind you of why looking after your body can taste so good.

Sharing the VBites love Book your table now for VBites LGBT Valentines on 6 February. It’ll be a night of soft music, candles, sparkling wines and fine cuisine, with an ambience to match. Book your table early to avoid disappointment.

Kingsway, Hove Lagoon, Hove BN3 4LX 01273 933757 www.vbites.com See website for winter opening times

And show your friends how much you love them on 13 February at VBites by bringing them down for our singles night – avoid the smooching couples, and spread the love around!

Single or in a couple, we’ll show you a good time!

Method: 1 In large pan bring 1/4 cup water to a boil on high heat.

2 Add the carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, onion, and bell pepper. Cover and cook on high for 1 minute.

3 Remove the cover and cook vegetables until tender (about 8 minutes). If the pot goes dry, you may add 1 tbsp water in at a time.

4 Set aside and keep warm.

5 Dissolve cornstarch in a little pineapple juice in a small bowl.

6 Over low heat, in a small pan, combine the garlic and water; bring to boil.

7 Stir in the ketchup, pineapple juice, soy sauce and vinegar; return to a boil.

8 Add cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened and bubbly, approx 1 minute.

9 Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss to coat.

Love is in the air Book your table now for VBites LGBT Valentin es on 6 February.

see you – Heather