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I’m looking forward with great anticipation to receiving photos and details of events that took place on World Vegan Day (November 1st) and in World Vegan Month (November) to feature in the spring magazine; please do send them in. We have been busy organizing events to fit with our Vegan Catering for All theme; one of which was a Catering for Diversity event (report on page 12/13) which was a great success. Another catering related event was our Vegan Catering challenge where six chefs (finalists) competed to win the first prize of £500 at the Tante Marie School of Cookery on Mon 27 October. The chefs showed that vegan food can be a truly gourmet experience. You will get the chance to hear more about the event and see photos of some of the lovely food in the next magazine.
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Vegan Society staff are contacting large chain caterers such as Pitcher and Piano and Bella Italia to try to get vegan options on to their menus and you can help us by going into these large chain restaurants and requesting vegan food. Wetherspoons have recently put a vegan curry back on their menu. Restaurants that convince us that they know how to cater for vegans and are prepared to offer at least one good quality vegan meal will be able to show one of our new stickers in their window that states: ‘Vegans Catered for Here’. They will also receive help and support if this is needed. So encourage restaurants to contact us for details of our window sticker scheme by leaving one of our feedback cards on the table when you leave and/or by giving them one of our Vegan Catering for All booklets.
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Rosamund Raha Editor
The Vegan Society
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Local rate 0845 45 88244 Editor Rosamund Raha Information Consultant George Rodger Design www.doughnutdesign.co.uk Student page Design Rudy Penando Front cover photo Paul Crame Printed by Cambrian Printers on Recycled paper
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AUTUMN 2008 HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS/FROM THE CEO INTERNATIONAL NEWS LOCAL NEWS GREENING THE OFFICE BERLIN: THERE ARE WURST PLACES TO BE VEGAN LONDON VEGAN FESTIVAL REAL ALE FOR ALL CATERING FOR DIVERSITY NEWS AND INFORMATION SHOPAROUND VEGAN SOCIETY AWARDS CLIMATE CAMP/MEGAN WELSH NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD RECIPES VEGAN JAIN CENTRE EVENT BRISTOL VEGAN FAYRE: WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO? STUDENT PAGE: VEGANS ANONYMOUS YOUTH PAGE GROW VEGAN REVIEWS POSTBAG RAW VEGAN RUNS IN THE JUNGLE EVENTS LOCAL CONTACTS AND GROUPS CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORDS
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e-mail: info@vegansociety.com
© 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 AUTUMN 2008 HIGHLIGHTS Doctors Receive Advice on Vegan Nutrition
Live Vegan Cook-off at Prestigious Cookery School
Our Plant Based Nutrition booklet went out to all doctors in the country with a covering letter. We will let you know how successful this was in the Spring 2009 Vegan magazine.
The Vegan Catering Challenge took place on Mon 27 October. The six finalists, professional chefs from around the UK, took part in a live cook-off at the Tante Marie cookery school. A full report will appear in the Spring 2009 Vegan magazine.
Radio Interviews Restaurant Show, Earls Court Our Chief Executive Officer (Nigel), Media Officer (Amanda) and Business Development Officer (Colm) had a steady flow of people at our stand on all three days of the restaurant show and they gave out about 450 catering booklets as well as some hospital catering booklets and nutrition information. They spoke to a wide range of organisations including Compass contract caterers, the Dorchester Hotel, Saga cruises, the Metropolitan police, independent restaurant and pub owners, catering colleges and students and there was overall a good level of interest.
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Our media officer, Amanda Baker gave radio interviews with the Canadian equivalent of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, BBC Radio Wiltshire and Gateway FM Community Radio.
School Catering Manager Really Impressed Vegan Society Education Officer Rob (below right) and Dean (our most active School Speaker, left) have been out and about doing cookery demonstrations in schools. The catering manager of Ninestiles school in Birmingham was so impressed that he plans to put vegan food on the canteen menu.
Westminster Forum Education Seminar Our Education Officer Rob Jackson attended the Westminster Forum Education Seminar and was able to submit comments about the benefits of vegan food in schools which were published in their report that goes to relevant government offices. Education Show Rob was also able to raise the profile of the Vegan Society at the Times Educational
Vegan Pledge
Supplement education show at Olympia. He gave away plenty of our interactive CD-Roms for schools and told teachers about the School Speaker project.
So far eighteen people have signed up to the Vegan Society Vegan Pledge and we have provided mentors for those who wanted a bit of extra help and support. Most people have gone for a full month pledge. The pledge will be ongoing and we hope to report more pledges in future magazines.
FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Nigel Winter
Lobbying policy makers is an important part of the Society’s work to ensure that the vegan viewpoint does not get overlooked. We contributed to the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit consultation on food policy which resulted in the publication of Food Matters in July. www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/work_areas/food_policy.aspx Page 35 of the report states: “The increasing scarcity of water, land and other resources means that in 2050 a world population of 7.8 to 10.8 billion people will need to use a different mix of production methods and, quite possibly, see diets change.” I was interviewed by Green Alliance think tank for their report Cutting our Carbs – food and the environment and then I attended their meeting on 31 July. A number of people spoke of the need to reduce our consumption of meat and dairy products although some made it clear they were not supporting vegetarian or vegan diets. The report states: “The significant contribution that animal protein consumption makes to our overall environmental impact is clear and unavoidable.
This area will be integral to discussions about how to lower the impact of our diets. More research is needed and there are a number of trade-offs to work through but, as the Cabinet Office report notes: analysis so far suggests that a healthier and a lower impact diet will be one that includes fewer meat and dairy products than the average diets we see today.” www.green-alliance.org.uk/grea1.aspx?id=2636 On 12 September I attended a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) workshop on food security. There were sixty people present including fifteen people from Defra as well as people from the Department for International Development, The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit, the Food Standards Agency, the Environment Agency, the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, the Soil Association and the National Farmers’ Union. We worked in groups during the day to discuss issues and try and agree indicators for the future. www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/foodstrategy/security.htm
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First, the good news! Thanks to the efforts of all who wrote to the Austrian authorities or protested outside embassies and consulates around the world, Vegan Society life member and chair of the Austrian Vegan Society Felix Hnat has been released after months of imprisonment without evidence or charge, along with the nine other internees. The bad news is that the Austrian Vegan Society has still not had its records and equipment returned and is seriously hampered in its activities as a result. For more information, see www.vgt.at Although Felix and his colleagues were prevented from joining us at the International Vegetarian Union’s Centenary World Congress in Dresden, their plight was kept in everyone’s minds through the constant efforts of Austrian Vegan Society delegates for the large number of Germanspeaking delegates and visitors, and by our own National and International Coordinators for the predominantly English-speaking delegates from further afield. As a result, a motion of support for the Austrian Ten was passed unanimously at the IVU general meeting and a protest outside the Austrian consulate drew more than half the congress delegates despite competing attractions such as coach tours and boat trips on a glorious summer afternoon. The attention generated by several hundred good-humoured protesters watched over by equally good-humoured if somewhat bemused former East German police gave the Austrian consul such a headache that he felt obliged to take time off from the office till he was sure the congress was over and the delegates had all gone home. The rest of the congress was the usual mix of talks, including several by Vegan Society members (at no expense to the Society), workshops, networking with fellow activists from around the world and fabulous vegan food. The German version of our own Plant Based Nutrition booklet was an
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instant hit, with copies just flying off the table and several boxes going back to Vienna with the Austrian delegation and to various groups in Germany and Switzerland. A month later the indefatigable David Román wrote saying he had finished the Spanish translation and asking for the design template – nothing mañana about this guy, whether he’s creating websites, organising events or writing a book on vegan cookery and lifestyle with his wife Estrella. His work on the booklet will take accurate information to much of Central and South America as well as Spain, while Brazil should have a Portuguese version from Marly Winckler in time for the World Vegan Festival there in 2009. See www.ivu.org for details of this and other events world wide and www.euroveg.eu for organisations and events in Europe, which may well include an international event in Croatia at the beginning of May next year. Meanwhile, vegans all over the world continue to write seeking support in starting new groups (most recently in Latvia), finding vegan eating places and/or linking up with local groups when travelling. With the huge increase in outreach activity, we are hoping to build up a skills and information base at the office so that everyday information can be provided without duplication of effort. As the local, multicultural and international roles of the Society become increasingly a seamless robe, the unstinting assistance and support of the National Contacts’ Coordinator and the increasing participation of Information Department staff has been a boon and a blessing without which far less would have been achieved. Vanessa Clarke, International Coordinator
Lest you think I’ve lost weight and years and dyed my hair I should explain that I thought that this time rather than a photo of me you’d rather see possibly the youngest vegan in Yorkshire, Rumani, with proud first-time mother Natalie, our Local Contact in Leeds. Still in Yorkshire, as you already know from the August magazine and from the papers sent to all members by post, the AGM is to be in York this year, on Saturday 22 November. A couple of years ago Council decided that the AGM should run on a three-year cycle, viz. London Birmingham - somewhere else. Two years ago it was in London and last year in Birmingham. In recent years it has also been held in Chester and Bristol. The doors will be open at 11 am, when drinks and nibbles will be available from Veggies. There will be a meeting for existing and potential Local and Group Contacts from midday until 1 pm. If you plan to attend please let me know straight away of anything specific you’d like to discuss. York is easy to reach by train, being on the main east-coast line (London as little as 2 hours, Edinburgh under 21⁄2) and on a direct route from the midlands and west (e.g. Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester). National Express coaches also stop outside the railway station and then it’s only five minutes’ walk to the venue. Attending the AGM is a useful way for all members to find out more about how their society functions and to meet other members, staff and trustees. For Local and Group Contacts this is even more important. The official part of the meeting should be finished by 5 pm at the latest but nobody is going to shoo us out so you are welcome to stay for further socializing. As many of you know, York is an extremely interesting city and ideal for a short break. If you want to make a weekend of it there are guest houses that cater for vegans.
See Vegetarian Britain or contact me for details. El Piano (www.elpiano.co.uk) is easily the best place to eat and is open 11 am - 11 pm Mon. - Sat. and midday - 5 pm on Sundays. You don’t have to be preparing to celebrate Christmas in order to take advantage of the next brilliant possibility for meeting up – Christmas without Cruelty, in London, which is usually on the first Sunday in December but this year is on Sunday 30 November. Then less than two weeks later, on 13 December, it’s the East Midlands Vegan Festival in Nottingham. If you’ve read the AGM papers you’ll know who Alex Claridge is and he’s sure to be there! Further details of these and other events are on page 41. Eva Gray, who for many years was a Local Contact in Wiltshire, recently resigned on moving to London. Eva is an actress so is now handier for West-End rôles but you may also spot her at your local theatre or on TV. She has recently toured in a stage version of Fawlty Towers, playing both Sybil and Polly, but not at the same time! On pages 42 and 43 you will notice that no fewer than nine new Local Contacts are listed this time (Cathy in Coventry, Chrissy in London, Penny in Dunblane, Peter in Caithness, Sally in Pembrokeshire, Christina in Swansea, Donna in Belfast, Sarah and Stephen in Dorset). There are also two totally new groups, one in Hertfordshire and a Yahoo group – Vegans Worldwide. Several Contacts’ e-mail addresses and other details have changed too so it’s worth checking the one nearest you. Keep warm! Patricia Tricker National Contacts’ Coordinator
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Greening By Nigel Winter and Fiona Sylva
the Office
Last year our theme was promoting the environmental benefits of the vegan diet. We aimed to convince people that they couldn’t call themselves environmentalists if they ate meat and dairy products. However, we realised that we had to make sure that our own house was in order and so we decided to arrange an environmental audit of our office.
D
ave Watton from Green Benefits (
very kindly offered to conduct an audit free of charge. We had already made some improvements to the building. When we moved to the new premises we installed secondary glazing; we were not allowed to install double glazing because the building is in a conservation area. We also installed extra loft insulation and thermostatic radiator valves. We have now switched our electricity supply to Ecotricity (www.ecotricity.co.uk) which is considered to be one of the best suppliers by Green Electricity Marketplace www.greenelectricity.org. The existing boiler was 13 years old and the audit recommended that we replace this with an ‘A’ rated condensing boiler. The new boiler has been installed and it is estimated that this will save the Society £300 per year on gas bills and reduce our CO2 emissions by 2 tons per year. Water usage was also considered and the three toilets have been fitted with duo flush units to provide optional low water usage.
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Shut-off valves have been fitted below each tap which enables the flow rate to be reduced and so make further water savings. Our literature and magazines are printed on recycled paper. We use Forest Stewardship Council certified photocopier paper, even our ‘plastic’ membership card is biodegradable! Our paper, cardboard, cans, tins and printer toners are collected by Brumcan www.brumcan.co.uk. We pay an annual fee for a ‘fax and collect’ service, so are not bound to collection dates. See the Community Recycling Network’s website www.crn.org.uk for recycling projects in your area. Unfortunately there is no tetrapak carton, plastic or glass recycling available locally so these are taken home by a member of staff who takes them to a local recycling bank. We use Suma recycled toilet tissue and buy in bulk (well – we are always going to need it, aren’t we?). We endeavour to support local businesses and buy local – the courtesy is repaid by free prompt deliveries (many on foot) and neighbourly prices.
All of our kitchen waste is bagged and taken home for composting by two green fingered members of staff. Approximately once a month or on special occasions, staff bring in dishes for a pot luck lunch – which obviously saves energy as food is cooked in bulk and gives staff a chance to show off their culinary skills! Computer monitors are turned off when staff are away from their desks for any length of time. Staff travel to work by public transport – it is definitely less stressful and quicker on the train. One member of staff regularly cycles which according to a recent article in The Birmingham Post can make you happier and more likely to avoid the ‘credit crunch’. We are very lucky to work with similar minded people and have quickly seen the effects of our efforts. Our (pre-paid bin bag) refuse collection has halved. Our utility bills are being reduced and we have less food wastage as leftovers are shared!
How to Green Your Office n Allocate a paper only bin in every room (people often forget paper towels near sinks) – then arrange a collection. n Have collection points for used batteries and toner cartridges – maybe the stationery cupboard? n Use CLEARLY labelled lined bins to collect dirty or heavy recycling – ask staff to compress and rinse out/dry to stop damp, mould and bad smells. n Turn computer monitors off overnight and when away from your desk. n Use popcorn or shredded waste paper for packaging – toffee popcorn is probably not recommended! n Question your suppliers – create a demand for recycled and eco products. n Print on the back – it sounds crazy but so many people don’t do it. If it’s a draft or internal document why not just put a line through an unwanted document and use the other side? n An environmental survey - depending on the size of your organisation, could also save you money in the short and long term – you may even get one for free if you shop around. n Having good intentions – these are not always going to get the job done. It may not be your job to do all the cleaning up and it can be soul destroying when people around you just don’t care, but slowly people will understand and it does become normal for them – even if you are the only person throwing your waste in the right direction, persevere! Habits can change. n Someone has to take responsibility – unfortunately someone has to do it. Even if you are not being paid to do it – think of the bigger environmental picture and you never know, your boss may take note of your initiative and keep you in mind for promotion. n There is always more to do – it may seem a bit patronising to tell readers of The Vegan how to be ‘more green’ because we are quite sure that you do much more than ‘your bit’ – but we want you to spread your good work and ideas and as nobody’s perfect, you can help put other people on the path to earning their shiny carbon neutral halos too.
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Rod Tame
G
ermany is famous for sausages and sauerkraut so I was initially nervous at the prospect of finding tasty vegan food in its capital city. However I learnt a lesson about travelling which would serve anybody well, regardless of their dietary needs: plan ahead!
Arriving on a sunny Saturday in May, we made our way to our hotel in the centre. The transport system, as preconceptions might expect, is excellent and I can strongly recommend getting a Berlin Welcome Card which should cover all transport needs. Google it and you will find details easily and have the option of buying one prior to your trip. We were quick to head over to Kreuzberg, an arty, alternative area where we had a table reserved at Café V (Lausitzer Platz 12, Kreuzberg 10997). Like all of the restaurants we visited, it is situated a short walk from an S-Bahn or U-Bahn stop.
Located on a tree-lined suburban street, the café provided light surroundings, chilled alternative rock music and a mismatch of chairs and sofas. More importantly, it provided a surprisingly extensive brunch of salads, cereals, breads, pastries and fruit which would set anybody up for a long day of sightseeing. Friendly staff explained that it cost 7 to 10 euro depending on your honesty about how much you ate – a system that I am sure would backfire in the UK! We freely admitted to our 10euro feast as we rolled out of the door. Particular excitement surrounded our Sunday evening meal back in Kreuzberg at Yellow Sunshine (Wienerstrasse 19, Kreuzberg 10999), a fast-food establishment serving organic vegetarian and vegan dishes. Why was I excited? Vegan Currywurst – that’s why! – a lengthy vegan sausage (no smut, please!) in a curry sauce and served with lovely, crispy chips. Anybody who learnt German at school will have read disbelievingly of Currywurst in textbooks. Against all expectations, it works splendidly. The menu, available in English and online, also lists a surprisingly wide selection of vegan burgers.
Doors open onto a wide pavement where you can dine al fresco (that is when you are really on holiday!). Café V has an excellent selection of vegetarian and vegan meals often using tofu or seitan, which are marked as such on a menu available in English. After a tasty meal and our first Berlin beer, we headed off to wander through a huge festival of world cultures. Sunday breakfast at the hotel was ignored for one main reason – the vegan buffet available at the Hans Wurst Vegan Café (Dunckerstrasse 2a, Prenzlauer Berg 10407). The journey from our hotel took 30 minutes with one change on the S-Bahn and it would have been worth a longer or more complicated one.
After years of trips abroad where meals have been unplanned and often uninspiring, I now realise that a little research is invaluable. With the aid of The Rough Guide to Berlin (other guides are available) and the internet, we were able to find great places off the tourist track, thereby relishing both the food and the chance to see everyday Berlin. I would like to offer particular thanks to the HappyCow’s Vegetarian Guide to Restaurants & Health Food Stores http://www.happycow.net/europe/germany/berlin/ and heartily recommend this increasingly popular city for all vegans and vegetarians.
Note: When travelling abroad, don’t forget that the Vegan Passport (price £3.99, available from the Vegan Society) can be very useful. It tells the waiter what you choose to eat and not to eat in 56 languages. Hopefully one of the languages will be the one that s/he speaks!
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The day began with a bit of drizzle, but this was not enough to put off the thousands of visitors who crammed into the London Vegan Festival on Sunday 7 September. It was a struggle to get from one end of the festival to the other such was the interest in the event. The attendance was a wonderful testament to the success of the London Vegan Festival which was first organised in 1998 and has never looked back. There were over forty talks and activities: the only difficulty was choosing which ones to attend because there were no fewer than six going on at any one time! There were some fantastic campaigning talks, as well as cookery demos, musicians, nutrition talks, speed meetings, environmental workshops and seven workshops for children to help make the festival family-friendly and fun for the younger generation.
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Dotted around the venue were a staggering 100 stalls so virtually every facet of veganism was represented.
No doubt many people scoffed all day because so much of the food was too good to resist.
The food on offer was amazing and there was lots of it from tasty burgers and light fluffy cakes to scrummy raw chocolate and big green coconuts containing fresh coconut milk.
A big shout goes out to organisers Robin, Alison and Caroline for a fantastic event! More info at www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival.
Sharyn & Ed
R
eal Ale for All (RAFA) is a campaign group aiming to make all beer and ale free from animal products and able to be enjoyed by everyone. It was formed by two beer loving vegans who were fed up with being denied cask conditioned ales which usually contain isinglass which is collagen from the swim bladder of fish. Brewers use this and sometimes other animal products to clear the sediment from ale to make it crystal clear.
In a competitive market, brewers are pressurised to produce the perfect pint. The public has come to expect real ale to be clear, so brewers use isinglass to achieve perfect clarity quickly. As EU legislation does not require breweries to list ingredients this additive is not declared on the product. Many bottled ales also contain isinglass making it a minefield to determine which are vegan. There are vegan friendly alternatives to isinglass finings for cask ale but these are generally not as effective. The beer remains a little hazy, something seemingly unacceptable to the average ale drinker although taste is unaffected. Given time most ale would achieve natural clarity but, with pressure on cellar space, landlords cannot afford to wait for this to occur. It is encouraging though that research has been conducted into isinglass alternatives. As noted in the article “Alternatives to Isinglass for Beer Clarification” (Journal of the Institute of Brewing, 2007, vol. 113, no4, pp. 347-354) pea extract was shown to produce very little discernible difference to isinglass in laboratory trials. With acceptable standards of beer clarity firmly established, RAFA has a difficult task ahead to make real ale vegan. As such the campaign has adopted a multi-pronged approach. Although primarily a vegan issue, RAFA has been encouraged that many omnivorous beer drinkers have been disgusted when discovering the truth. One important part of the campaign is to alter the public’s perception of how real ale should look and promote the idea that there is nothing wrong with a little haze.
This will be accomplished through education, internet presence (currently around 850 people support our campaign on MySpace) and local beer festivals. By working closely with the Vegan Society, RAFA hopes to encourage breweries to go vegan by telling them about the positive market benefits, for example the significant number of people who are currently not able or willing to consume real ale due to isinglass finings. An online petition is already under way to demonstrate support for isinglass-free beer and will shortly be followed by a petition to the government to enforce the same level of ingredient labelling for beer as for food products. Vegetarian restaurants have been identified through previous experience as good places to educate and provide vegan ale to a receptive market. RAFA have already assisted in removing from a menu an ale marked “vegan” that wasn’t! This demonstrates the need for this kind of action and education for all parties. RAFA feels that the key to creating change is to endorse as vegan as many ales as possible. The hitherto untapped vegan market will be able to buy with confidence whilst other breweries will feel the pressure to keep up with the trend. The campaign is not a “war of attrition” and is therefore an achievable vegan victory. All parties stand to gain: the animals, the environment, the consumer (vegan or otherwise) and indeed the brewing industry itself. Working alongside the Vegan Society, RAFA expects change to happen. Cheers! You can sign the RAFA petition at: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/real-ale-for-al
Note: Some breweries already produce vegan real ale in bottles, kegs or casks, for example Samuel Smith, Pitfield Brewery, George Bateman, Marble Brewery, Purity Brewery, Little Valley Brewery, Shepherd Neame and the Caledonian. Vegan real cask ale is particularly rare.
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Catering for
diversity
By Vanessa Clarke
The right to animal-free food and medicines from the cradle to the care home.
B
iting Off More Than We Could Chew might have been a better title, given the scope of the event and the number of people (two) organising it. Doctors, pharmacists, midwives, dietitians, caterers and care home managers were nevertheless brought together at very short notice for what we hoped would not be a hot air shop but a serious seminar with real consequences for society. As it turned out, the legal advice alone would have sufficed to ensure that.
Animal ingredients in medicines would merit a whole day’s discussion. Likewise the plight of the old and the sick in hospitals and care homes. Nevertheless, we were determined to fly both flags as high as we could. The aim was – and is, for this is an ongoing campaign – to get everyone working together to
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ensure respect both for consumers and for the law. No more injecting babies with cow bile before they even taste their mothers’ milk. No more feeding minced flesh to vulnerable elders despite known dietary background. The new equality legislation provides the means to achieve real change, and where better to start than the largest and most diverse local authority in Europe? When a staff member won a day’s conference facilities at the Maple House centre in Birmingham it was offered to National Contacts’ Coordinator Patricia Tricker so long as whatever was organised did not impinge on staff time. Nevertheless, it was a unique opportunity to raise the Society’s profile in its new home town and support our advocacy campaign to ensure respect for the vegan lifestyle throughout life.
Senior legal sources advised that injecting newborns with cow bile without the parents’ informed consent and feeding unacceptable foods to dementia sufferers is clearly illegal. An advance directive (‘living will’) in this respect should be enforceable if carefully worded and signed before the onset of dementia. We are therefore seeking advice on appropriate wording to avoid the situation in which former Vegan Society Patron Serena Coles found herself. Parts of the meeting will be broadcast on Sky TV and a full report produced later. Meanwhile, here is a brief taste of the discussions and some thoughts on how to ensure that the recommendations are translated into action.
Birmingham’s charismatic Head of Equality and Diversity, Dr Mashuq Ally, welcomed the Vegan Society to the diversity of cultures and lifestyles in England’s second city. As a Muslim, he was aware of the problem of hidden animal ingredients: just the night before he had attended a function where the mango mousse contained gelatine. He mentioned the many Muslim vegans in Asia and that all vegetables are halal whereas meat is always subject to restrictions. He disliked the term ‘minorities’ – we are all part of the majority – and saw a golden thread of cohesion in all things. Our responsibility extends not just to one another but to every animal, every plant, every aspect of our environment. We should therefore avoid intolerance and bigotry and recognise what unites us as well as celebrating our diversity. Dr Atul Shah, author of Celebrating Diversity, also stressed the need to move beyond tolerance to understanding and respect, and how sharing food that is acceptable to all can speed and foster that process. For instance, instead of seeing the World Parliament of Religions as a platform for their own beliefs the Sikh delegation had brought free food for everyone to share. Dr Shah showed a poignant slide of his father, a revered Jain leader now in his mid-eighties and obliged to take various medicines. Unable to discover how they were made and at what price in animal suffering, he had devised a prayer seeking forgiveness for any suffering caused which he recited before taking his medication. Handsworth GP Philip Bickley and his local pharmacist Asghar Azam explained the difficulties in sourcing non-animal medicines, calling for better information from manufacturers and clear marking of animal-free products in the British National
Formulary so that doctors can comply with the law and respect their patients’ lifestyles. The tendency of the NHS prescribing system to default to gelatine capsules was also deplored, as was the use of ingredients such as stearates whose origin could not be readily identified as animal or vegetable. It was generally not the actual medicine that was problematic but the additives – as with the notorious vitamin K injection for newborns, which now contained cow bile. Midwife and labour ward manager Belinda Harvey had kept some old (vegan) vitamin K ampoules, but elsewhere midwives faced a dilemma. Seeking consent at the last minute without proper discussion and with no alternative to hand left midwives with no choice but to disrespect the parents (and the law) or jeopardise the child. Asghar confirmed that a non-animal alternative was available. To fulfil the legal requirement for informed consent the matter should be fully discussed in advance and clearly specified in the birth plan. Author of Plant Based Nutrition and Health Stephen Walsh stressed the need for vitamin B12 supplements for the elderly as well as for vegans. Vitamin D was problematic for people who did not get much sunshine, particularly those with dark skins. Vitamin D and calcium supplements would reduce the risk of fractures in care home residents, but issues of protocol made them more likely to turn up as prescription drugs after fractures had occurred. Vitamin D was also crucial in preventing rickets among children, particularly those with dark skins. Supplements must be acceptable to the risk group identified and not derived from slaughterhouse residues. Food must be attractive and palatable and recipients able and willing to eat it:
the most nutritious meal is useless if it is not eaten. Joan Palmer from the Commission for Social Care Inspection described the best and the worst she had encountered, facilitating a wide ranging discussion with contributions from Meals Direct (formerly Meals on Wheels) and care home staff. When pureed food is required, the best providers use moulds to recreate the shape of the original foods rather than an unappetising mush. Mahersh and Nishma Shah of Shambhu’s catering described their vegan catering service for workers in the City of London and admired the work of care sector caterers in far more challenging circumstances. All were aware of the legal requirement to respect the beliefs of vegans and others and were anxious to do so, but freedom of choice could cause uncertainty in the early stages of dementia. In the later stages, whoever had power of attorney would call the shots – hopefully rightly, but often wrongly as with Serena Coles. In such cases, a signed and witnessed advance directive would be very helpful. Finally, we shared a third delicious vegan meal. Everyone had learnt a lot and delegates were keen to contact their professional organisations to ensure momentum was not lost. Further meetings with the Head of Equality and Human Rights at the Department of Health are also planned. Similar seminars may be held elsewhere. Smaller local meetings are also a possibility. We are happy to share our experience with members wishing to make a difference in their area, so do get in touch. Likewise anyone in the NHS, legal or social care sectors: your advice and experience will be most welcome.
The Vegan Vegan ll Winter Winter 2008 2003 The
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n CRUELTY TO LAMBS
n AUSTRIAN TEN ARE SET FREE Finally after three months imprisonment the nine Austrian animal activists were set free without charge (the tenth had been released slightly earlier). Since the end of May the activists had been held without trial, charged under terrorist prevention legislation with ‘Forming a Criminal Organization’ and ‘Danger of Suppression of Evidence.’ However, no evidence was found against them and they were eventually released from their three month ordeal.
Hugh Richards is a former president of the National Farmers’ Union of Wales. He was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his services to agriculture and yet he has been fined for transporting and selling twelve lambs who were suffering from untreated foot rot. More details on this website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3196873 /Former-president-of-the-National-Farmers-Union-guilty-of-cruelty-tolambs.html
n A THOUGHT FROM MAHATMA GANDHI
At the Vegan Society we are all extremely pleased and want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have campaigned for their release.
”To my mind the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to the protection by man from the cruelty of man.” (autobiography p.222, Penguin Books, 2001)
n TWENTY FIVE LONDONERS TAKE THE VEGAN CAMPAIGNS PLEDGE
n VEGAN PARENTS/CARERS Are you the parent or carer of a vegan child? Would you like to help assess a new leaflet about nutrition for vegan children? You don’t need any special knowledge of nutrition, just a willingness to give 15-20 minutes of your time to help answer a questionnaire to assess a new leaflet, which would be used to help vegan families. For more details please visit www.veganvolumes.co.uk/familystudy.htm
In January 2008, Vegan Campaigns supported 25 people in London to go vegan for a month. Before and after health checks showed an improvement in most people’s health, including weight loss, better energy and improved skin and hair. Many participants decided to stay vegan, one volunteer stated that “The Vegan Pledge made all the difference in finally helping me to make the change.” The good news is Vegan Campaigns is repeating the vegan pledge in January 2009. During the month, support will include practical tips on being vegan, information on nutrition, vegan recipes and before and after meetings. For further details, or to sign up for the vegan pledge contact: Vegan Campaigns BM 2300 London WC1N 3XX www.vegancampaigns.org.uk info@vegancampaigns.org.uk 07890 136663
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n NEW ANIMAL FREE SHOPPER OUT NOW The new 8th Edition of the Animal Free Shopper is now available priced £4.99. It is an invaluable guide to all things vegan and includes lists of thousands of vegan products. Please contact our sales department to order a copy 0121 523 1731 sales@vegansociety.com
n SPORTS NEWS By Peter Simpson www.veganrunners.makessense.co.uk James Meldrum the fastest of the Vegan Runners, was at his best again in the Lancaster Half Marathon on 7 September. Not only did he lower his personal best time but won the event by over 4 minutes in 1 hour 8 minutes 47 seconds. In a series of three 5K races near Windsor Sharon Davidson was the overall female winner. At the High Wycombe half marathon on 20 July, running for the Vegan Runners UK (VRUK) were Ed Banks 1.21 (25th), Peter Simpson 1.41 (193rd), Sharon Davidson 1.55 (491st) and Maria Hamilton
n ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VEGAN COOKING Cooking for Vegans www.cookingforvegans.co.uk is a new web based guide to vegan cooking, food shopping and eating out. If you have web access, why not check it out?
2.03 (630th). After cycling 25 miles to the Burnham Beeches half marathon on 17 August, Peter Simpson then ran the 13.1 miles in 1.36 (207th). Laurence Klein also finished in 2.05 (743rd). In Scotland on 26 July, Alison Davie finished the Musselburgh 10K in 45.09 (103rd) and in the Pudsey 10K in Yorkshire on 28 July, Mick Morgan finished in 48.10 (96th). For a full list of VRUK results please visit our blog at http://veganrunnersuk.blogspot.com/
n GLORY OF INDIA Vegan Society group contact Nitin Mehta MBE, founder of the Young Indian Vegetarians (see page 44), who is frequently in the UK media, has been awarded the ‘Glory of India’ award presented by the India International Friendship Society. Recipients are honoured for their outstanding leadership in promoting India and Indian culture in the United Kingdom. Previous recipients of the award include: Mother Teresa, cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and film star Dev Anand. For more information see: http://www.ivu.org/news/online/interviews/nitin.html
n VICTORIOUS VEGAN VETERAN Veggie since 1975 and vegan since 1985, Bill Fraser has won eighteen races in his age group (55-59). Incredible!
n WORLD VEGAN DAY AND WORLD VEGAN MONTH November has become an active vegan month for both Animal Aid and the Vegan Society. Please let us know what you have done in November to promote veganism and send us photos if possible.
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Verity Hunt-Sheppard
n ORGANIC BOTANIC SKINCARE ORGANIC BOTANICS Organic Botanics offer a fine selection of organic face and body products to cleanse, moisturise and rejuvenate your skin. Choose from their Damask Rose & Orange-Flower Elixir, Pink Lotus and Aloe Vera Eye Gel, Satin Hand and Body Lotion, Gentle Deep-Cleansing Milk and Refining French Clay & Seaweed Face Mask. Their gift and travel sets come in an attractive fair-trade organic cotton bag. All this organic loveliness is available for babies too: choose from their mild baby wash, baby oil and nappy cream. Organic Botanics products are available from £3.95. For more details visit www.organicbotanics.com or telephone 01273 573825.
Special Offer Treat yourself or a friend to some Organic Botanics goodness: get 10% off their whole range until 31 December. Just enter the offer code VEGAN27X at the checkout when ordering online, or ring 01273 573825 for a telephone order.
n COLD-PRESSED HEMP GOODNESS GOOD OIL Good Oil is made from 100% cold-pressed hemp seed and has a delicious fresh nutty taste. This highly versatile oil is great drizzled on salads and vegetables, poured over pasta, added to soups and smoothies or used to roast potatoes to perfection. Good Oil contains essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6. If you prefer more subtle flavours try Good Oil Light & Mild, which has a milder taste but the same hemp-seed goodness. Good Oil is currently available from health food shops and most branches of the Co-Op, Waitrose, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s and Tesco and costs £5.99. For more details visit www.goodwebsite.co.uk or telephone 01271 858377.
n WHAT’S NOT VEGAN ABOUT CONDOMS? GLYDE Some products are not always obvious in their non-vegan-ness, for instance milk proteins may be used as a processing aid in the case of condoms. Thankfully Glyde’s whole range of products is free from any animal derivatives and Glyde do not use milk proteins as a processing aid. Glyde produce three sizes of condom plus a colours and flavours range. The colours and flavours are all of food-grade standard and made from vegetable extracts. Glyde’s Premier Personal Lubricant is water based, clear, non-staining and non-fragranced. Glyde also produce a range of sheer dams, disposable latex gloves and a non-latex condom. Glyde condoms cost £7 (for 10) and are available from the Vegan Society. For more details visit www.glydehealth.com.
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n SKIN CARE FIGS & ROUGE Enjoy a touch of glamour in your daily beauty routine with some of the fabulous products from Figs & Rouge. Their vintage-inspired organic bodycare products include such delights as Rambling Rose Body Lotion, Camellia and Chamomile Hand Cream and Sweet Geranium Hair Shampoo. Figs & Rouge’s inspiration is taken from the Art Nouveau summer garden and will look gorgeous on anyone’s bathroom shelf. All Figs & Rouge products are sourced, formulated and made in the UK too and come in fully recyclable packaging. Who says glamour can’t be green? Figs & Rouge products are available from £6.95. For more details visit www.figsandrouge.co.uk or telephone 01827 280080.
photo: OAUK
All Shoparound products have been authenticated as
Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.
n UNISEX TOILETRIES FROM AHIMSA
n GET INTO MASSAGE
AHIMSA COSMETICS Ahimsa’s range of products is made in the North Yorkshire Moors. Their lowcost versatile unisex products are suitable for babies, children and teenagers as well as adults. Choose from their selection of hair and body products, which have a fresh clean cucumber smell. Alternatively you can order unscented Ahimsa products and add a few drops of your favourite aromatherapy oil to create any scent combination you like. Ahimsa run a direct recycling scheme too and encourage you to return your empty bottles to be cleaned and reused, all at no cost to you since the postage is refunded! Ahimsa products are available from £4. For more details visit www.ahimsacosmetics.co.uk.
HEALTHY HERBS Healthy Herbs’ pure oils are said to have beneficial properties when massaged into the skin. Try their Herb Oil for aches and pains, Comfrey Oil for sprains and muscle aches and Calendula Oil for baby care, rashes and skin inflammation. Healthy Herbs also have a selection of mini roll-ons to apply at any time when you’re on the go. Healthy Herbs products are available from £6.59. For more details visit www.healthpathwaysonline.com or telephone 01565 755022.
Special Offer If you’re concerned about any or all of the following – eczema, psoriasis, menopause, arthritis, pain or any other problem – then e-mail the helpful folks at Healthy Herbs on info@healthpathwaysonline.com and receive a special discount on any recommendation.
n VEGAN AND ORGANIC DOG FOOD YARRAH Yarrah produce everything you need for a healthy vegan canine companion. Their complete wet chunks with vegetables are made from soya, vegetables, sunflower oil and lovage, a herb said to aid digestion. Yarrah’s complete dry food contains all the essential nutrients in balanced amounts for a healthy and active dog life. There’s a selection of tasty treats too: choose from Yarrah Multi Dog Biscuits or Duo Snacks. The Multi biscuits are fortified with seaweed and spirulina. All Yarrah products are organic and contain no chemical colourings, aromatic substances or flavourings. Yarrah products are available from £2.50 at selected health food shops and supermarkets. For more details visit www.yarrah.com.
n VEGAN SHORTBREAD
n MORE FABULOUS PRODUCTS FROM FRY’S FRY’S Fry’s have two new yummy products to add to their already extensive range of all vegan products. Their new ChickenStyle Burgers are coated in crispy golden breadcrumbs: serve them in seeded rolls with salad and mayo or with steamed vegetables, crunchy roast potatoes and a rich gravy. Fry’s new Chicken-Style Strips are perfect for stir-fries, wraps, curries, pasties, pies or salads. Fry’s products are not only delicious but free from hydrogenated fats. You’ll find Fry’s products in the freezer section of Holland and Barrett and selected health food shops or you can order them from the lovely folks at Beanie’s. Chicken-Style Strips are priced at £3.01 and Chicken-Style burgers at £2.95. Visit www.beanieshealthfoods.co.uk or telephone 01489 574593.
ESKAL If shortbread was a comfort food of your childhood then you’ll be hopping, skipping and jumping to know that Eskal make a range of vegan Scottish shortbreads. Choose from their delicious thick-cut traditional or chocolate-chip shortbread rounds. If you have not heard of Eskal before, they have been a popular brand in Australia for 40 years. Look out for their Tropical Source vegan chocolate too, including rice crisp, raspberry, mint crunch and toasted almond. Eskal products can be found in health food shops and ‘free from’ sections of supermarkets. Eskal products are available from £1.25. For more details e-mail europe@eskalfoods.com or telephone 01343 540951.
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Verity Hunt-Sheppard
n SAVOURY SAUCES FROM GEO ORGANICS
n RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE
VENTURE FOODS You’ve probably already tucked into one of the many scrummy chocolate bars in their Organica range but did you know that Venture Foods, the company behind Organica, also has a range of savoury vegan delights under their Geo Organics label? The range includes Worcestershire Sauce, Brown Sauce, Thai Green, Red, Yellow and Satay pastes and Indian Korma, Tikka, Madras and Balti curry pastes. There are also some adventurous store-cupboard staples such as Sweet Chilli Sauce (Thai-style), Veggie Relish and more. Who said vegan food was boring?! Geo Organic products are available from £1.29. For more details visit www.seriouslyorganic.co.uk.
K CREATIONS Raw vegan chocolate is taking over the world! K Creations have created a sublime range of raw chocolate bars using ingredients such as raw organic cacao liquor, cacao butter, raw cashew nuts, mesquite and lucuma, blended with botanical flavourings, herbs and spices. Absolutely no refined sugars are used. Choose from such delights as Lovely Dark with Lemon, Minted Rare, Nutty Dreams, Jungle Bar, Dark Orange, Darkly Ginger, Blonde with Vanilla and more. K Creations also have a selection of raw chocolate hearts, buttons and gift boxes. K Creations chocolate is available from around £2.40. For more details visit www.k-creations.co.uk or telephone 02380 559943.
Competition We have three boxes of yummy Venture Foods goodies worth around £20.00 to give away. Please send your name and address to us at The Vegan Society before 30 January. The first 3 entries to be picked out of the hat will win. Please mark your entry ‘Venture Food Competition’.
n BATHTIME BLISS FROM HEDGECRAFT
n BOTANICAL SKIN CARE FROM NEW ZEALAND DR WENDY’S Treat your face to some all-natural tender loving care with Dr Wendy’s 100% botanical skincare range which is suitable for sensitive skin. Ingredients include rose oil, avocado oil, hempseed oil, jojoba, shea butter, lavender and frankincense, which are preserved with a carefully selected plant-based preservative. Choose from their Gentle, Balancing or Replenishing ranges of cleaners, toners and moisturizers as well as their Ultra Treat serum for fine lines and the delicate eye area. All this skincare goodness is concentrated too so a little goes a long way. Dr Wendy’s products are available from around £10. For more details visit www.doctorwendy.net.
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Hedgecraft Formed in 2002, Hedgecraft is an exclusively vegan company producing a luscious range of bath and body products, and they use mostly organic ingredients too. Choose from their handmade soaps, bath bombs and melts, body scrubs, creams and their ever popular Kiss This lip balms. Hedgecraft create intoxicating flavours such as Ylang Ylang and Orange, Orange and Patchouli, Grapefruit & Bergamot, White Chocolate, Simply Rose and Groovy Grapefruit & Vanilla. Hedgecraft use no artificial colours or fragrances. Hedgecraft products are available from £2.25. For more details visit www.hedgecraft.co.uk.
Each year Vegan Society members nominate their favourite vegan companies, products and people. The winners of the 2008 Vegan Society Awards are:
Best Fairly Traded Product Co-op Fairtrade Wines Vegan Achievement Award Robin Lane & Alison Coe (for vegan campaigning including organising the London Vegan Festival with others) Best Cruelty Free Non-Food Product YAOH Lipbalm Best Vegan Catering Veggies, Nottingham Best Food Product Fry’s Traditional Burgers Best Drink Grolsch Premium Lager Best Retailer for Animal Free Shopping One Earth Shop, Birmingham Best Vegan Environmentally Friendly Product Faith in Nature Seaweed Toiletries
Best Vegan Project or Campaign SHAC
Best Vegan Accommodation The Barn, Lyndhurst, Hants
Best Vegan Friendly Hospital or Care Home St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester Best Vegan Friendly School/College/University Nottingham University Vegan Raspberry Award Quorn
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Lou Twist
I knew very little about the Climate Camp movement before I was invited this year. The person who invited me had been to the previous camp to protest against Heathrow’s third runway and in selling this year’s camp near Kingsnorth power station told me “It’s a camp for political protest against E.ON’s plans for a new coal-fired power station and climate change” and “All the food is vegan.” I was sold! Upon arrival I was amazed by the organization of the camp: 10 neighbourhoods each representing a different geographical region of the UK encircled a central area. Toilet blocks had been constructed using recycled materials on site. All toilet waste was composted and sent to a local farmer to grow potatoes for next year! Biodegradable soap was available at wash-basins by every block. Walking lanes had been set up to reduce damage to the field. Marquees for evening entertainment were powered by solar, wind and pedal-power on site. Campers were determined not to leave their mark on the field.
Each neighbourhood consisted of 50-200 people cooking, washing-up and living communally. Food was supplied by the central kitchen and was paid for by donations of £3-5 per day from campers. Three delicious hot vegan meals were provided: cinnamon porridge for breakfast, soup or couscous salad for lunch and curries, chillies, pasta and stews for dinner. No-one went hungry! While not everyone at the camp was vegan, the focus of some workshops was on being vegan for environmental reasons. Many felt that one could not be an environmentalist and eat meat or dairy. After a vegan cake-baking workshop three vegetarians I met vowed to become vegan. This filled me with optimism. With the growing trend towards a greener way of life people are starting to realize the costs associated with meat and dairy and more are turning towards a vegan diet.
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George Rodger
The Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru 2008, or the Welsh National Eisteddfod 2008, was held in Bute Park, Cardiff (Caerdydd) in early August.
T
he National Eisteddfod is a huge cultural event, running for eight days, with around 20,000 visitors every day. The Maes, or field, is like a tent town built around the enormous 3,000-seater pavilion for the main events with several smaller pavilions, and an enormous variety of stalls representing every aspect of Welsh life.
Sian had a good turnout of volunteer helpers, including Vegan Society Trustee George Rodger, former Trustee Laurence Main and former Vegan Society staffers Catriona Toms and Sebastian Pender.
Unsurprisingly, there always seemed to be music around us, including some lovely hymn-singing from a choir in the ecumenical church tent next door but one. (That church tent was also our chief source of cups of tea!)
Including veganism! For many years, Vegan Society member and local contact Sian Meredudd has been running a vegan stall at Eisteddfodau and this Eisteddfod was no exception, although this time the stall was sponsored by The Vegan Society. Sian organised a steady supply of free samples of vegan cakes, hummus, sausages, and Cheezly to tempt visitors into our tent where there was a wide selection of display material and information sheets, recipe sheets and dietary advice. All printed material was bilingual in Welsh and English, much of it reprinted from the Figan Cymru (Welsh Vegan), which Sian edits. There were also several petitions on animal issues and a bric-a-brac stall.
There was no problem for stall workers to get vegan food; there was a very good Indian takeaway stall nearby, which had a choice of tasty vegan curries.
The picture shows Laurence, George, Sian and Kay Holder; Kay was particularly adept at catching passersby and persuading them to pay us a visit. The stall was very strategically located, near to both the main pavilion and one of the main food areas, so there were always plenty of passers-by. On two of the days, Gareth Blake of Hipo Hyfryd was also on the stall, giving out free samples of his vegan chocolate truffles. (He had to keep a close eye on the other helpers, or all his samples would soon have disappeared!)
The week started and finished with rain but in between we got some lovely sunshine and a lot of visitors. Visitors varied from sheep farmers, just looking for an argument, to genuinely interested people, including some from as far away as Argentina! And we completely used up our stocks of the main bilingual leaflet produced by The Vegan Society. All the volunteers seemed to enjoy their time working on the stall. No doubt many of them will be back next year, when the National Eisteddfod will be in Bala. For more info, visit www.eisteddfod.org.uk.
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Gita Mistry www.gitamistryfood.co.uk/food.php
POTATO WITH CASHEW NUTS AND LIME LEAVES, SERVED WITH CUCUMBER RAITA Serves 4 500g/1lb potatoes, part boiled 60g/2oz cashew nuts 1 ⁄2 tsp paprika 1 ⁄2 tsp chilli powder handful of lime leaves 1 tsp onion seeds 1 tsp dried coriander 1 ⁄2 tsp turmeric salt to taste zest of a lime 1 tbsp chopped chives ground nut oil juice of a large lemon
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For the raita 1 ⁄2 cucumber, grated 250g soya yoghurt 1 clove garlic 1 small rocket chilli 1 ⁄2 tsp turmeric salt to taste 1 ⁄4 tsp mustard seeds, crushed
Peel and chop the potatoes into chunks and part boil in salty water for 15 minutes. Set aside. For the raita: Prepare the grated cucumber and remove the water by squeezing it in your hands. Crush the garlic, finely chop the green chilli and grind the mustard seeds in a pestle and mortar. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a low or shallow level pan, and lightly fry the cashew nuts, add the lime leaves and stir.
Add the potatoes and sprinkle in the onion seeds, paprika, chilli powder, dried coriander, salt and turmeric. Give it all a good stir and cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, add in the lime zest and lemon juice. (This brings out all the flavours.) Finally, after a good stir sprinkle over the chives. For the raita: Add to grated cucumber: the yoghurt, garlic, chilli, and turmeric and give it stir. Add salt to taste and mix in the crushed mustard seeds.
VEGAN HAGGIS, 25TH BIRTHDAY th
th
On 25 January 2009, Scotland celebrates the 250 anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns and the 25th anniversary of MacSween’s vegan haggis. The vegan haggis can be served in the traditional way with mashed potato and mashed turnip (or Swede) or used in more modern recipes such as vegan haggis pakoras. Vegan Haggis Pakora The ideal fusion of our two national dishes – haggis and curry! The batter 2 cupfuls of gram flour pinch of bicarbonate of soda pinch of chilli powder salt to taste Add water to the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter that is neither too thin nor too thick so that it will coat the haggis effectively. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes. You may like to add some extra ingredients to the batter: half crushed fresh ginger, 2 cloves of crushed fresh garlic, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of whole coriander seeds, half tsp turmeric powder, a handful of fresh coriander, or half tsp of garam masala. Form the MacSween vegan haggis into small balls, coat in the batter and deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and serve. Delicious hot or cold.
CHOCOLATE TORTE By those lovely people at Sheese (www.buteisland.com) 400g vegan digestive biscuits (Hobnobs work well too) 200g vegan margarine, melted 1 tub Bute Island Foods Original Creamy Sheese 300ml vegan cream, whipped 100g caster sugar Grated rind of 1 lemon 2 tbsp agar agar flakes 150g vegan dark chocolate
Fill the flan with the mixture and place in a preheated oven at 160°C for 30 mins. Chill well before serving, take the cake out of the tin and decorate. This is wonderful, very rich and delicious. Serve sliced, sprinkled with a little sieved icing sugar and a few slices of kiwi fruit. Alternatively, if you want a really deep torte, try using a smaller flan tin and cook for an extra 10/15 mins until the top is firm.
Crush digestive biscuits with a blender and mix with the melted margarine. Put into a round flan tin with removable base 25cm/10”. Pat the mixture down firmly to make a base. Put in the fridge whilst making the filling. Beat the Sheese in a non-stick saucepan until creamy, sprinkle the agar agar flakes over the Sheese and stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the flakes dissolve. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. Whip the cream, sugar and lemon rind until thick. Add the melted chocolate and Sheese mixture and whip together.
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George Rodger
O
n August 16, there was a special meeting about veganism at the Jain Centre in Leicester, organised by Leicester local activist Nick Ballard. The meeting was attended by several Trustees and several Staff members of The Vegan Society, as well as several non-Jain members of the public. The afternoon began with a tour of the Jain Centre, conducted by the President of the Jain Centre Committee, Dr Ramesh Mehta. He showed the group around the intricately-carved main temple and the smaller temples of different Jain sects and explained Jain traditions and beliefs as he went along. Jainism is one of the oldest religions in India, and places special emphasis on the concept of ahimsa, ie not causing harm to any creature, so it already has much in common with veganism, although Jains usually use dairy products. After the tour, the group of visitors joined local Jains in the main meeting hall downstairs to hear three short presentations, each followed by the opportunity for questions. There were about forty people in the meeting.
AN INDIAN VEGAN IN
First off, we heard from Shankar Narayan, founder of the recently-formed Indian Vegan Society, who was paying a short visit to the UK after the IVU Congress in Dresden before returning to India. He spoke about what veganism meant to him, and told of his personal “journey” to veganism. This was followed by a talk by The Vegan Society’s own Health and Nutrition expert, Stephen Walsh. He gave a summary of all that anyone really needs to know about a healthy, balanced, vegan diet. The last speaker was Mahersh Shah, himself a Jain, who, with wife Nishma, runs a part-time vegan catering business (Shambhu’s, named after the family dog!). He gave a very personal account of why he, as a Jain, was vegan. The talks were interspersed with tea, accompanied by tasty vegan snacks from Shambhu’s, during which there was much conversation between Jains and Vegan Society people. An interesting afternoon of encounter between two groups with so much in common!
EUROPE
– by Shankar Narayan It was a great feeling to be in the land of veganism, to visit the new headquarters of the world’s first Vegan Society, and to speak about how a vegan lifestyle can help solve so many of the problems the present-day world is facing. At the Leicester event I spoke of the ethical basis of veganism and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle vis-a-vis the current consumerist lifestyle in solving world hunger, Stephen Walsh stressed the importance of vitamin D and Mahersh Shah spoke of his experience as a vegan activist and how it relates to Jain philosophy.
It was interesting to see Jain leaders listening to the talks and applauding in approval and I was moved when Mr. Pranlal Doshi invited me to stay at his home. As a result of our conversations on veganism he promised to give all possible help. Meanwhile, Mahersh was invited back to talk to an audience of young Jains and Stephen was asked to help with the campaign against rickets. I was in England and other European countries after attending the International Vegetarian Union Centenary World Congress in Dresden. It was a great experience to see so much enthusiastic activism in Europe and enjoy the warm
hospitality of lovely vegans like Hildi and Guenther (organisers of the congress), Vanessa and Stephen, Mahersh and Nishma, Nick in Leicester and so many others. The icing on the cake was seeing veg activism taking root in an unexpected part of the world when I visited Dubai on my way back to India. I am convinced that veganism has come of age and is here to stay and to show the world a way out of the mess it has created for itself. I hope that my experience of visiting the holy place of veganism and learning so much from so many activists will help me in my present and future vegan activities. My deepest thanks to you all.
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WHERE DOES ALL ? O G Y E N THE MO T
he growth of the Bristol Vegan Fayre over the last few years has been nothing short of phenomenal – what started out on November 1st 2003 as a small indoor event with 40 stalls, 1500 visitors, 6 talks and a budget of £3,000, has now grown to a massive two day outdoor festival with over 11,000 people, 60 talks and demos, 140 stalls and a budget of £100,000! Quite a leap, especially for the organisers Yaoh who have had to manage this growth.
wholehearted support of our sponsors (especially The Vegan Society, the VVF, Beanie’s, Bute Island, Essential, Suma, Infinity, Redwood, Viva!, Plamil and the like) plus the complete commitment of our wonderful stallholders and advertisers, as well as the support of countless others, then it would never have got this far and the continued support of such firms and organisations is absolutely essential if we want to see the BVF continue year on year.
The huge success of the 2008 show was apparent to (nearly) everyone who went – but what about the finances? Surely someone is making a lot of money here? It was £5 to get in each day and £1 for kids, stalls were around the £200 - £300 mark for the two days, more for caterers, there were 20 sponsors – so didn’t someone make off with a huge holdall of cash somewhere? Truth is, for the first time ever the BVF actually broke even in 2008 – the show cost £98,500 to produce, and the combined revenue was just under that (£98,300) – officially a breakeven. Compare that to the 2007 show, which left the organisers £5,500 in the red. Yaoh had to borrow the £5,500 and pay it back over 2 years at £200 a month to make sure everyone got paid for 2007, including all the contractors and stewards.
So where does the money go then? Well, the biggest cost is the marquees (approx £20,000) and the security (£8,000), the stewards come in at £8,000 (they all get paid, no volunteers except the organiser Timbo who has never been paid). Toilets and rubbish account for another few grand, the electricity is nearing £10,000, promotion for the event runs into thousands, the stages and PA’s are another few grand, the fences, insurance, Paramedics and First Aid come to more than 10 grand, wages for the office team who work 9 months to put the show on is another few grand, and then there is the entertainment, with circus groups, kids’ entertainers, walkabout, the likes of Rubber Ritchie and David Straitjacket, plus the acoustic bands – that all adds up. And then in 2008 we had a stunning line up on the main stage – many people thought that they must have cost a fortune but the truth is that they accounted for about 12% of the total budget. And please remember nearly all of these bills are ‘need to’s’ not ‘nice to’s’, most of them are legal requirements for an event of this nature.
For the record, the 2003 BVF saw a £1,000 deficit, in 2004 it was £500, in 2005 it was £1000, and in 2006 it was a similar deficit – all of these bills paid by Yaoh. In short, if it hadn’t been for the continued and
So what do you get for your money? Well, it’s a huge advert for the vegan lifestyle, it’s a massively inspiring weekend and we also get a very large amount of press coverage these days – with the vegan lifestyle featured in over 30 magazines, often with double and triple page spreads, as well as on local TV, radio and countless websites. It generates loads of good word of mouth about us vegans – but the main thing is we all come together and grow and become both powerful and influential as a movement. The vegan movement might be the last big movement the world will ever need – let’s make the most of it. And let me reassure you that the BVF has always been – and always will be – a not-for-profit event with the sole aim of promoting the vegan lifestyle to everyone who cares to listen, whilst having the most exceptionally good time imaginable. Tim Barford from Yaoh
The BVF 09 is on May 30th and 31st 2009, check out their website for details: www.bristolveganfayre.co.uk
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Hello!
With a fond farewell to Johanna and a great big thank you for all her hard work over the last few years, I’d like to introduce myself as the new YOUth Pages writer. I’ve been working here at the Vegan Society for the last 18 months as the Education Officer, getting into your schools to talk to you all about veganism! I love the chance to tell new people about what vegan means and why I’m vegan! And students are fascinated to find out about it too.
Rob Jackson
At the start of September was the London Vegan Festival, and I took the chance to catch up with some of you at the event. There was lots to see and do, and some great fun activities to get involved with. So many people came that they were queuing up outside! Three young vegans and one vegetarian were good enough to talk to me: Name Xanthé Age 12 Are you vegan? Why? I’ve been vegan for two years because I think it’s wrong to take milk from cows’ babies. What’s your favourite vegan food? Mock duck, cake and ice cream. What are you enjoying most about the festival? All the free samples. Name Jazmine Age 15 Are you vegan? Why? I don’t agree with animals being slaughtered and all the cruelty involved. It’s more environmentally friendly, healthy and ethical to be vegan. What’s your favourite vegan food? Chocolate and pasta (but not together!). What are you enjoying most about the festival? It’s nice to be with so many other vegans and I love being able to eat the food without having to think about whether it’s vegan. Name Dylan Age 9 Are you vegan? Why? I’m vegetarian, I don’t like cruelty to animals, I might go vegan when I’m older. What’s your favourite vegan food? Chocolate cake. What are you enjoying most about the festival? All the food stalls. Name Iona Age 11 Are you vegan? Why? I like animals so don’t want to be a part of the cruelty involved in farming them. What’s your favourite vegan food? Stir-fry noodles with vegetables and tofu. What are you enjoying most about the festival? I can eat everything!
With a new school year comes new chances for getting veganism into schools and under your friends’ noses! Let us know what you did for World Vegan Day, and any of your stories about being a young vegan. Do you get vegan options in the school canteen?
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Christine Mackay
PLANNING FOR SPRING Winter and early spring crops Aside from the challenges of growing your own food without chemical or animal inputs, home-growers also need to plan the sowing and planting of crops to enable a regular supply of vegetables right through the year. Most winter or early spring crops need to be planted out many months before harvesting time. Crops sown in spring or early summer for winter harvest include parsnips, leeks, carrots and Brussels sprouts. There are also leafy crops that survive well during our milder winters. These include chard, spinach and kale, the more tender leaves which can be eaten raw in winter and spring salads. If you are lucky enough to have a glasshouse or cold frame the season can be extended. There is even a variety of salad called ‘all year round’ which, as the name suggests, can be grown with protection at any time. Every year I grow lamb’s lettuce (corn salad) both outdoors and under cover. This is very hardy and readily self-seeds so I have only ever had to buy one packet of seeds to start off this crop. Oriental vegetables thrive best under cooler conditions, running quickly to seed during warmer, dryer summer months. Varieties such as pak choi, Chinese cabbage, oriental spinach and mustard greens are delicious raw in spicy salads or stir-fried. Last winter I filled my glasshouse with oriental greens and by harvesting the leaves as required they lasted several months. Another successful crop which I grew under cover last winter was turnip broccoli which produced nutritious leaves and flower heads.
Grow Vegan Puzzler Is comfrey a perennial or annual plant? Send your answers on a postcard to: The Vegan Society (address details on page 1) by 5th January 2009. The winner receives a copy of Plants for a Future by Ken Fern. The answer to the Autumn Grow Vegan Puzzler is: Suppress Weed Growth and the winner is Steven Cunio from Manchester.
A perennial is a plant that is active through many years, usually living three or more years. These plants may die back completely during the winter but come back from the rootstock the following spring. In my allotment I have a range of perennial crops, including: sorrel, salad burnet, herb patience, plus Jerusalem artichoke which can be harvested during winter and early spring, with some roots left in the ground to regrow. There are many more perennial crops to choose from and an excellent place to start looking is the Plants For A Future website (www.pfaf.org). Comfrey plants, a staple of vegan-organic growing, are perennial and the leaves can be used to provide potash and other plant nutrients.
I let many of my crops run to seed. It is great fun to discover rocket, salads, kale, red orach and herbs such as oregano growing quite happily without any input from me! Some of these crops can be left in-situ or transplanted to a more suitable location to grow on. Both perennials and self-seeders work well in a vegan organic system which favours minimal soil disturbance to promote soil life. With sufficient research and planning it is possible to be reasonably self-sufficient from a vegan organic plot all year round but during the long winter months it is hard to resist the purchase of colourful peppers and aubergines which can be a challenge to grow at any time of the year! Resources Fertile Fibre Ltd sell ready made composts (Vegro) and fertilisers that are vegan, organic, and peat free; not cheap but buying in bulk will save a lot – why not club together with others to buy a large quantity? For more information go to www.fertilefibre.com/vegro.html or phone 01432 853111. The Vegan News is an online magazine that has masses of gardening information; see www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/index.htm Joining VeganOrganic Network is an excellent move for the vegan-organic gardener; the twice-yearly magazine and how-to-do-it advice sheets are packed with helpful information. Vegans! Remember there is a world of difference between vegan-organic (stockfree) and conventional organic – support VON and help get real vegangrown food into the shops.
Perennials and self-seeders It takes a lot of time and effort to sow and nurture a sufficient range of crops to maintain a supply of fresh produce all year round. One option is to use perennials, which tend to be more hardy and therefore require less attention.
However, care must be taken when introducing wild plants as these may become invasive and out-compete other crops.
Many wild plants such as dandelions and nettles also provide a good source of nutritious greens. Richard Mabey’s book Food for Free gives descriptions of a wide range of edible and useful wild plants.
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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HOW TO STORE YOUR GARDEN PRODUCE: THE KEY TO SELFSUFFICIENCY By Piers Warren Published by Green Books Ltd ISBN 978 1 900322 17 1 Cover price £7.95 Reviewed by Lenka Pagan This is the modern guide to storing and preserving your produce, enabling you to eat home-grown goodness all year round. The easy-to-use reference section provides storage and preservation techniques for the majority of plant produce commonly grown in gardens and allotments. I enjoyed reading this book. There are good ideas/tips on how to store your produce: freezing, salting, bottling… For example storing, in general produce which traditionally grows and ripens in a warm environment will store better in the average kitchen than in the fridge. There are also many recipes in this book on every vegetable/fruit (or garden produce i.e. herbs) described. For instance: cucumber jam, mushroom ketchup, loganberry wine, tomato jelly or damson and marrow jam… Did you know the difference between pickles and chutneys? Pickles - usually pieces of fruit or vegetable stored in vinegar. Chutney - mixtures of chopped vegetables and fruits cooked in vinegar.
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THE RED BODYGUARD: THE AMAZING HEALTH PROMOTING PROPERTIES OF THE TOMATO By Ron Levin Icon Books 2008 ISBN 978-184046885-4 £5.99 Reviewed by Stephen Walsh Ron Levin provides an enjoyable and interesting tour of scientific evidence for the benefits of this common fruit, accompanied by an entertaining overview of the history of the tomato (including the court judgement that branded it a vegetable). The book focuses on evidence that increased consumption of tomatoes may reduce risk of prostate cancer and coronary heart disease. There is convincing evidence that tomatoes (particularly when cooked with oil) increase blood levels of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, and have an antioxidant effect. There is good evidence that tomatoes reduce blood clotting. A number of studies have also found higher consumption of tomatoes and/or higher blood levels of lycopene to be associated with lower risk of heart disease and prostate cancer. This makes a reasonable health case that tomatoes should be eaten by anyone who doesn’t dislike them. The book falls down in my opinion by overstating the evidence somewhat and in putting tomatoes on a pedestal far above other fruits and vegetables. For instance, it discusses a 2004 report by Howard Sesso et al in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition based on the Women’s Health Study which found lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with higher blood levels of lycopene but fails to mention a 2005 report by the same authors in the same journal which found no indication of any effect of blood levels of lycopene on CVD risk in men. Such selective citation means that the book should be viewed as a work of advocacy rather than a balanced review. Lycopene is also far from being the only plant antioxidant that has been found in some studies to be associated with lower risk of disease.
I came across vegetables/fruits I have never heard/seen before. In this book you will get to know them all; there is a little drawing and brief description or history of each vegetable/fruit being described.
Based on reviews of many human studies, the 2007 World Cancer Research Fund report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer has as one of its ten recommendations: Eat at least five portions/servings (at least 400 g or 14 oz) of a variety of non-starchy vegetables and of fruits every day…. This is best made up from a range of various amounts of non-starchy vegetables and fruits of different colours including red, green, yellow, white, purple, and orange, including tomato-based products and allium vegetables such as garlic.
I would recommend that individuals who grow their own garden produce will find this book very informative.
I find this a more balanced view of the health role of the tomato than that of Ron Levin though his book is certainly a more enjoyable and entertaining read.
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SKINNY BITCH BUN IN THE OVEN By Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin Published: Running Press ISBN-10: 0762431059 ISBN-13: 9780762431052 Price: £8.99 Reviewed by Verity HuntSheppard There’s no stopping those Skinny Bitches who return with their third instalment, this time aimed at mothers to be. Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven is touted as “a gutsy guide to becoming one hot and healthy mother.” Coauthor Kim Barnouin was herself pregnant while researching the book. Rather than letting go during pregnancy the authors argue that you should be taking extra care of what you’re eating, and that means eating an organic, whole food vegan diet and exercising daily too. No one gives you this advice quite like the skinny bitches though. Their brash girlfriend style talk makes for an entertaining read but is not for the easily offended. Bun in the Oven is aimed at non vegans so there is a lot of text about why it’s best to go vegan. It’s also written on the assumption that readers have not read their first book Skinny Bitch, a “bitchclaimer” at the front of the book warns readers “if you read our first book…don’t be surprised (or pissed) to find much of the same information here”. Chapters include “You’re Knocked Up, Now Give It Up”, “Sugar is Satan” “Carbs: Eat ‘Em, Dumb-Ass”, “Stupid Boring Vitamin Chapter” and a useful “What the Hell to Eat” chapter which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner lists, acceptable junk foods and snacks list, a store cupboard items list and a 4 week suggested menu plan. Bun in the Oven isn’t just a book about eating healthy though, as with Skinny Bitch, this is also a book about the food industry and food production. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin are clearly very passionate about alerting readers to the influence of industry on food and health policy, the dubious ways in which some additives have been approved, the pressure on some scientists to misreport or omit study findings and the funding behind otherwise seemingly independent sources. Bun in the Oven finishes with a chapter on breast feeding (“Suck It Up and Do It”). As the book is US authored much of the food industry information is specific to America and the many of the food products listed are sadly unavailable in the UK.
RAW FOOD CELEBRATIONS - PARTY MENUS FOR EVERY OCCASION Authors: Nomi Shannon & Sheryl Duraz Publisher: Books Alive, Summertown, Tennessee ISBN: 978-1-57067-228-6 Price: $19.95 Reviewed by Pete Farrugia, moderator of the Raw Food UK Forum: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfooduk Party food is not usually thought of as particularly healthy, but this is a recipe book with a difference. None of the ingredients need to be heated above a (slightly warm) 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw food enthusiasts believe that this keeps all of the nutrients in the food intact, making it the healthiest way to eat. US-based author Nomi Shannon is very well known in raw food circles, having written several well-received books including The Raw Gourmet. Her co-author Sheryl Duraz is one of Australia’s leading raw foodists. Full marks are due to both authors for keeping it strictly vegan. Some raw recipe books advocate honey and other bee products, but not this one. The emphasis in this book is on food, not advocacy. There are already many books on the market for raw beginners, which explain the health benefits – this isn’t one of them. The recipes in this book definitely fall into the raw gourmet category, with quite a few imitations of well-known cooked dishes. An example is Creamy Tomato Lasagne. This uses marinated thinly sliced courgettes instead of pasta, a white sauce made from various nuts, two different types of tomato sauce, and a layer of spinach and herbs. This is one of the more elaborate recipes in the book, but it is delicious and well worth the effort. Another (simpler, but equally delicious) example is Pad Thai Noodles, which is julienned courgettes and carrots with bean sprouts, covered in an amazing sauce, blended from almond butter, citrus fruits, ginger, garlic and chilli. While some of the recipes benefit from specialist equipment such as a dehydrator or a high-speed blender, plenty of recipes are included that can be prepared with more commonplace kitchen tools. Raw Food Celebrations makes a welcome addition to any raw vegan’s kitchen bookshelf.
THE ITALIAN VEGAN By Georgina Ferrari Price £5.99 Publisher: Athena Press ISBN: 978-1-84748-327-0 Pages: 181 Reviewed by Colm McBriarty Georgina Ferrari’s is quite a fantastic little book. We all love the convenience of Italian food (what unexpected guest could refuse “Whore’s Spaghetti”?) but there are over 100 recipes here (including desserts) to offer a little more of a challenge without being intimidating. There are no illustrations or expensive photographs but this means it is incredible value; only £5.99. Hearty, honest food based on Italian peasant dishes. Perfetto!
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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
RESPONSES TO THE ARTICLE: A HAPPINESS OF HENS
Reasons Not to Approve the Eating of Eggs from Industry Excess Hens An article named “A Happiness of Hens” in the Autumn 2008 issue of The Vegan suggested (controversially, the editor noted) that a rescuer might eat the eggs of industry excess hens, as this does not create or increase the demand for eggs. But it might do just that. Misinformation abounds regarding eggs. Projecting the idea that we can ethically eat some eggs, from some chickens, confuses the public and, from a vegan perspective, impedes movement-building. It’s vital that people not be led to think that animal advocates themselves believe a diet is incomplete without eggs. Moreover, the most powerful base for a movement is as broad and egalitarian as possible. Most people do not live in areas with access to rescued hens who could live in spacious quarters; nor should we advocate expanding the physical space taken up by animal agribusiness. The purchasing of Omlet hen houses, or the simple reality that it’s all females being rescued, would underscore the troubling connection between the well-intentioned hen keeper and the industry that sells eggs and other products related to home animal farming (sometimes referred to as the “horsiculture” trend). This new take on an old product - let’s call it the “rescue-range” egg runs a strong risk of turning animal advocates into promoters of animal agribusiness. This is not to say an activist is in the wrong for the act of rescue itself. Still, it’s not clear why advocacy groups should devote their time and the public’s resources working with industrial egg producers to adopt hens. Even if it can be justified in the name of the individual birds, the eggs would be best going to a sanctuary where carnivorous animals reside, and not eaten by the human keepers of the birds. And if it can be justified in some cases, we must be careful about how we speak of the activity of rescue. Are we lending credence to the notion that animals may acceptably be purpose-bred - as long as they are essentially treated as pets? Are the industrialists who used the hens getting any public relations advantage from the interaction? Or are the rescuers making it clear as day that expecting hens to lay our meals for us is objectifying and disrespectful? It’s important to make it clear that animals are not here for our purposes. We’re not here to be symbiotic with animal-using industries. We’re here to model a completely new paradigm. As with any addiction, the key is removing it from your life. Lee Hall Legal Director of Friends of Animals and one of the team of creators of www.veganmeans.com Lee’s forthcoming book is On Their Own Terms: Bringing Animal Rights Philosophy Down to Earth.
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Against Eating Eggs from Rescued Hens Rescuing chickens from intensive farming units can raise good, thoughtprovoking publicity, and each redeemed bird is doubtless thankful. However, I must ask “where is it all coming from?” and “what is it all leading to?” The situation of numerous unfertilised eggs would not arise in the natural, social conditions suited to the ancestor species of these cruelly-engineered birds. The hens would be minded by caring cockerels, the eggs mostly fertilised, and each clutch incubated and hatched. The birds’ parental inclinations would be allowed expression, and families would perpetuate themselves naturally. Giving away (to kind homes) birds who are past maximum productivity levels, must make farmers feel kind. It may also be more viable than transportation and slaughter expenses. Rescue operations could become part of the economic system and, provided the male chicks continue to be minced, and the unfertilised eggs repeatedly removed so that the hens don’t get broody, collaborating vegans could bear the brunt of costs to pocket and integrity. The RSPCA distributed some harsh but sound advice recently, “only buy animals that you are convinced are healthy”. I am convinced that justice can only come to chickens through this policy being thoroughly implemented within the poultry industry. There are recognisable stages of sickness from socially disordered right up to biologically dead. Eleisha C Newman Lewes
For Eating Eggs from Rescued Hens What a brilliant article ‘A Happiness of Hens’ was in your Autumn edition. I gave a home to three rescued ex-battery hens on 7 June 2008 and they have improved enormously in the three short months since they arrived. They have gone from shy creatures with bald patches, reluctant to explore their surroundings, to confident, beautifully feathered individuals. They soon found their feet and are now happily exploring my back garden, where they can be found scratching for worms, dust bathing and chasing off the local cats! They are very sociable creatures and often pop into the kitchen to see what’s on offer! I know your ‘Editor’s note’ was intended to provoke a debate (and I am sure it will), and I have to strongly disagree with the comment that ‘Some vegans would not agree that keeping rescued hens is acceptable at all’. I have recently changed to a vegan diet, after being vegetarian for eight years, and cannot think of anything more rewarding than saving an animal’s life. I do not eat the eggs my hens produce, but do take them into work, and colleagues buy these for £1 per box. I do not consider this to be exploitation as all the money goes towards food and treats for the hens themselves and no profit is made. You cannot stop the hens producing eggs and it would seem disrespectful to the hens to simply throw them away. Perhaps those vegans who think I am ‘imprisoning them in my back garden’ might like to visit my beautiful Shropshire garden, visit the battery farm, then decide which environment they would prefer the hens to be kept in . . . because the alternative is that the hens would be in pet food by now. Julie Jackson Shropshire
For Eating Eggs from Rescued Hens There is a wonderful ex-battery hen rescue centre which is 30 miles from where I live and I went to see the sanctuary and was surprised to hear from the retired lady who runs the sanctuary that the people who buy her eggs are vegan. The 700 rescue hens have a home for life, are never re-homed, able to go where they please, dust bathe when they want and are safe from the horrors of modern farming. They all have their own names and are very happy. I do now eat eggs from the sanctuary and I am happy to call myself vegan as I will not eat any other eggs or products with other eggs in. I felt deeply embarrassed when I was told by the sanctuary lady that attempts to sell her eggs in the local shops as “veganfriendly” resulted in vicious phone calls and letters of abuse from “vegans” who claimed they loved animals but refused to visit or help out at the sanctuary. I would love to mention the sanctuary by name but the sanctuary lady does not need any more nasty communications from vegans who do not appreciate that she looks after 700 rescue hens almost on her own for the last twelve years with no holiday during that time. Her only funding comes from her pension and vegans who buy her eggs. Buying her “vegan-friendly” eggs allows her to care for her hens and take in more who desperately need help. I think there is a danger of vegans missing the point and not actually furthering animal welfare. We need to think carefully about why we are vegan - to save animals from abuse and then apply that to helping, not hindering and insulting, others that care for animals on the front line on a daily basis. I am proud to say I not only eat the sanctuary’s “vegan-friendly” eggs but I help with fundraising too. Rebecca
For Eating Eggs from Rescued Hens At the end of an article in the last issue of The Vegan titled “A Happiness of Hens”, you pointed out that some vegans would not agree that keeping rescued hens is acceptable. I think it is entirely acceptable. Although they are technically imprisoned (for their own protection) in a back garden, this has to be preferable to their alternative fate of being unable to even move in a tiny, filthy cage before being brutally slaughtered. And the only problem I can see with eating their eggs would be if it led others to question your commitment to veganism. Even then, I suppose you could take the opportunity to educate them as to why you never ate eggs from non-rescued hens. The alternative option of giving the eggs to friends may also be attractive, but you would need to be sure that this didn’t simply make them think it was ok to eat eggs in general; you would have to make sure they understood the distinction. You could even stamp the egg with something like “Only eat eggs from rescued hens” or “This egg is from a rescued hen that will live in comfort until old age”! Ralph Lovesy
Editor’s Correction In the last magazine I included an article about keeping rescue hens in your back garden. The article recommended a hen house called ‘Omlet’ however, it has been bought to my attention that these are not good houses for hens as the secure part of the shelter is quite small and has very little natural light and the runs are also quite small. The hens will not usually go into the secure part to shelter during the day as it is dark and they therefore have no protection from winter winds and rain. I would therefore like to retract the recommendation that was given in the magazine and apologize for not looking into the matter more fully at the time.
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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
Plamil Foods Unhappy with the Vegan Society Trademark
Response from the Vegan Society
It is with concern I read the Vegan Society’s (VS) Autumn 08 magazine ‘Animal Free Trademark criteria’. The VS has missed an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the European labelling law (2000/13/EC and 2006/142/EC), and now fails to follow the spirit of the hard won Food Standards Agency (FSA) (LACORS 6 April 2006) guidance on the use of the term ‘vegan’ or the Society’s own stated aims ‘as far as is reasonably practicable’.
The Society would like the term vegan to be defined in UK and EU law but attempts to achieve this have so far been unsuccessful.
‘Animal free’ should not be watered down to ‘may contain’.
“The allergy information given on our retail packs is in line with up-to-date nut allergy labelling recommendations of not stating ‘free from’. This is because, despite all our efforts, nothing can ever, always, absolutely be guaranteed 100% free from nuts.”
Firstly the VS has missed the opportunity to have the highest standards possible, by not issuing criteria which uses regulation 2000/13/EC and then amending the regulation’s 14 allergenic ingredients, which includes milk/eggs/fish to all animal ingredients. The regulation is not about ‘accidental low level contamination’ but requires a producer that cannot continuously ensure the absence of ingredients including milk/eggs/fish in a product to inform the consumer, usually in the format of ‘may contain’. It is considered by some that once a ‘may contain’ statement is made, some producers reduce segregation leading to significant contamination. Secondly the VS’s new required statement by licensees indicating intention to ‘minimise’ contamination falls short of the FSA guidance on the use of the word ‘vegan’. FSA guidance states ‘Manufacturers, retailers and caterers should be able to demonstrate that foods presented as ‘vegan’ have not been contaminated’ and is used by Trading Standards Officers to assess that food marked ‘vegan’ cannot indicate ‘may contain milk/eggs/fish’.
However we don’t think it would be wise to associate veganism with allergy legislation. The ‘Free From’ section of Plamil’s website states:
We agree with this and the same applies to animal-derived ingredients. The criteria for the Trademark have not changed but we have provided a more detailed explanation in response to questions from manufacturers. We have always allowed Trademark products to be manufactured on shared equipment that also produces non-vegan products. We appreciate Adrian’s attempts to achieve the highest standards possible but we feel that the standards we are asking Trademark holders to meet are ‘as far as is reasonably practicable’ for the majority of manufacturers. Sadly if we asked all manufacturers to manufacture to allergy standards very few products would be labelled vegan. Comment from the Food Standards Agency
This new ‘Animal free’ criteria is not ‘as far as is reasonably practicable’. Other societies (which promote requirements for allergy sufferers) do publish and set higher standards of ingredient segregation in their criteria to explain EC regulations. By not using either EC regulations or FSA guidance the VS are now openly accepting ‘contaminated’ food and sadly the VS Trademark will no longer mean what most vegans think it means. Those with allergies now enjoy greater assurance from ‘allergy information’ on labels than the Vegan Trademark will give vegans. Vegans can be assured that Plamil will not ‘water down’ our vegan standards and we will always adhere to the highest standards possible. I trust the VS changes the published criteria and re instates the vegan meaning ‘as far as reasonably practicable’. Adrian Ling Managing Director Plamil Foods
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“As you are aware there is no legal definition of the term vegan, but the Agency’s voluntary guidance on use of the terms vegetarian and vegan in food labelling advises that foods labelled as vegan should not contain milk and contains some advice on cross contamination. Although the Agency advice suggests that “Manufacturers, retailers and caterers should be able to demonstrate that foods presented as ‘vegetarian’or ‘vegan’ have not been contaminated with non-vegetarian or non-vegan foods during storage, preparation, cooking or display.” we would not be against a food that is labelled as vegan carrying a warning on the label that it is produced in a factory or on a line where certain dairy products or allergenic foods are also handled and used. We would also not be against a ‘may contain....’ warning. In fact we would consider it to be advantageous. It is important for safety reasons for consumers to know that possible allergens may be present.”
Sound Nutritional Advice I’d like to convey my gratitude to Stephen Walsh for his articles and book ‘Plant Based Nutrition’. I have three children and a strong sense of responsibility for their health! His book made me see that being a healthy vegan is as simple as eating a varied, whole-food diet. I’d always thought you had to combine foods so rigorously to cover all the amino acids that I’d never manage it. So thanks to him and to the Vegan Society for debunking a lot of scare-mongering. Christine Everley, Bridport
Raising a Vegan Child Thank you for publishing Roger Merenyi’s detailed and sensitive description of the joys of raising a vegan child and the need to correct government misinformation about the vegan diet. A carefully planned vegan diet has been accepted by dieticians for years as meeting human nutritional requirements for all stages of life. Questions about this come up frequently when we’re giving talks on veganism, and it’s helpful to be able to speak of real people’s experiences. As Merenyi notes, products from factory farms reinforce notions of human supremacy in a child’s mind - but so does all animal farming. Donald Watson came to understand, as a young child, that even the idyllic animal farm is Death Row. Lee Hall, Friends of Animals Website: www.veganmeans.com
Vegan Catering for All I am writing to congratulate the Vegan Society on the ‘Vegan Catering for All’ booklet. I recently attended an activity week as a volunteer with the National Deaf Children’s Society at the East Coast Adventure Centre in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland. Not having been there before, or indeed attended any NDCS event I was a little concerned about how my dietary needs would be managed. However, after sending a copy of your booklet in advance, the Centre rose to the challenge. Whilst it continued to provide the usual diet to the children, vegan options were available and the two vegan volunteers, including me, were well catered for, with a balanced menu. Thanks must go to NDCS and the East Coast Adventure Centre for a very enjoyable week, which was enhanced by not having to worry about what I was going to eat. I will be sure to obtain further copies of ‘Vegan Catering for All’ whenever the need arises. Kim Russell, Harrow.
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Stefania Licari
A
You might encounter snakes, jaguars, wild pigs, scorpions, and the river life of caimans, piranhas and eels.
random search on Google connects me to the Jungle Marathon, a 200km self-sufficient foot-race across the Amazon in Brazil October 2007. I apply on impulse. From this point on my life would never be the same again.
The combined sights, smells and sounds of the jungle are like a mental assault. The rainforest roof creates a canopy that filters the sunlight and locks in the thick aroma of the pheromones released by the creatures. The constant noise varies from the calming birdsong to the alarming sounds of screeches and shrills.
The months fly by and before I realise I am at Heathrow ready to take off. My colleagues think I am crazy and they are frightened I might die. As soon as I arrive in Brazil, I group with the other racers, few of whom are world-class athletes. I am not the stereotype of an adventure women in my skinny jeans and working bag at the baggage reclaim. Their perplexity turns into terror when they see what I have planned to eat - dates, dates and dates. I am a proud Raw Vegan.
The athlete drop out rate is around 40% mostly due to exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke, injuries, blisters or “losing the mind” in the claustrophobic jungle.
Some racers offer me their extra food. They think I am not going to survive, not only am I inexperienced, but also “How on earth I am going to push beyond the limits of endurance on dates?”
83km stage. It is set within the Floresta National de Tapaios, which is part of the Brazilian state of Para. The extreme humidity, the heat and the brutal terrain create an adventure where survival becomes the real victory.
The race comprises a series of stages varying in length from an intense initial 16km first day to the long overnight
The runners are challenged on jungle tracks, dirt roads, sandy beaches, with numerous river crossings and swamps.
For free copies of our Recipe leaflet please e-mail info@vegansociety.com or phone 0121 523 1735/6.
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The way I survived was by keeping going no matter what and trusting my healthy vegan body. My mantra was “I am making for home” and I did make it home. After 2 kg a day of dates I did not want to see dates for the following few months. Next, I will be running 1,000 miles across Morocco with Graeme Waterworth, followed by a support crew and a camera man. For more information, please visit www.go4extremes.com.
events Updated diaries and events information can be viewed at www.vegansociety.com
NOVEMBER 2008 Vegan Society AGM (for Vegan Society members only) Saturday 22 November The Priory Street Centre, 15 Priory St, York, YO1 6EZ Refreshments from Veggies will be available for purchase on arrival and throughout the day. Doors open at 11am, there will be a Local and Group Contacts meeting 12noon - 1pm, the AGM will be 2pm-5pm. Tel. 0121 523 1730, info@vegansociety.com Christmas Without Cruelty Sunday 30 November, 10am to 5pm Kensington Town Hall, Hornton St, London, W8 7NX (opposite High Street Kensington tube station) More than 80 stands selling cruelty-free goods and gifts, lectures, face painting, children’s workshop, delicious vegan food and more. Tel. 01732 364546, info@animalaid.co.uk,
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 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.
www.animalaid.org.uk
DECEMBER 2008 Veg*n Climate March 2008 Saturday 6 December Assemble 12 Noon, Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner www.globalclimatecampaign.org East Midlands Vegan Festival Saturday 13 December, 11am to 5pm The Council House, Old Market Sq, Nottingham, NG1 2DT The festival features vegan food, clothing, toiletries, cosmetics, gift and campaign stalls and live music. Tel. 0845 4589595, www.eastmidlandsveganfestival.co.uk
MARCH 2009 The Brighton Vegan Fayre Saturday March 21 2009, 11am to 6pm The first ever Brighton Vegan Fayre makes its appearance at the Brighton Centre overlooking Brighton Beach. It promises to be a flamboyant, exciting and hugely entertaining mix of all things vegan, and best of all it’s in aid of Vegfam, to try to raise awareness of their Gimme 5 campaign. Tel. 0117 9239053, http://brighton.veganfayre.co.uk
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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 and Youth Contacts are listed on p. 32. For details of group activities please check the website or get in touch with the Contact. Veg*ans = vegetarians & vegans. 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 Vanessa Clarke (International Coordinator) Graham Neale (Vice Chair) George Rodger (Chair) Patricia Tricker (National Contacts’ Coordinator) Stephen Walsh (Treasurer) STAFF PR/Media Officer Amanda Baker Information Officer Verity Hunt-Sheppard Education Officer Rob Jackson Business Development Officer Colm McBriarty Head of Sales & IT Dave Palmer Information Officer Clare Persey Head of Information Services Rosamund Raha Trademark Assistant Sandrine Revert Office Manager / Finance Officer Fiona Sylva Chief Executive Officer Nigel Winter Sales Assistant Paul Xuereb Volunteers Dean Bracher John Davis Catriona Gold Philippa Lennox 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
Pyrenean mountain village in southern France. Enjoy our vegan B&B. Phone Karen or Matthew on 00 33 56166 9195 www.veganholidayfrance.com
LANCASHIRE
Free holiday. Non-smoking. Caravan on leafy acre (2 miles tourist village) in return for occasional help with lawns and light jobs. Middle-aged, vegan, male artist in old cottage. Details: Jamie Coglan, Edenavon, Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, Ireland.
CORNWALL WESTWAYS Two bedroom cottage, B&B / selfcatering vegetarian and vegan retreat with lunch and evening meal optional. Contact Sue and Chris, Westaways, Latchley, Nr Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9AX. Tel: 01822 833745 Email: westaway.westaway@googlemail.com
CUMBRIA
PUBLICATIONS Vegan Views. The printed version is being discontinued but an online version will appear on www.veganviews.org.uk.
SUSSEX Alpujarras - Andalucia Attractive, well equipped townhouse. Sunny roof terrace. Wonderful views, birds, walks, mountain villages. Wholefood shops, Restaurants serving veggie food. Sleeps 2-6. (10% discount for Vegan supporters) 01736 753555 Email: Andalucia - remote mountain village 40 mins sea - walking, wildlife - from £100 per week - 2 persons - £180 4 persons. Tel 01202 431867 www.orgiva.org/alfornon
VEGAN VOICE magazine promotes a nonviolent lifestyle beneficial to the planet and to all animals. For the latest on veganism and animal rights, subscribe now to Vegan Voice, Australia’s celebrated and singular quarterly magazine! www.veganic.net
ACCRA, GHANA. Legassi Gardens Holiday apartments. Italian/Vegan cafe, drumming & dance, yoga, massage, heritage tours. From $35 per night per appartment. legassigardens@hotmail.com
DEVON North Devon. Exclusively Vegetarian/Vegan B&B. Large letting room with private bathroom. 01271 816193. www.limetreenursery.co.uk
SUNSHINE AND SHADOW. Autobiography of Wilfred Crone, well-known vegan/fruitarian. £7.50 inc P&P. Harry Mather, Flat A15, 20 Dean Park Road, Bournemouth BH1 1JB
WALES
Kerala & South India Vegan and vegetarian cuisine, eco-friendly resorts & hotels, beaches, backwaters, wildlife, trekking & camping. Brochure: 01892 722440 Fax: 01892 724913 E-mail: info@keralaconnections.co.uk www.keralaconnections.co.uk WEST CORK-vegetarian self-catering apartments for singles, couples and families in peaceful wooded surroundings. Organic vegetables & vegan wholefoods available. 10% discount for early booking. Green Lodge, Trawnamadree, Ballylickey, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.Tel: 00353 2766 146, Text: 00353 0861955451. Email: greenlodge@eircom.net or website http://homepage.eircom.net/~greenlodge
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 Single? Online dating for vegans, vegetarians, environmentalists and humanitarians. Meet your like-minded match in your local area. www.ethicalsingles.com
Personal
PERSONAL
Adopt A Goat For Christmas
INTERNET SERVICES
www.manashanti.com Informational and poetry website
Organisations
ORGANISATIONS
‘Jesus was a vegetarian’ www.donoteatus.org KINDNESS UNLIMITED is a fellowship of Christian vegetarians and vegans of any denomination or none. For details please write to Kindness Unlimited, the Old Vicarage, Llangynog, Carmarthen SA33 5BS or email The Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA) believes that a plant based way of life represents good, responsible Christian Stewardship for all Godís creation. For further information on our work or to join us visit www.christianvegetarian.co.uk or
The ideal gift for the person who has everything. We take into care those 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 Tel: (01622) 746410 Registered Charity: 1099627
www.Buttercups.org.uk Sanctuary In Desperate Need Hillfields Animal Sanctuary, near Bromsgrove West Midlands, has 300 mouths to feed. The owner is
Divine Frog Web Services www.divinefrog.co.uk Websites from £100 Hosting and Email from £65 Eco-hosting from £75 Domain name registration from £5 Standards compliant, accessible, quality websites. Vegan owned and operated. Don't settle for anything less. Already have a website? Contact us about a free website health check! t: Ian on 07981 057697 e: i.nicoll@divinefrog.co.uk The Professional Choice
battling against almost impossible odds and desperately needs help,
THE VEGETARIAN CHARITY Further information and online application forms are available on www.vegetariancharity.org.uk. Or contact Grants Secretary, PO Box 473, Crewe CW3 0WU
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.
SHOPPING
contact Lyn on 0121 445 3828. Website www.hillfields-animal-sanctuary.com
Please Help! Something fishy the worlds first 100% Vegan, mobile ‘fish’ & chip shop, (run by unwaged volunteers) require new catering van to raise money for worthy animal causes. To expand our promotion of Veganism nationwide we need £20,000. If you can help with a donation or long-term loan please contact: something-fishy@live.com (Business plan available on request)
DISCOUNT CARD THE VEGAN VALID FROM
NOVEMBER 2008
UNTIL
FEBRUARY 2009 REFERENCE CODE
Ref:PSC 009
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both practical and financial. Please
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ADVERTISEMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED BY 9TH JANUARY 2009 FOR INCLUSION IN THE SPRING 2009 ISSUE OFTHE VEGAN CONTACT: ADVERTISING@VEGANSOCIETY.COM 0121 523 1733
EVENTS
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 advertised are entirely free
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.
from ingredients derived from animals; that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that the content of such ads does not
Trademark holders benefit from instant recognition, promotion in The Vegan magazine, discounted advertising rates, and a listing on the Vegan Society website. It’s good for you, good for the Vegan Society, and good for vegans.
promote, or appear to promote, the use of non-vegan commodities. Books, records, tapes, etc. mentioned in advertisements should not contain any material contrary to vegan principles.
For more information on the trademark, contact Colm Mc Briarty on (0121) 5231733 or email trademark@vegansociety.com. You can also read about the trademark on our website at www.vegansociety.com
Advertisements may be accepted from catering establishments that are not run on exclusively vegan lines, provided that vegan meals are available and that the wording of such ads reflects this.
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 Grills until brown (6) 5 Deep fried potato slice; potato chip (US) (5) 9 Seaweed turns up in a gale (Anag.) (5) 10 Strong in taste or colour (7) 11 Flavouring for cakes, ice cream etc (7) 12 Unit of area (land) (4) 14 Living together (like honey bees) (6) 16 Young, immature; not yet toughened to frost (plants) (6) 19 See 5 Down 21 Opens (wine bottle) (7) 23 Insect pests of raspberry flowers (7) 24 Plant related to the onion (5) 25 Yellow tropical fruit with pink pulp (5) 26 Asparagus shoots - are they sparse? (Anag.) (6) Down 2 Grown without synthetic pesticides or chemicals (7) 3 Husk (peas) (5) 4 Meat substitute from a Chinese I tangle with? (6) 5/19 Bread with two round parts, the smaller on top of the larger (7,4) 6 Not outer (5) 7 Baked dish (3) 8 Reap (7) 13 Mashed, squashed (7) 15 Plant grown as a pasture and hay crop (7) 17 Less clean (7) 18 Erupts, splits (6) 20 Fatty acid, _ _ _ _ _ -3 or _ _ _ _ _ -6 (5) 22 Repeated sequence of events; go by bike (5) 23 May hold tea or shopping (3)
CRYPTIC CROSSWORD set by Vega
Please send in solutions to either along with crossword your name and addres s by 5th Januar y 2009 Pr iz es ne xt is su e fo r bo th six bars ea cr os sw or ch of delic ds : ious new Organica Couvertu re chocol ate with Rais ins and Al monds
Across 1 Streep abandoned predetermined option (6) 5 Kingsley returns without gravity to provide greek character reference (5) 9 She accepts bible to counteract 10 (5) 10 Sounds like her outfit is hairy (7) 11 Interrogate ruler endlessly at Halloween squash? (7) 12 Ruin peacekeepers party (4) 14 Unimpaired in diplomacy (6) 16 Spy intrigue precedes revolutionary mind (6) 19 Catch sight of 16 dancing without companion (4) 21 What a hack might say to make an impact (in Shanghai?) (7) 23 Even cut root vegetable (7) 24 Fifty six balls to cricket buff? (5) 25 Cheap plea bargain bears fruit (5) 26 Waugh scoops up his last regularly (6)
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Solution to the summer crosswords (Quick:left/Cryptic:right) The winner of the Cryptic crossword is:Jean Latimer The winner of the Quick Crossword is: Miss FA Satterthwaite
Down 2 Let in afresh by confused maitre d’ (7) 3 Glossy Saint David’s vegetable? (5) 4 Sesame spread in Thai paste (6) 5 Proust’s lost in search of Brussels (7) 6 Deity engulfs old city producing hard-rinded fruit (5) 7 Primate mocked first anthropoid with extreme prejudice (3) 8 Past ice forges sterile environment (7) 13 Afters may be just (7) 15 Red hot capital (of Chile we hear?) (7) 17 Initial Voodoo Chile disaster incorporates resistance to herb (7) 18 Impels complicated easy solution (6) 20 Second journey into undress (5) 22 Beat edible seed (5) 23 Model quits animal rights organisation for legume (3)