The Vegan Spring 2011 by The Vegan Society

FEatuRing…

vEgan anthEms tiPs FoR talking to non-vEgans Building a stRongER vEgan sociEtY

Plus…. EvEnts REciPEs REviEws Youth and Education activE vEgans intERnational nEws and much moRE…

in this issue Thank you to all of the people who

highlights

World Vegan

FRom thE cEo

Month a great

advocacY

success. Our

FRom thE chaiR

pages show just

intERnational nEws

how much was

comE to sPain

done by our

vEgan anthEms

supporters in

REviEws

November 2010.

activE vEgans

You will notice that a survey is included in this

mEgan thE vEgan

magazine. We would be grateful if

Building a stRongER vEgan sociEtY

you could take the time to answer the

tiPs FoR RElating to caRnists

information to The Vegan Society are

Youth and Education

explained on page 17.

REciPEs

shoPaRound

vegan anthems (vegan themed music), Dr

PostBag

Melanie Joy offers tips about talking to

toRtoisE caRE

‘Carnists’ (non-vegans) and Sammy Keetley

gRow vEgan

vEgan FitnEss

EvEnts

local contacts list

staFF and council listings

classiFiEds

mEmBERshiP FoRm

cRosswoRds

helped to make

Active Vegans

members and

questions on it. The benefits of this

In this issue we feature Louise Wallis' favourite

gives advice on caring for rescued tortoises. There are also many national and international events coming up and so please look on pages 7 and 37 for details. Happy New Year to All Rosamund Raha Editor

The Vegan Society

Donald Watson House

21 Hylton Street

Hockley

Birmingham

B18 6HJ

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

© 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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Spring 2011

vEgan sociEtY wintER 2010 highlights WORLD PRESERVATION FOUNDATION CONFERENCE Vegan Society CEO, Nigel Winter, attended this conference on 3 November in Central Hall, Westminster. He displayed literature and distributed our new film Making the Connection. The conference was well attended and was also broadcast live on the internet. He talked to some of the speakers including Dr Ester van der Voet who was one of the lead authors of the UN Environment Program’s report Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Production and Consumption and Professor Arjen Hoekstra who is scientific director of the Water Footprint Network. Vegan MP Kerry McCarthy also gave a talk and Wally Fry, the owner of Fry’s Vegetarian gave the closing talk. Wally emphasised how strong ethical principles made good business sense and he explained how he and his wife Debbie had developed vegan foods and created a very successful international business. He hoped he could inspire industrialists to commit to more ethical practices. The conference emphasised why switching to a plant-based diet was a priority to tackle climate change.

THE VEGAN PLEDGE We are receiving increasing numbers of requests to take The Vegan Pledge with over 1,000 new pledges in 2010. The good news is that a significant number of those people are staying vegan.

FACEBOOK UPDATE Engagement through Facebook continues to go from strength to strength. In mid-December we had over 52,000 fans. Many familiar faces hang around to help those trying out veganism for the first time, swapping recipes or discussing the issues of veganism. We are encouraging people to make ‘real world’ actions, from asking for vegan options in restaurants to organising their own events. We’re finding that asking for small actions can lead to big results – watch this space for future developments. Interesting topics of discussion in the last few months include: n Coping with meat eaters n Is it ‘natural’ to be vegan? n Human rights and veganism n Vegans who cannot breastfeed n Tattoos n In-vitro meat n Should my ethics be flexible? n Vegan Christmas recipes Many thanks to all of our supporters.

VEGAN SCHOOL DINNERS We have been working on a series of vegan recipes for schools. They have been nutritionally analysed and the next stage is to get them tested. If you are able to establish contact with schools or caterers that could test dishes to serve 30 people please get in touch with Rebecca Henderson: advocacy@vegansociety.com The aim is for these recipes to become the vegetarian option in schools.

SPONSORSHIP We continue to sponsor events throughout the UK and elsewhere. Some events are local food fayres held in village halls and others are large events such as Vegfest in Bristol. We also sponsor things like a vegan category at Hospitality at the NEC where competitors are invited to prepare, cook and present an imaginative, nutritionally balanced vegan main course in 30 minutes.

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FRom thE chiEF EXEcutivE Nigel Winter

Prior to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) a number of members contacted us to say they were concerned about the cost of posting our AGM documents to members and could we send everything electronically. Comments that appear obvious and sensible are often not so easy to implement in practice! The Society is both a company and a charity which means that we are governed by a variety of regulations. Our governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association which can be read on our website: http://www.vegansociety.com/about/articles-ofassociation.aspx. We must follow the procedures stated in the Articles. Changes can only be made to the Articles by Special Resolutions being submitted to an AGM and a 75% majority is required for the resolution to be passed. Any major proposed changes must first be approved by the Charity Commission.

Our Articles were first written in 1979, before the age of electronic communication and so they stated that we were required to post information to our members. Special Resolutions over the past two years have modernised the Articles and we now have the option to communicate electronically with our members. However we only have email addresses for about a third of our members which means we would still need to post documents to the majority of our members. The unit price of printing documents increases with smaller print runs and so sending some documents electronically would currently offer us very little in the way of cost savings, however I recognise that this would save some paper. We must make sure that we communicate with members who do not have access to email and websites.

We are required to inform all our members about the date and location of the AGM and any resolutions for voting.

Due to changes in the Companies Act we are no longer required to hold an AGM but our Articles do require this. If members wanted to discontinue AGMs they could submit a Special Resolution for consideration. There would also then need to be changes to voting procedures to allow for future resolutions to be considered by post or electronically without the need of an AGM.

The Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) details how charities are expected to present their accounts and Report of Council. The content of our AGM document is largely dictated by these requirements.

It is important to remember that the Society is a membership organisation and it is the majority view of the full members that decide the future direction of the Society. The trustees and staff do not have the powers to change the Articles.

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vEgan advocacY Rebecca Henderson

As we start the year, planning is already well under way for World Vegan Day 2011 on the 1st of November. We are re-launching The Vegan Society Awards and will announce the results on World Vegan Day. There will be a number of awards across different categories.

this sector, stimulate competitive spirit and improve standards. We need to be able to show those providers who are not already catering for vegans what others have been able to achieve with the same resources.

The award that relates to advocacy work is the Award for Best Care or Healthcare Catering. It will be open to residential facilities such as care homes and hospitals, and also to services such as lunch clubs, day centres and home-delivered meals.

Only a relatively small number of older people live in care homes and, as you would expect, very few are vegan. However, even though only a small number of vegans live in care homes, it is important to raise standards in these facilities, so that when a vegan is looking for residential care, there will be a suitable home in their area which can meet their needs.

The Award will help to increase awareness and knowledge of veganism within this sector and to raise standards. From our experience of working with prisons, we have seen how effective awards can be. The VPSG/ Vegan Society Awards have really motivated prison caterers to improve their vegan catering. An award makes an impressive addition to a chef’s employment record and prison caterers have shown themselves eager to win our Awards. They became very competitive, striving to provide better vegan food and this has even led to further accolades, such as winning the prestigious Butler’s Trust Award. You can help in promoting the Award for Best Care or Healthcare Catering. By working together, we can secure the engagement of

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If you are a vegan living in a care home, or if you know someone who is, please contact us and also tell the home about the award and the advantages that winning it could bring. Similarly, if you are a vegan who uses a lunch club, day centre, hot meal delivery service, or any other form of care catering, then we would like you to tell us about it and to mention the award to your meal provider. Better vegan food will benefit those vegans who are already using care or healthcare services. It also has the potential to benefit all of us, as at some point we all might need to access these services ourselves.

FRom thE chaiR oF thE council George D Rodger

ou will recall that the last issue of The Vegan included a letter from me as an insert, appealing for members with suitable qualities to offer their services as Treasurer. Some would say the Chair is the most important member of Council, but I think the Treasurer is more important, being responsible for keeping an eye on the financial affairs of the Society and for compiling the Annual Accounts which members receive in the AGM papers. To be honest, I was not optimistic that anyone would respond to that letter, so both CEO Nigel Winter, and myself, were very pleased that no less than four members expressed an interest. Nigel sent them all full details of the Treasurer’s role, and two of them followed through with their own full details, still interested in coming on to Council and taking on the job of Treasurer. Their personal information was circulated to all of Council.

And a special thanks to trustee Catriona Gold, who said after the AGM that she had little relevant knowledge or experience, but was willing to take on Treasurer and learn “on the job”, if no-one responded to my letter – a very generous offer! Nicola, Daniel, and Louise bring the number of trustees on Council up to nine, but we still have three empty spaces on Council. I hope the next AGM will see Council back up to full strength of twelve. If it’s not too late, I’d also like to wish all members of the Society a very good 2011. George D Rodger Chair of Vegan Society Council

At the first full Council meeting after the AGM, the trustees interviewed both of these people and unanimously agreed to co-opt them both to Council with immediate effect and to invite them to become Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, which they agreed to. So I can now inform you that our new Treasurer is Nicola Martin and the Assistant Treasurer is Daniel Foskett. They are both in jobs which involve finance work and have both been vegans for some time. Nicola was actually employed by The Vegan Society in the late 1990s, as Administration Officer. They can only serve as co-opted trustees until the 2011 AGM, but are then free to stand for election in the normal way. At the 2010 AGM, we gained one new trustee, Louise Wallis, who was previously on Council, back in the 1990s. Unfortunately, Andrew Walker had withdrawn his nomination for personal reasons. I was re-elected to Council and subsequently re-elected as Chair. Like all trustees, the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer are unpaid, but are refunded all expenses incurred in attending meetings, visiting the office, etc. I welcome both Nicola and Daniel on to Council and thank them both for taking on this important task. Welcome also to Louise. I should also thank both of those who expressed initial interest in the role. And thanks to Vanessa Kelley and Alex Claridge, who were in the Treasurer role in 2009 – 2010, but who have both now left Council.

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If someone had told me a year ago that a vegan festival in Paris would attract 4,000 people I would have thought they’d added too many noughts. And if they’d said it would be achieved through close cooperation between French vegetarian, vegan and animal rights organisations under the guidance of a Sunflower standard vegan restaurant and cookery school (www.gentlegourmetbandb.com) I would have thought I was having a Megan the Vegan type dream. The Vegan Society contributed by funding the printing of literature in French, Nutrition and Health Spokesperson Stephen Walsh participated in a lively discussion with a French vegan medic, we shared a large stall in a prime location with the new French Vegan Society and our new film Making the Connection was played throughout the day with French subtitles. A truly amazing achievement and an example of what cooperation between kindred organisations can achieve.

With all these new developments plus the upcoming 13th International Vegan Festival in Spain (opposite), I’m delighted to have been able to shed quite a large amount of governance and advocacy work. The Society is now well established in Britain’s second and most diverse city, additional highly competent staff have joined our hardworking and dedicated team to help meet the ever increasing workload, and Council and Chief Executive are working closely together to keep the much larger ship not just afloat but full steam ahead. All this helps to free up more time for outreach and networking, both international and multicultural. Not that I didn’t enjoy turning my hand to all those other aspects, and I learned a great deal in so doing, but reaching out to and bringing together vegans and potential vegans from every corner of the geographical and cultural map is what I’ve always been most passionate about and I am grateful to be able to devote so much more of my time to the tasks that I love.

Further afield, the East and Central Africa and the Middle East regional congresses were both highly successful and there are plans for a World Congress in Kenya in 2014. African events always include mass distributions of vegan food to the hungry and the IVU Africa Fund has been set up to help the African groups in this and other aspects of their work. Meanwhile, the next World Congress will be held in San Francisco in early October 2012. For details of all these events, see www.ivu.org

With good wishes to all for a happy, healthy and compassionate new year.

Following the premiere of Making the Connection in Jakarta with Indonesian subtitles, we have managed to streamline the subtitling process for languages as diverse as Chinese (both simplified and traditional scripts), Russian, Arabic and Hebrew as well as those using the standard Roman alphabet. To see the film online, go to www.youtube.com/thevegansociety. If you know anyone who can offer a language we may not yet have, please contact Rebecca Henderson (advocacy@vegansociety.com) for English subtitles (useful in themselves for non-native speakers as well as the hard of hearing). These can be translated in just a few hours and a playable version produced without the need for expensive equipment or technical know-how. Making the subtitled versions available online, as we are doing with the various translations of our literature, is a challenge for the future. Increased accessibility of Vegan Society material worldwide naturally leads to more interest in the Society, more overseas takers for the Vegan Pledge and more work for the person tasked with mentoring this extremely diverse group. Hopefully by the time I write my next column we shall have a network of trusted mentors at least in those areas where veganism has begun to take root, leaving more time to devote to those in places like Afghanistan and Albania. This should eventually help existing societies to grow and new ones to spring up – all it takes is two successful pledgers and plenty of encouragement and you have the potential for a group and ultimately a national society.

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Vanessa Clarke

The Vegan Passport is available from The Vegan Society for just £4.99. It is a pocket-sized book, with a simple message explaining what vegans do and don't eat, and why, in seventythree different languages.

The Vegan Spring 2011:The Vegan Winter 2004 01/02/2011 11:56 Page 7

comE to sPain FoR thE 13th intERnational vEgan FEstival – 4th to 12th JunE 2011 Vanessa Clarke

t is some time since Francisco Martín and I co-organised the World Veg Congress in Thailand, and even longer since he organised Spain’s first ever International Vegan Festival, so vegans across the globe are looking forward very much to his third big international venture. There will be talks, workshops, cookery demonstrations, excursions and entertainment, plus delicious food, plenty of sunshine and the company of fun-loving vegans from all over the world. The 60-room Elimar hotel in Rincón de la Victoria www.hotelelimar.com is right on the beach (see picture), so you can just stumble across the sand for early morning yoga, an afternoon siesta or an evening stroll. The hinterland is equally picturesque, with hills of vineyards, olives and almond trees. The population trebles in July and August when tourists join the permanent Spanish population, but early June is more peaceful and the weather just perfect: around 18 degrees Celsius by night and up to about 26 degrees by day. Less than ten miles from the bustling city of Málaga with its modern train, bus and air connections, the former fishing village of Rincón de la Victoria was one of the first areas in the province to be settled by humans. Cave drawings of animals and Neolithic artefacts discovered at the famous Treasure Cave (see picture) suggest that it was originally sacred to the moon goddess Noctiluca. Its current name derives from a legend that the 7th century Moorish emperor Tasulin Ibn hid his fortune there, though generations of treasure seekers have failed to find it. An excursion to the cave is included in the festival.

In 550 BC the Phoenicians settled here, followed by the Romans with their trademark mosaics and bathhouses. Pirates were always a problem, and a fortress was mentioned by Pliny in the first century AD. Around this, the Moors founded Bezmiliana, complete with mosque and medina. Eventually overrun by the Christians, it was renamed Rincón de la Victoria after a convent dedicated to the Virgin of Victory. The risk of invasion from the sea remained, however, and in the 18th century an ever bigger fortress was built to defend the coastline - this time against the English. Today it is used for exhibitions and concerts, and there is a strong local movement to safeguard ancient monuments and green space from over-development.

If you can’t manage the whole week, come for just a few days. You can also arrive earlier or leave later. If there is sufficient demand, pre- or post-festival trips can be arranged to the ancient Moorish cities of Granada and Córdoba or to the Doñana National Park, Europe’s largest sanctuary for migrating birds. For information and registration, see www.ivu.org/veganfest/2011 or contact by email or snail mail Apartado Postal 478, 29740 Torre del Mar (Málaga). Francisco speaks umpteen languages, including English. Or call me on I have visited the area many times and will do my best to help. Hope to see you there!

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Vegan Anthems Louise Wallis

s a DJ, music is a big part of my life. I frequently find myself day-dreaming about which tracks might go well together. Flicking through my record collection one day last summer, I found a few with a ‘vegan’ theme, although not enough for a full-blown mix. It got me wondering if there were others out there. So I started searching the internet for ‘vegan and vegetarian songs’ and set up a discussion thread on the Vegan Society’s Facebook page.

Turned out there were more than I’d ever imagined, so many that I was able to cherry-pick my favourites to make a mix. They had to have musical merit: that was my starting point. And, of course, they had to reflect my own personal bias: e.g. no thrash metal. In the end I selected 17 tracks (yes that’s right 17!) for my ‘Vegan Anthems’ DJ mix. All have a ‘vegan’ message or theme, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that the artist is vegan. Here I’ve picked my Top 5:

Xtremely high rates of mortality r considered normal: 20 2 40% of lambs die b4 the age of 8 weeks: 8 million mature sheep die every year from disease, xposure or neglect.” 2. Pigs … In there? by Robert Wyatt An unforgettable track, which has haunted me since I first heard it on a compilation album. For those who don’t know Robert, he’s a hugely influential solo artist (formerly of the band Soft Machine) who has inspired bands like Tears for Fears and collaborated with many musicians including Bjork and Dave Gilmour. Wyatt also wrote the soundtrack to The Animals Film, a landmark documentary about animal exploitation, which Channel 4 broadcast in its first week. Sunday Times film critic Alan Brien wrote at the time: “I do not know when I have come out of a screening so moved by the power of the cinema as a medium to transform the entire sensibility of an audience”. Wyatt’s spooky score contributed much to the film’s intensity.

1. Animal Kingdom by Prince The no 1 spot has to go to Prince for Animal Kingdom, his song about veganism. I didn’t know it existed until I started my quest, but it turns out this hidden gem was released in 1998 with the album ‘Crystal Ball’. Here’s a sample of the lyrics:

In ‘Pigs’, Wyatt describes his shock on being told one hot summer day that an incongruous concrete building in the middle of the beautiful Wiltshire countryside contained pigs. “Pigs?” he sings incredulously, “huddled up in there? In the dark, in there? On a day like this, living in there?” 3. Meat is Murder by The Smiths

“No member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing to me It’s why I don’t eat red meat or white fish Don’t give me no funky blue cheese We’re all members of the animal kingdom Leave your brothers and sisters in the seas” Prince also gave fans the lowdown on wool on the sleeve notes of his 1999 album ‘Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic’. Describing why the jacket he wore on one of the album photos was faux, he wrote: “If this jacket were real wool, it would have taken 7 lambs whose lives would have begun like this … Within weeks of their birth, their ears would have been hole-punched, their tails chopped off and the males would have been castrated while fully conscious.

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The most iconic ‘vegan anthem’ of them all, ‘Meat is Murder’ was the title track from The Smiths second album - their sole number 1 album in the UK charts during the band’s lifetime. “This beautiful creature must die, a death for no reason, and death for no reason is murder” sings Morrissey, over the sounds of cows crying and sinister industrial noises. It’s hard for us to appreciate just how ground-breaking – and shocking - this was at the time – and from a band at the very height of their fame! Countless people have since cited this track as their main motivation for becoming vegetarian or vegan. Morrissey of course is well known for his vegetarian views, but less well known is the fact that guitarist Johnny Marr says that he has been vegan since 1985 (something he says that he told the Guardian in 2009).

4. Supernature by Cerrone

5. Be Healthy by Dead Prez

Bet you didn’t see this one coming! This 70s dancefloor classic has a sci-fi theme: about the rebellion of mutant creatures — created by scientists to end starvation among mankind — against the humans. I’d been so enthralled by the beat I’d never noticed the lyrics until my partner (and fellow DJ) Frank Frenzy drew my attention to them:

And last, but not least, a more contemporary track from 2000 by Dead Prez - an American underground political hip hop duo stic.man and M-1, who have long extolled the virtues of a vegan diet:

“Once upon a time Science opened up the door We would feed the hungry fields Till they couldn’t eat no more But the potions that we made Touched the creatures down below And they grow up in a way That we’d never seen before” Will humankind get its comeuppance it asks? Way ahead of its time, I reckon.

“I don’t eat no meat, no dairy, no sweets only ripe vegetables, fresh fruit and whole wheat I’m from the old school, my household smell like soul food, bro curried falafel, barbecued tofu” I was genuinely amazed how many “Vegan Anthems” I managed to find, and by the quality of the songs. I’m still finding more – for example I recently found out that Ian Dury had recorded not one but two ‘vegan’ anthems: ‘D’Orine the cow’ and ‘Poor Joey’ (about a caged budgie). My only regret was not finding more current tracks - but this may be due to the sterile times we live in? I’ve noticed several music journalists bemoaning the lack of decent protest songs recently, so maybe our time has come ….

‘Top 100 Female DJs’. s and was voted one of the world’s Louise DJs under the name Luminou inous Frenzy She’s also sings with the band Lum minous/vegan-anthems mix here: www.soundcloud.com/djlu ems Anth an Veg her to n liste can You Johnny Marr says that he has been vegan since 1985 photo: Karen Robinson

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APPETITE FOR REDUCTION By Isa Chandra Moskowitz Published by Da Capo Press ISBN 978-1-60094-049-1 Price £11.99 Reviewed by Charley Roberts

COLOUR ME VEGAN By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Published by Fair Winds Press ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-439-1 ISBN-10: 1-59233-432-6 Cover Price: £14.99 Our Price: £9.75 Currently stocked in The Vegan Society shop Reviewed by Daniel Therkelsen

Appetite for Reduction is a collection of delicioussounding, nutrientdense, low-fat recipes designed to help with weight loss and, just as importantly, taste good! After all, as Isa reasons, “what’s the point of filling yourself up on foods that you aren’t even enjoying?”

Put down your paint brushes and pick up your kitchen knife to cook by colour. This original cookbook orders its recipes by the colour of the resulting meal. Sound restrictive? Far from it, the book is host to recipes in red, orange, yellow, green, blue/purple, white/tan, black/brown, and some that include the whole rainbow!

Choose from mouth-watering mains, sides, salads and soups, including Red Wine & Kalamata Tempeh, Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Apples, Wild Rice Salad with Oranges & Roasted Beets and Smoky Spilt Pea Soup.

If you’re worried that nutrition and taste comes second to colour, I can assure you both are addressed. Each new colour section begins with the health-benefits associated with the plants of that colour. As for taste, strawberry cream, Nori Wraps with Orange Cashew Cream or Brazilian Black Bean Stew: are you salivating yet?

All the recipes come with a nutritional breakdown, so you can see how much iron, calcium, fat, fibre and the like you’re getting in each serving. Many are labelled gluten-free, soya-free or ready in under 30 minutes. If you’re aiming to lose weight, or just eat healthily, but still enjoy food, this is the book for you.

The recipes in each colour chapter are ordered by ‘Starters and Salads’, ‘Soups and Stews’, ‘Sides’, ‘Main Dishes’, and ‘Desserts’. With metric equivalents listed for each recipe alongside commonly found alternatives to the more exotic ingredients, why aren’t you already ordering your copy? I’ve got mine.

ANIMAL ETHICS IN CONTEXT By Clare Palmer Published by Columbia University Press ISBN 978-0-231-12905-3 Price £19 Reviewed by Sammy Keetley In this rich and interesting book, Palmer takes a new approach to animal ethics and provides a secure theoretical basis for her ideas. Both addressing and raising philosophical questions, the book strikes a fine balance by contributing to existing debates whilst also covering territory that has previously been less widely explored. Palmer deals with the idea of reparation to animals who have suffered as a result of human actions and tackles the concept of different moral contexts by focusing on how these impact upon the individuals involved. As well as addressing theoretical arguments, Palmer provides unique insight into the reality of animal ethics by highlighting the moral significance of situations where the issue of ethics can arise. She discusses our moral responsibility to intervene in a number of real life scenarios, while actively encouraging the reader to relate to those animals who we are considering. This well researched book draws strong conclusions which can only serve to advance the clarity of animal ethics as a theory.

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FIND YOUR POWER: A TOOLKIT FOR RESILIENCE AND POSITIVE CHANGE By Chris Johnstone Published: Permanent Publications; 2nd edition (1 May 2010) ISBN-13: 978-1-85623-050-6 Cover price: £12.95 Reviewed by Amanda Baker

THE ANIMAL RIGHTS DEBATE: ABOLITION OR REGULATION? By Gary L. Francione and Robert Garner Published by Columbia University Press ISBN-10: 0231149557 ISBN-13: 978-0231149556 £17.00 paperback (hardcover also available) Reviewed by Rob Jackson This book has an interesting format. First Francione puts his side of the argument, and then Garner responds. The third part of the book is a dialogue between them, picking out particularly contentious or remarkable points. They are not attempting to convince each other of their arguments, only to expose the differences between them. Francione’s stance, known as ‘abolitionism’, is that animals have a ‘right to life’ and ‘right not to be property’. Because of this any kind of animal use is prohibited. Garner’s stance, known as ‘animal protectionism’, is that animals have a ‘right not to suffer’. This means that some animal use can be justified. Garner’s main criticism of Francione is that abolitionism does not take into account human psychology and so provides no practical suggestions for progression. Francione’s main counter is that Garner’s position serves to legitimise the exploitation of animals. I found Francione’s arguments to be more succinct, while Garner’s were very nuanced. While this book does not achieve a conclusion it does help to elucidate the differences in the contemporary argument between ‘abolitionists’ and ‘welfarists’.

Do you wish that things could be different? Whether you are struggling to go vegan yourself, or working to bring veganism into mainstream acceptance, this book is more than 'just another self-help book'. Although not a vegan book, it is written by a qualified addictions recovery doctor, and draws on experiences from the global Transition Towns movement to bring real authority to the subject of achieving positive change. Chris Johnstone offers practical tools for clarifying your direction, deepening your determination, building your strengths and improving your mood which will be valuable to any vegan or vegan activist. He offers problem solving techniques, ways of dealing with fear, and methods for transforming crisis into positive turning points which are proven to help recovering addicts. The suggested strategies for maintaining your energy and enthusiasm, building your support networks, and making your vegan outreach more enjoyable could be useful inspiration for anyone involved in the struggle for veganism in an apparently meat-and-dairy addicted world.

SKINNY BITCH (ULTIMATE EVERYDAY COOKBOOK) By Kim Barnouin Published by Running Press ISBN: 978-0-7624-3937-9 Cover price: £20.00 Reviewed by Daniel Therkelsen Don’t panic – they have included the metric equivalents of those crazy cup sizes throughout this recipe book. There are also imperial measurements for many recipes. What more can one ask for? Great tasting recipes? Tick. A sprinkling of high-quality, full-colour pictures of drool-inducing meals? Tick. Between whipping up storms in the kitchen you can read up on articles as diverse as they are interesting on subjects ranging from sustainability, the secret to being a skinny bitch and advice on cookware. Many of the recipes have photos. I found quite a number of the recipes asked for ingredients not found lurking at the back of the typical kitchen cupboard and some may be a struggle to get hold of but I feel many can be easily replaced with more readily available alternatives. I made Lentil Seitan, Sloppy Joes for the first time ever, exchanging the ‘seitan’ and safflower oil for tofu and sunflower oil respectively, with great results! Some of the turns of phrase aren't to everyone's taste but I enjoyed the candid language.

The Vegan l Spring 2011 The Vegan 11 l Spring

s n a g e V e v i t c A r? t successful World Vegan Month eve Can we make November 2011 the mos an Month 2011 events now! Please start planning your World Veg d Vegan Month 2011. pages inspire you to do something for Worl We hope the event reports on the next few gansociety.com a@ve please contact Amanda at medi If you think that you can organise something or phone her on 0121 523 1737. in The Vegan and hs ahead and if you want to apply for a listing Remember: venues often book up many mont da in March. Aman ct conta to need h (WVM) event you will a grant towards the cost of a World Vegan Mont ered after consid be will s listing event WVM no and 30 June 2011 The Vegan magazine copy deadline is Thursday that date. da: words (and an eye-catching picture) to Aman After any vegan event please email up to 150 these pages. media@vegansociety.com to be considered for

The Dulwich Chronicles

year 2010. In those days, My friends, cast your mind back to the otype. stere d rstoo unde veganism was a vaguely

Wolverhampton Vegan BBQ Sunday 3 October 2010, England

of leafy Dulwich Village Our tale begins where the affluent residents vibrant Lordship Lane. of ens deniz rub shoulders with the bohemian come to Dulwich. lately but was ght, lewri Our hero, Thomas Mick with his vision for alive was A vegan of just two years, young Thomas local vegan group, a of er whisp any the decades ahead. Unable to find ing less than a Noth ? ation aspir His . plans he began drawing up his vegan possibilities ing chart map of all restaurants and shops in Dulwich, and hidden gems. His methods were simple. Thomas went throughout Dulwich, visiting all promising establishments. He always spoke to the most influential person available, smiled, shook hands and looked them straight in the eye – then made a note of their name. great vegan achievements – Was Thomas Micklewright on the road to … time or heading for disaster? Find out next Local Contact Thomas Micklewright is on

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Tom, Penny and Tony Tofu t at Despite heavy rain, this annual even e than mor cted attra tre Cen Wildside Activity eight were ors visit first The rs. dine r 120 eage ow narr ing pass meat-eating Londoners on a n vega into ed tuck lly stica boat, who enthusia but ll sma The . cake and s dog burgers, hot p also ran hard-working Wolverhampton grou 0. 201 two free food fairs in Local Contact Dean Bracher can tell

you more:

A Vegan Bar at a Real Ale Festival Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 Oct 2010, England Birmingham CamRA Festival 2010 featured a vegan bar with 19 cask ales – including some by Vegan Trademark holder Pitfield Brewery and some especially ‘unfined’ for the festival. Most of the real ciders and perries were veganfriendly too. The ‘Supporter of World Vegan Day’ logo was seen by all 4,500 visitors, both on the festival programme and on the banner over the vegan bar, alongside a Vegan Society information stand.

od Fair Bristol Free Vegan Fo land

BioVeganFest

ember 2010, Italy Friday 29 October to Monday 1st Nov

cards were More than 20,000 vegan information post tian CXIV villa in Vene the from ic publ distributed to a wide al was staged. Bassano del Grappa where this huge festiv , including 16 ways y Vegan lifestyles were exhibited in man s served at meal n vega 500 and hours of children’s activities n vega n Italia of p ershi partn A t. a festival restauran next the and , associations is now planning school visits . 2011 June 5 ay Sund to 2 BioVeganFest from Thursday

0, Eng

Saturday 30 October 201

re May 2010, culminating in mo Fair preparations began in d foo an ction of free veg than 20 stalls and a wide sele s films, talks and cooking plu ls, hal e thre samples across demonstrations. gans. Even with 50 The fair was aimed at non-ve busy – with about 800 visitors volunteers, the fair was so have been useful. Nearly – that more helpers would an, and around 80% of 80% of visitors were not veg lt of more vegan food’ as a resu those said they would ‘eat ing om bec of ng nki ‘thi now the Fair. Seventy visitors are up d was fabulous, a big wake vegan’. We hear, “The foo and .”, tive rma very info for meat eaters. Stalls were easy becoming vegan”. it's t tha ed trat ons dem “Today g.uk there is a film of the At www.bristolanimalrights.or nk s report. The organisers tha fair and a full event analysi ip. rsh nso spo for ers The Vegan Society and oth ese on

Local Contact Caroline McAle you more.

can tell

Stavanger Vegan Stall

Saturday 30 October 2010, Norway

Four vegans ran a stall in Stavanger, offering ‘smaksprøver,’ (samples) of vegan food. The organisers approached passers-by, offering the snacks, and explaining why ‘vegan’ food. They were greeted with genuine interest. Stall helper Josephine Austin said, “It is definitely worth organising an event, however small or remote your village is, and however few the organisers are, since it introduces people to veganism. Many people have no idea what vegan means or that it is possible to cook without animal products. The biggest challenge for me was doing it in my shaky Norwegian; it would be a breeze in the UK!” Austin, e Josephin and erg Falkenb Aase Helle taken by Jørund Aase Falkenberg The Stavanger vegan café also raises awareness through catering, such as a Christmas dinner for sixty for a local holistic group.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Kypselis Vegan Stall Monday 1 November 2010, Greece Members of the ‘Greek Vegan Forum’ web site collaborated on a World Vegan Day stall in Athens, at the Kypselis municipal market. They creatively combined film showings with a delicious vegan buffet including spicy chickpea sausages, coconut cupcakes, raw chocolate truffles, samosas and almond cheese.

Festival 2010 West Midlands Veganland 0, Eng

Saturday 30 October 201

cess, boasting 90 stalls, 25 The festival was a huge suc cookery demos, and more talks, 12 live entertainers, 4 ls sold out, and hundreds of stal than 40 volunteers. Many an causes. The organisers, pounds were raised for veg (MVC), put out many more Midlands Vegan Campaigns plugs than in 2009, which leaflets, posters and online Special vegan guest, . tors attracted 500 extra visi Ghawam-Shahidi, addressed Emmerdale actor Rokhsaneh ore the festival opened. a queue of 400 people bef t of the 1,500 visitors, more tha Feedback forms indicate ). Dean from MVC said, than 700 were not vegan (yet contributed to inspiring "It's great to feel that you've : ices." Kevin from MVC said cho others about their lifestyle en wh ng feri suf ir lives causing “Many good people live the someone devoted time to had d nge cha e hav they would and stage free vegan food fairs making them aware. Let's n and city!”. festivals in every single tow k on info@veganmidlands.org.u Local Contact Kevin White can tell you more.

and Talks Vegan Ireland Stall, Films November 2010, Ireland

The Vegan Society of Ireland (VI) took their popular Food Information Table to the streets of Dublin for World Vegan Day. Free food samples and leaflets ed in join wing day, VI were all snapped up. The follo er” emb Nov ts Righ l ima University College Dublin’s “An killing the ut abo film ns’ titio ‘Par programme, showing the . Prof y also showed of animals on small farms. The ating their new book, The deb ner Gar . Prof and Francione or Regulation? [reviewed n Animal Rights Debate: Abolitio r showed ‘The Emotional late VI an]. in this issue of The Veg Seomra Spraoi, Dublin’s World of Farm Animals’ film at a weekly vegan café, and autonomous social centre with a number of talks. give to attended Paris Vegan Day Vegan Ireland have a short film v=WM92Cljxoic) (http://www.youtube.com/watch? which were shown on of acts extr p, promoting their grou of Dublin. two giant screens in the centre

Home Educators’ Vegan Tea Party Tuesday 2 November 2010, Cambridge, England

Cambridge Home Educating Community held a vegan tea party for children and guardians. Coorganiser Karen said, “I think the World Vegan Day events are a very good idea; it gave me the chance to raise awareness in our group about veganism and several people who are not vegans or even vegetarians surprised me by showing an interest and starting to talk about the issues.” Photo courtesy of Annette Litting and Christine Gray.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Sydney Cruelty Free Festival 2010

Lincoln Veggie Fayre

Sunday 7 November 2010, Australia

Saturday 6 November 2010, England

ated World Vegan Day The growing vegan movement in Australia celebr urne and Sydney Melbo ide, Adela with events from Perth in the West to al is to raise Festiv y Sydne l annua the of in the South-East. The aim year, the This . rights l anima and ism vegan about ness public aware of the most out d cleare s springtime sun shone, and the hungry visitor ity celebr and ions, nstrat demo ry cooke food stalls by 3 pm. Chefs gave was belly There too. s tation presen gave ers speak l and inspirationa speed dating dancing, drumming, live music and singing, a vegan “Buying on-line said, visitor ted deligh event, and an evening party. One can be a boon to vegans in areas with limited outlets for buying vegan stuff, but it's really nice to see things closeup and sample products.”

"Please consider twice or even thrice a year! All various information stalls were fascinating and inspiring!" This is just some of the positive feedback from the 666 visitors at this Fayre. The popular free food on offer included pizza, chocolate and jelly sweets. Linda Wardale went live on BBC Radio Lincolnshire armed with golden syrup cupcakes, one of which presenter Rod Whiting ate on air saying, “Mmmmmm, oh yes it’s delicious!” She was also interviewed by Lincoln University, http://thelinc.co.uk/ on the day. Local Contact Linda Wardale, on can tell you more.

Colchester Green Fair

land

Saturday 13 November 2010, Eng

North-East Essex Vegans showed Making the Connection, our new film, using a laptop on their stall at this fair. Visitors found the overall mood of the film very uplifting and encouraging. Annette said, “The message of the film is so positive, we now need to work on how to get it to a wider audience.”

Hove Library Display November 2010, England

information Hove Library boasted a colourful display of vegan d 18,000 Aroun h. Mont Vegan World for three weeks during visitor arian veget One time. that in y librar the people visited it”. love I and it at d said, “Is this your display? I have looke to thing l ingfu mean and ve Clair says, “It was a lovely creati y.” displa vegan the do, putting on Local Contact Clair on

can tell you more.

Local Contact Annette White on can tell you more.

Paris Vegan Day

Sunday 28 November 2010 – Fran

‘Société n community to launch their new This event gathered the French vega from all ors s for details. Around 4,000 visit Végane’ – see the International New vegan from ns ratio onst ramme including dem over Europe enjoyed a varied prog vegan ay all-d an ero, Rom e Hop itz and Terry celebrity chefs Isa Chandra Moskow join “Paris Vegan Days” at meal and evening concerts. You can re vegan events in France. futu ort www.parisveganday.fr to supp

The Vegan Vegan ll Spring Winter2011 2003 The

1515

Edinburgh Fayre 2010 Compassionate Livingnburgh, Scotland 0, Edi

Saturday 20 November 201

unique in Scotland. Of the This Fair is thought to be still rs pledged to be vegan on 600 visitors, many meat-eate g ups represented the growin the day. Eight grassroots gro t tha th my the ing debunk Scottish vegan movement, ealthy. Variations on “Is this unh and ing bor is sm ani veg ls. from visitors at numerous stal really vegan?” were heard tor visi e On y. acit cap at full Almost all of the talks were non-vegan, everyone really a n eve for ent cell “Ex , said ase!”. The organising team friendly, do it more often ple re, eks to analyse the 2010 Fay is using the quiet winter we 1. 201 for e to make it even more effectiv Local Contact

The Vegan l Spring 2011

can tell you more.

Sheffield Fundraising Dance and Hair Shave Saturday 11 December 2010, England

Mark Goddard of easydance.co.uk in Sheffield raised a remarkable £700 for The Vegan Society with a ‘sponsored hair shave’, Christmas dance party and raffle. He also raised vegan awareness amongst his mostly non-veggie dance and aerobics students.

Building a stRongER vEgan sociEtY Matthew Cole, Kate Stewart and Erin O’Sullivan

s members may know from our annual AGM reports, the membership of the Vegan Society has been slowly declining in recent times. We currently have around 3800 members, a fall of around 8.5% over the last five years. Although this is disappointing, this should be understood in the context of an average membership size of 2000 across the UK charity sector, and the fact that only 14% of UK charities have more than 1000 members.i Vegan Society membership has never been higher than a peak of around 4500 and The Vegetarian Society’s 2010 report shows a decline in membership income of 4.5% in one year, and the loss of 1400 members over the last 2 years.ii

But this general picture is no reason for complacency – the more members the Vegan Society has, the stronger our voice can be in lobbying on behalf of vegans with government, business and the media, and membership income provides a crucial support for all of our work. Equally importantly, we need to understand more about our members so that we can be confident that we are meeting your needs and serving the vegan community in the best way that we can. So, we have embarked on a programme of research to try to understand more about why our membership is declining, how we can try to stop and reverse that trend, and how we can work more effectively on your behalf. What we’ve done so far Over the past year, we have undertaken a rigorous analysis of our membership database (this includes all members, past and present). This revealed some interesting findings that suggest ways that we could be doing better to retain existing members and recruit new ones. So, what did we find out? The good news is that there is a high recruitment rate of new members. 16.5% of current members were in their first year of membership when we did the analysis. But, the less encouraging

news is that there is also a high turnover of members. Nearly a third of members never renew their membership. Over half of lapsed members leave within 2 years (i.e. renewing once or not at all), and three quarters leave within 4 years. About 59% of current and 64% of former members are females.iii This suggests that women are slightly more likely to cease being members than men. The average age of current members is 51, six years older than the average age for former members, although we only have data on the age of around half of the members in the database. This compares to the average age of 39 for the entire UK population.iv About 24% of current and 31% of former members paid a reduced rate membership for low income status (£14 for UK members, compared to the full rate of £21). We also found that members are slightly less likely to live in ‘deprived’v areas than the general population, with former members being more likely to live in more ‘deprived’ areas than current members. So there are particular challenges with our low income members, and this is one area our research will look at. One of the most encouraging things we found out was that Vegan Society members can be found all over the UK, and are not concentrated in particular areas of the country: we really are absolutely everywhere! Having said that, compared to the population as a whole, there are a lower proportion of members in Scotland and Northern Ireland compared to England and Wales. Members are slightly more likely to live in rural areas than the general population, which contradicts the stereotype of vegans only living in towns and cities and not understanding the ‘reality’ of country life. Next steps For all of us, these findings raise lots of interesting issues and some important challenges for the Vegan Society. We can’t deal with all of them at once, but we are making a start. One of the first things we need to do is fill in some of the

gaps in what we know about you, our members, such as information on ethnicity and income, and more accurate information on gender and age. We also need to gather more information about your veganism and your views about our work, in order to inform and improve what the Society does. So, the next stage of our research programme is to conduct a survey with you, our current members. You should find a questionnaire and a reply paid envelope enclosed in this issue of the magazine. The survey is also available online, and it would help us to reduce our costs if you are able to complete the online version instead (there is no need to fill them both in!) Follow this link for the online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FW57N W2 We’ve included a few questions in the survey which also help us to meet our commitment to Equal Opportunities and Diversity, but please rest assured that you are not asked to give your name and your answers will be anonymous, in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998). As a thank-you for taking part, we are offering you the chance to win a top prize of £100, or four runner-up prizes of £25 – just write your email address or telephone number in the space provided on the survey. Please complete and return your questionnaire by 31st March 2011 to be included in the prize draw. Winners will be drawn at random and notified in April 2011. After we have had time to collate and analyse the results, a full report on the survey is scheduled to be published in the Autumn 2011 issue of The Vegan. i Charity Commission (2004) Membership Report, p.6. The report estimates that there are 80,000 charities in the UK with a membership structure. ii Vegetarian Society, The (2010) Annual Report and Financial Statement, p.10 iii Gender figures were estimated from analysing member’s titles (Mr Mrs etc.) and first names in the database. This is one area where the new survey will help us be more accurate. iv Office for National Statistics (2009) ‘Population estimates’, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=6 accessed 8th February 2010. v We worked this out using data that measures levels of ‘deprivation’ in England and Wales from the Office of National Statistics.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Tips for Vegans

Relating to Carnists Melanie Joy

Principles and Tools for Effective Communication and Strategic Advocacy

ost vegans have had more than their fair share of

interactions with carnists (non-vegans) that

resulted in frustration and confusion: simple conversations that ended in a heated argument, straightforward advocacy that backfired for no apparent reason, or even becoming the target of harassment simply for being vegan. And despite how often these experiences recur, vegans typically continue to be surprised by them; such resistance to veganism seems so illogical that it continues to catch vegans off guard. These intense and illogical reactions to veganism, however, do not have to remain a mystery, nor do they have to shape vegan-carnist interactions. Following are principles and tools to help vegans relate more effectively with carnists in a variety of settings. Relating effectively will increase the likelihood that your interactions will be mutually satisfying and your message will be heard as you intend it to. Understand carnism Carnism is the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions people to eat certain animals. Carnism is essentially the opposite of veganism. However, unlike veganism, carnism has not been named, and therefore eating animals is seen as a

“Carnism is essentially the opposite of veganism. However, unlike veganism, carnism has not been named, and therefore eating animals is seen as a given, rather than a choice. But when eating animals is not a necessity for survival, it is a choice, and choices always stem from beliefs.”

given, rather than a choice. But when eating animals is not a necessity for survival, it is a choice, and choices always stem from beliefs. Contrary to popular belief, vegans are not the only ones who bring their beliefs to the dinner table.

define, in large part, how carnists relate to themselves, to the

Carnism is an entrenched, violent ideology that uses a set of

then, is essential for vegans who wish to relate more

animals they eat, and to vegans. Understanding carnism,

social and psychological defense mechanisms that enable

effectively with carnists—whether the carnists are close family

humane people to participate in inhumane practices without

members, casual acquaintances, or those to whom you are

realizing what they’re doing. These “carnistic defenses”

advocating.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Expect some defensiveness when communicating with carnists

If you are unsure as to whether a comment is disrespectful, try to imagine that same comment directed at someone for their religious beliefs or practices. Would it be acceptable, for

Carnistic defensiveness is normal and has more to do with the

instance, to tell a Catholic abstaining from meat on Good

broader system of carnism than it does with the individual

Friday that they’re “just being picky?” Or to try to convince a

carnist. Carnism is a dominant ideology that is automatically

Muslim who doesn’t eat pigs that his or her behavior is

internalized, or psychologically absorbed, by those born into

irrational? (e.g., “Cows are just as unclean as pigs, but you

carnistic culture—so the carnistic mentality, like the ideology, is

eat them…”). If you ever feel disrespected by a carnist,

organized around defenses. If you recognize that carnistic

politely point out what, specifically, has bothered you and then

defensiveness is normal, you'll be less frustrated and better

remove yourself from the situation if the disrespect continues.

prepared for conversations with carnists. Take care of yourself Recognize that the facts don’t sell the ideology Vegan advocates can become traumatized from witnessing Carnism is an illogical system that creates an illogical loyalty to

animal suffering. Don’t overexpose yourself to traumatizing

eating animals. Carnistic conditioning distorts people's

material (e.g., you don’t need to continually subject yourself to

perceptions of animals and meat such that they selectively

disturbing imagery), and don’t overextend yourself so that you

notice, and selectively retain, the facts about eating animals.

become exhausted. The more sustainable your life is, the more grounded and effective you’ll be as an advocate. If you are

Appreciate that good people can, and do, engage in

overwhelmed and traumatized, you will likely project these

harmful behaviors

feelings onto the carnists with whom you relate, viewing them

Relate to the carnist as a person, rather than as a “meat eater.”

shut down to your message.

as “the enemy,” and they in turn will become defensive and All people deserve respect for who they are, even if we disagree with what they do. When discussing eating animals,

Learn as much as you can about veganism and carnism

focus on the carnist’s behavior, not her or his character. The more you understand your own ideology and the Don’t reduce a carnist to nothing more than a behavior

opposing ideology, the less likely you are to be caught off

Carnists, like vegans, are complex individuals and cannot be

for carnistic defenses, you'll be able to respond thoughtfully,

defined by one aspect of their lives. Many vegans have more

rather than react defensively, to them. Knowledge is power.

guard by a carnist's defensive comments. If you are prepared

in common with some carnists than they do with other vegans. Be careful not to lump carnists into a group and

Conclusion

project stereotypes onto them. Understanding carnism and the principles of effective Don’t buy into the negative messages you may hear about yourself as a vegan

communication can significantly empower vegans to relate more effectively with carnists. And when we relate more effectively, we all win: carnists, vegans, and the animals.

The dominant carnistic culture often portrays vegans as picky or "difficult" eaters; eating disordered; hypocrites if we wear leather and extremists if we don't; overly emotional; flaky; and militant. Recognize these vegan stereotypes for what they are so that you can counter them if they are projected onto you and so that you don't internalize them and feel badly about yourself. Don’t let defensive carnists disrespect you Many carnists are defensive without being disrespectful. However, some carnists attack vegans—by, for instance,

Dr Melanie Joy is the author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism (reviewed in The Vegan Summer 2010.

making insulting comments or telling subtle yet offensive “jokes” about vegans or veganism. You should never let people judge you, shame you, or deride your lifestyle and choices.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

and

YOUTH education

Youth Contacts are aged 16-25 and are here for young vegans to connect with. If you would like to chat to a Youth Contact or if you would like to be one please get in touch with Rob. If you are under 16 please talk to your parents first!

Education Highlights e delivered a number of sessions, Over the last few months we hav the and focus days. Here is some of including cookery demonstrations feedback we got from teachers. the input the visitor gave “The day was very successful and

was really appreciated.”

ce Day. Health and Social Care Conferen our at rk wo d har and rts effo r “Many thanks for all you l opportunity for are able to provide this wonderfu we t tha m tea r you all and you It is thanks to our students.” y useful as the visit today. I think that it was ver the for you nk tha to d nte wa t “I jus coursework.” consider this information in their to ils pup for n kee y ver are rd examining boa cial one in king the Eco Dimension Day a spe ma in rts effo r you for in aga you “A HUGE thank es are dback. Your support and servic fee e itiv pos h wit g min brim n which students have bee future.” be able to work with you in the to at gre be uld wo it and d nde highly recomme

MITCH SPINACH There’s a new super kid on the block! Mitch Spinach powers himself with healthy foods, solves mysteries at his school and is the envy of all his friends. The story is filled with positive messages and the authors are claiming impressive results with children who read the book. Find out more at www.mitchspinach.com

The Vegan l Spring 2011

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

WORLD VEGAN DAY SUCCESS! Hello, Hi, my name is Tree, I’m 13 years old, and my mum and I are both vegans. We were vegetarian before we went to the vegan fair in Taunton. We found it so helpful and informative we thought we'd give veganism a try, and we haven't looked back since! So when I found out it was vegan month I jumped on the idea of setting up a stall to raise awareness. I wrote to The Vegan Society and Animal Aid and they sent me tons of posters, leaflets and stickers. I made loads of vegan taster foods, both savoury and sweet, and set the stall up at the Home Education Centre in Chard, of which I am a member. It all went really well and everyone enjoyed the food and no one could believe it was vegan! I don't think many of my friends knew how much animals suffer for the production of meat and dairy so I really believe I raised awareness of veganism today and I think maybe even a few people will give it a go. Today was a great success I really enjoyed myself and would definitely do it again! A huge thank you to The Vegan Society and Animal Aid. spread awareness Thank you Tree – we can’t p up the good Kee . without people like you work! Rob

YOUNG VEGAN IN AUSTRALIA I'm Ashley, I’ m fourteen and I live in Australia. I've been vegetarian since I was nine and at the end of 2009 I went vegan. I feel like there’ s something inside me pulling me towards a life of helping others who can't speak up for themselves. At first it seemed really tough particularly because I couldn't find much packaged food to eat. But now after researching online and through veg websites I'm pretty much eating the same way I was before I was vegan, and ten months later there's no chance I'd ever go back. I come from a family of meat eaters and I find it very physically and emotionally hard to watch them cook and eat meat. I try going for walks and listening to music when it gets really tough. Also all of my friends are still meat eaters which makes it hard to get together and eat. It's almost because they're so supportive and want to make sure I'm happy and we get the exact order that I start to feel like a burden. I've started to find out what food places there are in the area before meeting with friends and if I'm unsure about some ingredients I ring or email ahead. The last thing I want to do is make veganism look tough to do and full of rules. seems the gan even when it ve me co be to le lly possib r showing it’s tota Rob Well done Ashley fo for the inspiration! ks an Th u! yo t ns ai ag odds are stacked The Vegan l Spring 2011

Tempeh

Thai Patties From Benessere Well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style by Laurinda Erasmus Available from The Vegan Society shop These healthy baked patties are simply bursting with flavour. Typical punchy Thai spices such as ginger, garlic and chilli are used, plus fresh uplifting lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves. Sesame seed oil and apple juice are brushed over the patties to give them a deep golden colour.

½ cup finely chopped tempeh 2 tbsp finely chopped lemon grass 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely snipped with a pair of scissors 3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 spring onion, chopped 1 tsp (or to taste) fresh red chilli, finely chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses 2 tbsp tahini paste 1 tsp rice syrup 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp corn starch, plus extra for dusting 2 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp apple / white grape juice

Place all the ingredients, except for the last two, in a food processor and blend until mixed but not smooth. Cover the mixture and place in the refrigerator for ½ hour. Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with a sheet of non-stick baking parchment. Mix the sesame oil and juice together in a small bowl. Remove the tempeh mixture from the refrigerator and, with slightly wet hands, form 4 patties. They will be very sticky, so dust them with extra corn starch.

Place the patties on the baking tray and brush the top and sides with the oil and juice mix. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the patties over and brush them on the other side as well. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Serves 4. Cook’s tip: Serve with Silken Tofu Thai dip and stir-fried vegetables.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Tofu Thai dip 6 tbsp silken tofu 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp rice vinegar 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli, without seeds 2 tsp rice syrup 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 1 kaffir lime leaf, finely shredded 1 small garlic clove, grated Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

POM Morning Shake Recipe by POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice: www.pomwonderful.co.uk

240ml POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice 175ml vanilla soya milk 2 ice cubes 1 large banana, peeled and broken into chunks 25g (2 tbsp) slivered or sliced almonds 5ml (1 tsp) Sweet Freedom or to taste In a blender combine the pomegranate juice with soya milk, ice cubes, banana, almonds and Sweet Freedom to taste. Cover and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Pour into 2 tall glasses and serve immediately.

The Vegan l Spring 2011

Sammy Keetley and Charley Roberts

n homE scEnts and BaBY scEnts HAND BLENDED PRODUCTS FOR YOU AND YOUR HOME Home Scents present a wide range of hand blended, deliciously scented products, all packaged in recycled materials. Home Scents have something for all the family, including pet shampoos, a delicate range for babies and a new skin care range for men.

n YoZuna

Yozuna products contain no artificial flavours, colourings or preservatives and are all gluten free. Prices start at £1.88 for a 250ml bottle of Baobab lemonade.

There are also many products to keep your home clean and smelling sweetly, such as eco soy candles, scented with essential oils; environmentally friendly cleaning products; and concentrated laundry detergents, including the new Violet’s Magic Laundry Powder. Prices start at £2.00 for an organza bag of scented flower petals.

For more details visit www.yozuna.com or call 01626 200706

For more details visit www.homescents.co.uk or call 01434 607722

FAIRTRADE BAOBAB FRUIT PRODUCTS Yozuna offer a range of products made from sustainably harvested Baobab fruit, from the African Baobab tree. There is delicious Baobab lemonade, which has a refreshing, zesty taste; sweet, tangy Baobab fruit powder, taken from the inside of the Baobab fruits; and winner of two Gold Star Great Taste awards, Baobab fruit jam, which is handmade in small batches and cooked slowly, with meticulous care.

n cElgEnics Celgenics produce anti-ageing skincare products suitable for many different skin types, including moisturisers, eye cream and night cream. Moisturising Essence’ rebalances oily skin towards a more normal skin type, ‘Moisturiser Light’ is great for combination skin while ‘Moisturiser Plus’ helps to restore vitality to very dry or mature skin. The Celgenics range was created to meet the needs of people with sensitive skin who were unable to use existing skincare products. The products are hand made in small batches using organic vegetable oils, spring water and top quality essential oils. More details at www.celgenics.com or phone 020 8543 0708

n REdwoods INNOVATIVE VEGAN FOODS Redwoods are introducing a number of exciting new products to their already extensive range of vegan foods. The Vegideli Ambient collection offers a choice of three microwaveable ready meals: Sausage and Chorizo Style Casserole, a hearty, traditional Spanish casserole; Chicken Style Madras Curry, an authentic tasting, aromatic Indian curry; and Chicken Style Cacciatore, a classic, flavourful Italian dish. Redwoods are also extending their Cheezly range to include two new varieties of dairy free ‘cheese’. There is Blue Cheese Style, with a distinctive flavour and creamy texture; and the hot and spicy Pepper jack, flavoured with chillies and peppers. Another delicious new edition to the Vegideli range is Southern Fried ‘Chicken’, available as burgers and pieces. Made from pea protein, these southern fried products have an authentic taste and texture.

PP P

P P PP P

A hamper of chilled Redwood goodies goes to the first correct answer/name out of the hat. The question is: how many new ready meals have Redwood launched? The hamper contains samples of the new ready meals, new Pepperjack and Blue Cheese style Cheezly, new Southern Fried Chicken style pieces and burgers and the award-winning Vegideli Lincolnshire style sausages. Please send your answers by e-mail or by post, along with your name and address, to: sarah@redwoodfoods.co.uk

All Redwood products are vegan, kosher and free from cholesterol and hydrogenated fats. Prices start at £1.96 for Pepper jack Style Cheezly. For more details visit www.redwoodfoods.co.uk or call (01536) 400557

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Vegan Society Competition The Redwood Wholefood Co. Ltd Redwood House, Burkitt Road Earlstrees Industrial Estate Corby, Northants NN17 4DT

All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n BuBBling stovE

n natuRamatics INDULGENT HANDMADE SKIN CARE Naturamatics boasts a range of indulgent treatments created to promote healing and restore balance to the skin. There are 23 vegan products on offer, all of which are handmade in small batches using organic ingredients, therapeutic grade essential oils, cold pressed plant and nut oils and virgin waxes and butters. The Naturamatics range is specially formulated to care for many different skin types and offers products such as healing clay face mask, bergamot facial mist and hand and nail balm, as well as featuring a special mild and moisturising collection for babies. For more details visit www.naturamatics.com or call 00353 (0) 861999842

MEDIEVAL STYLE VEGAN FOODS Bubbling Stove are vegetarian, medieval style caterers, who offer fine foods, created using high quality, local ingredients, traditional techniques and historic recipes. They offer an extensive range of old-style condiments, including blackberry ketchup, chilli vinegar and rose petal jelly. There is also a sumptuous brandy, port and chestnut pate; Mighty Dragon sausages, made from dates, sweet potato, filberts and herbs; and their delicious Great British Cassoulet. Bubbling Stove are available for events catering, bringing their atmospheric style, unique food and full range of vegan drinks and cocktails to help make your special occasion something to remember. Bubbling Stove also offer gift vouchers for all and nourishing food hampers tailored to the needs of new mums. Products are available for order online, with next day delivery if your order is placed before 12pm. For more details visit www.bubblingstove.co.uk

n scRuFFY choPs ORGANIC DOG SHAMPOOS Scruffy Chops is an exciting new range of certified organic dog shampoos. Made with oatmeal, aloe vera and minerals from the Dead Sea, Scruffy Chops products are specially formulated with a pH balance which is suitable for dogs and are designed to leave your canine friends with soft, conditioned coats and healthy, nourished skin.

n Raw skin Food EXcEllEncE RAW VEGAN BEAUTY PRODUCTS Raw Skin Food Excellence is an organic, raw skincare company, offering a range of multifunctional vegan beauty products, designed to make your skin look and feel incredible. All products are gluten free, contain no more than five ingredients and are presented in recycled packaging. The brand offers three ranges, Thirst, for dry skin, made from cocoa butter, coconut butter and vanilla; MAB FAB for gentle, sensitive skin, made from avocado butter and grape seed, cherry and ylang ylang oils; and Whipped, for combination skin, made from mango butter, rice bran oil and lemon grass. Prices start at £10 for cleansing milk. For more details visit www.rawskinfood.co.uk or call 0800 612 8443

There are three shampoos on offer, all priced at £6.99 for 250ml: rhubarb and custard scented Rhubarking Mad; brown sugar scented Sugar Doggy; and pink grapefruit Zest in Show. There is also a coconut scented Dead Sea mud and mineral conditioner, Muddy Marvellous, priced at £7.99 for 250ml. For more details visit www.scruffychops.com or call 01622 609889

n thEa skincaRE SKINCARE PRODUCTS MADE WITH LOVE Thea Skincare has been developed to encompass a skin care regime for every skin type, offering products for mature, sun-damaged and sensitive skins, as well as mother and baby, teenage and mens skincare ranges and an anti-aging collection. Made from a blend of plant oils, organic fruit extracts and essential oils, Thea products are rich and beautifully scented and have been created to improve the appearance of skin on the face and the body. There are products such as Wild Yam Well-Being Body Crème, for skin that deserves to be pampered, and a deeply nourishing range which includes Super Nourish Calendula Butter Crème, for skin that needs a little extra care. For more details visit www.theaskincare.com The Vegan l Spring 2011

All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n holistic hEalth maison dE auRoRE

n shakEawaY MILKSHAKES AND SMOOTHIES MADE TO ORDER ShakeAway offer delicious, imaginative vegan smoothies and milkshakes, made to order at all of their 60+ stores around the UK. There are more than 40 vegan options available, although customers are encouraged to think up their own creations, making the choices endless! There is a full vegan friendly menu available on the ShakeAway website. The choices range from traditional strawberry milkshake, to the more unusual bourbon biscuit, jelly tot or orange marmalade milkshakes. For more details visit www.shakeaway.com

n EJ conscious chocolatEs DELICIOUS RAW CHOCOLATE EJ Conscious Chocolates offer a range of handmade raw chocolate bars, made from cacao beans that have been fermented at low temperatures and sundried to ensure that they maintain their rich, natural flavour. The bars are sweetened with agave nectar and sundried fruits, nuts and essential oils are all used to create an array of delicious flavours, such as goji and coconut, fruit fantasy and lucuma gold. EJ Conscious Chocolates are free from gluten, soya and refined sugars and are packaged in biodegradable and compostable materials. EJ Conscious Chocolates are available at health food shops, farm shops and delicatessens around the UK, as well as online. Prices start at £2.94 for a bar of Easter Sunshine.

RAW GUEST HOUSE IN FRANCE Holistic Health has a delicious range of raw vegan meals on offer to their guests. Each guest receives a personalised menu, tailored specifically to their individual needs and all food is homemade and organic. Stuffed tomatoes, crispy nori wraps, seaweed pate with mushroom crackers and cauliflower crunch with hummus dressing are just some of the appetising meals on offer, with delightful carrot cake and ice cream available for dessert. For more details visit www.dawncampbellholistichealth.eu or call 0033 (0) 243643748

n stRoud BREwERY ORGANIC, LOCALLY PRODUCED, PREMIUM BEER Stroud Brewery produce an award winning range of premium bottled beers, using high quality ingredients, such as whole hops and malting barley produced in the Cotswolds. The range features Budding, a popular pale ale with a floral aroma; Tom Long, an amber session beer with a spicy citrus aroma; Woolsack Organic Porter, a rich, fruity porter; and Ding Dong Christmas Porter, a seasonal ruby porter with liquorice and spice. Stroud beers can be purchased from local pubs, direct from the brewery, or online for £2.50 a bottle and £27.50 for a case of 12 bottles. For more details visit www.stroudbrewery.co.uk or call 07891 995878

n FRiEndlY kids ORGANIC SKINCARE FOR KIDS Earth Friendly Kids offer a range of mild and gentle products, formulated with organic extracts to meet the needs of active children. The collection includes shampoo and body wash, bubble bath, hand wash and body lotion, all of which are available in two fun flavours, minty lavender and zingy citrus, to leave your kids clean and smelling great. The bottles have easy to use pumps making the products both engaging and easy to use.

For more details visit www.consciouschocolate.com Prices start at £2.49 for a pack of 60 biodegradable wipes. For more details visit www.earthfriendlykids.com or call 020 8952 2020 26

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All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n natuRal EmPathY

n FEmmEcuP

ORGANIC VEGAN SKINCARE AND GIFTS Natural Empathy presents a range of lovingly created, organic skin and hair care products. Handmade in England, Natural Empathy use organic flower essences, essential oils, herbal extracts and locally grown ingredients, to create products that will nourish and protect your skin and hair. Suitable for sensitive and problem skin, the entire Natural Empathy range is suitable for vegans. Produced in small batches to ensure their high quality, each product is unique and beautifully fragranced. Natural Empathy also offer a skincare range for men, a selection of candles and a choice of gift sets for every occasion, such as their Indulgence, Shea Luxury, Care and Repair and Natural Man sets.

Femmecup is a soft reusable menstrual cup worn internally just like a tampon except it collects menstrual flow instead of absorbing it. Femmecup has endless benefits, it is more ecofriendly, healthy, cost effective and convenient than tampons or pads. Femmecup is reusable and lasts for around five years, so avoids all the waste involved with using disposable products like tampons and pads and also saves money. It is made from hypoallergenic silicone so is suitable for many women with allergies and sensitive skin. It can be left in place for up to twelve hours, including overnight. Price £16.99. More details at www.femmecup.com

Prices start at £5 for a bamboo wash cloth. For more details visit www.naturalempathy.com or call 01665 710016

n RonlikEscakEs Ronlikescakes is a specialist all-vegan cake company based in London, created with a mission to provide the world with delicious vegan cake that seemed to be lacking in supermarkets and other shops. Choose from decadent layer cakes including Chocolate Layer Dream, Red Berry Sensation and For Carrotsake!, or how about some delicious iced cupcakes including Very Vanilla, Luscious Lemon and Chocolate Heaven? You can also create a custom cake and choose exactly which flavour sponge, icing and toppings you would like, or have it decorated for a special occasion. Layer cake prices start at £21.99 and batches of cupcakes from £9.99 More details at www.ronlikescakes.com or phone 07595 714495

n BRown EaRth ltd

n Raw dElights

ORGANIC SHEA BUTTER Brown Earth offer an organic, intensive shea body butter to treat and nourish your skin. Fragrance-free and multifunctional, the shea butter can be used to soften tough skin, as an anti-aging skin salve and even as a hair conditioner. Handmade in the UK, Brown Earth can offer full traceability on their shea butter, from its original source, to the final product.

DELICIOUS RAW SNACKS Lovingly homemade in the Suffolk countryside, Raw Delights produce delicious and healthy raw treats using organic ingredients which are soaked and sprouted before being dehydrated.

Prices start at $4.95 for a 100g tub of shea butter. For more details visit www.sheabutter.co.uk or call 0845 2238823

The range includes Nut Special, Superfood Blend and Chocolate Crunch granolas, which are crunchy, wholefood blends ideal for breakfast or a tasty snack; Sun-dried Tomato and Cheezy Red Onion savoury crackers, delicious on their own or as part of a meal with hummus and salad; and Almond Coconut and Chocolate Ginger cookies, for a sweeter snack. Raw Delights products are available through Natural Foods in Colchester, at food events across the UK and online. For more details visit www.rawdelights.co.uk

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All Shoparound products have been authenticated as

n BEntlEY oRganic Bentley Organic produce a wide range of bodycare, haircare and household cleaning products. The whole range is Soil Association organic certified and the company strongly believes that good quality, organic products should be available at a price accessible to everyone. Body and hair products include soaps, shampoos, conditioners and body lotions in Detoxifying, Calming and Moisturising, Revitalising and Deep Cleansing ranges – why not treat yourself to a Cinnamon, Sweet Orange & Clove Bud Revitalising bodywash or a Lavender, Aloe & Jojoba Calming & Moisturising soap? The household range includes less common vegan and organic products such as kitchen, bathroom and glass cleaners, washing up liquid and hand sanitizers. More details at www.bentleyorganic.com or phone 0113 205 0958

n FREnch winEs EARL LAVAUGUYOT Next time you’re in Waitrose look out for this hidden jewel of organic French wines. Ampelidae Le S is a beautiful white wine from an exclusive and completely organic vineyard extending over 100 hectares in the littleknown Marigny-Brizay area near Poitiers in France. In the moderate coastal climate and on the best chalky, clay and flinty soils of the hills above Poitiers, Earl Lavauguyot brings you a true taste of the depth, richness and quality of life in the region. As a national and international award-winning organic vineyard, which remains distinct and exclusive, the Ampelidae Le S wine available from Waitrose is perfect to surprise and impress your friends with this spring.

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Not all products in a range are necessarily vegan.

n aBsolutE tREats Absolute Treats produce handcrafted cakes, freshly made at their base in West Wales. Their selection of vegan goodies includes cookies, muffins, batch loaves and sponge cakes. How about some delicious Chocolate and Cherry muffins, Blueberry cookies or Lemon sponge cake? Absolute Treats can also provide cakes for special occasions and celebrations. All cakes are freshly made to order and Absolute Treats are happy to adapt their products to meet your personal requirements or preferences. Postal delivery can be arranged for orders from further afield. More details at www.absolutetreats.co.uk or phone 07816 256 465

Response to Joanna Griffiths (letter in winter 2010 The Vegan) I’ve worried about my later years as a vegan too, especially in a residential home, but we don’t need to wait until then to get a vegan village. I’m part of a group of 28 households of all ages building a veggie village now. We’re building 40 super-eco homes on a riverbank just outside Lancaster with shared land and communal facilities and the idea of cooking lots of shared meals every week in our village hall, that we call our Common House. We’re not all vegans, or even all veggies (though most of us are), but we’ve all committed to a veggie-vegan shared meals policy and some of us are hoping to do vegan-organic food growing. If you’re interested in creating your own veggie village concept, have a look at cohousing.org.uk which will help you get started in the footsteps of many 1000s of similar “villages” worldwide; if you’d like to buy a home in our community, have a look at lancastercohousing.org.uk Mark Westcombe Board Member, Lancaster Cohousing www.lancastercohousing.org.uk

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photo: Charlesjsharp Sammy Keetley

Prior to working for the Vegan Society, I ran a small animal rescue with family and friends. At present we have three beautiful rescued tortoises in our care, Amos, Miller and Kobe. Kobe (which is Swahili for tortoise), is a seven year old leopard and was the first tortoise we ever rescued.

ike millions of tortoises before him, Kobe is a victim of the exotic pet trade. Kobe was taken from the wild in his native home of Africa and smuggled from the country. He was then sold to meet demand on the UK market and purchased by someone who had no knowledge of how to care for him.

In his new ‘home’, Kobe was kept in a tiny glass fish tank, and it was in here that he spent the first five years of his life. Kobe’s owners provided misinformed ‘care’ that caused deformed growth of his shell (known as pyramiding) and the onset of metabolic bone disease (MBD). Kobe also suffered muscle wastage from years without exercise and he was left barely able to walk. When he became too large, Kobe was taken to a pet shop and put up for sale. Here he fared no better and was kept within a small, overheated vivarium (a wooden reptile enclosure with glass doors), without access to water. During this time, Kobe’s beak became so overgrown that he was no longer able to eat and he was left to starve to death. With the right diet and correct environmental conditions, Kobe is able to walk again and both his MBD and deformity have been prevented from developing further. No longer trapped

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inside of a tank, Kobe is free to explore, dig, bathe and graze. While we can never give Kobe back the freedom that has been taken from him, we are committed to ensuring that he has the best life we can possibly give him.

AN INTRODUCTION TO TORTOISE CARE Housing Tanks and vivariums of any kind are unsuitable housing for tortoises. They are dangerously under ventilated, causing high internal temperatures to build and inflicting heat stress, heat stroke, dehydration and even death upon their inhabitants. Instead, open topped enclosures called tortoise tables (see the Tortoise Trusts guide on how to build your own http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Tort oisetable.htm ) should be used. Ideal for the health and comfort of tortoises, tables are well ventilated and allow an essential heat gradient to form. However, tortoises are happiest and healthiest when outside. All tortoises should have access to a secure outdoor enclosure containing wild grasses and tortoise friendly plants; an arid area for basking; a weatherproof hide; and a cloche. For information on correct housing for tortoises visit

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/vivar ium.htm and http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/habi tatdesign.htm Predators It is essential to protect tortoises from potential predators, including cats, dogs, rats, foxes and birds. Dog attacks are common and typically involve dogs who have previously spent months or even years cohabiting peacefully with a tortoise. Dogs should never be allowed direct contact with a tortoise, even under supervision. Substrate Tortoises should be provided with a deep substrate of 50% play sand and 50% top soil. This is the only substrate that replicates their natural environment and facilitates important behaviours such as digging and thermoregulation. Other substrates, including woodchips, calci-sand, hemp, woodshavings and alfalfa pellets are dangerously unsuitable and often fatal, please see http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/subs trates.html Light and Heat Tortoises depend upon their environment to provide the correct balance of ultraviolet

light (UVA and UVB), visual light and heat. These are essential for sustaining metabolism of food, general activity and overall health and must be provided either through the use of a mercury self-ballasted lamp or a UV fluorescent strip bulb used in conjunction with an incandescent heat lamp. 10-12 hours of UV exposure is required every day. Mercury self-ballasted lamps provide higher quality UV light and have a significantly longer life than UV strip bulbs, which must be replaced every six months. Lamps should be positioned to create a bright basking spot measuring 32-36C at the top of the tortoises shell. A cool area of 1923C must also be provided, allowing tortoise to thermoregulate by migrating between temperatures.

unsuitable and a diet based on them can cause significant health problems. Pelleted tortoise foods should also be avoided, as their high protein, sugar and fat content is linked to poor bone density, deformity, kidney stones and fatal renal failure. To meet calcium and vitamin D requirements, a dietary supplement, such as Nutrobal, should be provided at least twice a week and limestone flour should be provided freely. Tortoise diets are complex and different species have different needs, so for detailed information on healthy diets, please visit http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/arti cles.html#husbandry and for a comprehensive food database visit http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk Water

Underside heat sources, including heat mats, should not be used as they inhibit thermoregulation, cause fermentation of food within the gut and inflict direct thermal burns. Food It is a common misconception that tortoises should eat salad and fruit. In reality, these foods are highly

Like all animals, tortoises need unrestricted access to fresh drinking water. Regular baths are also essential, ensuring good hydration, stimulating urination and helping to prevent the development of kidney or bladder stones. Three 10-20 minutes baths a week, in lukewarm water, no deeper than the line where the bottom of the shell (plastron) joins the top

(carapace), are sufficient. Tortoises should never be left unsupervised while bathing. Hibernation Only certain species of tortoise hibernate and African species, including leopards like Kobe, remain awake all year round. Hibernation is a complex subject and hibernating species require careful maintenance within specific parameters. Safer Hibernation and Your Tortoise, by Andy Highfield, is essential reading for anyone caring for a hibernating species of tortoise http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/safer .html If you have a tortoise in your care it is very important that their species is correctly identified by a specialist exotics vet or a reputable organisation such as the Tortoise Trust. This will enable you to create an environment that meets both their physiological and behavioural needs and to provide a diet that accurately meets their requirements. For more information on caring for tortoises, please visit the Tortoise Trust http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

Kobe by Sammy Keetley

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Christine Mackey

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL Vegan-Organic Network member Christine Mackey explains how to get the most out of container gardens. Even the smallest growing space can be made productive. Last year I planted up six window boxes with a mixture of flowers and trailing cherry tomatoes. Each plant produced a mass of pretty yellow flowers which attracted hoverflies. Heavy clumps of tomatoes formed and over 15lbs of fruit was harvested. These were used fresh in salads, jarred for use in place of tinned tomatoes and to make soup, some of which was frozen in individual portions. All this productivity was achieved in spite of the plants being battered by strong gales and left to wilt several times when I forgot to water them. When planting window boxes, remember that even when it rains heavily, very little water reaches the compost and if left to dry out too much, like a dry sponge, it will not hold water. Any water applied will then rush straight through. This is especially wasteful if you’ve used a liquid feed such as comfrey. After several hot, dry summers I decided to block the drainage holes in my window boxes using corks, which reduced water loss from the soil (and provided an excuse to drink more wine!) Tomatoes, like potatoes, are members of the nightshade family and are prone to blight. Leaves and fruit can get infected with the fungus which turns them a yucky grey-brown colour. My window box cherry tomatoes were blight-free this year - either the variety is more blight-resistant or the more sheltered position reduced the risk. However, container tomatoes in the back yard were badly hit when rain fell in earnest in September. If I’d picked the green fruit in August, I could have avoided losing the crop – a lesson learned. I recommend using fresh vegan-organic compost* in all containers and windowboxes at the start of a growing season, thus avoiding the danger of pests and diseases remaining in old compost and a likely reduction in the level of nutrients available.

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Grow Vegan Puzzler Question; Name two crops which can be grown in the UK as alternatives to soya. Send your answer on a postcard to The Vegan Society (address on page 1) by 4 April. The winner will receive a copy of Growing Green: Organic Techniques for a Sustainable Future by Jenny Hall & Iain Tolhurst. The winner of the last puzzler was Constance Chaplin with the answer ‘Tiger worms.’

If you have the space, you can make your own compost from kitchen waste and newspaper or even some grass cuttings from neighbours which can be mixed with bought compost. Almost any container can be used and deeper pots make better use of space as plants can be grown more closely together. Good use can be made of walls to hang or fix baskets and containers.

If you haven’t got even as much as a window-box, don’t despair! Sprouted seeds are amongst the most delicious and nutritious of vegan foods and can be grown in your kitchen. UK origin seeds which give good results include alfalfa, broccoli, cress, fenugreek, radish and red clover. Many delicious herbs will also thrive on a window sill. See the article http://www.veganorganic.net/growing /how-to-grow-fantastic-vegan-foodindoors on the VON website.

Be creative It’s fun to experiment with different flower and vegetable combinations. I’ve tried mixes of tomatoes, aubergines, marigolds, salads, chard and nasturtiums. Arrange the plants so that they’re not competing with each other for light: taller plants such as upright tomatoes at the back and lower-growing salads at the front. Consider also the spread of each plant when it is fully grown. Growing in shade is more challenging as the plants may be stressed and more prone to aphid attacks. Keeping compost covered (mulching) will reduce water loss. You could keep the seeds of fruits such as avocado, peach and plum which break down very slowly and when spread round plants in pots will keep the soil shaded, trap moisture and restrict the germination of weeds.

Many different varieties of food plant are suitable for container growing, including dwarf carrots, beetroot and pak choi. Salads are a good choice because they’re easy to germinate, grow quickly and are often expensive to buy in mixed bags. If you’re going to try brassicas, bear in mind you may need netting to protect against caterpillars. The main thing is to sow and grow what you like to eat and I hope that you will feel inspired to nurture a productive container garden this year. * For example Fertile Fibre’s VGROW (Make sure you get VGROW (not the standard product) which contains no animal-derived ingredients and all nutrients come from organic vegetable sources).

SPECIAL OFFER FOR READERS OF THE VEGAN MAGAZINE You can buy Growing Green: Organic Techniques for a Sustainable Future for the incredible price of £11.51, including P & P (RRP £18.99) Now in its second edition, this 328-page handbook is an essential reference guide for organic growers and gardeners, from beginners to professionals. The concept of stockfree-organic is explained in fascinating detail, showing that when growers abandon the use of slaughterhouse by-products and animal manures, they can be rewarded with healthier crops and fewer weeds, pests and diseases.

Please send a cheque for £11.51 made out to Vegan-Organic Network and enclose your name, address, telephone number and/or email address to: Stockfree Organic Services, Anandavan, 58 High Lane, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9DZ JOIN THE GROWING MOVEMENT Why not join the Vegan-Organic Network and receive our twice-yearly magazine Growing Green International, packed with lively articles and helpful information for gardeners, growers and anyone interested in animal rights and the environment. See website: www.veganorganic.net or email info@veganorganic.net

gRants availaBlE FoR oldER vEgans

rs W, a vegetarian in her 70s, was able to return from a nursing home, and resume independent living in her Shoreham-on-Sea house, thanks to a grant from the Vegetarian Fund. Miss K also received help for relocation to more suitable premises from the Fund and the latest recipient, Anne B from Glasgow is delighted with her bath aid. Vegetarian for Life (VfL), the advocacy charity, administers the Vegetarian Fund & the Vegan Fund, on behalf of the Vegetarian Housing Association (VHA). The funds have been established recently to award charitable grants to older vegetarians or vegans to encourage independent living. VfL is very disappointed however that we have received no applications for the Vegan Fund so if any readers need assistance or have Vegan friends or relatives that do, VfL would be delighted to hear from them. Full details of the funds and eligibility can be found on the VfL website: www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk or call and she will be happy to send out printed guidelines and application forms.

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Rob Bigwood

VEGAN RUNNERS Autumn and Winter has seen Vegan Runners members, who now number over one hundred, as active as ever. A whopping sixteen members of Vegan Runners took part in September’s Great North Run in Newcastle But a high turnout in Newcastle is only part of the story. We’ve also had fantastic representation in events such as London’s Rainforest 10k, where six members took part and drew great support from on-lookers and the odd interested photographer. October’s Birmingham Half Marathon attracted five members, whilst in November the club managed to field a team of three in both the Rutland Marathon and the Brighton 10k. Two members took part in the Abingdon Marathon while other members chose to nobly strike out alone in marathons in Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Mablethorpe, Leicester, Toon Moor (Newcastle), Bedfordshire, Portsmouth, Loch Ness, Eindhoven and Berlin. The Vegan Runners vest also made appearances at half marathons in Bristol, Burnham Beeches, Cardiff, Leicester, Marlow, Karlsruhe and around London in events as diverse as ‘Run to the Beat’, ‘Royal Parks’ and the ‘UF Quest Dance’ half marathons. And there have been some sterling performances too, which should have the non- vegan competition sitting up and taking notice. Helen Fines achieved a string of successes in hill racing throughout the period, including coming first in the downhill leg of the Staffetta Tre Rifugi Relay and then first lady in the Machen Mountain Race,

both in late August. In September, she followed this up by coming first in both the 17m/5200ft Welsh Black Mountain fell race and the 5.5m/2000ft Llyn y Fan fell race. The seemingly unstoppable Anna Finn has also gone from strength to strength. In late August, she came home third lady in the Nottingham Ultra 50k, topping this in September, by coming home first lady and eighth overall in the South Downs Way 102 mile ultra event and sixth overall in the Grantham Canal 29m double day event. Also in September, Dave Arnold came first in his age category (mv40) in the Hill Head Aquathon, Helen Watkinson came home fourth lady in the Alderney 10k, Cedric David came ninth in the Alderney Half Marathon, Joe Harling came second in his age category (mv55) at the Endurance Life Coastal Marathon and Steve Davies came ninth in his category (mv 40) in the Ventnor Horse Shoe 7m and the 13m / 1500 feet Wroxall Round. Still on a roll from Summer successes, September saw Sid Delara come home second in his v50 category at the Thruxton 5k race, third at the Lübeck Fire station open 10k and seventh in the Kiel Lauf 1/4 marathon. A month later he was ninth in the East Leigh Park Run 5k and, in November, sixth in his category at the Preston Park, Brighton 5m.

And on December 5th, on a day when the plummeting temperatures kept most people indoors and her initial choice of marathon was cancelled due to the severe weather, the fearless Anna Finn came home second lady at the Bletchley Enigma Marathon. Well done to all on such fabulous achievements! On the same day, our Vegan Runners monthly London training session was filmed by a very cold journalist from Capa Television, Paris. Forming part of a report on ‘Vegan London’, the footage will broadcast on Arte Television in France and Germany in early 2011 and should be available to view via the Arte website around the same time. Our monthly London training sessions and socials are set to enter their second year with numbers remaining constant. Our sessions are suitable for all abilities and take place in a different London park each month. We always welcome new faces and usually retire to a veganfriendly café afterwards for a catch up. For more information, race results and details of our next London training session, check out our new look website but please note, after changing our url, we’re now to be found at: http://www.veganrunners.org.uk

The same month, Vegan Runners Club Secretary, Peter Simpson, came home second v50 in the Watford Autumn Challenge 5m, his first race in the new category. Joni Purmonen creative commons photo taken by Fredrik Winberg

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VEGAN FITNESS In January 2011 sport and fitness discussion forum and online community veganfitness.net celebrated its 7th birthday. The forum unites over 7000 existing and aspiring vegans participating in a wide range of both competitive and recreational sports, and serves as both a support and information resource. The latter half of 2010 was an active period for competitive vegans from veganfitness.net and beyond. As well as the Vegan Runners achievements mentioned opposite vegan freediver (underwater diving without breathing apparatus) John Prescott reached a respectable depth of 36m. Vegan endurance mountain biker Graham Phillips was placed 3rd overall in the Midland Trailquests Autumn Series. Vegan rugby player Johanna Jahnke has taken a break from the national rugby team but is still playing with German FC

St Pauli in the Bundesliga first division, 8th position. In December vegan Mixed Martial Arts fighter Mac Danzig won his fight at the prestigious Ultimate Fighting Championships with an impressive first round knockout. Strength sports is relatively new territory for vegans and 2010 proved to be a successful year for German vegans Jakob Mannherz and Florian Boge, who participated in the German Drug Free Powerlifting Federation competition and took first and second place respectively, while Tom Koerner placed 3rd in the 75kg weight class at the World Championship of the International Drug Free Powerlifting Federation. Topranking armwrestler Rob Bigwood took first place left-handed and second place right-handed at the 2010 MMA Arm Wrestling tournament in the USA. Australian powerlifter Noah Hannibal excelled in his competition and Finnish

strongman and UK resident Joni Purmonen won one competition, competed in England’s Strongest Man final and Finland’s Strongest Man, all in the 105 kg class.

John Prescott creative commons

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

n maRch 2011

n JunE 2011

Brighton Vegfest March 19, The Hove Centre Admission Free 0117 3079872 www.brighton.vegfest.co.uk

13th International Vegan Festival Saturday 4 to Sunday 12 June Hotel Elimar, Rincon de la Victoria, Malaga, Spain. Contact: www.ivu.org/veganfest/2011

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n august 2011

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Saturday 23rd April to Sunday 1st May Groups across the globe will be involved with the 3rd Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. Compassion for Animals, the sponsor of the event, ask people to please sign up at http://www.veganbakesale.org/veganbakesale/vbs-signup.htm so they can build a roster of where the bake sales are, and help to promote them. www.veganbakesale.org

Vegan Camp Saturday 6th August to Saturday 20th August Vegan Camp is a well-deserved break for vegans, or anyone willing to be vegan during their stay, including many active campaigners, for two weeks, or for a day or two. The 31st consecutive camp in 2011 is proposed to be held either Chichester in Sussex, South Derbyshire or Kent. All ages are welcome, many children attend. Campers will be welcome for any period of stay within the fortnight. www.vegancamp.co.uk

n maY 2011 Bristol Vegfest May 28 - 29 FREE to the public from 11am – 5.30pm both days. It then becomes a paid for event from 6pm 11pm with headline bands and DJs. There is also an evening event on Friday May 27 6pm – 1am. There are over 100 stalls available plus slots for talks and demos, and all the food and produce at the event is 100% vegan. The event is preceded by VegfestUK Bristol Fringe Week, which starts on May 21 and sees a number of vegan related activities hosted in multi venues across Bristol during the day and through the evenings. www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk

London Vegan Festival Kensington Town Hall Hornton Street, London W8 (underground - High Street Kensington). Sunday 21 August 2011 11am to 8pm, entry: £2 After a year off, the 13th London Vegan Festival will feature many stallholders, free nutrition information and an array of interesting talks and workshops. There will be something for everyone: children, adults, vegans and non-vegans alike. www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival

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vEgan sociEtY local co THE VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTS Get in touch with vegans near you – for information, socialising, mutual support and more. Our Local Contacts will be glad to hear from you. Local Contacts are Vegan Society members who volunteer as ‘points of contact’ for vegans. Some Contacts run local groups, as listed here, many of which hold regular activities – please contact them to find out more. Veg*n = vegan and vegetarian. If emails and phone numbers are not convenient for you please write to us at the office and we can pass your message on. Please include an SAE.

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ontacts & gRouPs

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

COUNCIL Philip Bickley (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Daniel Foskett (Assistant Treasurer) Matthew Cole (Vice-Chair) Catriona Gold Nicola Martin (Treasurer) Karen Morgan (Information Consultant) Graham Neale George Rodger (Chair and Information Consultant) Louise Wallis (Information Consultant)

STAFF PR/Media Officer Amanda Baker Office Manager / Finance Officer Blaine Cannon Head of Business Development George Gill Advocacy Officer Rebecca Henderson Education Officer Rob Jackson Information Officer Sammy Keetley Business Development Assistant (Trademark) Paul Philbrow Head of Information Services Rosamund Raha Information Officer Charley Roberts Information Assistant Zoe Smith

Once you’ve been a full member of the Vegan Society for six months, why not ask Rob (cc@vegansociety.com) about becoming a Local Contact?

Business Development Assistant (Trademark) Daniel Therkelsen

Local Contacts are not official representatives of the Vegan Society, and their levels of activity and knowledge vary according to individual circumstances.

Chief Executive Officer Nigel Winter

Business Development Assistant (Sales and Membership) Mike Tomkins

SPECIALIST ADVISORS Stephen Walsh (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Sandra Hood (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson)

The Vegan l Spring 2011

VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, 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 lactovegetarianism (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 deoxygenation 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

cumBRia

holidaYs aBRoad Pyrenean mountain village in southern France. Enjoy our vegan B&B. Phone Karen or Matthew on www.veganholidayfrance.com

accommodation Low cost accommodation In nice house near Finchley Road Station London in exchange for cooking and cleaning for the landlord. References required. Please telephone

advERtisEmEnts to BE suBmittEd BY 8 aPRil 2011

dEvon

FoR inclusion in thE In July 2011 The Lodge will have been running for 10 years in Grenada offering a totally Vegan environment. The Owners, Mark and Mary, have been Vegan for 25 years and their aim is for fellow Vegans, and those who wish to experience a plantbased diet, to enjoy and feel safe that all on offer at The Lodge is completely Vegan. In celebration of this 10 year landmark Mark and Mary are offering 10% off all stays at The Lodge from 01 January 2011 until 30 June 2012. For more information www.thelodgegrenada.com

summER 2011 issuE oF

thE vEgan contact: advERtising@vEgansociEtY.com 0121 523 1733

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

“Jesus was a vegetarian” www.donoteatus.org

oRganisations

hamPshiRE

Save A Life Adopt A Goat

NEW FOREST - The Barn Vegan Guest House. En Suite rooms, evening meals. Perfect for walking/cycling etc or www.veggiebarn.net

sussEX

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

Old stone self-catering Farmhouse, 2 large bedrooms, sleeps 6, 2 bathrooms, large living area. €600 per week; organic vegetables available from owners. Contact Trevor or Sue, Le Guerrat, 09420 France. Tel: (0033) 5 61 96 37 03 (eves) or leguerrat@aol.com

www.Buttercups.org.uk

discount caRd

Veggies, Vegans and Raw Foodies Welcome J

walEs

Be pampered knowing you can safely eat everything on the people

menu; relax in beautiful surroundings; benefit from a wide range of holistic treatments & therapies in our charming B&B retreat, Maison de Aurore, Pays de la Loire, France http://www.dawncampbellholistic

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

health.eu

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classiFiEds PuBlications

intERnEt sERvicEs

shoPPing

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE: Advertisements are accepted subject to their satisfying the condition that the products advertised are entirely free from ingredients derived from animals; that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that the content of such ads does not 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. 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.

Divine Frog Web Services. Vegan standards compliant website design, development, implementation, maintenance, email, domain name registration, hosting and eco-hosting. FREE website health check for your current site. Please contact Ian - tel: 07981 057697 email: i.nicoll@divinefrog.co.uk. www.divinefrog.co.uk the professional choice.

discount caRd

This card entitles the bearer to discounts at a range of outlets, restaurants and hotels. A full list of discounts is available from The Vegan Society.

discount caRd THE VEGAN VALID FROM

FEBRUARY 2011 UNTIL

MAY 2011

REFERENCE CODE

Ref:KMA 011

The Vegan l Spring 2011

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

MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL

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 adhere to a vegan diet. 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 * Low-income £14 ** 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:

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

ccccccccccccccccccc 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 Broad or runner, for example (4) 3 Garbanzo 1 Across (8) 7 Bundle of herbs - bouquet _ _ _ _ _ (5) 8 Condiment (7) 11 Liquid fat obtained from boiling (3) 12 Blurry bee blundered into this small fruit (anag.) (9) 13 Made more interesting or flavourful (6) 15 Spud (6) 19 Daisy-like plant with flowers used to make herbal tea (9) 20 Cooking vessel (3) 21 Empty (e.g. cake tin of cakes) (4,3) 23 Additional (5) 24 Raspberry-like fruit closely related to the blackberry (8) 25 Season (4) Down 1 Viper’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _, a herb with bright blue flowers, very attractive to bees (7) 2 Month in which to sow courgettes or sprouting broccoli (5) 4 Made from mashed 3 Across, tahini, lemon juice and garlic (6) 5 Mushy, maybe? (3) 6 Bite; small savoury served with drinks (6) 9 Special or choice food (5) 10 Having a low residual sugar content (wine) (3) 14 Aromatic spice used in Mexican dishes and curries (5) 16 Utensil for undoing bottles or tins (6) 17 Baked beans might be served in this way (2,5) 18 Sour; strong-flavoured ale (6) 19 Chop, slice, trim (3) 20 Oval-shaped Middle Eastern flat bread with a pocket (5) 22 Uncooked (3)

cRYPtic cRosswoRd set by Vega

Please se nd it solu tions (by e-mail to post or the addre ss on pag along wit e 1) h your na me and p address b ostal y 4 April 2 011. The winn ers of ea ch crossw receive a ord will month’s su cleaning pply of products which are from recy made cled mate rials wort provided h £15 by EcoFo rce: www.eco force.co.u k

Across 1 Cajole company chopper (4) 3 Pepper restricts number 99 before expressing hesitation (8) 7 Bill and Ben oddly cutting object, leaf of grass perhaps? (5) 8 Loose lax reed loosened (7) 11 Admiration, wonderment, exaltation initially inspired? (3) 12 Soil composed of dual elm detritus? (4,5) 13 Old flame saucy but skillful (6) 15 Zsa Zsa Gabor ages well eating medicinal salad herb (6) 19 Pigweed, perhaps, formed of egos too corrupted (9) 20 The Mayans hold back tuber (3) 21 People in mine followed by old 3 (7) 23 Copper takes short time to find spice (5) 24 So an online auction firm taken in backwards yields vegan staple (4,4) 25 “Teeming herds of wildebeest” sung about: more than one, at least! (4)

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Solutions to the winter 2010 crosswords (quick: left / Cryptic: right) Winner of winter quick crossword: Caroline Turner Winner of winter cryptic crossword: Diana du Feu

Down 1 Enclosure confining Swedish band instead of a brassica (7) 2 Nectar producing plant found inside a bag a vegan had (5) 4 A secondary route overseas? (6) 5 1ac drops a type of apple (3) 6 Crab-apple like fruit might get into a jam with interfering person reportedly (6) 9 French love Othello, we hear (5) 10 Danger! Unexploded device, initially... (3) 14 ... explodes sun in two points as result (5) 16 Physics of light work - twitches by Newton perhaps? (6) 17 Undermines, loses german and gets white furred stoats (7) 18 Old acorn can grow into crown shaped structure or outer part of sun’s atmosphere (6) 19 Grasp odd bits of empty space between things (3) 20 Old solver supported by people of Arabian Peninsula republic (5) 22 Month when 20ac turns up (3)