The Vegan Autumn 2009

ISSN 0307−4811 03

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in this issue 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 13 14 16 19 20 23 24 26 29 30 31 33 35 37 39 41 42 44 45 47 48

“If people go hungry then political stability goes out of the window. This is a key lesson that Defra must learn from last year’s food price hike when some countries ran short of food.

What happened showed just how fine the line is between full supermarket shelves and empty stomachs.”

This quote is from the Rt Hon Michael Jack MP, Efra Select Committee Chairman, commenting on the report Securing Food Supplies up to 2050: the challenges for the UK, 21 July 2009 and it shows that politicians are taking the issue of Global Food Security very seriously. Indeed there are many conferences and consultations on this subject and Vegan Society Chief Executive, Nigel Winter, is involved in many of them giving us a voice with decision makers.

This fits well with our new theme which is Global Food Security: highlighting the benefits of the vegan diet to overcome world hunger and provide future food security. We will report further on the new theme in the Winter magazine.

In this issue we interview the very interesting Vegan Deputy Leader of The Green Party in England & Wales, Adrian Ramsay, and Dr Matthew Cole examines issues relating to the use of draught animals in the developing world. We will also update you on the most recent studies relating to vegan nutrition.

In future issues we expect to include a round-up of information and legal opinion on animal ingredients in medicines and vaccines and the rights of vegans under the Equality Act to show that we’re not ignoring the swine flu issue and also because these questions crop up regularly for the Information Department.

Wishing you a happy and pro-active World Vegan Day on 1 November and World Vegan Month to follow (for activity ideas take a look at: www.worldveganday.com).

Rosamund Raha Editor

The Vegan Society

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Donald Watson House

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HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS/FROM THE CEO LOCAL NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWS VEGANISM AND ‘DRAUGHT’ ANIMALS MR GREEN SHOPAROUND NUTRITION NEWS NEWS AND INFORMATION VEGGIE PRIDE THE VEGAN PLEDGE RAFA’S BIG NIGHT OUT GRENADA - A VEGAN PARADISE RECIPES REVIEWS V-BITES CURIOUS VEG / OUT AND ABOUT GROW VEGAN PAT GRIFFIN YOUTH PAGE POSTBAG VEGANS ANONYMOUS EVENTS LOCAL CONTACTS LIST STAFF AND COUNCIL LISTINGS CLASSIFIEDS NUTRITION GUIDELINES CROSSWORDS

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Local rate 0845 45 88244 l Tel. 0121 523 1730 l Fax. 0121 523 1749 l e-mail: info@vegansociety.com l www.vegansociety.com Editor Rosamund Raha Design www.doughnutdesign.co.uk Front cover photo Vanessa Clarke Printed on Recycled paper

by Cambrian Printers

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

The inclusion of product information should not be construed as constituting official Vegan Society approval for the product, its intended use, or its manufacturer/distributor. Contributions intended for publication are welcomed, but unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a SAE. Contributions will usually be edited.

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VEGAN SOCIETY SUMMER 2009 HIGHLIGHTS

THE VEGAN-FRIENDLY PROMISE The latest caterer to join our ‘Vegans Catered for Here’ window sticker scheme is VBites, the new vegan restaurant in Hove.

They join a steadily growing list including Jyoti in Birmingham, Word of Mouth in Evesham, Coriander in Bournemouth, The Warehouse Cafe in Birmingham, and Zouk in Leeds. Any caterer who offers one good vegan option on their standard menu is eligible. To take the Vegan-Friendly Promise, caterers need to contact Amanda Baker in the office (media@vegansociety.com or 0121 523 1737). We need to see an example of their vegan-friendly dishes; then Amanda can send out the window stickers. Please encourage your local restaurants, cafes, pubs and other caterers to get in touch with us. We hope to see Vegan-Friendly window stickers in every town!

We are asking for a good vegan pizza, clearly labeled, on the Pizza Express standard menu. This will remove uncertainty for vegans. Over 200 supporters have sent feedback to Pizza Express (feedback@pizzaexpress.com). Thank you if you have done so - and thank you if you are still planning to email them. Please copy emails and replies to our PR Officer, Amanda Baker (media@vegansociety.com). Use your own words, and be concise, polite and constructive (one angry vegan can alienate a company). Be specific: give the Pizza Express branch, and your own experiences. Do reply to them, if necessary. Pizza Express contacted The Vegan Society again in July. They are taking note of some specific concerns.

Information has been passed to their team which is developing the next Pizza Express menu, due out in Autumn 2010. We will keep you informed.

LOW CARBON FARMING INITIATIVE

VEGAN BEGINNER

A new Low Carbon Farming Initiative (LCFI) has been formed, with the aim of ‘Making the Transition to a New Ecological Farming Era’. LCFI participants include representatives of: The Soil Association, Garden Organic, The Permaculture Association, Sustain and many others as well as individual growers and academics. The Vegan Society, along with the Vegan-Organic Network is putting the case to LCFI for a vegan, stock-free farming future.

The Vegan Society paid 50% of the cost of the Bristol Animal Rights Collective publication: Vegan Beginner. Check out www.bristolanimalrights.org.uk for more information.

J D WETHERSPOON TASTE THE BENEFITS OF GREAT VEGAN FOOD Our Media Officer, Amanda Baker, has been talking to Lewis Brigden from J D Wetherspoon about the tasty new vegan curry on their main menu.

The good news is that they plan to keep it on the menu for a while.

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VEGAN PRISONERS We continue to work with the Vegan Prisoner Support Group to ensure that all vegan prisoners get a balanced vegan diet. This involves a lot of phone calls, attending meetings and sending out newsletters to prisons (jointly with VPSG).

REMIND YOUR DOCTOR We sent out our Plant Based Nutrition booklet to all doctor’s surgeries in the UK and therefore they should have it on file.

So it wouldn’t hurt to remind them about it if they seem to be giving you poor diet advice. Remember that many GPs have very little training in nutrition.

NEWS ITEMS ON OUR WEBSITE

FACESPACE UPDATE

Keep an eye on our website for the latest news updates from The Vegan Society for example this quarter we sent out an open letter to Hilary Benn about pollinating insects and media releases on the subjects of swine flu, Fiona Oakes in the London Marathon and enzymes in bread as well as many others.

We continue to use online social networking sites and ebulletins to stimulate interest in the Society and our activities.

VEGAN ORGANIC FOOD We were left a legacy of £5,000 which stated that it must be used to purchase land. The money will go to Unicorn Grocery near Manchester to help fund the purchase of land that will be used to produce veganic produce for their shop. In return they will supply us with data on soil fertility, crop yields, biodiversity and the commercial benefits of stock-free growing. www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk

We’ve been using social networking sites to ever greater advantage and one recent highlight is the success of the Pizza Express email campaign. Within two hours of the message going out on Facebook and MySpace we had Pizza Express on the phone desperate to talk to us! These are a great way to get information and requests out quickly, and because the message is in an electronic form people can easily send it on to their friends, family and colleagues.

We now have almost 9000 fans of our facebook page (www.facebook.com/thevegansociety) and more than 4000 friends on MySpace (www.myspace.com/thevegansociety).

One of the greatest benefits of these sites, facebook especially, is the facility to run discussions so you can get the opinion of all sorts of different vegans from all over the world. We recently posed the question ‘What’s the best thing about being vegan?’ and within a day we had over 90 responses! We also have a presence on Twitter: twitter.com/thevegansociety.

FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Nigel Winter

For the next year our emphasis will be on raising awareness about the benefits of vegan farming on global food security. Population growth, availability of land and fresh water and climate change will present a major challenge to providing everyone with enough food.

Vegan farming can make more efficient use of land and water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There is increasing debate amongst government departments to ensure that environmental, economic and social sustainability are considered alongside healthy eating and global food security. I attended the Department of Health Healthier Food Mark conference which also involved the Food Standards Agency and the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs. We discussed plans to introduce a standard for public service caterers to encourage provision of healthy and sustainable food. http://www.pasa.nhs.uk/PASAWeb/NHSprocurement/Sustainabledevelopment/Sustainablefood/Health.htm I also attended the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme conference which presented findings of their latest research. One project considered the changes to farming if the UK population adhered to the Department of Health guidelines for healthy eating. It concluded that there would be a 42% fall in the demand for milk and a 28% fall in mutton and lamb but a 55% increase in green vegetables and a 52% increase in fruit. There was discussion about upland areas becoming ‘idle’ without livestock farming but most upland livestock farms are not economically viable without subsidies. Land managers could be paid to manage the uplands to sequester carbon, manage flooding and manage habitats for biodiversity and recreation. Another project demonstrated that short-rotation coppice willow can be grown on marginal land to produce large biomass yields and benefit butterfly and bird populations.

We need to present a positive alternative for farmland that benefits people, animals and the environment. Everyone needs to envisage a positive future for farming and the rural environment and ensure that no one in the world goes hungry. Over the coming year we will be helping people to visualise the farming of the future.

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Details of all group meetings used to be listed but there were so many that in the end there was no room. However this time brief details of regular meetings are shown, though in most cases you will still have to get in touch with Contacts for more information. If no details are shown it doesn’t mean that the group doesn’t meet but just that meetings are on an ad hoc basis. If you have difficulty contacting anyone please let me know because details may have changed. Please support your local group because they do a grand job!

I’m giving talks on the work of The Vegan Society in Lincoln at midday on Saturday 12 September and in Glasgow at 3.30 on Wednesday 16 September and any of you are welcome to attend. The aim is to dispel the myths surrounding what the VS is and does, some of which unfortunately seem to be fairly common, and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions and buy VS merchandise (including the new T-shirts) without paying postage. More such talks may have been arranged by the time you read this so please let me know if you’d be interested in attending one, wherever you live.

Have Railcard will travel!

Note the new T-shirt! Many people had been asking for the 1997 design to be repeated, me included. This design is slightly different but is just as effective at spreading the vegan word.

I’ve worn and washed mine several times and it is still soft, stretchy and extremely comfortable to wear. It’s 30% organic cotton and 70% viscose, the viscose being 100% bamboo, and it costs only £9.99. You can order it online and see a better photo on www.vegansociety.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=36&prod ucts_id=285.

Our Contacts continue to be busy organizing various events but there’s room here to mention only a couple. Vegan Campaigns provided catering at Haringey Independence Day for the second year running, serving salads, savouries, hot and cold drinks and of course a good selection of cakes. By the end of the day all the food had been sold, a lot of vegan literature distributed and some £400 raised for group funds. If you’re in London and can help with future events please contact Chrissy (details on p. 42). Vegan Campaigns also did the catering at the Jeffrey Masson book launch.

Lesley Dove’s event for parents went extremely well, with good attendance and, of course, delicious food, this time provided

by Shambhu’s Kitchen.

Free vegan food tastings are particularly popular: see the photo of one organized by the NE Essex group.

We have four new Local Contacts since the last issue of the magazine – Caroline in Bristol, Linda in Lincoln, Susan in Stamford and Julia, who was already listed as a Group Contact, in Donegal. There are five new groups – Vegan Lincs and Stamford & Rutland Vegans run by the aforesaid Linda and Susan respectively, and others in Brighton, Edinburgh and Monmouth. The full list is on pages 42-44, and all new entries are shaded to make them stand out. Nobody has yet come forward to take over as Contact for Reading University so if anyone would like to please let me know.

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Finally a reminder that when getting in touch with a Local or Group contact please do so by e-mail if possible since phone calls do not always arrive at a time convenient for a chat. If you have to phone me, please do not do so before 8 pm.

Until next time, enjoy the rest of the Summer and let’s hope that the weather is suitable for enjoying your vegan ice-cream!

Patricia Tricker National Contacts’ Coordinator Cottage 3, Arrathorne, Bedale, N. Yorkshire, DL8 1NA vegan@phonecoop.coop

Looking at the International Vegetarian Union website www.ivu.org to see whether I’d overlooked any major happenings in the veggie/vegan world, I was pleased to note that at least five and possibly all six of the regional coordinators are vegan. Even as I write, the Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, Marly Winckler, is in Rio welcoming guests to the 12th International Vegan Festival, having already organised a brilliant World Veg Congress (also all vegan) in Florianopolis five years ago.

Next up is Susianto Tseng, coordinator for the Asia-Pacific area, who has just launched the Indonesian Vegan Society www.i-vs.org and will be organising the 39th World Veg Congress in Jakarta and Bali from 1 to 7 October 2010. All catering will be vegan, of course, as laid down in the IVU congress regulations.

Increasingly these events attract participants from all over Asia, including large numbers from China where the movement is growing fast with veggie food fairs sprouting up, if that’s the right expression, all over the country.

What a far cry all this is from the situation a mere decade ago, when vegans were few and far between on the IVU International Council because so many vegan organisations refused to join what they perceived as a hostile (i.e. lacto-vegetarian) organisation. As a result, we had very few votes, very little power and it was an uphill struggle to achieve anything specifically vegan. Indeed, the vote to insist upon all-vegan catering at all world congresses was carried by just one vote – that of the UK Vegetarian Society! Had the “lactos” taken a similarly enlightened attitude to the aspirations of their vegan colleagues in1944, the course of veg*n history in this country might have been quite different.

Many countries have barely enough vegetarians, both vegan and lacto, to support just one small group group anyway, and they need all the help they can get. Co-operating with lactovegetarians is not the beginning of the end, the slippery slope

towards drinking milk, but a great way to help others give it up (if we don’t get patronising and preachy) and, who knows, the same small group may soon be organising a world vegan festival.

In Europe the movement continues to prosper. There are plans to translate the Vegan Society’s Plant Based Nutrition and Eating the Earth booklets into Croatian, Hungarian and Slovene. Christians and Muslims are working together for the animals in Bosnia. And there are plans for an all-Ireland vegan weekend sometime next year.

Finding a venue midway between Belfast and Dublin didn’t look terribly practical, at least from the point of view of attracting the general public, so the latest thought is to have a dual centre vegan festival with one day in Dublin and one in Belfast and activists from all over Ireland playing a major part in both events. Watch this space for further news of this and other ambitious schemes.

Finally, the vegan pledgers (see page 19) continue to multiply – far apart geographically, but all with the same purpose and often the same problems. As international mentor I do my best to answer everyone’s questions and comments on an ongoing basis, but I would dearly like to start an international vegan pledgers email group so that they can help and inform one another (and me) rather than relying on my somewhat inadequate attempts to keep in touch with everyone. Next year perhaps...

Far be it from me to encourage long haul flights, but I look forward to seeing anyone within hailing distance of London at this year’s London Vegan Festival on Sunday 6th September.

All good wishes, Vanessa Clarke International Coordinator 17 Kingston Street Cambridge CB1 2NU

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Veganism and ‘draught’ animals Dr Matthew Cole

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here are many issues on which non-vegans attempt to catch us out and expose the ‘impossibility’ of living a purely vegan life. Many of us have experienced accusatory looks at our non-leather footwear or disbelief that we can be sure that our tipple of choice hasn’t been tainted with isinglass finings.

The motivation behind these inquisitions into supposed vegan hypocrisy is usually a way of deflecting attention from the discomfort that non-vegans feel about their own exploitative relationships with non-human animals.

However, there are some areas where the vegan goal of ending all forms of exploitation of non-human animals is difficult to achieve in practice. It is in acknowledgement of this that the Vegan Society defines veganism as “a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose” (emphasis added).1 One such example is the use of non-human animals as means of agricultural labour and transportation in the developing world, so-called ‘draught animals’.

Most human societies, including the UK, have long histories of dependence on other animals, including ‘draught animals’. The Vegan Society works

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tirelessly to untangle the deeply embedded patterns of non-human animal exploitation in the UK. While other animals are less often exploited for their labour power in the UK today, there remain instances where it is extremely difficult to avoid involvement in the suffering or killing of other animals, and where it is more difficult

“The goal of living a life that does not cause any suffering to others is very probably impossible to achieve.

But that does not give us the right to carelessly act cruelly or exploitatively to others when we do have a choice.”

for vegan ethics to have an immediate effect in alleviating that suffering. For example, vegans and non-vegans alike rely on roads for personal transport and/or delivery of goods and services in the UK, which entail the death and injury of millions of non-human animals every year.2 However, these problems do not negate the efforts of vegans to avoid animal exploitation in other areas, such as choice of diet, clothing, toiletries or cosmetics. The goal of living a life that does not cause any suffering to others is very probably impossible to achieve. But that does not give us the right to carelessly act cruelly or exploitatively to others when we do have a choice. In most cases, we most definitely do have that choice to act compassionately.

The use of ‘draught animals’ is no exception to these general principles, and the fact that there may be difficulties in ending the use of ‘draught animals’ does not undermine the ethical force of veganism. The challenge is to research and provide sustainable development solutions that minimise the use of ‘draught animals’, with a long-term goal to end human dependence on them.

But what of the immediate situation, where millions of human beings, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America, are currently dependent for

their subsistence on the labour power of other animals? 4, 5, 6 An analogy might be drawn with philosopher Michael Allen Fox’s argument that exceptions to the moral obligation of dietary vegetarianism can be made if, and only if, there is an unambiguous practical dependence on the use of non-human animals for subsistence.

Fox’s argument rests on the contention that “while humans may have no greater right to live than members of any other species, they also have no lesser right to live”.3 The proportion of the human population currently living in situations of this kind is relatively small - Fox gives examples of the nomadic Nenets of Arctic Russia and Inuits living in the far north of Canada.

In the case of ‘draught animals’ it can similarly be argued that exceptions to the principle of non-exploitation of other animals can be made if, and only if, no viable alternatives exist to their use for human subsistence.

However, the difficulty of the present problems does not absolve us from the moral responsibility to seek solutions in the long term, which can benefit human and non-human animals alike.

Therefore, The Vegan Society is interested in working with local communities, governments, development agencies, businesses, academics and others to find sustainable local transport and agricultural solutions to dependence on ‘draught animals’ and plans to do this over the coming year when our theme will be Global Food Security: highlighting the benefits of the vegan diet and livestock-free farming to overcome world hunger and provide future food security.

References 1. Memorandum of Association of The Vegan Society, http://www.vegansociety.com/images/ArticlesofAss ociation.pdf (accessed 10 November 2008)

2.“Neither the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency nor English Nature keeps statistics, but the conservative estimate is that at least 10 million birds and mammals are killed on our roads each year.” Source: Prince R. Roadkill: One from the road The Independent 7 September 2006 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/roadk ill-one-from-the-road-414972.html (accessed 28 April 2009) 3. Fox, MA. Deep Vegetarianism, Philadelphia: Temple University Press; 1999, p.160 4. Draught animals, “still play a vital role in many farming systems especially on smaller and poorer farms.” Source: Lawrence, PR. and Pearson, RA. Use of draught animal power on small mixed farms in Asia. Agricultural Systems 2008, 71(1-2): 99-110, p.99 5.“Without draught animals, many African farmers have no means of transport or power to pull heavy ploughs. They continue to till the land with hand hoes.” Source: Okhoya, N. Eradicating tsetse flies from Africa. Africa Recovery 2003; 17(1): 17 http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol17 no1/171agri3.htm (accessed 28 April 2009) 6. Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh Draught Animal News 2005; 43: 1-37 http://www.link.vet.ed.ac.uk/ctvm/Research/DAPR/ draught%20animal%20news/Issue%2043/DAN43 %20final%20screen.pdf (accessed 28 April 2009)

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Amanda Baker interviews Adrian Ramsay

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drian Ramsay was born and raised in Norwich. He studied Politics and Sociology to Master’s level at the University of East Anglia.

At the age of 27, he is now the Deputy Leader of The Green Party in England & Wales and Leader of the Green Party Group on Norwich City Council where the Greens have 13 seats and are the second largest party. At the next General Election he will challenge former Home Secretary Charles Clarke for the Norwich South seat in Westminster.

Can you tell us about your personal journey to becoming vegan?

Like most vegans, I was vegetarian for a few years before I made the connections between the dairy industry and animal cruelty. I had been fond of animals for as long as I could remember, but it wasn’t until I was 13 years old that I first thought about whether I really wanted to eat meat.

As soon as I started thinking about it I decided to become vegetarian and within a few months I joined the Vegetarian Society and Animal Aid. A couple of years later I received a leaflet about the dairy industry from Animal Aid. For the first time it made me realise the link between eating dairy products and calves being taken away from their mothers at a very young age and killed. I became vegan that day. Since then I’ve found even more reasons to be vegan – as it’s healthier and much greener too!

What do you most enjoy about being vegan?

I most enjoy knowing that I’m not causing animals to suffer. I also love the fantastic variety of vegan foods. Being vegan opened my eyes (and taste buds!) to a huge variety of new foods I had never tried before.

What are your favourite vegan foods, meals, drinks, other products, restaurants etc.?

Swedish Glace ice-cream and Booja-Booja truffles for a luxurious treat! I get an organic veg box every week and I like the surprise of not knowing what unusual vegetables will arrive in it. Chickpea and potato curry is one of my all-time favourites and anything with butternut squash.

There are some great vegetarian restaurants and cafes in Norwich – my favourite is a Fair Trade veggie café called The Greenhouse.

How do you find the experience of eating out as a vegan?

It’s much easier than it used to be a few years ago. I find that most places are happy to adapt something for you if they don’t have a vegan option on the menu.

Indian and Chinese restaurants are usually a good bet. If all else fails I’ll settle for chips, beans and salad in a pub!

How do you feel about talking about being vegan in public and in private?

I’m very happy talking about it and explaining why I’m vegan when people ask. Sometimes people are surprised and ask questions when they see me eating vegan food at conferences. But often they are jealous if I end up with a better option than them! People are often curious but rarely hostile about it.

Do you face any particular challenges as a vegan in politics?

One of the biggest challenges is the way that other political parties try to trivialise animal rights issues. They often try to paint the Green Party as ‘extremists’ and single-issue lunatics. But we’ve won battles locally such as getting a ban in place on goldfish being given away as prizes at fares. Residents know that we care about animal welfare issues and about improving the lives and environment of local people.

How does your vegan philosophy inform your political work?

My veganism stems from the same values that underpin my views on human rights, poverty, racism, environmental protection, and social justice everywhere. I believe we should work towards a society where suffering is minimised and other life forms are cherished, not treated like commercial objects to maximise profits.

In my work as a local councillor I’ve made some small breakthroughs, such as getting kerbs lowered on an important migratory route for toads and getting the council to commit to not using foie gras in its services.

If elected to Parliament I could do so much more. Just one Green voice in Parliament would help to get so many animal rights issues on the agenda, from intensive farming to vivisection.

Do you know many other vegan politicians?

Yes – there are three other vegan Green Party councillors in Norwich alone!

What do you think of the fact that both Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and Jim Fitzpatrick (Minister of State for Farming and the Environment), are vegetarian? Do you think this will affect their discussions with farmers in particular?

I’m pleased that there are vegetarian politicians in these positions.

Unfortunately, I doubt it will affect their discussions with farmers as they will probably follow the Government line.

This Government has made very little progress in improving conditions for farm animals and bringing an end to factory farming.

What are your thoughts on the contribution that stock-free farming could play in bringing food security to the billion undernourished people worldwide?

This is a huge issue that is barely mentioned in mainstream politics. Most people in the world’s poorest countries would benefit a great deal from stockfree farming as it uses far less water and land than farming with livestock (whether for meat, dairy or fertiliser).

Scientific studies show that livestock farming uses around ten times more land than plant-based farming and a staggering 150 times more water.

Every year we produce more than enough grain to feed all of the undernourished people in the world – but most of that grain is fed to cattle for the meat market in rich countries. When Gandhi said ‘the cattle of the rich eat the bread of the poor’ he was not being metaphorical!

If Governments are serious about tackling global poverty they need to give a lot more support to stock-free farming.

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Verity Hunt-Sheppard and Charley Roberts

n VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS

n HIGH FASHION VEGAN SHOES NEUAURA SHOES Luxury footwear lovers will adore the collections at NeuAura who produce high fashion quality footwear. Choose from their exciting range of boots, pumps, sandals, wedges and heels, all lovingly designed and crafted to show that ‘going vegan’ does not mean ‘going without’. Try their Ines crimson pump, their Elimia classic dress shoe or their Kiwi Mist peep toe. NeuAura have an eco-conscious philosophy and their manufacturing factory carries a Green Seal environmental award. They also claim to source materials locally to the factory and sponsor a habitat for endangered species.

NeuAura shoes are available in the UK through www.neoncollective.com telephone 01273 231619

n INCHI NUT OIL RICH IN OMEGA 3 STARSEED Starseed Sacha Inchi Omega Oil is an extra virgin nut oil that is cold pressed from Sacha Inchi nuts. Sacha Inchi nuts or ‘Inca Peanuts’ have been used for thousands of years in South America. The oil contains 48% omega 3, 33% omega 6 and 9% omega 9. Starseed Sacha Inchi Omega Oil has a pleasant nutty flavour and a rich aroma, making it an ideal ingredient in many South American, Mediterranean and Asian dishes. Use it in dressings, sauces, dips and marinades, or pour it on to salads or cooked vegetables.

Priced from £6.95.

For more details visit www.starseedoil.co.uk or telephone 07854 618749

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LIFEPLAN Lifeplan sell a range of vegan supplements, from vitamin and mineral complexes to herbal-based supplements and digestive enzymes for anyone wishing to give their diet an added boost. Choose from their Calcium & Magnesium, Chewable Vitamin C, Women’s Multinutrient, Coenzyme Q10, Evening Primrose Oil, St Johns Wort, Chamomile Blend, Dandelion Root and their Valerian, Passiflora & Hops supplements, to name just a few. Lifeplan products are available online or contact them for details of stockists in your area.

Products priced from £1.71. For more details visit www.lifeplan.co.uk or telephone 01455 556281

n CURRY SAUCES, PICKLES, CHUTNEYS AND DIPS ANILA’S Anila’s produce eight premium curry sauces as well as pickles, chutneys and dips in 16 flavours.

All products are hand made in small batches with fresh ingredients and are free from preservatives, sugar, dairy, gluten, onions and garlic. Choose from their Fruity Mild, Goan Green, Hot Methi, Spicy & Mild and their Mild or their Spicy Korma curry sauces.

Anila’s award-winning Spicy Korma Curry Sauce is made with creamy coconut, spices and tomatoes.

For accompaniments try their Lemon or their Carrot & Date pickle, their Spicy Apple chutney, or their Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce.

Products priced from £3.50. For more details visit www.anilassauces.com or telephone 02085 776162

All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n GOURMET READY MEALS, RELISHES AND CHILLI SAUCES

n SOLID SOAPS, SHAMPOO BARS AND SHAVING BARS MY HANDMADE SOAPS My Handmade Soaps is based in Devon producing soaps, solid shampoos and shaving bars. Choose from their Almond Milk, Aloe Vera, Green Apple, Mango and Orange & Cinnamon soaps. For shaving bars choose from Cool or Sea Breeze. Or try their Coconut, Lavender or their Lemon Grass & Lime shampoo bars, to name but a few. If you’re looking for a gift, try My Handmade Soaps mini bars or their amazing soap gateaux slices in Chocolate Indulgence, Citrus Crush and Strawberry Cream. Handmade soap products are mild and gentle to the skin. Priced from £1.40. For more details visit www.myhandmadesoaps.com or telephone 01626 364938

n CRUSHED JUICE DRINKS CRACKER Feeling fruity? If you’re looking for a refreshing thirst quencher, Cracker produce an exciting range of quality fruit juice drinks using crushed juices – they never use juices from concentrates. Choose from their delicious Mango & Passionfruit, Blueberry & Blackberry, Pineapple, Guava & Lime or their Apple, Strawberry & Mountain Cranberry combinations. Available in 750 ml cartons or grab one of their handy 330 ml bottles too.

Cracker is stocked at branches of Asda, Waitrose, Morrison’s and selected independent retailers.

Contact them to find your nearest stockist. Priced from £1.19. For more details visit www.crackerdrinks.com or telephone 01189 845378

CALEDONIAN CURRY Caledonian Curry produces a range of gourmet ready meals, pepper sauces and chilli relishes. Their products claim to be free from gluten, additives, colourings, preservatives and are low in salt and sugar.

Each dish is prepared by hand using freshly roasted and ground spices and then blast frozen for freshness.

Their frozen meals include Baigan Tamatar, Caledonian Chickpea, Bombay Potato, Saag Aloo, or try their Highland Beetroot Curry.

Relishes include Garlic & Chilli, Rhubarb & Chilli, and Beetroot & Chilli while their hot chilli sauces go under the names of Kilt Lifter, Sporran Splitter, After Burns and Nessie’s Revenge! Hot Chilli sauces priced at £4.50. For more details visit www.caledoniancurry.co.uk or telephone 01863 766025

n VEGAN HONEY ALTERNATIVE SWEET FREEDOM Sweet Freedom is a new delicious vegan honey alternative that doubles as a sweetener. Produced in the UK from 100% fruit – just apples, grapes and carob – Sweet Freedom has a low glycaemic load and can be used instead of honey, sugar, artificial sweeteners, agave syrup, maple syrup and golden syrup. Great on toast or porridge and for use in baking, sauces, marinades, chutneys, stir fries, ice cream and more. Sweet Freedom comes in two versions: the Sweetener (Mild) is best for sweetening tea, the Syrup (Rich) is the most honey-like and ideal for toast and porridge. Both are perfect for cooking and baking and in coffee and cocoa. Priced £2.99. For more details email info@dietfreedom.co.uk or telephone 0207 328 8490 Order one bottle of Sweetener (Mild) from www.sweetfreedom.co.uk and you will receive a bottle of Syrup (Rich) absolutely ...FREE! Simply enter the code ‘vegansoc’ at the online checkout.

Special Limited Offer

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Verity Hunt-Sheppard and Charley Roberts

n ORGANIC ENERGY DRINKS

NATURAL ENERGY Attitude energy drinks are based on a combination of the Brazilian Yerba Mate tea leaf and Guarana seed which are said to provide balanced and sustained stimulation. For an extra boost there’s an added vitamin B complex including vitamins B6 and B12, as well as vitamin C and L-carnitine. The addition of lemon and ginger give this golden drink a refreshing taste. Attitude drinks are free from high fructose corn syrup, sugar and aspartame and are sweetened instead with a low glycaemic index fruit sweetener extracted from low GI fruits. Priced from £1. For more details visit www.attitudedrink.com or telephone 02074 883808

n LUXURY RAW CHOCOLATE KITCHEN BUDDY Delight your taste buds with these handmade luxury raw chocolates and truffles designed by Theresa Webb, Head of the Kitchen Buddy Culinary School.

Choose from classic plain, mint, orange and ginger dark chocolate squares, marzipan truffles, florentines and smooth plain chocolate with fruits, nuts and spices - or order a selection box if you just can’t decide. The range is sugar-free, gluten-free and made from organic and fair trade ingredients. The products come beautifully packaged in eco-gift boxes with wrapping and ribbon.

Priced from £5 per box. For more details visit www.purechocolate.kitchenbuddy.eu or telephone 0208 697 2755

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n POMEGRANATE WINES RIMON WINERY Rimon Winery produce wines made exclusively from 100% pomegranate with no addition of sugar. The traditional techniques used to make pomegranate wines are virtually identical to the traditional methods of making grape wine.

The pomegranate fruit is harvested at optimum ripeness and crushed before being fermented and finally aged in oak barrels.

Pomegranate adds a rich colour and distinctive and appealing flavour. Rimon Winery’s award winning range includes a dry wine, dessert wine and portstyle wine.

Priced from £21.99.

For more details visit www.rimonwinery.co.uk or telephone 08456 261122

n ALGAE BASED OMEGA 3 SUPPLEMENT V-PURE Isn’t it frustrating when you read about the importance of omega 3 fatty acids and the only emphasis is on oily fish or fish oils? Oily fish contain omega 3 in their bodies because they eat algae so V-Pure source their omega directly from algae, the food that many fish eat. V-Pure’s capsules are rich in EPA and DHA which may aid protection against heart disease. V-Pure algae are organically grown in controlled conditions too.

Priced from £14.95 or take advantage of their current 3 for 2 offer.

For more details visit www.v-pure.com

Dr Philip Bickley

A

rticles have recently been published

products…and for fish and seafood, the

indicating that a well-planned vegan diet is

intake of which is low in this population” 3.

not only adequate for all ages but healthy, and can even protect us against some of the most serious illnesses afflicting humans

That’s a useful one to quote next time someone tells you about the ‘healthy Mediterranean diet’!

living in many parts of the world.

A study in Japan found that “increasing soy The American Dietetic Association

consumption was associated with a

has released a paper updating their

decreased risk of COPD [chronic

position on vegetarian diets.

obstructive pulmonary disease] and

The paper concludes that vegetarian

breathlessness.”

healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and adolescents and can

The study states that

more research is needed before the same

diets (including total vegetarian or vegan diets) if well-planned, are

4

conclusion can be generalized to everyone.

Good news for soy eaters in Japan and quite possibly the world over.

help prevent and treat chronic diseases Finally, for any reader racing along the

including heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.

1

path to being a vegan with a quick pit-stop at vegetarianism, a study on cancer incidence in British vegetarians

The conclusion of another recent study delivers more good news for vegans, but

concluded “...this study suggests that the

bad news for people who consume fat of

incidence of all malignant neoplasms

animal origin - “In this large prospective

combined may be lower among both fish eaters and vegetarians than among

cohort with a wide range of intakes, dietary fat of animal origin was

meat eaters. The most striking

associated with increased

finding was the relatively low risk for

2

cancers of the lymphatic and

pancreatic cancer risk” .

haematopoietic tissues among 5

vegetarians” .

The belief in the health benefits bestowed by a Mediterranean diet seems common to most people in the West.

Interestingly, a study on the health effects of Mediterranean diets concluded: “The dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of ethanol [alcohol], low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes. Minimal contributions [benefits] were found for cereals and dairy

References 1. American Dietetic Association. Appropriate Planned Vegetarian Diets Are Healthful, May Help in Disease Prevention and Treatment, Says American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/media_22003_ENU_HTML.htm (accessed 09 July 2009) 2. Thiébaut ACM. Jiao L. et al. Dietary Fatty Acids and Pancreatic Cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2009; 101: 1001 - 1011 3. Trichopoulou A. Bamia C. et al. Anatomy of health effects of Mediterranean diet: Greek EPIC prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal 2009; 338: b2337.

4. Hirayama F. Lee AH. et al. Soy consumption and risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms: a case-control study in Japan. Respiratory Research 2009; 10: 56 5. Key TJ. Appleby PN. et al. Cancer incidence in British vegetarians. British Journal of Cancer 2009; 101: 192-197

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n ALL-VEGAN TEAM COMPLETES UK 3 PEAKS CHALLENGE It took from 13:00 3rd May until 12:25 4th May 2009, for an all-vegan team to complete the famous UK Three Peaks Challenge. They successfully climbed the highest mountains in Wales (Mount Snowdon), England (Scafell Pike) and Scotland (Ben Nevis) in less than 24 hours. They walked, ran and limped some 25 miles (40 km), climbed around 10,000 feet (3,050 m), and travelled nearly 500 miles between the three countries, averaging less than two hours sleep! http://www.extremevegansports.org

n FUN RUN Neil Cant participated in the Great Midlands Fun Run on Sunday 31 May and raised £85 for The Vegan Society.

Thank you Neil!

Art student Emily Deboo recently achieved a Distinction for her very poignant piece of vegan artwork.

n VEGAN BIRTH Vegan Society Finance Officer, Fiona Sylva, gave birth to Ruben Jack Rose on Sunday 5th July. Ruben weighed 8lb 1oz at birth and will of course be brought up vegan.

Congratulations to Fiona and Jim.

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n GOOD NEWS FOR BREAST-FEEDING MOTHERS New growth charts coincided with National Breastfeeding Awareness Week in May. ‘Growth charts’ generically plot ‘normal’ growth from newborns to four years of age.

This was previously based on formula-fed babies instead of breast-fed babies who tend to gain weight more slowly, at a healthier pace and are less likely to become obese in later life. This meant that breastfed babies were previously and inaccurately registered as weighing consistently less than they should do. It is good to know that this error has now been put right because for too long parents who raise breastfed vegan children have often been accused of under-nourishing them.

n VEGAN RUNNERS Anna Flint’s extraordinary achievements deserve a report in themselves! Aiming to run in 10 marathon-length (or longer) events by the end of May, she easily completed the task, a month ahead of schedule, on 26 April at the Shakespeare Marathon, Stratford-upon-Avon. The 10 events helped to raise £15,000 for campaigns against animal abuse.

Not one to ‘put her feet up’, Anna has since run a further seven events of marathon distance or greater including twice running two events over a weekend!

For more details of Anna’s achievements see http://annakatfinn.blogspot.com.

banners and club kit in evidence, so a lot of the public noted our presence.

Ian Hodge has also focused on ‘ultradistances’, running four events over the space of 5 weeks from 1 March, the longest being 50 miles near Doncaster.

The photo shows, from the left: Ed Banks, James Meldrum, Ron Franklin (former 2.25 achiever) and Max Newton.

In the London Marathon on 26 April we had many of our top runners competing, with James Meldrum leading us home in 2.36.42 (120th), an improvement of 41 seconds on his 2008 time. Four of our runners finishing in under three hours was a notable achievement. Many of our other members came along with

Ron does consume honey but has otherwise been free of animal products since the 1960s and at age 80 still runs shorter distances.

For details of our other achievements, including shorter distances such as 10K and 5K, see http://veganrunnersuk.blogspot.com

n THE BELGIAN CITY OF GHENT’S WEEKLY VEGETARIAN DAY You may have heard about this – it appeared in many mainstream newspapers in May. Reuters news website claims that “The average Belgian eats 1,800 animals in his or her lifetime”. The city of Ghent is trying to change this with a weekly vegetarian day led by public officials and politicians and followed by schoolchildren with their own veggiedag in September. Around 90,000 “veggie street maps” are now being printed to help people find the city’s vegetarian eateries.

The goal behind this pioneering move is two-fold. Firstly, to lower the environmentally disastrous impact of livestock, stated by the UN to be responsible for a staggering 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, and a host of other environmental ills. Secondly, to tackle healththreatening obesity in Ghent thought to be related to animal products. Other Belgian cities have already shown interest in following Ghent’s example. Now all we have to do is make it a vegan day, every day, in every city and the world will be a much lovelier place! www.vegetarismus.ch/klimaschutz/ghent_en.htm The Vegan l Autumn 2009

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Veggie

Pride The 16th of May saw the first ever Veggie Pride event take place in the UK. Since 2001 Veggie Prides have been held in Paris (moving this year to Lyon) with the phenomenon spreading to Rome, New York and Prague and later to Los Angeles and Milan.

V

eggie Pride UK, organised by Midlands Vegan Campaigns, took veg*nism to the masses, transforming Birmingham’s busy city centre, Victoria Square, into a loud and proud celebration of compassionate, eco-friendly, healthy lifestyles There were stalls from educational and campaign groups such as The Vegan Society (of course!), Animal Aid, Viva!, Sea Shepherd, Hunt Sabs,

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Animals Count and the Campaign for Eco-Veg*nism. A mix of businesses with stalls in the square meant that Veggie Priders could pick up crueltyfree cosmetics, toiletries, clothing and books.

Even the most hardened non-vegan would struggle to say that vegans “can’t eat anything”. All food at Veggie Pride was vegan and included delicious dosas, curries, burgers, “fish” & chips, battered sausages, pasties and

various cold savouries. For those with a sweet tooth there were a wide variety of scrummy cakes as well as creme eggs, chocolate hearts, sweets, truffles and millionaire’s shortbread.

A packed entertainment programme provided something for everyone, from belly dancers to yoga to poetry to acoustic folk music to reggae to hiphop! A kids’ corner provided activities for children while Kristoff the clown provided entertainment for all ages.

Probably the most defining feature of all Veggie Pride events is a procession through the streets. Veggie Pride UK did this in style with a local samba band leading the parade while enthusiastic priders, many in costume, danced their way along the procession route handing out leaflets to shoppers and onlookers. The cover picture of this issue of The Vegan gives an idea of the atmosphere of the event.

Veggie Pride France This year, on May 16th 2009, the ninth French Veggie Pride took place, for the first time in Lyon rather than Paris where it had been held for the previous 8 years. Between 300 and 400 vegetarians and vegans gathered for the march.

The activists chanted and many carried banners and signs they had made themselves.

The following webpage shows the media coverage of Veggie Pride France: http://www.veggiepride.fr/home/nextVP/medias.html

Despite the intermittent rain, the first UK Veggie Pride was a huge success that reached out to a large number of non-vegans too. Curious shoppers passing through the square stopped to take advantage of the entertainment, queued up for vegan food and left clutching leaflets from the variety of stalls.

Veggie Pride Milan In Italy Veggie Pride brought together 700 people who marched through the centre of Milan expressing their refusal to eat animals. During and after the march, participants read texts about the poor conditions that farmed animals endure. At the Piazza San Babila, some demonstrators lay down on the ground, attracting the attention of passers-by. The march was filmed by the national TV and had good media coverage. You can find a series of photos of the Italian Veggie Pride march on www.veggiepride.it

Veggie Pride Prague

Veggie Pride is a must for your diary next year, so keep your eye on the Veggie Pride UK website: www.veggiepride.org.uk

Veggie Pride in Prague was a big success with hundreds of people and a nice sunny day. Thousands of stickers were given out and hundreds of leaflets and magazines. In the evening there was a concert in one of Prague’s clubs and a lecture there for about 70 people. www.veggiepride.xf.cz

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I

nspired by London Vegan Campaign’s vegan pledge scheme, the Vegan Society has been running a vegan pledge since autumn 2008. The vegan pledge encourages people to try veganism for one week, two weeks or a month while receiving the support of an e-mentor as well as an e-pack giving practical tips, recipes and nutritional advice. These days many people have heard of veganism as it increasingly appears in the media, whether it be as part of the debate on animal farming, eco-living, health or delicious dairy free cooking. This increased level of coverage means more and more people are curious about trying veganism without the pressure of committing to it forever. Since running the pledge it has become clear that there are a variety of reasons why people take part. Some pledgers have an awareness that veganism is beneficial on many levels while others are motivated by a single issue. A good proportion of pledgers contact us after having their eyes opened to the suffering and exploitation of farmed animals but feel unsure about how to make the change to veganism after a life-long, non vegan habit.

A significant number of pledgers cite environmental motivations for wanting to try veganism which means that the eco-vegan message is getting through. Health benefits are a popular reason for taking part.

Others give it a go because they have a vegan friend or family member or as part of a school or college project. A few pledgers have no strong motivation at all other than to try something different! Pledgers fill in a brief pre-pledge questionnaire which enables us to give tailored advice on their own personal sticking points; they are then hooked up to a personal mentor. Typical pre-pledge concerns are eating out, cheese, milk in tea and the reactions of other people.

So after taking the pledge how do people feel? By far the most common piece of feedback is that veganism is far easier than they thought it would be which is great news, especially as most people’s perception of veganism is that it is “too difficult”! Many pledge to adopt veganism permanently while those that don’t nearly always pledge to decrease their consumption of animal products. People who took the pledge for health or environmental reasons report a greater awareness of animal exploitation and suffering and for some this becomes the motivation to adopt veganism full time. A reoccurring theme is that the extra support makes all the difference, just knowing that there is a mentor to turn to helps pledgers to stay on track. As one pledger told us “I have tried to become a vegan a couple of times in my life and have always failed. With all your help I am now a vegan. Thank you”.

Since its launch over 140 people have taken the vegan pledge. If you are interested in becoming a pledge mentor please contact The Vegan Society office for more details.

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A

fter commencing the evening with a vegan pizza, the RAFA (Real Ale For All) stomachs contained sufficient “beer ballast” for the night ahead. RAFA was heading to Market Drayton in Shropshire to visit a pub serving vegan real ale and it could be a long night!

RAFA had approached Damion “Digger” Davis, landlord of the Kings Arms and he was very receptive to the idea of trialling isinglass-free ale.

RAFA had advised on the ease of producing a cask beer with no animal products in it, and this was confirmed by Slater’s Ales, a Staffordbased brewery, who were happy to supply him.

Digger’s existing regulars love the isinglass-free ale, and he has acquired a new “regular” in a local vegan. The vegan ale is now a permanent fixture!

“We gazed lovingly at the deep amber liquid in front of us, noting the slight haze that was present due to the lack of additional “finings”.”

It was with great excitement that we arrived in Market Drayton. As beer-loving vegans it had been a long time since we had been able to have our favourite drink served to us via a traditional hand pump from a cask.

In the pub we were greeted warmly

by Digger who was holding court with his friends and colleagues. At the bar we asked the barmaid which beer was vegan and she was able to tell us. We could hardly believe that we were about to consume vegan real ale!

We gazed lovingly at the deep amber liquid in front of us, noting the slight haze that was present due to the lack of additional “finings”.

At RAFA we like to call this a “natural haze” as it is the effect of leaving the beer to clear naturally rather than adding isinglass.

Enough staring, though – time to get drinking! The taste and texture is not in any way affected by the lack of fining. The beer had a smooth taste to it and the first pints went down very quickly!

Digger produced another round and the quality of the beer was consistent with the first. As we were drinking these pints and chatting with the locals, we were introduced to Yvonne, the pub manager at the Kings Arms. She explained that there is no need to add finings to real ale if proper cellar management is employed.

Beer settles naturally if left for a week or so, and if a cellar is managed with the rotation of the

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beers on the pumps at correct time intervals real ale can truly be enjoyed by all. RAFA would like to add that cellar management is an art form that the team at the Kings Arms exhibit perfectly. The use of isinglass is an additive and a short cut in a product that is marketed as “real” and “traditional”.

The evening progressed and we had a great time, until the natural effects of the product we love drinking suggested that we quit while we were ahead! With big smiles and bellies full of real ale, RAFA left with the dream alive where no animal is killed for people to enjoy their favourite pint. Clear?

No thanks, we like it a bit hazy!

See www.myspace.com/realaleforall for further details

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Roger Merenyi

I

f you enjoy warm sunshine, tropical beaches and beautiful flora and fauna, and if you are comfortable clocking up carbon emissions from a long-haul flight, then Grenada in the Caribbean could be the ideal destination for your next holiday.

I recently spent a week in Grenada, having last visited the island over 25 years ago. Despite a four-fold increase in traffic and a noticeable proliferation of plastic and other rubbish from new supermarkets and other developments in the southwest of the island (such is ‘progress’), I was pleased to see that Grenada had retained much of its previous beauty and charm. It is a lovely island, only 21 miles long by 12 miles wide, with friendly people, lush vegetation and a relaxed way of life.

For the visiting vegan, I have three suggestions. Firstly, if you are catering for yourself, then you might like to take a copy of Linda Majzlik’s A Vegan Taste of the Caribbean with you (available from The Vegan Society). Although Grenada suffered a serious battering from Hurricane Ivan in 2004, in which it lost a number of its fruit trees and sustained damage to its arable land, the island still has a plentiful supply of delicious West Indian ingredients, including bananas, breadfruit, callaloo, mangoes, oranges, plantains, yams and spices. This is your opportunity to enjoy some top quality ital food and give your immune system a real boost.

Secondly, if you want to stay in vegan accommodation with stunning 360degree views of the island and first-class vegan meals provided, then book in at The Lodge, which is Sunflower registered and is near the capital, St George’s.

The three acre site is 600 feet above sea level and is surrounded by mountains and tropical rainforest. From your balcony, you can watch the sun set over the Caribbean Sea and spend the evening stargazing into a perfectly clear sky.

Thirdly, I strongly advise you to try the vegan organic chocolate made by the Grenada Chocolate Company. Grenada grows one of the finest and richest cocoa crops in the world, partly due to the hot climate but also due to the super-rich volcanic soil. I’ve enjoyed some superb vegan chocolates over the years but this one is, I think, the best I have ever tasted.

See www.grenadachocolate.com to learn more about Grenada’s solar-powered chocolate factory and its delicious chocolate. We brought back ten bars as gifts for friends and they were gone in no time. Buying some more is the perfect excuse for another visit.

Mark and Mary Hardy, the vegan proprietors, have ensured that the accommodation is as environmentally friendly as possible, and for those who are concerned about air miles, they plant a tree for every person who stays at The Lodge as a contribution towards offsetting the carbon footprint created by the air flight. Visit www.thelodgegrenada.com for more information about this remarkably beautiful vegan venue.

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Charley Roberts, www.cookingforvegans.co.uk

MARINATED MUSHROOMS Serves 3-4 as a starter with bread 300g whole mushrooms (e.g. chestnut, button or mini portobello) 100ml olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced salt and pepper to taste Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, mixing well.

Heat until the oil begins to sizzle, then cover and cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes.

This dish can be served warm as a starter with fresh bread, or warm or cold as a buffet or potluck dish.

SPINACH AND TOFU “RICOTTA” STUFFED PASTA SHELLS Serves 2 175g large pasta shells 500g spinach 1 tsp nutmeg olive oil for frying 250g firm tofu 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp olive oil salt and pepper tomato sauce, either home-made or a ready-made tomato pasta sauce, enough to lightly cover the shells Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Cook the pasta shells according to the instructions on the pack.

Make the tomato sauce if using home-made.

Finely chop the spinach (use a food processor if you have one) and fry gently with the nutmeg and a little olive oil until wilted. Crumble the tofu into a bowl and mix in the vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Add to the spinach mixture and fry for a couple of minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly coat the base of an ovenproof dish with olive oil. Place some of the mixture inside each pasta shell and place in a single layer in the dish. Spread the tomato sauce over the shells and bake for 15 minutes.

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BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM ALTERNATIVE Recipe is courtesy of Kirsty Henshaw who has just launched a new

Prep time 15 mins / Cooling time 30 mins Freezing time 4 hours (if not using ice cream maker) Serves 3 – 4

and delicious range of Worthenshaws Vegan Ice Cream alternatives into the retail market. You can find more information on her website www.worthenshaws.co.uk

400ml rice milk 100ml Sweet Freedom (rich)* 100g blueberries 30g organic virgin coconut oil 30g lecithin granules (available from many health food shops) Pour rice milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil very slowly.

While the rice milk is heating, add the Sweet Freedom, coconut oil and lecithin granules to the pan.

Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat; when slightly cooled, blend for 20 seconds.

When it has reached room temperature, put the smooth mix into the fridge to cool completely.

When completely cool, gently squash the blueberries with a spoon before adding them to the mixture.

Stir the mixture, add to an ice cream maker if you have one and follow the instructions for use; alternatively, freeze in a container, regularly stirring through the mixture as it freeze, to ensure a smooth result. *Low GI alternative to honey, maple syrup, etc – see Shoparound page 11.

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THE VEGAN SCOOP: RECIPES FOR DAIRY-FREE ICE CREAM THAT TASTES BETTER THAN THE REAL THING

By Wheeler Toro Published by Fair Winds Press ISBN-10: 1-59233-392-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-392-9 Price: £12.99 Reviewed by Verity Hunt-Sheppard Lovers of frozen desserts and home made fare alike will delight in The Vegan Scoop, which contains 150 recipes for ice creams and sorbets with two additional chapters on sauces and accompaniments. Frozen desserts are divided into Classic, Fruity, Healthy, Asian, Caribbean and Island, Novelty, and Aphrodisiacal (allegedly). Flavours include Cherry Jubilee, Caramel, Fig, Lavender Mint, Spicy Chocolate Twist, Rocky Road, Almond Cookie, Irish Cream and Champagne Sorbet. The sauces and accompaniments include recipes for Chocolate Fudge Brownies, Biscotti’s, Sandwich Cookies, Cup Cakes, Hot Fudge Sauce, Sugar Cones and even vegan Twinkies.

For complete beginners there is a section on meeting your ice cream maker and knowing your ingredients which includes some nutritional information on the foods and flavourings used in the book. Although this is an American recipe book the ingredients are stated in metric as well. The book is beautifully presented with colour photography every few pages interspersed with interesting facts. The Vegan Scoop contains everything for the beginner and the experienced dessert maker, a wonderful addition to anyone’s recipe book collection.

MEAT THE TRUTH Presented by Marianne Thieme An Alalena production commissioned by the Nicolas G. Pierson Foundation Available from: www.animalscount.org Price £10 plus postage Reviewed by Rosamund Raha Beautifully presented by the charismatic Marianne Thieme, MP for The Party for the Animals in the Netherlands, Meat the Truth is the first DVD I know of that almost exclusively discusses the relationship between ‘livestock’ farming and climate change.

Meat the Truth uses the United Nations FAO report Livestock’s Long Shadow and other authoritative resources for its facts and figures; but it also uses engaging personalities such as Vegan Cowboy Howard Lyman for interest. Classic cartoons such as The Meatrix and Cows with Guns also appear in the film; making it fun to watch.

I recommend this excellent film to anyone who wants to make the environmental case for veganism.

THE VEGAN TABLE: 200 UNFORGETTABLE RECIPES FOR ENTERTAINING EVERY GUEST FOR EVERY OCCASION

By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Published by Fair Winds Press ISBN-10: 1-59233-374-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-374-5 Price: £12.99 Reviewed by Verity Hunt-Sheppard Award winning author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is back with her second book, The Vegan Table.

This gorgeously presented guide to entertaining is divided into six main sections: Romantic Dinners for Two, Casual Meals for Four to Six, Formal Dining for Six to Ten, Menus for Special Occasions, Feasts for the Holidays and finally, Buffets, Heavy Appetisers, and Finger Food. Each section gives ideas for spring, summer, autumn and winter menus.

Recipes include, Pumpkin Curry, Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew, Tempeh and Eggplant Pot Pies, Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce, Blackberry Pecan Crisp, Chai-Spiced Almond Cookies and Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting. Each recipe is accompanied with a basic nutritional break-down that includes calories and fat per serving, and ingredients are listed in metric and US measurements.

To ensure you entertain with style there is advice on giving toasts, creating settings and designing a centre piece. There are cooking tips and facts on food and food lore. Finally there is advice for vegans living in a non-vegan world, and advice for the friends and families of vegans; a very clever idea as this book would make a marvellous gift. The Vegan Table is an exquisite publication that will appeal to anyone interested in food, entertaining or veganism.

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THE HERETIC’S GUIDE TO VEGAN COOKERY

By Andy Murray Published by The Good Elf Press ISBN: 978-0-9560868-0-8 Price: £12.99 Reviewed by Charley Roberts This collection would suit creative cooks – with dishes such as Malaysian Coconut and Pineapple Curry, Moroccan Chickpea and Fennel Tagine and Hazelnut and Celery Risotto – as well as those who prefer less complicated recipes such as Celery and Cashew Soup, Roasted Hassleback Potatoes and Asparagus, Lemon and Pine Nut Penne. Above all, it will appeal to cooks who like to keep their ingredients natural and unprocessed and prefer to avoid recipes which try too hard to replicate traditionally non-vegan dishes.

This book has the feel of being two books in one, with an alternative contents page listing the author’s ‘musings’ on various ‘New Age’ topics. The book is written in a very individual style, which is at times almost stream-of-consciousness. This will appeal to some but not all readers. Either way, the recipes alone will speak for themselves.

VEGAN BRUNCH: HOMESTYLE RECIPES WORTH WAKING UP FOR – FROM ASPARAGUS OMELETS TO PUMPKIN PANCAKES

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz Published by Lifelong Books ISBN 978-0-73821272-2 Price: £11.99 Reviewed by Amanda Baker From the co-author of the series Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and Veganomicon, the Vegan Brunch cookbook has triggered a massive wave of rave reviews.

Isa’s writing style is still unashamedly ‘punky’, but do persist: there are over 150 distinctive and delicious recipes here. The tofu scramble, frittata, waffle and muffin ideas are all particularly inspiring.

The Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes (a savoury ‘burger’ spiced with hot sauce, mustard and optional nori) were the most popular with my non-vegan family.

I have a few caveats. Some of the recipes are fiddly, and one or two of the ingredients are confusing - I had to look up ‘panko breadcrumbs’ for instance.

As she is writing an explicitly vegan cookbook, Moskowitz is not shy about reclaiming the term ‘milk’ - she sometimes lists it without any qualifiers.

Even so, this book is a great addition to the sizeable vegan cookbook library. Now I just need a personal brunch chef to cook these recipes for me every Sunday morning.

THE HEALTHY VEGAN (DVD and recipe booklet) Featuring Rose Elliot, John Bayley, Tony and Yvonne Bishop-Weston Available from www.thehealthyvegandvd.com Price £14.99 Reviewed by Stephen Walsh

Whilst I am by no means an expert in cookery, I enjoy my food and I enjoy cooking. The Healthy Vegan DVD brings the preparation of many interesting recipes to life in a way that a cookery book cannot and as a demonstration of tasty vegan cooking it is very good indeed.

I especially enjoyed seeing the creation of nori rolls made to look so easy and the way that basic recipes such as bread dough were used in various ways.

Indeed, Tasty Vegan would perhaps have been a better title.

From the health point of view, the Vegan Society’s free 16page Plant Based Nutrition booklet is a more reliable source of information. The DVD does give some sound advice about eating more fruit and vegetables, but also makes unsubstantiated recommendations such as to drink two litres of water a day and, more seriously, the misleading claim that chlorella is a proven source of vitamin B12 when there are no human trials confirming this. It also completely overlooks other key issues for vegans such as vitamin D and iodine.

Whilst there is too much use of salt and white flour in some of the recipes to commend them wholeheartedly for health, the demonstrations bring to life a variety of innovative recipes for delicious vegan food ranging from quick and easy dishes to gourmet creations. I look forward to trying some of them very soon.

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THE BUNNY HUGGING TERRORIST

By Joan Court Published by Selene Press ISBN: 0-9543452-0-5 Price: £10 Reviewed by Vanessa Clarke The second volume of Joan Court’s colourful autobiography.

The first - In the Shadow of Mahatma Gandhi - documented Joan’s experiences as an abused child, through nursing and midwifery in India and the Appalachians, to her years with the NSPCC and as a Government adviser on child abuse.

The Bunny Hugging Terrorist begins with Joan’s arrival in Cambridge, just shy of statutory retirement age, to study social anthropology at New Hall. It charts three decades of increasingly militant animal rights activism encompassing the closure of Hillgrove, the defeat of Cambridge University’s primate research plans and the ongoing campaign to achieve a similar victory in Oxford.

THE EXTENDED CIRCLE – A DICTIONARY OF HUMANE THOUGHT Compiled by Jon Wynne-Tyson Published by Centaur Press, an imprint of Open Gate Press ISBN: 978-0-9000001-57-4 Price: £14.95 Reviewed by Vanessa Clarke This wonderful anthology is finally back in print – a massive 440 pages of quotations, from the Bible and the Koran to Tom Regan and Paul McCartney, Gandhi, Pythagoras and Spike Milligan, all dedicated to animal rights in the broadest sense of the term. Since the first edition appeared in 1985, The Extended Circle has been a key resource for thousands of people in search of a more compassionate world.

When not chained to the Senate House railings in Cambridge, on hunger strike in Oxford or sailing as crew with Sea Shepherd, Joan runs an animal helpline, writes letters to the press and looks after her cats and the band of friends who form her “fictive family”.

There is sufficient bibliographical information for the interested reader to follow up any particular entry or author without undue difficulty. Whilst most of us will inevitably find some favourite quotations unaccountably absent, we shall also find many dozens, hundreds even, that were previously unknown to us.

As well as providing quotations for all occasions and purposes, every entry sheds new light on the struggle for justice and compassion through the ages.

This latest volume takes us up to Joan’s 90th birthday with no sign of any diminishing of her lifelong commitment to those least able to stand up for themselves. Watch out for Confessions of a Campaigning Centenarian in due course...

If you don’t have a copy, get one now. If your current copy has fallen to bits from overuse, now is your chance to replace it.

If you’re looking for a useful and lasting gift for someone, look no further: this is it.

ANI’S RAW FOOD DESSERTS: 85 EASY, DELECTABLE SWEETS AND TREATS

By Ani Phyo Published by Da Capo Press ISBN: 978-0-7382-1306-4 Price: £10.99 Reviewed by Charley Roberts This little book is packed full of all sorts of raw food sweet treats such as cakes, cookies, sorbets, cupcakes, fresh fruit desserts and chocolates, with colour photos accompanying most recipes.

The book seems to have two aims – impressing the reader with colourful, delicious-looking creations, and highlighting the health benefits of raw desserts. Many are based on nutritious ingredients such as cashews, dates, apricots, avocados or other nuts or fruits, so in addition to being tasty they also provide a nutrient boost. Eat your dessert – it’s good for you!

The recipes are largely straightforward to make and, because there is no cooking time involved, many can be served immediately. A food processor or blender is useful for some of the recipes but others can be made without any specialist equipment. There is a handy key above each recipe to tell you what you need.

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magine a lovely summer’s day. At the end of the lagoon, which is bordered by a lawn and pavilions

there is a large audience gathered, seated around tables. The tables are covered with plates of French fries, salads and baps with a variety of meaty-looking fillings, cakes and beverages, all of which are completely vegan. Gathered with their families within, there are Directors of Animal Rights charities, Vegan Runners and other personalities with their Public Relations experts. Does it sound like a dream?

I found myself competing for space with the staff at the three ‘bars’ inside, but it was a convivial way to say hello to some great vegans. A team of chefs put together the cooked meals and salads behind one counter. Cakes and beverages were served from another surrounded by high stools. A bar in a separate room had more relaxed seating.

As a Vegan Society member and local contact, even I was given a taste of the “V-Bites” VIP treatment to mark the occasion, and was instructed by Heather to help myself to whatever I liked from the bar. I requested a well-chilled Almond Milk, and waylaid a wholesome apricot flap-jack as it jostled around the table amongst fairy cakes and other vegan delights on a twirling mini-conveyor belt. I warmly recommend “V-Bites” to you all.

There is a website with more information: www.vbites.com Eleisha C Newman Vegan Society Local Contact for Lewes 4th July 2009

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Bill Laws

Why do we use the same word, pepper, for a favourite salad vegetable and for the seasoning offered by Italian waiters when they bring us a bowl of pasta?

The black grains that pack the waiters’ pepper mill come from a climbing vine native to India and look nothing like that mainstay of the salad bowl, the bell, bullnose, or sweet pepper. Their Latin names show both ‘peppers’ are separate too: Piper nigrum for the black pepper, and Capsicum annuum for the salad vegetable.

What curious twist of history caused this peppery mix-up? Black peppercorns are the real peppers. They were known in ancient

times: 3,000 pounds of pepper was one of the ransoms demanded for the release of some Romans 1600 years ago. In the Middle Ages pepper, possibly from the Sanskrit pippali, was dubbed King Spice and traded like silver bullion. Then Christopher Columbus reached the West Indies in the 1490s and discovered the native ‘capsicum peppers’, all closely related to those other American natives, the potato and the tomato. The most familiar of the capsicum ‘peppers’ are the green, red or yellow bell peppers.

Paprika, a delightful spice essential to any vegan version of Hungarian goulash, is made from dried and powdered capsicum annuum. Then there are the red hot chilli

peppers (Capsicum fructescens), a favourite addition for curries and used to make tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper. The native American word for the hot ‘peppers’ was chilli, but when the Spanish invaders tasted them they gasped for breath and water and declared them just like pimento, or pepper. Confusion has reigned ever since.

Bill Laws is the author of Spade, Skirret and Parsnip – A Curious History of Vegetables and of Boots, Byways and Blisters – A History of Walkers and Walking.

THE GREAT CUPCAKE INVASION In April the Chorlton area of Manchester held its first ever ‘Big Green Festival’ and the Manchester Vegan Group asked to have a stall. Inspired by the current fashion for cupcakes they chose the little decadent treats as the focus for the stall. The fabulous recipes in the book Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero gave them inspiration and they produced flavours such as Green Tea and Almond, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Lemon Macadamia Nut, Rum and Raisin and many more. Alongside the cakes was literature to promote the dairy and egg free message and lots of people asked questions about vegan baking.

They literally sold like hot cakes! Every single one went, in total over 400. They had cake boxes for people to fill that held any 5 cakes (1 free!). The pick n mix element of this was really popular. One group member who went to have a look round the festival came back to find the stall almost emptied surrounded by what they described as a ‘scrum-like cake grabbing scene!’ All in all a highly recommended fun way for groups to spread the vegan message. They will definitely be doing it again.

Manchester Vegans can be found eating cupcakes and other vegan delights on the last Saturday of each month at Mod Pop café on Oldham Street from 1.30pm. http://www.manchester.vegangroup.co.uk/index.html or join their Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/manchester-vegan-society/message/2667

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“ECO EXTRAVAGANZA IS HAILED A SUCCESS” An article about the fourth annual Redditch Green Fair, accompanied by 3 big photos, was splashed across the Redditch Advertiser on 24 June 2009: http://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk /news/4442329.Green_Fair_was_great/ It especially mentioned that members of Redditch Vegetarians and Vegans put on an impressive feast of free vegan food samples alongside recipes, nutrition information and details of the environmental benefits of plant based diets and that further catering was provided by Green Garden Cafe, a not-for-profit vegan catering business from Coventry.

Well done to the Redditch group!

Peter White

THE COMPOST CONNECTION

T

he big question for vegan-organic gardeners: where to obtain decent ready-made vegan-organic seed and potting composts without spending a fortune? Vegan-Organic Network (VON) members are constantly on the look out and below are the latest suggestions from VON. Remember that formulations can change so check before you buy.

First, two animal free products that used to be available, Gem compost and B&Q peat free organic seem to be no longer offered although there may still be stocks around.

‘Fertile Fibre’s’ Vegro, based on coir is available (‘Fertile Fibre’: www.fertilefibre.co.uk 01432 853111).

The possible down side to it is all those coir miles from Sri Lanka. According to their website, “considerable effort and technology ensures that coir is shipped very efficiently.” Only sea transport is used, with 285 cubic metres in a container.

There are three kinds of Vegro: seed, multipurpose and potting composts. VON member and advocate, Graham Cole of Hampshire, has used all three in the stately home garden he manages and is very pleased with it. The coir used is processed, making it better than some other coir based products. VON members report good results with a few precautions – watering from below, protecting pots from heavy rain to avoid the nutrients washing out, and feeding with liquid comfrey or liquid seaweed after about 3 to 4 weeks.

‘Pro-Grow’ soil conditioner, with a Soil Association certificate, is good for soil improvement and planting trees, shrubs, etc; it has been successfully used as a seed compost by some VON members. ‘ProGrow’ general-purpose compost is a “specially formulated mix of Pro-Grow Peat Free Conditioner and natural materials”.

It is an animal free mix, containing small amounts of inorganic nutrients. These can be delivered in bulk quite cheaply.

See www.pro-grow.co.uk or ring CPL at 0845 6789955.

Grow Vegan Puzzler Question; What plant family does clover belong to; pea, brassica or borage?

Send your answer on a postcard to: The Vegan Society (address on page 1) by 1 October 2009.

The winner receives a box of beautiful vegan soaps.

The answer to the Summer Grow Vegan Puzzler is: Sweet violet (Viola odorata) and the winner is Anna Merenyi

The Co-operative Society now sells a peatfree, animal-free compost ‘for use in organic systems’. The compost is formulated from a blend of sustainable renewable resources, containing composted bark finds, coir and clay. It has the FSC mark. An approved non-organic fertilizer has been incorporated. Stated uses include sowing, pricking out, growing on, cuttings, and outdoor planting of trees and shrubs. VON members have had mixed results raising seeds and potting on with this new product - adding some sieved (fine) garden compost or suchlike will improve it. If you try it, please let VON know how it worked for you. Available in many larger Co-op stores countrywide; if not in stock you should be able to order it from your nearest store. Contact Co-op Customer Relations: 0800 0686 727 for more information.

You can of course make your own mixes; good mature sieved garden compost with an equal part of horticultural sand is a good start for sowing seeds.

IN THE AUTUMN VEGAN-ORGANIC GARDEN Some ‘green manures’ (no animal inputs) can be planted quite late into September (weather permitting). These include field beans, crimson clover, mustard, winter tares and phacelia. Sow these on any empty land and they will benefit the soil. Field beans, tares and crimson clover are nitrogen fixers; they won’t do this over the winter but if the ground is not needed until later in the next year they will add some nitrogen before you dig them into the soil. Valuable nutrients are washed away by winter rains; now is the time to protect your bare soil by covering it with green manures, leaf mould, straw or indeed any organic material.

Over-wintering onions can be planted until mid-October in most regions, which will provide bulbs in the following June and the smaller ones can be used as spring onions too.

Late autumn is the time to plant fruit trees, soft fruit bushes, shrubs and hardy perennials so work out which ones to buy and order now. Fill the planting hole with a mixture of good compost and soil adding grit to improve drainage on heavy soil. The conventional advice is to add bone meal for slow release nutrients; instead of this grim stuff vegan growers can add seaweed meal or 5F compound fertiliser from ‘Fertile Fibre’ (contact details as before).

VON members can access a free gardening advice service by phone, letter or email.

Joining Vegan-Organic Network is an excellent move for the vegan-organic gardener and for anyone interested in animal rights and the environment; the twice-yearly VON magazine is packed with helpful information. Remember, there is a world of difference between vegan-organic (stockfree) and conventional organic – support VON and help get real vegan-grown food in the shops.

Write to: VON, 80 Annable Rd, Lower Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2DF phone 0845 223 5232 (local rate, 10am to 8pm) or email info@veganorganic.net visit the VON website and join online at www.veganorganic.net

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N

ever one to mince her words when it came to cruelty and injustice, for thirty years Pat was a courageous and outspoken campaigner for the animals, – a true voice for the voiceless.

It was therefore fitting that she chose the Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem on that theme which was read by her great friend and fellow activist Joan Court at her funeral.

It was also a poignant reminder of one of the most frustrating and isolating aspects of her two-year struggle with motor neurone disease: the gradual but inexorable loss of her ability to speak (though not of her ability to think and to feel and to care – we exchanged emails long after phone calls had become an impossibility). The months of steady and irreversible decline were hard for her family, hard for her friends and above all hard for Pat herself. Yet the radiant smile we all knew so well never faltered or faded, as the photo – taken just a few weeks ago – so clearly shows.

When I first moved to Cambridge nearly a decade ago I knew just three people in the vegan/animal movement there: Joan Court, whom I knew from live exports demos in Dover, and the whirlwind of activity known to activists far and wide as Pat’n’Sue. Despite her respectable appearance and glorious grey hair, Pat was the headstrong, impulsive side of a partnership that struck terror into the hearts of vivisectors, turkey breeders, seal clubbers, puppy farmers and anyone else treating other lives with violence or disrespect.

Both Sue (Hughes) and Joan tell of many occasions when Pat witnessed animal suffering and simply piled in without a thought for her own safety or what anyone else might think.

On one such occasion, driving back from a school talk, they spotted a crowd of farmers shooting at pheasants.

Pat jumped out of the car, marched into the field and confronted them.

Undeterred by the insults, the shots into the air, the threats of “We know

Portrait of a Campaigner Pat Griffin 1933 – 2009 Vanessa Clarke

After a moment of stunned silence, a sharp pair of scissors was produced and the unfortunate bird duly treated with all the skill the Pharmacy Department could muster.

Pat’n’Sue also doubled as the Granarchists, running a mobile soup kitchen known as Granarchist Grub from the back of Pat’s camper van – a kind of mini-Veggies providing cakes and ale for the protest vigils outside Huntingdon Life Sciences, vegan hot dogs for East Anglia Animal Rights meetings and coffee and walnut cake for everyone.

where you live,” she stood her ground and called the police. An officer duly turned up, to find two smartly dressed middle aged ladies up to their ankles in mud. “So where are all these men with guns, then?” The motley gang in the field were indignantly pointed out.

Unusually in such circumstances, the officer looked absolutely horrified: “Oh no - we’ve called the armed response unit from Oxford!”

On another occasion, leafleting in Cambridge, Pat came across a pigeon hobbled by tight twine. She picked up the bird and marched into the city centre branch of Boots the Chemist demanding to see their chiropodist.

Pat also found time to write a book, Lost Identity: Memoir of a world war two evacuee, published just a year or so ago. This describes her traumatic experiences as a young evacuee from a deprived area of South London adapting to life on a Welsh farm, her love for Rosie the pig whose slaughter she witnessed and never forgot, and the dawn of the passionate concern for animals that would motivate her till the end of her life.

The next East Anglia Animal Rights Network meeting, on Sunday 20th September, will be a celebration of Pat’s life and a tribute to her work.

Meanwhile, Sue has won an hour on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square on 11th August from 7 to 8 pm.

Speaking, as ever, for the voiceless victims of human cruelty she will dedicate her efforts to Pat.

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Write to: The Vegan Society, YOUth, Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street, Birmingham, B18 6HJ Email: youth@vegansociety.com Call: 0121 523 1738 www.vegansociety.com/teach_and_learn

Youth Contacts are aged 16-25 and are here for young vegans to connect with. If you would like to chat to a Youth Contact or if you would like to be one please get in touch with Rob (contact details above).

If you are under 16 please talk to your parents first!

Families at Veggie Pride

Veggie Pride was held in Birmingham on 16 May and a great day was had by all. I caught up with a few of the younger vegans to see what they made of the day.

Planet Cannibal - £8.95 An interesting new book from Dorreya Wood, suitable for young teenage readers. Set on an alien planet where the inhabitants eat ‘creef’ and ‘crork’, the flesh of their fellows! The book shows how greed has got the better of the ruling class and led them to do all manner of unspeakable things, and at the same time helps to show the worth of animals in relation to humans. To buy a copy contact:

Roy-Andre Raen said “I am proud to be a vegan together with my Mum. It is great to meet up with other people who are also proud to be vegan as so many people do not know what it means. I don’t use any animal products because of the cruelty towards animals in making or preparing them.”

Lucy Dove said “I am proud that we are vegan because we are not hurting animals.” Lucy is only 7 years old, but has been wearing her new vegan badges pinned to her bookbag, insisting that she should show her non-vegan friends.

Joe added “I am proud to be vegan because I’m helping to stop the cruelty to animals.”

Photo by Shari Black Velvet

Photo by Shari Black Velvet

There was also a vegan parents meet-up in London in June - a day of information and support on looking after vegan children with advice from a range of expert speakers on some of the issues that pop up.

With delicious food by Shambhu’s and about fifty vegan parents and children present, it was also an excellent chance for some younger vegans to hav around, of their own! Contact to find out more, or requ on at the Vegan Society office.

Photo by Shari Black Velvet The Vegan l Autumn 2009 The Vegan l Autumn 2009

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Contributions to Postbag are welcomed, but accepted on the understanding that they may be edited in the interests of brevity or clarity

I was pleased to read that Daisy in your Summer 2009 edition of PostBag had healthy vegan baby boy, congratulations.

I too had a great pregnancy (no morning sickness at all), birth (no painkillers), breastfeeding and post-birth (running around and moved house the next day) experience as a long-term vegan, and one year later baby Louis is doing fabulously. I was strongly influenced by Dr Gowri Motha’s “The Gentle Birth Method”, her book is pretty much pro-health and anti-dairy and I easily adapted the bits that weren’t vegan to suit me.

The key thing I think is crucial to the vegan mindset, it is not what you DON’T eat - but what you DO. One has to be well-informed and active about nutrition and health. Being pregnant is not an excuse to sit around eating flapjacks with one’s feet up getting fatter by the day, but rather walking, stretching, doing yoga, taking extra vitamins / omegas, and eating a rainbow of fabulous fresh foods.

The NHS staff I came across had no problems with my vegan diet - and most were actually pleased I was aware of nutrition, and pro-active in my research into the best way to achieve a great pregnancy/birth/baby.

If more omnivore pregnant women were as aware of their diet as Daisy and myself then maybe the NHS would be a richer place. Of course I’m not perfect, and I’ve not had one good night’s sleep in a year, but at least I’ve got the fuel to keep me going at my usual 100mph pace.

Lisa London

Awareness needs to be raised that some vegans who decide never to eat anything on any line that produces dairy food are ruining it for those of us that have lives where that sort of strict regime just is not possible or desirable.

I’ve been told by Green and Blacks that they do not state vegan products as vegan anymore because a vegan complained that vegan items were produced on non vegan lines. This has meant that Green and Blacks now list dairy as an item on their previously vegan ingredients list because there is a risk of crosscontamination especially with chocolate machinery that cannot be washed out with water and is flushed instead with plain vegan chocolate. This could really undermine the Vegan Society’s work in getting supermarkets and other suppliers to go out of their way to label vegan products.

A reaction I get all the time about being vegan is that non-vegans expect me to be stroppy about it and they have this view from previous bad experiences with vegans. I hope that I leave them with a more positive view of veganism but it is a shame that their view had previously been clouded by militant vegans.

Rebecca Hailsham

VEG 1 (£4.99 for three months’ adult supply) Specifically designed to benefit vegans of all ages in a safe and effective way.

Taken daily, VEG 1 ensures adequate supplies of selenium, iodine, vitamin D, folic acid, vitamins B2, B6 and, of course, B12. Based on extensive research by Vegan Society health and nutrition spokesperson Stephen Walsh, author of Plant Based Nutrition and Health, the supplement is ideal for vegans of all ages. Available only from The Vegan Society

VEGAN PASSPORT – 2nd Edition ISBN: 0-907337-30-9 Cover Price: £3.99 The Vegan Passport now boasts 56 languages, accounting for an incredible 93% of the world’s population. Slip it into your pocket, and you’ll find that wherever your travels take you, you’ll have no problem explaining your dietary needs (also handy for clarifying your needs when visiting restaurants in the UK). And if you do find somewhere where none of the 56 languages apply, the fail-safe pictures from the previous edition have been retained. It’s never been easier to travel the world without compromising on your vegetarian or vegan diet.

See www.vegansociety.com/shop

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To

READERS’ PROBLEMS

quote Green Day, and belie my awful teenage angst years, ‘summer has come and passed.’ But fear not, because I’ve got yet another Vegans Anonymous to inject a little sunshine into the otherwise dreary autumn days. We’ve got recipes, more reader’s problems and a new section guaranteed to please – my favourite vegetable. It is with a heavy heart that I have to let you know that my career as a Vegan Burlesque dancer didn’t work out – but I’m turning my hand to running. Me + fatigue + indecently short shorts – what’s not to love? I’m going to be running the Birmingham half marathon with my partner in crime in aid of The Vegan Society, Midlands Vegan Campaigns (fundraising for the West Mids Vegan Festival 09 – be there or be square!) and Vegan Campaigns (London) – if any kind souls would like to sponsor us for our efforts I’d be eternally grateful. You can drop me a line at alexvegansoc@googlemail.com or the VS office will kindly accept sponsorship monies!

you for your Well, gentle reader. Thank me blush! I g kin ma kind words. You’re an diet. veg my to n dow put it mostly an? If you are Maybe you should go veg ter of the oun enc hankering for a close Dear Alex, drop by the to nt wa ht mig vegan kind, you al Festiv in West Midlands Vegan How did you get n Hall on Wolverhampton’s Wulfru so ridiculously th 9. One event in Saturday October 24 200 good-looking? anonymous vegan our calendar when all us Where can I the woodwork for out types come crawling meet you and get more details For al! stiv a party-cum-fe your autograph? check out ds.org.uk/festival/. http://www.veganmidlan from, X See you there!

k.com TO: alex@veganslovein eink.com lov ans veg x@ FROM: ale n… ma Subject: This charming

Alex’

MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLE IS...

IS....

This issue we turn our attentions to the humble aubergine. It is native to India but now grown across the Asian continent – food miles-wise this isn’t your best behaved of food stuffs so... whoops. Technically not a vegetable, but a fruit – a berry – and closely related to tobacco and deadly nightshade. Americans might know it as eggplant, Indians as brinjal and in Trinidad the meloongen. In Birmingham it is known as the ‘oroight mayte whazzat bab?’ (sorry Dad, couldn’t resist)

You can fry it, oven roast it, use it to vanquish Lord Voldemort and it tastes simply divine cut into chunks, drizzled with olive oil, oven-roast for 30 – 40 minutes or so at 200C and then seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. A good price is 50p per aubergine down yer local (market), rising up to £1 and above in supermarkets.

Because of its seeds the fruit can be quite bitter, which is commonly countered with salting in the preparatory stages of cooking which supposedly removes both excess moisture and bitterness.

And why else do I dote on this delicious delicacy?

Well, believe it or not, the aubergine is fast gaining a reputation as a purveyor of great spiritual comfort and

enlightenment. In recent months, two gentlemen (yes, two!) have on two separate occasions discovered a sacred sign or symbol within the seeds. To ebay with you aubergine!

My advice: if you haven’t already, get your hands on an aubergine and learn to love again.

‘Til next time, Love, lentils & lycra, Alex

I L0VE CREAM CREAM LOVES ME, IT TASTES SO GOOD… Now as hip urbane vegans, we already know that there are all manner of wonderful vegan creams on the market (of the edible kind…) but what does one do when stuck in a tight one and craving the cream? Store cupboard staples a go-go for a quick trick to fake cream…

1 x pack of silken tofu (349g) 6 – 8 heaped tbsp icing sugar (or to taste) Lemon/Lime juice 1 – 2 tbsp vanilla extract Soya milk STEP ONE: Place your silken tofu in a large bowl.

STEP TWO: add initially 4 – 5 heaped tbsp of icing sugar, and 1 – 2 tbsp of vanilla extract to the bowl and get your stick blender going.

STEP THREE: Using a spoon (hygiene please, no fingers) taste. Adjust sweetness according to your palate, add more icing sugar if you like. Or don’t – it’s a free country…

Also start adding soya milk slowly to get the thickness as desired. More for a runny style cream, less for a thick cream.

STEP FOUR: When you are happy with the sweetness and thickness, add just a splash of a citric juice (lemon or lime) and finally, use a whisk or fork to fluff the cream up.

STEP FIVE: Chill until ready to use. Yum! Punk rock cooking at its best, and ready in less than 5 minutes. Take that generic health food store!

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THE VEGETARIAN CHARITY Needy young vegetarians up to and include the age of 25 years can receive grants from the Charity which also provides funds to promote vegetarianism among the young.

Donations and legacies are most welcome to ensure that we can continue with our valuable work.

Our fully funded vegan cookery course, held every August, is open to vegetarians and vegans aged 16-25 years.

Visit our website www.vegetariancharity.org.uk for more information Or contact: Grants Secretary, PO Box 473, Crewe CW3 OWU Registered Charity No 294767

Updated diaries and events information can be viewed at www.vegansociety.com This information has been provided by the event organisers.

AUGUST First French Vegan Festival Wednesday 19 August - Wednesday 26 August Largentière, in Ardèche There will be concerts, discussions, food etc

Vegan Venture Course Saturday 22 August, 9 am to 5 pm Vegan cookery day for veg*ns aged 16 to 25 at the Vegetarian Society Cordon Vert cookery school near Manchester, funded by The Vegetarian Charity in memory of the late Maxwell Lee. Application forms from The Vegetarian Charity, PO Box 473, Crewe CW3 0WU www.vegetariancharity.org.uk

SEPTEMBER London Vegan Festival Sunday 6 September, 11 am to 8 pm Sponsored by The Vegan Society Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8.

Speakers, music, stalls, food, a great day out for everyone. Entrance £2, under16s free www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival Tel. 020 8670 9585,

Festival of Life (raw food) Saturday 26 September, 10.30 am to 11.30 pm Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL. Party from 7.30pm. All-Day tickets £10 (concessions £8), day or evening £6 (£4). Stalls, music, organic market, raw kitchen gadgets, clowns, songs, poets, talks on eco and raw living, meditation etc. www.festivaloflife.net

The Incredible Veggie Roadshow Saturday 26 September 10.30 am to 4.30 pm Town Hall Cheltenham Food tastings, cookery demonstrations, talks, free diet and health advice, stalls, competitions, beauty products, books, vegan food products, information, and campaign news. FREE entry. www.viva.org.uk/roadshows09/cheltenham .html

OCTOBER Leicester Vegan Fair Saturday 10 October Christchurch, 105a Clarendon Park Road, Leicester, LE2 3AH Leicester’s largest vegetarian and vegan event. www.leicesterveganfair.co.uk Veggies 25th Anniversary Weekend Saturday 17 October to Sunday 18 October http://www.veggies.org.uk/event.php?ref= 1304 Tel. 0845 458 9595 / 07870861837 info@veggies.org.uk West Midlands Vegan Festival Saturday 24 October, 11am - 5pm, Wulfrun Hall, Wolves Civic, North Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1RG Featuring 50+ stalls, several caterers; 3 separate rooms each with a full programme of talks, cookery demos, entertainment etc. £1 admission.

Organised by Midlands Vegan Campaigns 01527 458395 www.midlandsveganfestival.org.uk 2nd West African Veg Congress Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November Accra, Ghana With festival on World Vegan Day www.ivu.org/africa

NOVEMBER (World Vegan Month) World Vegan Day Sunday 1 November www.worldveganday.org 4th Asian Vegetarian Congress, Batam, Indonesia Friday 6 to Tuesday 10 November www.avc2009.org Vegan Society Annual General Meeting Saturday 21 November Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL This is a chance for members to vote on resolutions that have been put forward prior to the meeting. Refreshments will be available.

Start and finish times will appear in the Winter Vegan

DECEMBER Christmas Without Cruelty Fayre Sunday 6 December Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 10am – 5pm Admission £1, children under 11 free http://www.livingwithoutcruelty.org.uk Tel. 01732 364546 info@animalaid.org.uk 12th International Animal Rights Day Thursday 10 December Tel. 0114 272 2220 info@uncaged.co.uk East Midlands Vegan Festival Saturday 12 December Tel 0845 458 9595 www.veggies.org.uk/veganfestival Global Day of Action Saturday 12 December International Demonstrations on Climate Change http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org info@globalclimatecampaign.org

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VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CO THE VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTS Local Contacts are Vegan Society members who act voluntarily as a point of contact for those interested in the Society’s work. They are not official representatives of the Society and their levels of activity and knowledge vary according to their individual circumstances.

Some Local Contacts run groups, in which case details are below their names. Groups not run by Local Contacts and non-geographic groups are listed separately. New Contacts are shaded.

Veg*ans = vegetarians & vegans.

For details of group activities please check the website or get in touch with the Contact.

When writing to a Contact please enclose a sae.

If you’ve been a full member of the Society for at least six months and would like to be a Local Contact please get in touch with the Coordinator, Patricia Tricker (see under Yorkshire, no phone calls before 8 pm please).

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ONTACTS & GROUPS

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LISTINGS PATRONS Freya Dinshah Maneka Gandhi Rebecca Hall Dr Michael Klaper Moby Gordon Newman Cor Nouws Wendy Turner-Webster Benjamin Zephaniah

COUNCIL Philip Bickley (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Alex Claridge (Assistant National Contacts’ Coordinator, Assitant Treasurer and Assistant International Coordinator) Vanessa Clarke (International Coordinator and Information Consultant) Matthew Cole (Information Consultant) Graham Neale (Chair) George Rodger (Vice Chair and Information Consultant) Patricia Tricker (National Contacts’ Coordinator) Stephen Walsh (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson and Treasurer)

STAFF PR/Media Officer Amanda Baker Sales and Membership Assistant Claire Burrows Head of Business Development George Gill Information Officer Verity Hunt-Sheppard Education Officer Rob Jackson Office Manager / Finance Officers Diana and Howard Knight Head of Sales & IT Dave Palmer Head of Information Services Rosamund Raha Trademark Assistant Sandrine Revert Information Officer Charley Roberts Chief Executive Officer Nigel Winter Volunteers Dean Bracher John Davis Lenka Pagan Dave Shortland Shari Black Velvet

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VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce — including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives.

Abhorrence of the cruel practices inherent in an agricultural system based on the abuse of animals is probably the single most common reason for the adoption of veganism, but many people are drawn to it for health, ecological, resource, spiritual and other reasons.

If you would like more information on veganism a free Information Pack is available from the Vegan Society.

THE VEGAN SOCIETY was formed in England in November 1944 by a group of vegetarians who had recognised the ethical compromises implicit in lacto-vegetarianism (ie dairy dependent). Today, the Society continues to highlight the breaking of the strong maternal bond between the cow and her new-born calf within just four days; the dairy cow’s proneness to lameness and mastitis; her subjection to an intensive cycle of pregnancy and lactation; our unnatural and unhealthy taste for cows’ milk; and the de-oxygenation of river water through contamination with cattle slurry.

If you are already a vegan or vegan sympathiser, please support the Society and help increase its influence by joining. Increased membership means more resources to educate and inform.

CLASSIFIEDS (UK) HOLIDAYS

B SUSSEX

CUMBRIA

Pyrenean mountain village in southern France. Enjoy our vegan B&B. Phone Karen or Matthew on 00 33 56166 9195 www.veganholidayfrance.com

PUBLICATIONS

ORGANISATIONS

Save A Life Adopt A Goat

DEVON WALES

The ideal gift for the person who has everything. We take into care those

PERSONAL

who have suffered from neglect, abuse and abandonment. Providing a loving home for the rest of their days Buttercup Sanctuary for goats, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 4JU

DORSET

Tel: (01622) 746410 Registered Charity: 1099627

www.Buttercups.org.uk B

YORKSHIRE SANCTUARY IN DESPERATE NEED

WHITBY B&B FALCON GUESTHOUSE. Vegan/Vegetarian Quiet location, seven minute’s walk from centre and harbour.

Lounge and sunny breakfast room.

Tea making facilities. Non smoking throughout.

Ample breakfast with organic fare. £24 p.p.p.n (for couple) tel 01947 603 507

Hillfields Animal Sanctuary, near Bromsgrove West Midlands, has 300 mouths to feed. The owner is battling against almost impossible odds and desperately needs help, both practical and financial. Please contact Website www.hillfields-animal-sanctuary.com

HAMPSHIRE HOLIDAYS ABROAD NEW FOREST - The Barn Vegan Guest House. En Suite rooms, evening meals.

Perfect for walking/cycling etc 023 8029 2531 or www.veggiebarn.net

DISCOUNT CARD

ISLE OF WIGHT

people

Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Hockley Birmingham B18 6HJ

animals

environment

Tel: 0845 45 88244 Fax: 0121 523 1749 info@vegansociety.com www.vegansociety.com

THE VEGAN DISCOUNT CARD

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CLASSIFIEDS The Christian Vegetarian Association UK (CVAUK) promotes a plant based way of life as it represents good, responsible Christian Stewardship for all God’s creation. For further information on our work or to join us visit www.christianvegetarian.co.uk or

“Jesus was a vegetarian” www.donoteatus.org

APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

INTERNET SERVICES Divine Frog Web Services. Vegan standards compliant website design, development, implementation, maintenance, email, domain name registration, hosting and eco-hosting.

FREE website health check for your current site.

www.divinefrog.co.uk the professional choice.

The Vegetarian Charity would like to hear from committed vegetarians and vegans who are giving thought to becoming trustees.

Throughout the year trustees consider applications from young vegetarians and vegans in financial need, as well as those applying to attend our fully funded annual vegan cookery course.

MISCELLANEOUS Whom this may concern, Ready made polenta which is available in your local Wal*mart – Asda, makes a passable substitute for cheese in sandwiches and salads when grated.

Be kind to your Karma today, try it!

With love from Christopher M

manashantii.com

Trustees are expected to attend two meetings a year – one in London and one in Manchester.

Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed If you have the time to commit we would be interested to hear what you feel you can contribute to the running of our Charity.

In the first instance please contact The Grants Secretary PO Box 473, Crewe CW3 OWU Or e-mail: grantssecretary@vegetariancharity.org.uk Further information on our Charity can be found on our web site: www.vegetariancharity.org.uk

SHOPPING

ADVERTISEMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED BY 7 OCTOBER 2009 FOR INCLUSION IN THE WINTER 2009 ISSUE OFTHE VEGAN CONTACT: ADVERTISING@VEGANSOCIETY.COM 0121 523 1733

DISCOUNT CARD

This card entitles the bearer to discounts at a range of outlets, restaurants and hotels.

A full list of discounts is available from The Vegan Society.

DISCOUNT CARD THE VEGAN VALID FROM

AUGUST 2009

UNTIL

NOVEMBER 2009 REFERENCE CODE

Ref:TIB 009

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WANTED 10 VEGANS FOR ECO HOME Tel: 0118 9875234 EM: m.hall68@btinternet.com Mobile: 07762 904079 Skype: telepathicmichael

The Vegan Society trademark is the authentic international standard for vegan products.

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE: Advertisements are accepted subject to their satisfying the condition that the products

Our logo provides an easy and trusted way to promote your cruelty-free goods and services to the growing number of vegans in the UK and worldwide.

advertised are entirely free from

Trademark holders benefit from instant recognition, promotion in The Vegan magazine, discounted advertising rates, and a listing on the Vegan Society website.

such ads does not promote, or

It’s good for you, good for the Vegan Society, and good for vegans.

should not contain any material

For more information on the trademark, contact George Gill on (0121) 5231733 or email trademark@vegansociety.com You can also read about the trademark on our website at www.vegansociety.com

from catering establishments that

ingredients derived from animals; that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that the content of appear to promote, the use of non-vegan commodities.

Books, records, tapes, etc. mentioned in advertisements contrary to vegan principles.

Advertisements may be accepted are not run on exclusively vegan lines, provided that vegan meals are available and that the wording of such ads reflects this.

VEGAN NUTRITION GUIDELINES To ensure that vegans maintain good health it is important to: Eat plenty of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables including dark green leafy vegetables.

Eat plenty of wholefoods (brown bread, brown rice etc).

Include in your diet each day at least three micrograms of vitamin B12 from fortified foods or 10 micrograms from a supplement.

Expose your face and arms to the sun for 15 minutes per day whenever you can (if your shadow is much longer than you the sun is not strong enough). If your sun exposure is limited (for example in a British winter), or if you are dark skinned, make sure that you get 10 to 20 micrograms of vitamin D2 each day from fortified food or a supplement.

Ensure your diet includes a source of iodine such as kelp or take a supplement. It is important to take neither too much nor too little, since both overdose and underdose can be harmful. A good iodine intake is 15 to 30 grams of kelp (kombu) per year or a daily supplement containing 100 to 150 micrograms of iodine.

Try to get at least 500 mg per day of calcium from calcium rich foods or supplements.

Consume a tablespoonful of ground flaxseed or a teaspoonful of (uncooked) flaxseed oil each day if possible or consume other omega 3 rich oils. For example you could use two tablespoons of rapeseed oil (which does not have a strong taste) in place of other vegetable oils such as sunflower or corn oil.

MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL

I wish to become a member and support the work of the Vegan Society.

I wish to renew my membership.

Membership No. (if known)......................................................................

Name:................................................................................Address:..........................................................................................

Postcode:........................................Tel:..........................................................Email:..................................................................

Date of Birth: (for security purposes)........../.........../..........Occupation:.....................................................................................

Please tick this box if you are a dietary vegan. This entitles you to voting rights in the Society’s elections if aged 18+.

Please treat my membership subscription as Gift Aid. I have paid UK income or capital gains tax equal to the amount the Society reclaims.

My income is less than £8000 per year and I qualify for the low income discount of 33%.*

A copy of the Society’s rules (Memo & Articles of Association) can be viewed on our website or at our office. Alternatively you may buy

I wish to enrol other members of my household for an additional £7 each.**

a copy for £5.

Please give full names of additional members and specify if dietary vegan and / or under 18. (If more than four additional members please attach separate sheet.)

Membership Individual £21 * Less £7 low-income deduction (if applicable) ** Add £7 per additional household member Under 18 years old £7 Memo & Articles of Association £5 Overseas: Europe +£5 / Rest of World +£7 Payment may be made by credit card, sterling International money order or sterling cheque drawn on a British bank.

Donation Total:

21

How to pay Cheque / PO payable to The Vegan Society Credit / Debit card (enter details below) Direct Debit (phone for details) Website: www.vegansociety.com Please debit my Visa / Mastercard Access / Visa Delta / Connect / Switch Solo card number

Name on card:.........................................................................Signature:..................................................................

Today’s date........./........./.......Start date:......../........Expiry date......../........Switch Issue No.:.....................

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CROSSWORD Kate Sweeney & Vega

QUICK CROSSWORD set by Kate Sweeney Across 1 Plant with pinkish leafstalks usually eaten cooked and sweetened (7) 5 Light meal (5) 8 Outside paved area (5) 9 Yarrow (7) 10 Black _ _ _ _ bean (4) 11 Fruit-flavoured soft drink (7) 13 Shrubs having white flowers and berrylike fruit (6) 15 Harvest from the ground (3,3) 18 Liquorice-flavoured (7) 19 Sharp, tart (4) 23 Type of primrose; flattening (7) 24 Channel made in the soil for seeds (5) 25 Tagliatelle, for example (5) 26 Pudding (7) Down 1 Full, satiated (7) 2 Undo (5) 3 _ _ _ _ vera (4) 4 Kind of shoots used in salads and Asian cuisine (6) 5 Dressing for plates of cold vegetables (5,3) 6 Pear-shaped tropical fruit (7) 7 Cabbage with coarse curly leaves (4) 12 Mustard and cauliflower genus (8) 14 Suppers (7) 16 Small baked dish, canape (7) 17 Packed in, squeezed together (6) 20 Ovoid fruit which yields oil (5) 21 Large brown seaweed (4) 22 Mixes in, supplements (4)

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD set by Vega

Please se nd in solu tions to ei crossword ther along wit h your na me, addres and T-Shir s t size by 7 Octobe Prizes next r 2009 issue for bo th crosswor Our new ds: T-Shirt in your size .

Across 1 Intrigue cheat, lie endlessly but highly moral like veganism (7) 5 Crystal forces hold back low heels (5) 8 French one the German followed beneath (5) 9 Original lot envy originality (7) 10 Scottish mountain eats a legume (4) 11 Fit round queen on pound for singular 22 (7) 13 Green divers devour herb (6) 15 Acid in tea - big ship sunk without it (6) 18 Galley I somersault nimbly (7) 19 Record 99 is long story (4) 23 Guillotine havoc before fuss for fruit (7) 24 Vase containing you familiar French volte face (1-4) 25 Gnat truncated dwarf (5) 26 Like Kate’s 26 across: just pudding (7)

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The Vegan l Autumn 2009

Solutions to the summer crosswords (Quick:left/Cryptic:right) The winner of the Cryptic crossword: Helen Baxter The winner of the Quick crossword: Christine Ansell

Down 1 Placid - a lake Quebec mixed up after losing century (7) 2 Hercules - you decapitated really ancient heads of manyheaded monster (5) 3 Edible ears of commanding officer, Royal Navy (4) 4 Pulse fast? One pound (6) 5 A fab nave collapsed - Hannibal’s vegan accompaniment to a fine Chianti? (4,4) 6 Plane control surface or alien innovation (7) 7 Second old year a vegan staple 10 (4) 12 Move population to safety, lose 100, gain 50 instead, appraise (8) 14 Cornus tail club (3-4) 16 Clown raised barrel for vegan meat and milk producer (7) 17 Singular 22 from crazy old man (6) 20 Cut back dried plum (5) 21 Medicine ball lost pound but gained metre (4) 22 Insane knock out rises (4)