The Vegan 2018 Issue 3

The Vegan 2018 Issue 3

The Vegan Society magazine

PLANT-POWERED STUDENTS Vegan at university

EARTHLING ED Full-time animal rights activist

£3.00

V for Life is pleased to have released two new film shorts. They aim to draw attention to two serious questions that concern older vegans and vegetarians. Will my lifestyle and beliefs be understood and respected in a care environment? And if I get dementia, will they serve me meat?

We urge you to get informed – if you aren't already – about these important issues. One day, there will be clear policies and regulations about how to support older vegans and vegetarians.

V for Life is trying to make that day come sooner.

For more information, visit vegetarianforlife.org.uk/films or call 0161 257 0887

Registered charity number 1120687

New film shorts‌ If I get dementia, will they serve me meat?

Editor’s Letter & Contents

Editor’s Letter

L

ike many others, I went vegan while I was at university. Meeting fellow students who encouraged me to rethink my lifestyle, coupled with the freedom to make my own decisions about what to buy and eat, resulted in a change which I know will last a lifetime.

In this edition of The Vegan we will be exploring the great work that university societies do in promoting veganism on campus. On page 9 you can find an article on two students dedicated to creating a friendly vegan hub in their universities.

You can also find an interview with Ed Winters, otherwise known as Earthling Ed, on page 18.

Amongst his many projects, which together make up a full-time career in vegan activism, Ed has been taking the vegan message to university campuses across the UK in a bid to inspire students to make the transition.

Alongside this, you can read up on our latest achievements, hear about what our fantastic volunteers have been up to, get an update on our Plate Up for the Planet campaign and much more.

Contents 03

Achievements

06

Media highlights

09

Vegan students

13

Recipes

18

Earthling Ed

24

Plate up for the Planet

26

Active vegans

31

Nutrition

32

Survey Results

34

Shoparound

38

Reviews

09

Essential updates on Vegan Society news

The Vegan Society in the press

Activism and awareness on campus

Amazing creations from Bosh!

13

An interview with Ed Winters

This summer’s activities

Keeping up with our amazing volunteers

The role of plant milk

20

The latest on vegans in the UK

New vegan products to look out for

A bumper review edition Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 1

From the CEO Editor Elena Orde Design creativephoenix.design Contributors Marcela Kunova, Day Radley, Neil Deuchar, Charlotte Flavell, Ruby Guyler, Fiona Conn Cover image: Paul Bradbury/Getty Images Print kingsdown.uk.com Submissions We welcome articles on a range of topics relating to veganism, as well as photographs, images, and illustrations.

Please email editor@vegansociety.com for more information.

Staff CEO George Gill Head of Communications Sam Calvert Head of Campaigns & Policy Louise Davies Head of Business Development Chantelle Adkins Research & Policy Advisor Amanda Baker Communications Manager Alex Douglas Supporter Services Officer Andy Davidson Supporter Services Coordinator Seona Deuchar Admin Assistant Katherine Anderson Web & Digital Marketing Officer Adam Duncan Digital Content Officer Danielle Saunders Communications & Campaigns Officer Elena Orde Media & PR Officer Dominika Piasecka Fundraising and Partnership Manager Ruby Jones Campaigns & Policy Officer Mark Banahan HR & Office Manager Sarah Cook Sales & Merchandise Manager Dave Nicholson Sales & Merchandise Assistant Gemma Green Trademark Team Manager Alix Meek Business Development Officers Charlotte Bracken, Paul Philbrow, Jess Olley, Stephanie Reed, Natacha Rodrigues Trademark Relations Officer Abigail Stevens Business Development Assistants Annie Evans, Kyla Townsend, Deborah Osborne, Neneh Buswell Finance Officer Allan Oakes Research Officer Dr Lorna Brocksopp Dietitian Heather Russell Council Stephen Walsh (Chair) Jenifer Vinell (Vice-Chair) Menna Jones (Treasurer) Salim Akbar, David Gore, Graham Neale, Patricia Fairey, Ali Ryland, Robb Masters, Jane McKears The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of The Vegan Society Council. Nothing printed should be construed to be The Vegan Society's policy unless so stated.

The society accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of advertisements (including inserts) does not imply endorsement.

2 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

From the CEO

W

hen I joined The Vegan Society back in 2009, I was one of around 10 members of staff.

As we stand, midway through 2018 we have a staff body of over 30 and this expansion is ongoing. Now the time is right for us to move into our new and much bigger offices. By the end of the summer, all staff members will be housed under the same roof, and we will have space to pursue our plans of development and growth.

Of course, we are taking the name of our building with us, so you will still be able to find us at Donald Watson House. The remainder of our address will be: 34-35 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham, B3 1EH. The fact that we are able to make this move is a testament to the phenomenal rise in veganism and to the dedication and support of our members.

We are now into the full swing of the summer’s events. The outreach team have had their calendars full, and the campaigns team have taken the new and improved Plate Up for the Planet to both the Cheltenham Science Festival and Camp Bestival where there were plenty of people keen to hear more about our message.

Thank you to all members who attended our AGM in May, and to those who sent in their votes before the deadline – your contribution is greatly valued.

You can read more about the decisions passed at this year’s AGM on page 40.

It was wonderful to meet all of you and to learn more about your reasons for supporting The Vegan Society and the direction you would like to see veganism take going forwards.

George Gill, CEO

Staff updates We were very pleased to take on Chantelle Adkins as our new Head of Business Development. Chantelle will be looking after our Trademark team, as well as our Sales and Merchandise team.

Our Trademark team has grown hugely in the past quarter, with three new fulltime Business Development Assistants – Kyla Townsend, Deborah Osborne and Neneh Buswell.

Ruby Jones has joined us as our Fundraising and Partnership Manager. You can read an introduction to her work on page 36.

Tom Kuehnel, our Campaigns and Policy Officer, has left for a new job. Filling this position now is Mark Banahan. Stephen Hirst, our Head of Finance, has also moved on. Thank you to Tom and Stephen for your dedication and hard work.

Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Birmingham B18 6HJ UK

0845 45 88244 0121 523 1730 info@vegansociety.com www.vegansociety.com

© The Vegan Society Registered Charity no.279228 Company Reg. no.1468880

Printed on recycled paper

Achievements

Achievements

Catering for Everyone In the last edition of The Vegan we introduced our readers to Catering for Everyone, our campaign to get good vegan food on the menu at public institutions. Did you know that veganism is a protected belief, and deserves the same legal recognition and respect as religious beliefs? This means that we should be receiving suitable food across the public sector, including in hospitals and schools. However, there is no specific law in place to ensure that this happens, and in practice many vegans in these situations struggle to have their needs met.

One way we are seeking to address this is to provide a means for vegans to get in touch with their local council to highlight the issue to them.

We set up a function on our website to allow vegans to send a template letter, written by us, which explains that public sector canteens are often lacking when it comes to vegan options.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send the letter to your council. We have received some fantastic responses, and many of you have been invited to meet your councillors in person to speak more about the issue and work together to find a solution. We are available to provide support to anyone in this situation.

If you haven’t yet contacted your council, you can still do so. Visit vegansociety.com/ cateringforeveryone to use the simple form.

Everyone who gets in touch makes a difference, and together we are paving the way to a future where vegans are afforded the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

Our favourite part of events is interacting with visitors

Vegfest success Our outreach team were blown away by the amount of enthusiasm which greeted us at Vegfest Bristol in May. The event, being held for the first time in its new location at Bristol City Football Club, certainly did not disappoint, and featured its usual line up of live music, inspirational talks, comedy, cooking demonstrations and more. Visitors even braved the storm on Sunday morning to come out and enjoy the day.

We signed up plenty of new members as well as people keen to take our 30 Day Vegan Pledge, and were aided by expert help from some fantastic volunteers who we can’t thank enough.

If you are local to the Bristol area and would like to get involved and help us next year, please do get in touch at volunteer@vegansociety.com.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 3

Achievements

Vegan on the Go 2 Last year we launched the first phase of Vegan on the Go, our campaign that highlighted the power of the vegan pound and encouraged high street retailers to improve their offerings of ready-made vegan options. Since then we have seen a huge rise in vegan wraps, sandwiches and ready meals – and this is showing no sign of slowing down.

Next we have decided to turn our attention to the travel sector. While finding food on the high street is getting easier and easier, vegans can still struggle to find vegan options on board trains and planes. If you’ve ever been left with only a packet of ready salted crisps on a long journey, why not hop on board and help us to make vegan travel plain sailing?

Visit vegansociety.com/veganonthego to find out more about how to add your voice to the campaign. On our website you can send an automated email to a travel company of your choice, as well as find suggested tweets to send to companies who could cater better for vegans. And how about taking the time to thank companies who are going above and beyond, too?

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see the campaign’s latest developments.

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Vegan prisoners supported We have released a new and updated version of our booklet A Guide for Vegan Prisoners. In the new booklet we provide information for vegan prisoners and their friends and family to ensure that they are aware of their rights and how to best access appropriate care and support when in prison. The booklet, also provides information aimed at prison staff.

Following the launch of the booklet, Vegan Society staff were invited to speak to an assembled group of national prison catering managers. This was a very worthwhile event, in which we shared our expertise on meeting the needs of vegan prisoners. Focusing on the topic of nutrition, we also covered such elements as respecting a vegan’s right to not wear non-vegan clothing, use non-vegan toiletries or take on work that requires handling non-vegan products.

We received some great feedback from the catering managers, and are confident that this information will be used to better provide for vegans in prison.

Request free copies of the updated booklet by post, phone or email to our usual contact details. You can also find a downloadable copy on our website.

Achievements

Nutrition outreach

Vegan research

Dietitian Heather Russell has had a packed few months delivering nutritional outreach around the country. Amongst other engagements, she presented to a full theatre at Manchester’s first Vegan Life Live event, where she spoke about the health benefits of plant foods and how to make the most of a vegan diet.

At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Heather spoke to hospital dietitians about our campaigns Plate Up for the Planet and Catering for Everyone, and how they could become sustainability advocates. The talk was so successful that she has been invited back later this year to deliver a session about veganism and nutritional support.

Students studying health, social and child care at City and Islington College benefited from Heather’s expertise on vegan nutrition for every stage of life. She also covered tips about catering for vegans in institutions like hospitals, nurseries and schools.

As an organisation concerned with grounding the information we provide on reliable scientific evidence, we place a strong emphasis on the importance of academic research. We have recently launched a new section of our website – our research pages, where you can learn about the research we are involved in, our active research groups and our three research portfolios: health and wellbeing; society and culture; and environment and sustainability. The pages also serve as a hub for the latest academic findings in vegan-related fields.

If you are a vegan academic interested in contributing to our work then please do get in touch by emailing Research Officer, Lorna, at research@vegansociety.com.

Political engagement In May we were very pleased to be invited to speak to Broxtowe’s Labour group. Elena Orde travelled to Nottingham to give a presentation about the environmental impact of animal agriculture, and ways in which politically engaged individuals can help us to get vegan solutions on the government’s agenda. There were over 50 members in attendance, most of whom were not vegan. The talk was received very well with everyone interested to hear our message, and plenty of good questions asked afterwards.

If we are to bring veganism into the political landscape, it is important for us to find new groups to engage with. With this in mind, we are happy to come and speak to as many diverse political groups as possible. If you are politically active in your area, please do send an email to campaigns@vegansociety.com and we will see if we are able to come and speak to your group.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 5

Media highlights

Media highlights

The Vegan Society in the press

It’s all in the name

On the radio

The issue of what companies can officially label products such as ‘vegan meat’ and ‘vegan cheese’ was hotly debated in the media. Media and PR Officer Dominika Piasecka was invited on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today where she spoke about the possibility of France deciding to ban vegan meat alternatives from using ‘meaty’ names. She put forward the view that this is a desperate move to try to restrict the marketing of vegan products.

She also wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Editor of The Grocer magazine, highlighting how the move is doing a disservice to businesses working hard to provide vegan alternatives.

Our phones rang off the hook following the news that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, known for being far from a fan of veganism, decided to give plant-based eating a go. Dominika was interviewed by BBC Radio Wales and LBC Radio, and was also featured in many online stories. This story gave us a great platform to highlight the benefits of veganism and encourage people to take our 30 Day Vegan Pledge.

Vegan options for everyone We launched our Catering for Everyone campaign this spring, resulting in much interest from various media, including BBC Wales Today. Louise Davies, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research, was quoted in The Independent and interviewed by BBC Three Counties Radio. She spoke about the importance of public sector caterers providing vegan food options, which sparked debate on the subject.

6 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Best of the rest Head of Communications Sam Calvert made a strong case for the huge environmental impact of eating animals on Ed Miliband’s ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ podcast. She also contributed to the ‘Healthy For Men’ podcast, talking about the history of veganism. Dominika’s article on the benefits of veganism was featured in the Mail on Sunday’s widely-read Allergy and Free From Guide. She also wrote a piece about the UK vegan market in trade publication Bio Eco Actual, a couple of features for a new vegan magazine Simply Vegan, and an article on vegan cosmetics for Professional Beauty magazine.

Above: Photo is (left to right) Ed Miliband, Clare Oxborrow of Friends of the Earth, The Vegan Society’s Sam Calvert and Geoff Lloyd

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Activism

Vegan students Marcela Kunova highlights how university students are working to create a vegan hub on campus

  Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 9

Activism

V

egan activism on campuses seems to be on the rise, as most major UK universities now have a dedicated society for their vegan and vegetarian students.

Bath Spa Vegan Society Louise Thacker studies Creative Writing, and is in her second year at university. She created the Bath Spa Vegan Society in 2016, a few months after starting her first year. She had been vegan for just over a year and there wasn’t a society for vegans, veggies or those who were interested.

Louise says, “I thought this needed to change since more young people are becoming vegan.

The vegan movement is expanding and is the solution to many sustainability issues universities face.” Her aim was to create a community for positive, open-minded and compassionate people and give them a chance to meet others, share ideas and enjoy delicious vegan food together. “Also, I knew it was important for our Students’ Union and university to support the vegan movement because Bath Spa is an accepting, diverse and inclusive place,” she adds.

The Bath Spa Vegan Society started with only 20 members and is now 94 members strong. It has a committee of four, which includes Louise as president, a vice president, secretary and a treasurer. They also enjoy the support of the Students’ Union.

Birmingham Vegan Society Anna Darke is a second year geography student at the University of Birmingham. Her university’s vegan society was created to raise awareness of vegetarian and vegan issues, organise social events such as trips to vegan-friendly restaurants, and to support those following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

The society has 142 members, while the number of students that attend events varies from week to week. “However, the events aren’t limited to just members,” says Anna, “and we welcome anyone who wants to come along.

We run events pretty much every week in first and second term, alternating weeks between an event on campus and a visit to a restaurant. On campus we have ‘Hummus and Chill’ evenings, pizza nights, bake sales, film screenings, and discussion evenings (usually with a focus, such 10 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

1 as animal testing). Then our restaurant trips are usually to either chains with good vegan options, or local vegan-friendly restaurants in Birmingham.

Then this term, because of exams, we’re running events every couple of weeks, all focused around campus so people can take a break from revision.”

The Birmingham-based society also puts on screenings — accompanied by free vegan snacks — of films such as Cowspiracy, Land of Hope and Glory, and Simon Amstell’s Carnage, so the wider student population has the opportunity to learn about veganism. “We also run all-vegan bake sales, where we raise money for a local animal sanctuary and hand out Vegan Society leaflets.

This way people can taste yummy vegan food and gain information on why veganism is so great,” adds Anna.

In Birmingham, the university’s vegan society has also organised a membership card scheme, where all of their members receive a discount at local vegan-friendly restaurants and cafes.

Campaigns Louise’s plans for activism on campus include a sustainability campaign to encourage the university to add more sustainability and environmental modules for students in any subject. “It is so important young people have the opportunity to learn about how veganism is one of the major solutions to creating a more sustainable world and how they can make a

1 A vegan bake sale is never a bad idea 2 University of Birmingham students enjoying vegan pizza on campus

Activism

2 difference for the planet by reflecting on their personal consumption,” says Louise.

The Bath Vegan Society also formed a partnership with Animal Equality and invited them to visit their Newton Park campus for three days to share their iAnimal campaign with students.

“It was an amazing experience as we reached over 200 students who used Animal Equality’s virtual reality headsets to see what it is like to be a farmed animal in the meat and dairy industry,” says Louise.

Right at the beginning of the society’s creation, they also collaborated with vegan charity Viva! who came to give a talk about veganism and the health benefits of going vegan. David Finney, a member of the Green party’s animal welfare group, also gave a talk to inform the members of how they could get involved.

Recruiting new members At the beginning of the new academic year, The Bath Spa Vegan Society participates in an activities fair where every society has the opportunity to meet and promote their programme to new and current students. They have met and recruited most of their members through the fair, which remains the best opportunity to talk to students about the society. Throughout the year, they communicate with more students at socials and meetups and encourage the word of mouth to get new members.

“The best way for us to recruit new members is by social media,” says Anna. “We have active social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, so people are aware of when and where our events are taking place.”

One of my personal hopes is that the society keeps on growing, developing and challenging what it can achieve Looking to the future In the years to come, Anna wants to run more campaigns targeted specifically at animal testing on campus which, she says, Birmingham is awful for. “We also wish to increase the number of businesses offering our members discounts, so they can really get the most out of their membership.”

Louise wants to continue expanding their membership numbers and start a campaign to add more vegan options to cafes and campus restaurants. “We have a radio station as a part of our student-led media platform, Spa Life, and so there is a chance we could organise some podcasts to discuss the society and why the vegan movement is so important,” she says.

Another of their big ideas is to host a mini vegan festival on campus so the whole student community has the opportunity to try vegan food, engage with more vegans and see how much positive change a society can make when passions align. “One of my personal hopes is that the society keeps on growing, developing and challenging what it can achieve.”

If you are a student and would like support for your own VegSoc, visit: vegansociety.com/lifestyle/university-vegsocs.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 11

Pot, stock and two steaming bowlfuls

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Recipes from Bosh!

Flavour sensations from the recipe book everyone has been waiting for

Spiral tart Ingredients 320g ready-rolled dairy-free Shortcrust pastry Flour, for dusting 80g passata ½–1 tsp chilli flakes 30g fresh basil 1 tbsp balsamic glaze 3 aubergines 4 large carrots 3 courgettes 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and black pepper

Serves 4-6

This dish will test your arrangement skills (plus your patience!), but it’s worth it for the photo-worthy result. This healthy tart is full of freshly roasted veggies with an ever-so-slightly spicy tomato base. It’s best to use a peeler to get the optimum thickness, and make sure the height of the veggie strips is consistent for a nice, even tart.

Directions Preheat the oven to 180°C. Clean your work surface and dust liberally with flour. You will need a rolling pin (or use a clean, dry wine bottle), a large bowl filled with water and a 20–22cm tart tin.

Unravel the pastry and roll it out on the floured work surface until it’s roughly 5mm thick. Drape it over the rolling pin and lift it into the tin.

Gently press the pastry into the edges of the tin with your fingers to line the base and sides. Use a knife to cut off the excess at the top of the tin.

Spoon the passata on to the base and spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes. Pick the basil leaves from the bunch and arrange them in an even layer all over the base.

Drizzle over the balsamic glaze and set aside.

Trim the ends from the aubergines, carrots and courgettes and slice the aubergine in half lengthways. Use a vegetable peeler to slice each into thin ribbons and put them into the bowl filled with water to soak for about 3 minutes (this makes them more supple and easier to shape). Remove and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Take 1 ribbon of each of the vegetables and lay them on top of one another, first courgette, then carrot, then aubergine. Roll them up into a tight spiral to resemble a rose. Place the spiral in the middle of the tart. Start spiralling the ribbons tightly from the central rose all the way out to the edges, rotating from courgette, to carrot, to aubergine.

Once the tart is completely full of vegetables, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil. Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Test and if you prefer softer vegetables, cover with foil and bake for further 15–20 minutes. Take the tin out of the oven and slide the tart out of the tin.

Bring your work of art to the table so that everyone can take a photo, then carefully cut into slices with a very sharp knife.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 13

Recipes

Creamy seaside pie Ingredients 1 large white onion 4 garlic cloves 600g mixed mushrooms (this works best with Japanese mushrooms like shiitake, oyster mushrooms, buna shimeji, shiro shimeji, eryngii or king oysters, enoki, golden enoki, maitake or a mixture) 3 tbsp olive oil 2 sheets sushi nori 100ml vegan white wine 1 tbsp salt, plus a little extra 50ml plant-based milk 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tbsp capers 1 tbsp caper brine 1 lemon 175ml soy cream 200g frozen peas 30g parsley leaves Black pepper For the potato topping 1.4kg Maris Piper or other fluffy potatoes 3 tbsp dairy-free butter, plus a little extra 125ml soy cream 50ml plant-based milk 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp nutritional yeast Salt and black pepper

Serves 6

14 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Nothing says ‘taste of the British seaside’ more than a fish pie, so we’ve replicated that flavour with a clever combination of mushrooms, capers and lemon. Topped with crispy but fluffy potato, this hearty, healthy dish is guaranteed to impress your guests and warm your cockles. The different mushroom shapes give a wonderfully varied texture to this dish, just like a fish pie.

Directions Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put a large, deep frying pan on a medium heat. You will need a large saucepan with a lid and a 20x30cm lasagne dish.

To make the topping, peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Put them in the large saucepan, add enough cold water to cover them and a big pinch of salt. Turn on the heat to high and bring the water to the boil, then cover the pan partially with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain through a colander then tip the potatoes back into the pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic and roughly chop the mushrooms. Warm the oil in the large frying pan. Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, until soft (cook them slowly to make sure they don’t burn and to draw out the flavour).

Use scissors to cut the nori into 1cm pieces and sprinkle them into the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chopped garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes, until soft, slightly golden and significantly reduced in size (the pan will be very full to start). Pour in the white wine and cook until reduced by half, another 2-3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of salt, the plant milk, mustard and the nutritional yeast. Add the capers and the tablespoon of brine from the jar. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice, catching any pips with your other hand. Stir everything around and continue to cook until the mushrooms have soaked up around half the liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour the soy cream into the pan and stir everything together so that the sauce has a nice creamy texture.

Add the peas to the pan, folding them in so that they’re well mixed.

Take the pan off the heat. Roughly chop the parsley and stir it through the mixture. Pour the mushroom filling into the lasagne dish.

Return to the potatoes. Add the dairy-free butter, soy cream, plant milk, mustard and nutritional yeast to the potatoes and mash together until thick and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the mashed potato on top of the mushroom filling and carefully smooth it out to the edges of the dish. Use a fork to scrape lines across the top. Flake over bits of dairy-free butter, if you like, to help the potato crisp up. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then put under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes so it has a crispy crust with golden brown peaks.

Recipes

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 15

Recipes

16  The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Recipes

Sticky toffee pudding Ingredients 170g dates 350ml plant-based milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 215g dairy-free butter 200g dark brown sugar 180g self-raising flour ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp golden syrup 3 tbsp coconut cream

Serves 6 BOSH! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published by HQ, HarperCollins in hardback priced at £20

It’s hard to describe just how good this dish is. You have to try it. It’s just like Grandma used to make: incredibly smoky and toffee-andcaramel-flavoured. The notes of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg add extra deliciousness. This dish goes really well with a serving of dairyfree ice cream!

Directions Preheat oven to 160°C. Put a small saucepan on a medium heat. You will need a 25x15x5cm ovenproof dish greased with dairy-free butter.

Cut the dates into small pieces, removing the stones as you go.

Put them in the saucepan along with the plant-based milk and vanilla extract and cook until the dates are soft, about 10 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Let the liquid cool to room temperature. Add 115g of the dairy-free butter and 100g of the sugar. Add the flour, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and salt, and stir them through a few times with a spoon until just combined, but not overmixed.

Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, put the dish in the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean.

Meanwhile, clean the saucepan and put it back on a medium heat. Put the golden syrup, the remaining 100g brown sugar and the remaining 100g dairy-free butter into the pan, stir and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes until you have a syrup. Remove the pan from the hob, allow it to cool slightly and then stir in the coconut cream. Pour into a small jug.

To serve, use a knife to cut the sticky toffee pudding into slices. Place each slice into a bowl and cover with the delicious toffee drizzle. Serve and enjoy!

Issue 2 2018 | The Vegan 17

Interview

Earthling Ed

Introducing full-time animal rights activist Ed Winters

Images: Simon Holding

18  The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Interview

E

d Winters is a familiar face on the vegan scene, perhaps best known for the conversations he has with non-vegans and shares on his YouTube channel. Alongside this, Ed creates documentaries, runs animal rights marches, speaks in media interviews and, most recently, has been touring the UK’s university campuses with his Big Animal Rights Van. Elena Orde catches up with Ed about his inspiration to go vegan and his plans for the future.

When did you start thinking about animal rights?

The only time vegetarianism was really brought up in my upbringing was as a joke – it was never something you took seriously. I remember being in an English Literature class around 11 years ago when the concept of vegetarianism was brought up. I put my hand up in the air and said all vegetarians are pale, weak and skinny and people in the class laughed. There was only one girl in my class who was vegetarian, and I remember she looked at me like she was angry and I couldn’t work out why because I didn’t think I’d said anything wrong. And it’s kind of ironic, because I was pale, weak and skinny myself.

And then, four years ago, I saw an article about a truck carrying 7000 chickens to a slaughterhouse. The truck had crashed across the M52 in Manchester and hundreds of birds had passed. What struck me even more was the ones who were still alive and had broken wings and broken bones. At that point it dawned on me that I was a hypocrite. The only reason the birds were on that truck on their way to the slaughterhouse was because I literally paid for them to be there. I thought about the way I viewed the animals I ate – and they’re just the same as the animals I loved.

They have the capacity to feel and think and they have a preference to live.

A few weeks ago I met a couple of vegans who run a dog rescue centre who were there at the crash site I read about. They rehomed 3000 of the chickens, which is absolutely amazing.

When did you get involved in activism?

It’s funny because at the beginning I was really scared and didn’t want to be labelled as preachy.

I was at university at the time, and I was really worried my friends would alienate me or cause problems and arguments, so I stayed quiet and didn’t ever speak up about it.

But then I kind of got an urge that I needed to do something about it. My partner kept pushing me to start a YouTube channel, and I remember saying that I didn’t want to do it, that I was horrible in front of a camera.

I didn’t feel confident or capable and didn’t know what I would say, but one day I decided to do it.

My first video was just dreadful – it was an introduction to my channel which was so awkward. My arms were just flailing. But it went from there. I knew that obviously veganism was right and it was the only ethical, moral and environmental way to live. But I just didn’t have all the answers to back that way of thinking up, so I made it my mission to read as much and watch as many videos and do as much as I could, and I decided I needed to share that information with people.

How do you think you have changed since then?

I don’t really recognise the person I used to be.

It’s a bit of a cliché about veganism, but it opens your mind to so many things. It’s not just about abstaining from animal products – it’s a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at life. Veganism really grounds you and makes you realise that life is not just your own.

I really feel so different. I think I’m a lot more self-aware and more compassionate. Veganism is a conscious decision in that it involves morality. It involves looking at the impact of your actions and a whole host of things that you never considered before. It opens up all of these other elements of oppression and injustice. It humbles you to know that there’s a lot more that needs to be addressed in this world.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 19

Interview

I started off quite angry, to the point where I had to work on it In the videos you share on YouTube you’re often speaking to non-vegans who disagree with you.

One of your key strengths is that you are able to stay so calm and rational – have you always been this way?

A lot of people have asked me how I have that kind of temperament. It isn’t something I was lucky enough to be born with – I started off quite angry, to the point where I had to work on it. I could come across a bit aggressive, and that never ended very well. Reflecting on it, I thought that I didn’t do a great job. I want the people that I’m talking with to turn to veganism. And I fundamentally failed at that in that I got angry and satisfied my ego instead.

But it’s about learning from that situation and asking what it was that made you angry, whether it was a comment or body language. So then in another confrontation you know how to respond in a better way. It was definitely something I had to learn, and to practise. I want to emphasise to people that we all make mistakes in any aspect of life, and activism is no different.

It was a project we’d been wanting to do for a while. It really came out of frustration, because a lot of the films we were showing at events weren’t from the UK, and we had a lot of people saying, “That doesn’t happen in this country; they look after the animals here.” We wanted to create something that was really simple and that showed the truth behind animal farming.

It took us a long while to do, because we had to create all the footage and that involved working with animal rights organisations. It was quite a process to be dumped with hard drives of horrible footage and having to wade through it and see which parts would go in the film to illustrate the points we were making. It took about six months before it was completed. It was really something we felt had to be done because we want people to see that this is happening right on our doorsteps and that we’re directly responsible for it.

Is there a particular conversation that you’ve had with a non-vegan that sticks out in your mind?

Yeah, we had this conversation with a farmer at an event called Anonymous for the Voiceless at the end of last year. I’d been aware of him because he’d been talking to other people and I got the sense that he’d been a bit aggressive and confrontational. I wandered over to him to see if he’d listen and we got into this big impassioned debate.

At the end of it we shook hands and acknowledged that even though we come from different sides of the spectrum, we could find common ground in what we wanted to achieve.

And I really respected that. Even though we have such opposing views on the way that he treats animals on his farm, inherently we both want a world in which he could have his livelihood while not harming animals.

Could you tell me a bit about the production of your film, Land of Hope and Glory and any future plans for documentaries?

20 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

1

It sounds like an incredibly gruelling process Absolutely, though it’s quite scary because we became quite desensitised to it. You know, the first time we watched it we would cry and then you watch it a few times and it’s not affecting you any more – you become immune to it and your thoughts shut off and you look at it more as a work project. It makes sense why it happens but it frightened us a bit that we became quite immune to the footage itself. You want it to draw that emotional reaction and compared with what the animals go through it’s very insignificant.

More recently you’ve been speaking on live radio and TV – do you enjoy doing that?

I think it’s the burden of responsibility that’s hard.

It’s all about practice and having the confidence – you’ve got to have made sure you’ve addressed everything; having conversations in that sort of situation really helps boost confidence. The farmers all tend to have the same arguments and the same excuses, and if you can work out how to respond to those you’re quite well-equipped for most situations.

I think the number of people going vegan at the moment is really humbling. And it’s happening very quickly, for so many reasons I did an interview for the BBC earlier this year, and what really riled me up was the farmer I was debating came over to me just before we went on air and said, “We’re not losing sleep over you.” In that moment I decided I wasn’t nervous anymore.

It was the arrogance in the way he said it. Why are they so defensive if they’re not scared of us?

The amount of shows that have reached out and are representing vegans globally shows that it’s not a fringe movement anymore; it’s very much a movement for the mainstream that everyone’s doing. We’re making it more normal.

2 Would you say you’re optimistic about that momentum continuing and building?

Definitely. I think the number of people going vegan at the moment is really humbling.

And it’s happening very quickly, for so many reasons as well – the environment as well as ethics.

I think the press that we get won’t always be positive – there will still be the rhetoric of angry vegan extremists thrown at us, so that’s something which we need to be prepared for.

But that negativity, in a way, shows that we are being successful – they’re having to try and claw back.

1 Ed speaks to the assembled crowd at the Big Animal Rights March 2 Speaking to people on the street is a big part of Ed’s outreach

For more information and links to his further work, visit earthlinged.com Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 21

Food

Fall back in love with food

Like many people, for years I suffered a negative and damaging relationship with food. When I went vegan, something lifted and it was through my explorations into fresh, unprocessed and animal-free food that I fell in love with a way of eating that nourishes us and allows us to flourish. I discovered that real food is a life force.

It seems obvious to me now that it’s impossible to understand that when you are eating the dead, but – of course – we’re taught not to question that.

The way the majority of people now eat is chaotic. In our increasingly busy lives, we favour convenience over nourishment and the fast options on offer to us are unhealthy and destructive. Damaging eating patterns, eating disorders and generally skewed relationships with food is something I talk a lot about in my work, and my personal journey of discovery is the case study that runs throughout all I do. I found out that I could cook and eat myself to health and empowerment and that is something I am now dedicated to passing on to others.

Much research has been done into why it takes three weeks to a month to change a habit.

The way we eat is habitual and I want to provide people with resources that enable them to make lasting and positive change.

We need to realise that food is not our enemy and make friends with it again. Have fun with it

22 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Food is our foundation. It is either the foundation of a messed up life, or it is the foundation of a positive and healthy life

and seek out easy and quick recipes that fit in with our hectic lives.

Understanding food and how it nourishes us is key to falling back in love with it. Big business peddles the myth that nutrition is complicated and confusing, as this keeps us locked in the role of the unconscious consumer. But the simple truth is this: if you eat well, you feel well. This is the message I want to share with vegans and non-vegans alike, and writing a book seemed like the most logical way to pass on my knowledge.

Love. Food is a different sort of cookbook – it’s a self-help book, an autobiography and a recipe book all rolled into one. In short, it’s a 28 day plan to let go of chaotic eating and fall back in love with food. As a professional chef, I know what it’s like to be time-poor, so I pass on all my tips and tricks for ease and speed – everything from how to prep your food and work your kitchen to quick and healthy meal ideas. Affordability is essential when it comes to changing eating habits, so the recipes included are budget-friendly, with familiar and easy-to-find ingredients.

I’ve packed Love.Food with everything that encourages and motivates me and I sincerely hope that’s what it will do for others.

By Day Radley, vegan chef Love.Food is available to buy now on Amazon

Events

Events Shrewsbury Vegan Fair Saturday 4 August Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, The Wightman, 14a The Square, Shrewsbury

Bonobo Boot (Black)

Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest Sunday 5 August from 12:30pm Mono Cafe Bar, 12 King Street, Glasgow, G65 0AW veganbeerfest.co.uk/glasgow2018 Bridlington 2018 Vegan Festival Sunday 5 August 2018 Bridlington Spa, South Marine Drive, Bridlington, YO15 3JH planetwise.co.uk PlantBased Live Saturday 8 September (10am-6pm) – Sunday 9 September (10am-5pm) London Excel, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL plantbasedlive.com Dorset Vegan Festival Saturday 15 September, 10:30am-4:30pm The Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Rd, Poole, BH15 1UG facebook.com/dorsetveganfestival

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Live a Better Life Fair, Liverpool Saturday 22 September, 10am-5pm St. George’s Hall, St George’s Place, Liverpool, L1 1JJ labl.org.uk Brighton Viva Vegan Festival Saturday 29 September - Sunday 30 September, 11am-5pm Brighton Metropole Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2FU viva.org.uk/festivals/brighton-2018

Beneficiaries for Life

Portsmouth Vegan Festival Saturday 13 October, 10:30am-4:30pm Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AB facebook.com/PortsmouthVeganFestival VegFest UK London Saturday 27 October – Sunday 28 October 2 Maclise Rd, Hammersmith, London, W14 8UX london.vegfest.co.uk/tickets Bath Vegan Festival Saturday 3 November, 10:30am-4:30pm Bath Pavillion, North Parade Road, BA2 4EU facebook.com/BathVeganFestival To see our full events calendar, go to vegansociety.com/events.

Please remember The Vegan Society in your will For a Legacy Guide please call us on 0121 523 1730 www.vegansociety.com Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 23

Campaigns

Plate up for the Planet Last summer’s campaign is back, bigger and better than before

1

L

ast year we launched Plate Up for the Planet – our campaign to highlight the impact of animal agriculture on the environment and to help environmentally-minded people to make the connection and go vegan.

We had a fantastic summer taking the campaign to events and festivals around the country and signing up over 10,000 people to our 7-day vegan challenge. We ran a calculator on our website which kept track of how many people had signed up, and our collective impact on the environment.

Once we passed the magic 10,000 number, that

24  The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

meant that together we had saved enough energy to fly to the moon and back!

As you can imagine, we were over the moon with our success (did you see what we did there?) We have a message that resonated with environmentally-minded non-vegans, and we want to share it far and wide. So what next for the campaign?

As well as signing up as many new people to the challenge as possible, we want our campaign to encourage a larger shift within the environmental movement. Unfortunately, policy makers and environmental organisations often ignore or minimise the impact animal agriculture

1 Our stall at the Cheltenham Science Festival 2 Last year we heard that recipe books would be a big hit - and we listened!

Campaigns

We all know people who are on board with the environmental message, but who don’t know about veganism yet. This is where we can come in!

Climate Cubes

2 has on the planet. Instead, we generally hear messaging about, for example, opting for greener transport or reassessing our energy use in the home. If our diets are discussed at all, we are often only asked to cut down on meat rather than make a stand and going vegan. This needs to change.

The summer’s events We took Plate up for the Planet to the prestigious Cheltenham Science Festival to raise awareness about the positive benefits of veganism, and to engage with a group of people who are sciencesavvy and environmentally minded. We engaged with thousands of people over the week-long event and signed up hundreds to the challenge.

At the festival we also hosted a much sought after vegan tasting event, hosted by vegan chef Day Radley and presenter Stefan Gates. Tickets sold out weeks before the event – and the crowd on the night were not disappointed. We served vegan alternatives such as caviar, ice cream and meat replacements, which were donated by some of our fantastic Trademark holders. We also used the opportunity to chat to our audience about how much of a difference they could make to the environment if they went vegan, encouraging everyone to sign up to the challenge.

Getting our nutrients from animal products is highly inefficient, as animals require huge amounts of water, land and food over the course of their lives. Did you know that for every 100 calories fed to farmed animals we only get back about a fifth in return?

This is something of which many people are still unaware … introducing our new game, Climate Cubes! Featuring informative facts about the benefits of a vegan diet, the game is free for everyone to play and involves jumping from box to box, avoiding the meat and dairy ‘baddies’ in order to try and win the game.

If you can manage to get to Level 3, you will have the chance to be entered into a competition to win a Froothie blender, worth £500! Why not play along, and share it on social media with your friends.

The challenge Do you have a friend, relative or colleague who does their bit for the environment? Maybe they always cycle to work, or carry a supply of bags for life to avoid using plastic ones? We all know people who are on board with the environmental message, and are dedicated to making positive changes – but who don’t know about veganism yet. This is where we can come in!

Please encourage everyone you know to sign up to the 7 Day Vegan Challenge. We have updated and improved last year’s challenge, adding even more delicious recipes, plus tips and environmental facts to keep everyone motivated.

Carbon emissions for all meals are calculated, so you can see what a difference you’re making over the course of the week.

We’ve taken on board your comments and have designed a meal template for the week for everyone to try out – sign up online and you can even move the recipes around on the page to come up with your own unique 7 day plan.

Read more at vegansociety.com/plateup Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 25

Volunteers

Active Vegans Alex Douglas, Communications Manager

This time of year is becoming busier and busier for The Vegan Society. With more vegan festivals happening in the UK’s warmer months, and our Campaigns team bringing their exciting campaigns to increasingly more outdoor festivals, we are seeing such a huge increase in the celebration of all things vegan. I recently attended two vegan festivals over two consecutive weekends and spent lots of time in the sun amongst many other joyful vegans – it really is a great time of year to get active. Tell us what you’re up to this season by emailing me at alex.douglas@vegansociety.com

Activism in Eastbourne Our stall at the Seedy Sunday event in Eastbourne in April went well. It is not an overly busy event, but we had some good conversations and gave out lots of leaflets and ‘Plate Up for the Planet’ postcard packs. It’s a regular event that we do, with a good audience made up of non-vegans who are sympathetic and eager to find out more.

Evie Sier

Vegan-friendly Health Fair I had a Vegan Society stall at a Health Fair in an Army Barracks, which went well. People visited the stall and took leaflets away with them or signed up to take the 30 Day Vegan Pledge to get more information about veganism. I also met a recently established vegan so it was great speaking to him. The army chef team were also right next to my stall and one of their staff members had studied a nutrition course. This was helpful as we chatted about healthy eating and I was able to give her some useful information on the health benefits of vegan diets, as well as some tips and advice. Hopefully they will have more troops considering going vegan down the line.

The event-goers generally seemed quite interested in nutrition. I actually had a great time 26 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

meeting people from Victoria Barracks. It was an amazing opportunity to speak about veganism – since many people generally were interested in learning about the health benefits behind going plant-based.

I also had a table at my university’s vegetarian week, and was able to give out even more leaflets there to help generate more interest in veganism.

Riya Lakhani

Catering for Everyone Since the launch of our campaign Catering for Everyone, which you can read more about on page 3, our Campaigner Network has got stuck in promoting the campaign. Sam Clews had a very exciting meeting with the Dietitian and Catering Manager at Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which manages 11 hospitals in South Wales.

Sam says, Everyone I spoke to was really positive about improving menu options for vegans and is aiming to veganise all the soups so there’s something on the menu every day, have one vegan main meal on the menu every other day (to replace the current veggie meal) and have a variety of baked potato and sandwich options on the “off” days.

“I left some Vegan Society recipes and fact sheets with the Dietitian and directed her to the catering campaign section on the website. She’s going to keep in touch with regards to recipe development and said she’d love for me to come taste test the options - hurrah!”

Find your Local Contact or get involved with your local group by visiting: vegansociety.com/ resources/local-and-group-contacts To order leaflets from us, email leaflets@vegansociety.com

Vgneration Not-for-profit organisation, TeenVGN, is embarking on a new adventure. In 2013, we began simply as an online social network for vegetarians and vegan teenagers. In 2017, we began to realise that we needed to reach more

Volunteers

1 Volunteer Amy enjoyed meeting some new people 2 TeenVGN has rebranded as Vgneration 3 A successful event in Eastbourne

2

1 people. Lots of members were becoming too old to be part of the organisation and many young adults around the world wanted to be a part of it.

And so Vgneration was born. Beginning May 2018, TeenVGN officially re-branded to become Vgneration, an outreach organisation, support group and network for young adults, students and teens alike.

The new website is fresh, easy to navigate and interactive, with updated and relevant information. With the addition of a qualified nutritionist and recipe developer, we have been able to create a resources section with nutritional information and free downloadable literature as well as a recipes section with delicious and colourful vegan recipes. The Vgneration website also gives you access to a lifestyle section with exclusive interviews, vegan travel guides plus fresh news and connect pages.

“Vgneration” was chosen as a motivational and inspirational name for the people who are going forward to change the world for the animals, our health and the environment. The generation that can do it. The generation that is doing it. The generation that will do it. The Vgneration. www.vgneration.com

ProVeg conference April was significant for our movement. It marked the first ever international 50by40 Corporate Outreach Summit, a gathering of organisations

3 from around the world unified by our shared ambition of achieving a 50% reduction in global animal products by the year 2040. This is what we, at ProVeg International, call 50by40 – our organisation’s mission.

Created and organised by ProVeg International together with the Humane Society of the United States, the three-day summit held in Berlin was truly international. We had over 160 participants from over 30 different countries across six continents sharing success stories, best practices and learnings from their institutionally-focused meat reduction campaigns of recent years.

As well as learning from each other, our aim was to bring the animal rights and vegan movements together to build an alliance to help us reach our 50by40 ambition. In time, this new alliance will become far broader in its membership to include organisations from the health, environment, business and governmental sectors – essential vegan allies and partners in our mission.

It was inspiring to discover just how much invaluable work is being done in countries we don’t hear much of back at home in the UK. We heard from effective animal and veg organisations in countries including Taiwan, Japan, China and Brazil – and I was taken aback by the progress they’re making.

Jimmy Pierson, Director, ProVeg UK

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 27

Volunteer of the season

Introducing Coraline Hope, a lovely office volunteer who brightens up our days.

Tell us about when you decided to go vegan.

I’ve been vegan since May 19, 2013. I’d been vegetarian since around the age of seven and so I was aware veganism existed but had never looked into it.

One day I found myself on an actor’s Wikipedia page and it said that he had become vegan. I remember being very surprised because I always thought he had an “I don’t care about anything” kind of personality, so I looked into what he said made him vegan. It was a documentary called Forks Over Knives. I watched that and then another and another and before I knew it my whole understanding of the animal industry and veganism had changed. From then on, I knew veganism was the way forward for the animals, the planet and my health.

What made you decide to get involved in volunteering?

I have been volunteering for almost a year. I had wanted to get involved for a long time, but as I suffer from strong anxiety I never took the first step. I knew someone who had been volunteering for years at The Vegan Society and one day their encouragement was enough to get me to give it a shot.

28 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

What kind of tasks do you enjoy doing around the office?

I really enjoy making member packs. I find it very calming if I am having a day where my anxiety is quite high. I like that the tasks I do will vary from week to week so I’m often learning about new software and growing my skills. I enjoy organising, cleaning and subtitling videos when needed.

What is your favourite thing about being vegan?

My favourite thing about being vegan is the peace I feel because of it. I know that I will be vegan for the rest of my life and that I am doing what I can to help. I love the community I have discovered because of it. I met my partner through attending a particular vegan event which I never would have gone to if I hadn’t ended up on that Wikipedia page first. Veganism has helped me meet some incredible people so I will forever be thankful to it.

You’re really into going to Comic-Con events – are any of your favourite actors vegan?

I’ve yet to meet any vegan actors at Comic-Con but I would love it if I had the opportunity to meet Mayim Bialik. Mayim is well known for her role as Amy on The Big Bang Theory. She is vegan and has been very vocal about it over the years.

She has released a vegan cookbook and made YouTube videos on veganism and so I think it’s really good for her to be in the public eye.

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Nutrition

The role of plant milks in vegan nutrition

P

lant milks provide a humane alternative to milk taken from animals. They can make it easy to ditch dairy and play an important role in ensuring that you don’t miss out on calcium.

tofu and soya and linseed bread fortified with extra calcium are really rich sources that can be included in your daily diet. If you don’t eat calcium-fortified foods or calcium-set tofu, you can use a supplement to top-up your intake.

Which type of plant milk is a useful source of protein?

The quality of soya protein is similar to that of meat and dairy, and soya milk contains almost the same amount of protein as cow’s milk. This makes soya milk a particularly good choice for young, athletic and older vegans, who have relatively high protein requirements.

Non-soya varieties of plant milk tend to contain much lower amounts of protein. You can compensate for this difference by getting more protein from alternative sources, such as other soya products, beans, lentils, peas, cashew nuts and peanut butter.

Don’t forget about iodine There was a huge increase in the iodine content of cows’ milk during the 20th century. This was because farmers started adding iodine to animal feed.

Vegans need to ensure that their diets contain a reliable source of iodine. Arguably, non-seaweed supplementation is the best option, and this approach is particularly recommended during pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood. The Vegan Society’s VEG 1 supplement contains iodine in the form of potassium iodide, and a reduced dose can be offered from one year of age.

If you don’t want to use an iodine supplement, one and a half to two sheets (4g) of nori might provide the recommended daily intake.

Why is calcium added to plant milk?

When someone decides to stop eating dairy, it can significantly reduce the amount of wellabsorbed calcium in their diet unless they make smart swaps. The good news is that the calcium content and absorbability of fortified plant milk is similar to cows’ milk.

Be aware that organic varieties lack the calcium fortification that makes other plant milks good alternatives to cow’s milk.

Making your own Having a go at making plant milk can be fun and produce a great result. If you choose to use homemade or organic plant milk instead of fortified varieties on a regular basis, be careful to ensure that you’re hitting your calcium target.

Fortified alternatives to yoghurt, calcium-set

Take-away tips • Include really rich sources of calcium in your daily diet like fortified foods and calcium-set tofu • The soya variety of plant milk is a useful source of protein for young, athletic and older vegans • Arguably, the best way for vegans to ensure a reliable intake of iodine is to use a supplement like VEG 1 If you’re keen to find out more about vegan nutrition, check out the resources at vegansociety.com/nutrition, including the new VNutrition app.

By Heather Russell, Dietitian Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 31

Survey

Survey of the number of vegans in Great Britain There are two published surveys of the percentage of adult vegans in 2016, both based on face-to-face interviewing of a sample selected to be representative of the general population (the most reliable method).

One survey, organised by The Vegan Society with Ipsos MORI, reported that the percentage of people in Great Britain who stated that they ate no animal products (dietary vegans) was 1.05%.

The other, the Food & You Survey organised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) with the National Centre for Social Science Research (NatCen), reported that the percentage of people in England, Wales and N. Ireland who described themselves as vegan was 0.46%.

The questions used were very different:

Food & You Survey question Which, if any, of the following applies to you?

Please state all that apply.

1) Completely vegetarian, 2) Partly vegetarian, 3) Vegan, 4) Avoid certain food for religious or cultural reasons, 5) None

Vegan Society survey questions How often, if at all, do you personally eat any form of meat, fish or shellfish? This includes all forms and types of meat, fish or shellfish and dishes that contain these, even in small amounts.

How often, if at all, do you personally consume any animal products other than meat, fish or shellfish? This includes any products produced from animals, such as milk, cheese, eggs, honey, gelatines, fish oils, etc.

32  The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

In both cases, the possible answers were: 1) Every day, 2) Every 2-3 days, 3) Every 4-5 days, 4) About once a week, 5) Every 2-3 weeks, 6) About once a month, 7) Less often than once a month, 8) Never People answering never to both questions were counted as dietary vegans.

Results In the case of the Food & You Survey, previous figures for similar questions had shown values averaging about 0.25%.1 2010

2012

2014

2016

Vegetarian but not vegan

3.24

2.41

2.32

3.44

Vegan

0.23

0.30

0.24

0.46

Those 2010-2014 results are consistent with The Vegan Society’s earlier estimate, published in 2009, that about 0.25% of the population were vegan. This earlier estimate was based mainly on similar questions asked as part of the annual FSA Consumer Attitudes Survey from 2000 to 2007.

There were many possible reasons for the difference between the two 2016 survey estimates (0.46% and 1.05%). Chance could plausibly have accounted for much of the difference, as the Food & You Survey was relatively small. Some people might eat a diet with no animal products but not describe themselves as vegan. Some people might have answered the questions inaccurately. The surveys might have hidden biases in the selection of the participants despite efforts to minimise this.

1

https:/www.food.gov. uk/sites/default/files/ media/document/ foodandyou_wave4_ chapter_1_tables_0. xlsx

Survey

There has been a continuing increase in interest in veganism since 2016, so we wanted to find out how the number of vegans had changed since then. We also wanted to understand the differences between the two 2016 surveys so as to get a clearer picture of the number of vegans.

We therefore commissioned another survey through Ipsos MORI in which about 2000 people were asked both the Vegan Society questions and the Food & You question. The results showed a doubling of the number of vegans between 2016 and 2018: from 0.46% to 1.16% for the Food & You question and from 1.05% to 2.19% for The Vegan Society’s questions.

As in 2016, The Vegan Society’s questions gave a higher result. To understand this difference, all those who gave inconsistent answers were invited to explain the reasons and their responses were recorded by Ipsos MORI. Based on the society’s questions, 39 people were dietary vegans but only 19 of these described themselves as vegan in response to the Food & You question. Of the 20 mismatches, the follow-up responses showed that 11 were definitely not following a vegan diet (typically referring to consuming eggs or dairy) while 1 definitely was objectively vegan and 8 responses did not allow a clear conclusion. To our surprise, the society’s 2016 questions seemed more likely to misclassify some non-vegan vegetarians as vegan than to identify people who followed a vegan diet but did not describe themselves as vegan.

Based on the Food & You question, 22 people were vegan and 19 of these were also vegan based on the society’s questions. Of the 3 mismatches, 1 was shown by the follow-up responses not to be vegan (ate shellfish very occasionally) and the other 2 responses did not allow a clear conclusion. The Food & You question is clearly more accurate overall though it does miss some people who follow a vegan diet and include some who do not. As well as proving to be more accurate, it is more consistent with earlier survey questions allowing more reliable comparisons with the past.

Based on the Food & You survey question, the number of vegans in Great Britain has doubled twice in the past four years: from 0.25% up to 2014 to 0.46% in 2016 to 1.16% in 2018: about 600,000 adults.

Veganism is growing rapidly, and we will continue to work with the help of all our members to sustain this growth and create a better world.

Other estimates of the number of vegans in the UK in 2018 Two online surveys in 2018 have estimated the number of vegans. The first, by comparethemarket.com, based on a sample of 2000 people found 7% of the population to be vegan. The other, by RSPCA Assured, based on a sample of 3000 people found 0.3% of the population to be vegan. These estimates differ from our 2018 survey far more than would be expected by chance, and in totally opposite directions.

The survey that found 7% vegans also estimated that there were more than one and a half million electric cars in the UK. This is about ten times the number of plug-in vehicles (fully electric or hybrid) registered by the Department for Transport in the UK. So something went seriously wrong with that survey. We contacted comparethemarket. com to see if they would like to comment, and received no response.

Surveys can go wrong in many ways, but the most likely explanation for the wildly different results in those two is the difficulty of ensuring a representative sample in on-line surveys: the cross-section of people who choose to take part in a particular online survey may be fundamentally different from the general population.

To get a reliable result, we need always to: 1) Ensure that the sample is as representative as possible of the population being surveyed 2) Double-check the clarity and reliability of the questions.

Acknowledgements Our thanks to Che Green and Jo Anderson of Faunalytics for helpful advice when we were preparing this survey and to Beverley Bates of NatCen for clarification of the Food & You survey.

Thanks also to Tom Magill and Nick Philp of Ipsos Mori for their work on the design and execution of the survey.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 33

Shoparound

Shoparound

Shop with confidence for products registered with our trusted Vegan Trademark

Rebel Kitchen Mylks Have you spotted Rebel Kitchen’s range of ‘Mylk’ in supermarket fridges? It can be used as a direct replacement for dairy and it even foams for hot drinks. You might have noticed the three coloured cartons in your local chilled aisle, providing skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk options.

You can find it in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado.com and independent retailers like Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market and As Nature Intended with an RRP of £2.99. Find more info on their website rebel-kitchen.com.

Aqua Wipes® Baby Wipes Applying their extensive expertise in skincare, Nature Ninety Nine have formulated a unique new baby wipe that is both environmentally friendly and gentle on delicate, sensitive new-born skin.

Aqua Wipes® contain more than 99% Purified Water, Organic Aloe Vera and use a soft, biodegradable fabric to ensure that both your baby and our planet are given the ultimate level of care. You can purchase the products on Amazon and eBay, or for more information visit aquawipes.co.uk.

BY SARAH London Face and Body Oils

BY SARAH London have lovingly formulated two rich, nourishing, organic oils to care for your face and body. Six years ago Sarah needed to find a gentle skincare range for her sister, who was recovering from Leukaemia at the time. Sarah took to creating her own products that soothed and nourished her sister’s skin, hand-blending her own sustainably sourced ingredients, and she didn’t stop there. Now you can try her two award-winning, enriching and hydrating vegan skincare oils by visiting bysarahlondon.com.

OOOMEGA Flax Drinks There’s a new plant-based milk on the block!

OOOMEGA Flax Drink comes in Original, Original Sweetened and Macchiato, a sweet milk alternative with a coffee twist. The three flavour varieties are bursting with Omega 3 (ALA) with 1200mg in every 240ml glass. The flax seed drinks also contain calcium and vitamins K, B12 and D2.

Available from Waitrose, Holland & Barrett and independent health stores, RRP £1.99. Find out more at ooomega.eu.

34 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Shoparound

Image: Chelsea Parsons, Eleven+Eleven

Incognito 3-in-1 Suncream Incognito have launched their brand new SPF30 Insect Repellent Suncream just in time for the summer weather. Acting as a suncream, moisturiser and an insect repellent, it protects skin against both UVA and UVB rays while simultaneously offering camouflage from biting insects. Approved

by COSMOS Natural and registered with the Vegan Trademark, it’s also free from irritants, parabens and SLS. In addition, the bottle is made from sugarcane plastic which has a positive carbon footprint and is 100% recyclable! See the whole range at lessmosquito.com.

PJ’s Kombucha Kombucha has been growing its reputation among the health-conscious as a tasty fermented drink that offers a range of wellness benefits. Patrick, the head brewer at PJ’s Kombucha, moved to the UK and decided to bring kombucha with him. Starting by brewing his special blends of fermented tea inside a small kitchen in Birmingham, he took his flavours to market and was delighted by the response. You can find them online with the option to subscribe and save 10% on every order. pjkombucha.com

Crooked Beverage Alcoholic Sodas Crooked Beverage Co make sodas with a twist, offering natural, vegan alcoholic drinks that truly break the mould. The alcoholic craft sodas are available in three different flavours: Dayglo Skies (Raspberry and Lime), Mother Moon (Pomegranate and Peach), and Midnight Stage (Blood Orange and Passionfruit). Lightly carbonated, Crooked drinks offer a refreshingly fruity flavour with dramatically less sugar than a fruit cider. Available to buy nationally at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda. crookedbeverageco.com

ECO.3 Household Cleaners Independently rated as the no. 1 ethical cleaning product brand by the Good Shopping Guide, ECO.3 produce a range of cleaning products.

Their products are non-toxic, non-allergenic, non-carcinogenic, pet and family safe and their plant-based, biodegradable formula leaves surfaces clinically clean. In line with their environmental values, the bottles come with a lifetime guarantee as ECO.3 endeavour to cut down landfill. Vegan Society members can enjoy an additional 10% discount from their website at eco3premierclub.com.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 35

Fundraising

Fundraising

H

ello! I’m Ruby, the new Fundraising and Partnerships Manager here at The Vegan Society. I’m really excited to have recently joined the organisation and to be able to play my part in promoting veganism around the world.

I’ve been vegan for a year and a half. I chose to go vegetarian as a child because I made the connection between the animals in the farms I visited and the food on my plate and no longer wanted to be a part of their suffering. I tried veganism a few times over the years but it didn’t stick until recently, when I learned more about how animals are treated in the dairy and egg industries.

Prior to joining The Vegan Society, I worked as a fundraiser for Refuge, a domestic violence charity, and before that for Dementia UK. I love getting to know supporters, hearing motivations for involvement with charities and being able to contribute to the amazing work that these organisations do by assisting fundraisers with their plans.

As I’m sure you already know, The Vegan Society receives no government funding so we rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters and members to fund our campaigns. I know that we all feel passionately about veganism and if you would like to contribute, the funds that you raise go towards helping us support existing and transitioning vegans as well as campaigning for our messages to be heard by a wider audience.

There are so many ways that you can get involved and help us by raising money from cake sales to sponsored skydives to regular giving.

Organise your own event Whether you’re a mean baker, an artistic soul or a passionate music lover, use your skills to sell crafts or organise a fundraising event and invite friends, family and community members.

36 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Take on a challenge Have you always dreamed of skydiving or running a marathon? Use the motivation of being sponsored to finally make the push.

Walks, cycles and giving something up are also great challenges.

One-off/regular donations We are always really grateful for any donation no matter how big or small. If you want to set up a direct debit, make a one-off payment of some extra cash or leave a gift in your will, I can help with this.

Raise funds at work Do you or someone you know run a small business or work in the CSR department of a company? Ask to organise a fundraiser, donate a percentage of sales profits or nominate us as charity of the year.

Whether something here has caught your eye or you have another idea for raising funds, I will be happy to help you however I can. I’ll be in touch every now and again with specific opportunities but if you want to run anything by me please do call the office or contact me on fundraising@vegansociety.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

By Ruby Jones

, e s e e h c n a eg

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Lactose free - Dairy free - Gluten free - Cholesterol free

Reviews

Reviews

1

2

Essence

by Edward Daniels Reviewed by Neil Deuchar, Interfaith Minister

A Southern Girl’s Guide to Plant Based Eating

by Cametria Hill Reviewed by Fiona Conn

Essence is the first, self-published book of a trilogy (“Circle of Food”) from one-time Vegan Society Chair of Trustees Edward Daniels. In just 130 pages it covers the ethics, politics and health implications of veganism; proceeds to a menubased repertoire of recipes apparently of the author’s own invention; then merges into a series of life lessons about relationships; then gives an account of consciousness that touches on the significance to humanity of the electromagnetic vibrations in and around the earth; and finishes with an autobiography.

This last section tells us that enlightenment for him coincided with realising that eating meat was inimical to interconnectedness with all beings.

For the author, therefore, veganism is a spiritual position of oneness with the universe.

It’s a rollercoaster of a read: decidedly political in places and deeply personal in others.

Disappointingly, the author doesn’t unpack his contention that eating meat interferes with one’s natural vibrations, but the book is aimed at “beginner” vegans who, one feels, may struggle anyway to decipher the basic message here – and a beautiful one it is too – that veganism is fundamental to a holistic lifestyle that brings one into alignment with the energies of the cosmos.

For spiritually inclined people, particularly those of New Age disposition, it’s difficult to overstate the significance of this sort of book.

One wonders, however, whether this might put off readers who are more grounded or empirical in their world-views. Veganism may be just as relevant for them, but they are perhaps focused on worldlier issues that are more accessible but equally legitimate.

Seeing as I am a relatively new lover of cookbooks, Cametria’s book of “Southern infused recipes to satisfy your soul” instantly greeted me with open arms with its fun, friendly and engaging style. Although I had seldom tried Southern American cuisine before, I was excited to get stuck in and taste dishes that focused on the joys of comfort food.

In the first chapter Cametria highlights the need for this book by demonstrating the distinct lack of representation of minority communities within plant-based eating. It felt highly refreshing to read the words of a black female author celebrating her lifelong love of Soul Food and Cajun/Creole, BBQ and Tex-Mex cuisine.

The chapter about jumpstarts is especially handy, as it provides a detailed food plan for the week including a comprehensive shopping list.

It is perfect for any plant-based beginners (and those as horrendously disorganised as I am).

I tried a wide selection of dishes but my partner and I devoured the Smoked Baked Macaroni Cheese; it had a gorgeous creaminess from the cashew cheese and sweet potato. The Blackened Shiitake “Shrimp” over Smoked Kale was equally flavoursome. After always hating bananas, I was thrilled to find a recipe that made them edible to me – the divine Sea-Salt Chocolate Banana Butter Bites were utterly delicious.

Cametria has introduced me to the world of Southern American cuisine with her uberpersonable style of cooking and emphasis on the pleasure of non-pretentious, wholesome food for the soul. Whether you’re a long-term vegan or not, there is a plethora of delicious recipes for all to feast on.

38 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

1 Ethics, politics, health, spirituality, relationships and more 2 Non-pretentious, wholesome food for the soul 3 Advice to create a flourishing and sustainable outdoor space 4 Welcoming and manageable recipes for casual cooks

Reviews

3

4

The Vegan Cook & Gardener

by Piers Warren & Ella Bee Glendining Reviewed by Ruby Guyler

The Wicked Healthy Cookbook

by Chad Sarno, Derek Sarno and David Joachim Reviewed by Charlotte Flavell

It’s easy to feel daunted when faced with the prospect of gardening – especially if you’ve never planted a seed in your life! Luckily, The Vegan Cook & Gardener is here to provide you with all the support you’ll need to create a flourishing and sustainable outdoor space. Written by father and daughter Piers Warren and Ella Bee Glendining, this book allows the reader to explore the joys of home-grown vegan produce, from the very first stages of growth all the way through to the cooking process.

The book includes advice on organic growing and permaculture, such as sustainable crop rotation and vegan-friendly ways to deal with pests, as well as tips on planning, crop storage and seed sowing. The ‘Cooking Throughout the Year’ section provides an array of different recipes to try out each month, all containing at least one seasonal ingredient that can be grown in your garden at that time. Examples include Beetroot Brownies, Walnut Pesto and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie. The book clearly explains how self-sufficient and sustainable gardening minimises damage to the ecosystem and emphasises creating a synergetic relationship between the earth and humans. If we give back to the earth and treat it with care, we can start to repair the damage already done.

The Vegan Cook & Gardener is perfect for anyone looking to become more green-fingered and environmentally aware, whether you have an acre of land to work with or just a simple herb garden placed on your windowsill.

Brothers Chad and Derek Sarno have released a wickedly healthy recipe book, featuring 129 recipes to munch through. They promote meals that are 80% healthy, 20% wicked, equalling a 100% sexy lifestyle. The brothers suggest eating predominantly a variety of vegetables, with the occasional indulgence. This philosophy seeks to make healthy living sustainable and achievable, being an antidote to the common nature of cyclical dieting.

If you are a culinary novice the brothers provide plenty of tips and tricks, such as chopping techniques and equipment recommendations, whilst also giving healthier alternatives to specific ingredients. They express the importance of flavour, colour, texture and aromatics, challenging the belief that healthy vegan food is bland.

The conversational approach throughout makes the recipes seem welcoming and manageable for casual cooks. Yet you may have to go out of your way to purchase certain ingredients that don’t typically appear in your kitchen, such as the diverse range of mushrooms used in certain recipes, or their own Ninja Squirrel Sriracha. However, I was willing to make that extra effort, as the recipes admittedly look very appetising.

I would certainly recommend this recipe book to new vegans, as it definitely offers inspiration and advice, as well as satisfies any initial animal product cravings, with recipes such as “Lions mane steak” and “Plant-based eggs”, which look convincingly like the real stuff. The chefs’ enthusiasm certainly encourages you to experiment with plant-based dishes.

Issue 3 2018 | The Vegan 39

Membership

Your views Remembering Don, 1925-2018 In the 1980s, Don Jenkings became a vegan, campaigned at whale demos in Brighton and Bournemouth, ran Bangor Animal Rights Concern and was animal rights convenor of the Green Party. Don’s large campaigning vehicle covered in posters and painted images caught many people’s attention. He will be remembered and greatly missed.

AGM results Thank you to everyone who took the time to come to our AGM. The results of the voting was as follows: Ali Ryland, Robb Masters and Jane McKears were voted in as new Trustees. They join the existing Trustees: Stephen Walsh (Chair), Jenifer Vinell (Vice Chair), Menna Jones (Treasurer), David Gore, Graham Neale, Patricia Fairey and Salim Akbar.

Proposal: 1) Appointment of Auditors – Passed 2) Remuneration of Auditors – Passed 3) Change of animal testing criteria – Failed 4) Reduce the grace period for non-payment to one month – Passed 5) Inform members of the skills Council needs – Passed 6) Add list of specific skills – Failed 7) Extend the right of appeal to all members – Passed 8) Require all ‘valid’ members’ proposals to be put to the vote – Failed If you would like any further information, you can find this online in your Members’ Area of the website. Alternatively, you can phone us on 0121 523 1730.

Have your say!

Vegan medicine survey If you have a spare five minutes and access to the internet, please assist Paul Steckler and fill in his survey on vegan medicines: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YYB9RC9.

40 The Vegan | Issue 3 2018

Write Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street, Birmingham, B18 6HJ Email editor@vegansociety.com Facebook /TheVeganSociety Twitter @TheVeganSociety Comments may be edited for publication.