Bringing Vegan into Vogue

EXCLUSIVE
Results are in from
our How many
vegans poll

Brexit
In or out?
What is
best for
the
animals?

Roller
derby

Viva!

Fast growing
fitness trend

An interview
with the founder

Biomeat

Earthlings
Experience
Activist sisters saving
animals

The end of factory

farming?

Wild rainbow bowl p.24

Also in this issue...

June 2016| issue 16 | 4.25

Independent thinker p.90

Fighting for primates p.30

Summer lovin p.88

Welcome
Its been another busy month at Vegan Life: the
influence of veganism seems to spread on a
monthly basis with more projects and campaigns
to get involved in, more delicious food to eat, and
interesting people to engage with.
This issue is probably the most exciting one I
have worked on yet: as you may have seen on
the cover, we have exclusive info for our readers.
Vegan Life teamed up with The Vegan Society to commission a poll entitled How Many
Vegans? While the final numbers have been released to the press, we have a few juicy
bits of data we held back exclusively for you guys. Im excited to see the number of
vegans is growing: Id love to hear your thoughts too.
An exciting campaign I keep hearing more and more about is the Earthlings project.
Peaceful masked activists take to the streets to play the moving documentary on
laptops and tablets to the passing public. Its a unique and striking way to spread
awareness. It was an honour to chat to Phoebe and Jane Framptonthe amazing
activist sisters behind this and other successful campaigns.
The hot topic this month is the EU referendum. Its one of the biggest political debates
of recent years, and it seems everyone has an opinion. We decided to delve into the
issue to bring you a special reportfrom the vegan point of view of course. Our piece
looks at the potential impact of Brexit on animalsboth those in farms and wildlife.
How will you vote?
A growing number of celebrities are getting involved with the vegan movement, and
this month we sat down with no other than RnB singer Mya, who has described herself
as militant. Its exciting to see someone so passionate about animal rights, and she
had some fascinating insights to share with us.
One topic I want to know more about is biomeat: we have all heard about labmade
burgers costing quarter of a million pounds, but when is this science going to become
main stream? We spoke to a couple of scientists who shared their predictionsas well
as some prominent vegans who told us whether or not they would eat meat grown
invitro.
On top of all this we have our usual mix of recipes and food information, news,
features and plenty more. We hope you enjoy the issue, and as ever, do get in touch if
theres anything you want to share with us.
Maria Chiorando
Editor
facebook.com/veganlifemagazine

@VeganLife_Mag

thoughts along the

vegan way
Recipe and image from Timothy Pakron
@mississippivegan
mississippivegan.com

Dont wait for a better world. Start now to create

a world of harmony and peace. It is up to you, and
it always has been. You may even find the solution
at the end of your fork.
~ Sharon Gannon

Meet the Team

Published by
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Editor
Maria Chiorando
maria@veganlifemag.com
Designed by
Laura Slater
laura.slater@primeimpact.co.uk
Art Director
Emily Saunders
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Keith Coomber
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The publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements
appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial
material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the views of the
publisher. The publisher cannot accept liability for any loss arising from
the appearance or nonpublication of any advertisement. Information
about products and services featured within the editorial content does
not imply endorsement by Vegan Life magazine.
Every effort is made to ensure that all advertising is derived from
reputable sources. Vegan Life magazine cannot, however, accept
responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers.
The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from
responsibly managed forests, according to strict environmental, social
and economic standards. The manufacturing mill has both FSC and PEFC
certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.

80

contents

58
70 Why the human population is an animal rights issue
How population growth affects animals and what we can do about it
72 Adders in focus
A close-up look at this mysterious British snake
102 After antibiotics
Could the misuse of medication in agriculture lead to a health crisis?

RECIPES

ON THE COVER

26 Exclusive: Vegan boom in Great Britain

The poll results are in-and they are fascinating
76 What would Brexit mean for animals?
A political hot potato-from the vegan point of view
86 Viva!
Juliet Gellatley on passion, knickers and a pig called Blue
82 Earthlings experience
The remarkable women behind the masks share their story
96 Roller derby
The biggest sport youve never heard of
48 Biomeat
The end of meat as we know it?

Special Features

15 Cool beans
A quick and easy meal idea
18 Rainbow food
A handy, colourful way to transport your lunch to work or school
24 On the cover
Eat the rainbow
28 Cress to impress
A delicious way to kick-start your day
34 Bao wow!
These Chinese buns taste as good as they look
38 Eat like an Egyptian
A surprisingly easy traditional meal
40 Lush slush
This refreshing drink takes only seconds to whip up

8 Vegan news
All the latest stories

47 Life of pie
A fathers day classic, or a weekend treat

46 Fathers day the vegan way

Perfect gifts for the special man in your life

52 Happy healthy mealtimes

The perfect summertime assortment

66 Meet the chef

We catch up with Marlene Watson-Tara

60 Nom nom nom

Recipes for mindful mealtimes

108

114

106

64 Veg on wheels
Make the most of your weekly veg box

98 From numbers to vegan chef: Rafel Mulet Monserrat

Manuel Lynch, founder of Vegan Gastronomy Culinary Academy Europe

68 Marlenes signature dish

Health and perfect flavour come together

114 A pigs life

A love for animals brought Amelie and Meg together

74 Truly scrumptious
Tasty treats for everyone to enjoy

Lifestyle, Health and Nutrition

84 The big dipper

Cause major lunch-envy with this delicious combo
88 Summer lovin
A treat for those long summer days and dinners in the garden
100 Roll with it
Spice up this classic party food
108 Perfect paella
This classic Spanish dish works well with lots of veg

Vegan Inspiration

30 Fighting for primates

Why are so many of these animals still forced to endure experiments?
41 And they ate happily ever after
Vegan Lifes art director on raising a family in a meat-free house
42 Fashion fit for a vegan
Sylvia Smith looks at the history of textiles
58 Vegan legend
Bryan Adams shares his thoughts on veganism at an event in London
90 Independent thinker
Mya talks about how veganism has helped her remarkable success
92 Turning point
One single moment decided the course of this artists life

22 Julies vegan finds

Vegan Lifes publisher takes to the shops
36 Year of the pulse
A look at these nutritional powerhouses
80 Vegan cider
Our pick of the barrel

106 Vegan on board

Blogger Fat Gay Vegan reports back from a cruise holiday

Resources

6 Vegan diary
16 Dear FGV
Top blogger and Vegan Life agony uncle Fat Gay Vegan
19 Competition: Win PHB Ethical Beauty vouchers
20 Vegan planet
Vegan news from around the world
23 Vegan myths
We tackle some of the biggest misconceptions around veganism
32 Eat and drink-vegan style: Usha, Glasgow
39 The accidental vegan
A selection of products that are SFV by chance
56 Subscribe to Vegan Life Magazine
109 Giveaways
110 Vegan pages

diary

JUNE
JUNE

4
6
12
11 17
18
18
25
june 2016

June 4

London Animal Free Festival

June 6-7

Toronto Raw/Vegan Festival

This festival offers all you need for healthy, crueltyfree, eco-friendly green living. Organisers say: You
dont have to be vegan to attend. Come and see
why people are increasingly adopting a raw/vegan
lifestyle. Admission is free and you can see food
demos and sampling, all day speakers on health
food topics of interest, cruelty-free cosmetics and
ethical clothing. Event will be held at 918 Bathurst
Street (north of Bloor Street) and begins at 10am.
torontorawveganfestival.com

June 11

Portland Vegan Beer and Food Festival

This festival, which is in its second year, is due to

return to Portland. The event will be taking place
in the grounds of Zidell Yards and tickets are $45
(roughly 31). Organisers say: For 2016 expect
some of the regions best craft beer, vegan food,
live music, and marketplace. For this event there will
be unlimited 3oz. pours from all of the 50 breweries
featuring well over 100 different beers in your
own Vegan Beer and Food Festival tasting glass.
veganbeerfest.com

June 18

Birmingham Wildlife Festival and Badger March

On Saturday June 18, hundreds of people will descend

upon Birmingham City Centre for a march and rally
against the badger cull. This free event will also include
up to 60 stalls, celebrity guest speakers, live bands
and vegan caterers. The march will begin in Centenary
Square, which is conveniently close to New Street
station. The festival will begin at 10am.
veggies.org.uk/event

June 25 - 26

Bournemouth Vegan Fair

Head over to the Camden Centre, opposite Kings Cross St Pancras, station and
help support animal rescues across the country. This event will feature lots of
vegan stalls, talks, stand-up comedy and performances throughout the day.
Standard tickets are 5. At the moment there is a buyone get onefree offer
(limited time only). Under 16s go free. londonanimalfreefestival.com

June 12

Leicester Vegan Market

Leicester will see its first vegan market. Set in the

historic market in the heart of the city, Leicesters Vegan
Community will support vegan traders, producers,
charities and more at this event. To find out more you can
visit the events Facebook (search for Leicester Vegan
Market). facebook.com

June 17 23

Animal Rights Awareness Week

Animal Rights Awareness Week [ARAW] is an annual

event which is celebrated in order to raise awareness
for the care and concern for animals of all varieties.
Animal lovers everywhere are concerned with
educating the general public about the humane
treatment that all animals deserve.
animal-rights-action.com

June 18

Mad City Vegan Fest

This free event will be held at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison.
Organisers say: Vegan Feast is somewhere everyone can enjoy
delicious vegan food and find helpful information on protecting
animals, the environment and your health. Listen to inspiring
speakers, win prizes, explore the various stalls, and get your
hands on lots of free samples. Free parking is also available for
visitors. veganfest.org

June 18

Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival

The event begins at 10am, and visitors should try and get to Leeds
Town Hall early as the first 100 people to arrive will receive a free goody
bag. Organisers say: The Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival is returning
to inform, entertain, and entice the population with the vegan lifestyle.
The venue will be bursting with stalls selling vegan makeup and clothes,
live cooking demonstrations and animal welfare presentations. All the
proceeds will be donated to the International Aid for the Protection and
Welfare of Animals charity. Admission is 2. yorkshireveganfestival.com

The fair, now in its third year, will be taking place at the Bournemouth International Centre on Exeter Road. You can expect an abundance of
stalls selling everything from sweet treats to animal friendly skin care, talks, workshops and demos. It will be a brilliant day out for all of the
family and a chance to find out why so many people are turning to a vegan lifestyle as an easy, delicious and nutritious way to live. Tickets are
5 (under 14s for free). dorsetveganevents.co.uk

vegan news
Bite-sized updates on all things vegan from the worlds of entertainment, politics, sports, animal advocacy
and more. Got news to share with us? Get in touch!

Dogs most persecuted pet

Over half the cruelty cases inspected by the RSPCA in 2015 were
about dogs, according to the charity with a huge 57 per cent of
complaints relating to mans best friend. Cats were the second
most abused companion animal, with 24 per cent of complaints.
Dermot Murphy, assistant director for the Inspectorate, said:
People think of dogs as mans best friend but these statistics tell
a different story. They are by far the most abused animal in this
country and we investigate more complaints related to them than
any other species. The stories we are telling today show a snapshot
of the horrific level of cruelty we have seen in the last year, which
have to be some of the most extreme cases I have ever heard of.
Particularly shocking for me was the story of the little Chihuahua
cross who was subjected to unimaginable torture for nearly 48
hours, including being set on fire and having his neck broken. It is
harrowing to think of the amount of suffering caused to this dog.

National Pig Association fears over anti-meat

propaganda

The National Pig Association has urged its members to adopt best practice at all
times and in every aspect of pig production in order to counteract what it describes
as an orchestrated wave of propaganda by anti-meat campaigners. The vast
majority of British pig farmers strive to achieve best-practice at all times and this
has earned them a global reputation for high-welfare animal husbandry, said
animal scientist Dr Zoe Davies, NPAs chief executive. But we are always listening
to the evolving expectations of our customers and we aim to meet those
expectations through a policy of continual improvement. But Animal welfare
campaigners deny these basic standards are ever met. Toni Sheppard is the
executive director of Animal Equality, an advocacy group which works to improve the
lives of animals. Sheppard says: The idea that pigs in factory farms get bedding material every night
is beyond laughable. I have been inside dozens of British pig farms and never seen anything that can be described
as bedding. Some farrowing crates have shredded paper to soak up the sows waste as she cant move to urinate or
defecate and must do it where she is lying, but hardly enough to call bedding. Every fattening pen Ive seen has been
barren with slatted wooden or concrete floorsnever so much as a shred of straw.

Morrissey slams Prince eulogies

Former Smiths frontman Morrissey has criticised tributes to late pop singer Prince-as
most did not mention Princes veganism. In a statement about the American artist,
who died on April 21 at the age of 57, Morrissey said: Although a long-serving vegan
and a strong advocate of the abolition of the abattoir, neither of these points was
mentioned in the one hundred television reports that I witnessed yesterday as they
covered the enchanted life and sad death of Prince. The points were not mentioned
because they are identified as expressions against establishment interests, therefore
we, mere galley slaves, arent allowed to know. Prince has influenced the world more
than is suspected, and somehow the life of his music is just beginning, and he would
be thanked not only by humans but also animals for living his lyrical life as he did.
Humans, you see, are not the world. Famously anti-royalist, Morrissey went onto
to slam coverage of the Queens 90th birthday celebrations saying: Prince made
something of his life as opposed to having fortune handed to him.

M4 motorway
diversion to destroy
the natural beauty of
the Gwent Levels
RSPB Cymru is urging the public
to make their voices heard before
its too late, as the M4 motorway diversion threatens to
cut through the heart of the Gwent Levels and irreversibly
damage one of the countys most important natural
spaces.The threat of the new motorway diversion south
of Newport in Gwent has been hanging over this landscape
for more than 20 years and for those 20 years, RSPB Cymru
has been working hard to defend this historic landscape
and the unique species that live there. However, the latest
plans would see this work undone as a unique part of
Wales would be sacrificed for a motorway. Arfon Williams,
RSPB Cymru countryside manager, said: You only have
to look around to see that the Gwent Levels is something
special to Wales. Sweeping the Severn Estuary coastline
from Cardiff to the Severn Bridge and beyond, the Levels
is rich in nature, it is an irreplaceable patchwork of wildlife
havens and landscapes. It is home to an astonishing array
of wildlife including lapwings, otters, water voles, the great
silver water beetle and the worlds smallest flowering plant,
Wolffia. All reasons we need to stand up and protect this
part of our country before it is lost forever.

Jerky joins Mighty Bees

coconut line-up

MightyBee, UK producer of coconut-based products has just

released its range of raw, organic, vegan jerky made from young
Thai coconuts. The coconut jerky is made by marinating the flesh
of organically grown, young Thai coconuts in a homemade sauce.
Each flavour has its own story: the Teriyaki flavour is fresh from
the streets of Tokyo, and the Spicy BBQ is reminiscent of smoked
Spanish charcuterie. The Chocolate & Hazelnut is inspired by
Ferrero Roche. The range was developed in collaboration with
raw vegan chef Lorena Loriato. He says: The texture of the Thai
young coconut meat has been a superstar here; it helped us to
develop something that truly appeals to both vegetarians and
omnivores. Ice Min, CEO and Co-Founder of MightyBee, adds:
Growing up, my siblings and I had few
options in supermarkets. Thats why
were so proud to have produced our
range of guilt-free snacks with Lorena;
its healthy, free from gluten, dairy and
refined sugar, and utterly
delicious. The new range
follows MightyBees
other coconut-based
products, which includes
cold-pressed and virgin
coconut waters and their
virgin coconut meat.

Factory farm approved despite public appeal

A new factory farm for pigs in East Riding of Yorkshire has been
approved by councillors despite more than 7,000 objections being
submitted and a vigorous local campaign against the plans. In February
2016, animal rights group Animal Aid conducted an undercover
investigation at several farms operated by the company behind the
application. The national campaign group uncovered scenes it found
deeply disturbing, including obviously sick animals in filthy conditions.
At four out of the five premises investigated, dead animals were left
exposed to the open air. Antibiotics and uncovered syringes were
found at one of the farms. Animal Aid campaign manager, Isobel
Hutchinson says: While this new farm has unfortunately been granted
permission, in spite of overwhelming disagreement we feel certain
that our campaign
against it has
helped to draw
peoples attention
to the suffering
of farmed pigs,
which typically
have miserable
lives before facing
a traumatic
slaughterhouse
death.

Veganism up in the USA

Over half of US residents are planning to eat more plantbased foods-according to a recent study. The poll, by
Wakefield Research, says 55 per cent of Americans plan to
eat more plant-based foods this year. Of the 55 per cent,
36 per cent say theyre going to eat somewhat more; and
19 per cent, much more. The research was commissioned
by House Foods (a tofu brand), and the results correlate
with other, similar studies and indicators pointing to
change. The research also highlighted that more than
one in three Americans admit they like tofu, including 45
per cent of younger Americans. Yoko Difrancia, PR and
marketing manager at House Foods says: There has been
a more widespread adoption of plant-based foods due to
various reasons and this will continue to grow. Younger
Americans in particular are leading the change as they
seek out healthier options. People are more conscious
than ever about what theyre eating.

Sheepdog travels 240 miles

back to former home

A dog sold to a farm in Cumbria shocks previous

owners by making mammoth journey to his
original home near Aberystwyth. Pero, a four
yearold working sheepdog will now remain
with his previous owners after making the two
week journey to his former family. Alan and
Shan James had sent Pero off to help out on
the farm in Cockermouth in March, believing
he would be ideal for the job of rounding
up sheep. The Welsh sheepdog evidently
didnt like his new English home as he
soon abandoned his work and embarked
on the journey back to his birthplace.
Shan James told the BBC: Wed been told that
Pero had disappeared, and was nowhere to be seen. When he
came back, he wasnt hungry or weak, so he must have managed to find food
somewhere. He must have stopped in places along the way. Eager to piece together the story of
Peros adventure, the family are now interested to know if any members of the public encountered
the brave sheepdog over the two week period.

This is Good macadamia nut oil now distributed in UK

Macadamia nut oil, currently touted a health oil, is set to hit UK shelves. The brand-This Is Good
was founded by lifelong fitness enthusiasts and personal trainers Hannah Zussman and Nicos
Sliney, who want to share with consumers the benefits of macadamia nut oil over coconut oil. The
company works closely with its macadamia nut supplier, Green Farm Nuts Co. in South Africa to
ensure that each bottle has the perfect ratio of essential fatty acids, high in monounsaturated fats
and low in saturated fats. This is Good boasts 15 per cent saturated fat content and 76 per cent
monounsaturated fat (per 100ml), compared to coconut oil which contains 83 per cent saturated
fat and six per cent monosaturated fat (per 100ml). Company co-founder Hannah Zussman says:
As someone who is passionate about health, fitness and general wellbeing, I cant believe how so
many people are in the dark about macadamia nut oil and its superior health and beauty benefits so weve made it our job to share it with the world.

10

Roots Caf
First vegan/vegetarian caf opens in
South Tyneside

South Shieldsabout 50 miles away from Newcastleis now

home to its first veggie/vegan caf. According to the owners,
the Roots Caf, in Westoe Road, has been inundated with
customers. Owner Chay Hobson decided to launch the venture
to give people in the area a chance to dine on more natural
treats. He said: Its called Roots Caf because the food is
stripped back down to its rootsnone of it is processed. The
food served is wholesome, healthy and affordable. To top it
off everything served is made by me, the only thing we buy in
are the bread buns. The caf sells a range of food, from sweet
mango cookies to heartier dishes like bean and quinoa vegan
burgers. In the future, Chay is hoping to extend the cafs
current opening hours to include weekends and provide a
takeaway menu.

Top eight strange items eaten by

hungry companion animals

Animal charity the PDSA has compiled a list of the

unusual items eaten by curious companion animals.
According to a spokesman: From puppies munching
on pants to cats snacking on shoelaces, PDSA vets
often help inquisitive pets whove bitten off a bit more
than they can chew. The top eight items are; toy
minion, hearing aid, class A drugs, kitchen scourer,
sewing needle, hair bobbles, golf balls and shoelaces.
PDSA Vet Nurse, Sarah Spinks, says: There is a
medical term for pets eating strange objectspica.
Dogs, especially puppies and younger dogs, use
their mouth to investigate objects as well as to eat.
Sometimes a dog will swallow an object by mistake,
even though it had only meant to investigate it.

11

A Vegan Life reader has started a petition to

urge the Sunday Times magazine supplement
to stop advertising and supporting fur. Anne
Clark noticed the magazine regularly features
items on their pages like fox fur handbags and
mink fur key rings, so set up the petition which
had over 54,000 signatures from supporters
around the world at the time of going
to print. Anne says: Worryingly fur
seems to be making a comeback.
I have been appalled to note the
prevalence of fur topped bobble hats
and trinkets on the high street. More
than half of the fur in the UK and US
comes from China, where millions of
animals are bludgeoned, hanged and
skinned alive for their fur. Before their
deaths, animals on fur farms are forced
to spend their entire lives confined to
cramp, filthy conditions. Through my
petition, I want to send a clear message
to The Sunday Times that their readers
will not tolerate their use of fur and
to persuade them to make a pledge
against promoting real fur. Visit change.org to sign the petition.

Vegan pasta competition top

spectator sport

Over 1,000 spectators attended a vegan mac and cheese

competition in Baltimore. Organiser Rissa Miller said: We stopped
counting at 1,000. Nobody expected that many people to show
up. Baltimore Vegan Mac n Cheese Smackdown fellow organiser
Brenda Sanders was also surprised by the droves who showed up
to sample the goods made by 31 home cooks and
professional chefs. She said: Who can resist mac
n cheese? We picked it as the theme for the event
because we knew it would attract a crowd. Mac and
cheese is one of the dishes cited by new vegans
as one they particularly miss, especially when
vegan offerings on restaurant menus tend toward
hummus wraps and black
bean burgers.

Butcher removes purple

sausage honouring
Prince, who was vegan

A Devon-based butcher has scrapped

plans to honour late pop star Prince
with a purple sausage-after being
told the singer was vegan by animal
rights charity Peta. The group has also
asked the butcher to provide a vegan
sausage instead. Petas manager of
special projects Dawn Carr said: Prince
was an outspoken vegan who would
never have gone near a butchers shop,
and he certainly wouldnt have wanted
his name exploited to sell novelty
sausages. Offering a vegan sausage
is a way for the company to meet
the ever-growing demand for meatfree meals while winning back some
of the customers they may have lost
with this disrespectful stunt. A Peta
spokesman adds: Vegan sausages
contain roughly a third of the fat and
calories of their fleshy counterparts
and they help prevent animals
from enduring extreme suffering on
factory farms and in abattoirs. Theyre
also greener, as the meat industry
is a leading cause of environmental
devastation, including greenhouse-gas
emissions. Peta whose motto reads,
in part, that animals are not ours to
eat encourages all caring people to
replace meat with tasty vegan meals.

Circus lion in TV comedy Plebs no laughing matter

Animal protection group Animal Defenders International [ADI] has called out TV comedy Plebs for
its use of a circus lion in the latest series. ADI is urging production company Rise Films and ITV2 to
distance themselves from the use, and commit to a no wild animals policy. The lion featuring in Plebs
is a male called Tsavo, provided by Thomas Chipperfield, co-owner of the controversial wild animal circus
An evening with lions and tigers. The circus withdrew its licence application to tour England last year after
an inspection of the animals living conditions found them to be woefully inadequate. The two lions and three
tigers were found to spend the majority of their time in cages on the back of a truck. The abuse of animals for
the entertainment industry is becoming more widely known and rejected by the public and the film industry. ADI
President, Jan Creamer said: The suffering of animals in entertainment is no laughing matter. Anyone who cares
for animals should urge programme makers to use CGI instead of live, performing animals.

12

Our

lives

Publisher Keith Coomber reflects on being

part of this vibrant community

It wouldnt be an exaggeration to describe myself as something

of a foodie. I love cooking, eating, and sharing a good meal with
friends and family. Since becoming vegan I have found myself
more and more in love with inventing exciting and healthy recipes.
Its like a whole world of new flavours and ingredients has opened
up to me.
Ive had some notable successes with my cookery experimentsmy vegan kedgeree is one of my trademark meals-but also some,
lets say, not so successful attempts (I dont think I will ever live
down my first attempt at vegan Yorkshire Puddings. They didnt
rise as I had hoped. And if I could give you one piece of advice it
would be this: do NOT use sweetened soya milk).
Anyway, I have been digging around for inspiration, and I came
across an all-vegan cookery school. As the publisher of Britains
best-selling vegan magazine, I feel it would be improper if I didnt
attend a top food school and equip myself with the best possible
cookery skills. I often feed omnivores, and I try and use delicious
food as a gentle and positive introduction to the joy of veganism.
The fact the Vegan Gastronomy Culinary Academy is based in
glorious Mallorca doesnt hurt either.
I was exceptionally excited when I organised the course. Then I
talked to one of the schools founders about some of the topics
were going to cover-cheese, molecular cookery (including how to
make ice-cream in 30 seconds). Now Im counting the days til I go.
And of course well be sure to share the best of the info with you,
our Vegan Life readers.

13

Sales of bacon fall due to

health-conscious millenials

Tennis star opens vegan restaurant

Mens singles tennis champion, Novak Djokovic, has

opened a 100 per cent plant-based restaurant with
his wife Jelena Djokovic called Eqvita. The two share
a passion for healthy food which resulted in a
restaurant that nourishes the mind, body, and soul.
Eqvita is more than a restaurant. Its a concept. A
story, Djokovic said. A love story to be precise.
The restaurant in Monaco will serve hearty salads,
wraps, lasagna, cold pressed juices, and delicious
desserts. A pre-opening party was attended by fellow
tennis players Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, and
Grigor Dimitrov. According to the eaterys Facebook
page: Eqvita was created out of love, gratitude
and deep esteem towards the nature, its effects on
human body and mind, and the way they flawlessly
interconnect to create a healthy, happy person we can
all be.

The traditional meat-laden full English

breakfast is under threat due to an increasingly
health-conscious generation cutting back on
processed food. A poll of over 2,000 people showed
more than a quarter of people aged between 1824
say they no longer include bacon in the breakfast classic. This
move away from bacon comes after a report from the World Health Organisation
last November that linked the consumption of processed meat such as sausages
and bacon to cancer. In January, the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board
announced that while bacon sales have mostly recovered from the 17 per cent dip in
the weeks following the WHO report, they have still suffered a four per cent drop in
sales in the three months since the report was released. Ursula Philpot, dietitian and
senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University said: There is a link between packaged
meats like bacon which are cured and wrapped and bowel cancer which is why we ask
people to avoid and reduce their consumption when possible.

Vegan fashion label launches first

swimwear line

New York based vegan fashion label Vaute Couture has just
launched its first ever line of swimwear and summer apparel. Known
for its animal-product free coats and casual pieces, Vaute Couture
is headed by vegan designer and model Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart,
who launched the brand in 2009. The new collection features one
and two piece swimsuits made from eco-conscious materials all
sustainably cut and sewn in the New York City garment district. We
are growing so we could take on a big summer collection for the
first time. Once we found we could make swimsuits out of recycled
carpet fibres, it was a great match for the Vaute fashion formulawhich is
foundation plus ethics plus fashion, says Leanne. The company is also
promoting positive body image by asking customers to share photos of
themselves wearing the new suits on social media.

U-turn on chicken welfare regulations

after complaints by animal groups

Animal welfare organisations have welcomed the governments U-turn on

scrapping poultry welfare codes. The plans would have seen the poultry
industry put in charge of the guidance on chicken welfare-guidelines that
were scheduled to come into force in April. The guidelines would have been
written and supervised by the British Poultry Council, leading to a selfregulated industry described by some as part of a deregulatory agenda
led by environment minister Liz Truss. While a number of animal welfare
organisations welcomed the news, vegan group Animal Aid claimed there
are still concerns regarding welfare codes in the industry. Director Andrew Tyler said: We are pleased to
hear that sustained campaigning pressure has compelled Defra to reverse its decision and retain the statutory element of the codes, he said.
That means court cases stand a better chance of succeeding. However, our other major concern was the dominant role Defra was awarding the
industry in the writing of these rulebooks on welfare. It is vital that matters of welfare and what constitutes good and bad practice, are not left
to those who systematically exploit farmed animals for profit. Suffering and exploitation are already integral to
animal farming. To deregulate and dilute what slender protection currently exists would have been monstrous.

Pradas got a new partownerand its Peta US

Animal rights charity Peta US has bought a stake in luxury fashion house Pradain an attempt to stop the brand
using ostrich skin in its handbags. The stock purchase follows an eyewitness expos which revealed oneyearold
ostriches are electrocuted and have their throats slit for the bags. As a shareholder, the animal rights charity will
be able to attend Pradas annual meetings, and officially call on the company to end all exoticskins sales. Every
pockmarked Prada purse represents a sensitive young ostrich who was turned upside down, killed and plucked in
a miserable and terrifying abattoir, says Peta Director Mimi Bekhechi. Peta US is taking the fight against cruelty
straight to Pradas boardroomand demanding a permanent end to ostrichskin handbags.

14

Cool Beans
A quick and easy meal idea

Cuban Black
Beans Over
Coconut Rice
Serves 4

1 medium red bell pepper,

chopped large
80g ( cup) chopped onion
4g ( cup) coriander (cilantro)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp chopped jalapeo pepper
(optional)
1 tbsp olive oil (*or saut in
water)
2 (15oz [425g]) cans black
beans, rinsed and drained; or
720g (3 cups) cooked
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
tsp salt
tsp black pepper
Lime wedges, for serving
Coconut rice
185g (1 cup) long-grain
brown rice
1 (14oz [400ml]) can light
coconut milk
340ml (1 cups) vegetable
broth
tsp salt
tsp pepper
1.

2.

3.

4.

To make the coconut rice,

Add all the ingredients to a
saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat
and simmer until all the liquid is
absorbed and the rice is tender,
about 30 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, to prepare the
Cuban beans, add the red bell
pepper, onion, coriander, garlic
and jalapeo to a small food
processor and process until
minced small. (You can chop by
hand if youd prefer.)
Heat the olive oil over medium
heat and add the minced veggie
mixture. Saut for a minute or
two until the mixture softens.
Add the black beans, cumin,
oregano, salt and pepper, then
cook until heated through,
about 10 minutes.
Serve over coconut rice with
lime wedges.

Kcal 212 | Fat 4.2g | Carbohydrate 34.9g

Protein 12.1g | Fibre 12.3g (per serving)

Recipe from Easy Vegan Cookbook, by Kathy

Hester, photos by Ann Oliverio, published by
Page Street Publishing

15

dear

FGV

Top blogger and Vegan Life agony uncle Fat Gay

Vegan offers his words of wisdom, encyclopaedic
plant-based knowledge, and trademark wit. Got a
problem? Write to maria@veganlifemag.com

Dear FGV,
Love your column! I wanted to get in touch because I really admire
and respect the way you are so confident in your veganism. I
come from quite a strict family, and it wasnt until I moved out that I could
make the choice to be vegan. Now whenever I go home, every meal is
a battleground, every time I make a cup of tea my mum rolls her eyes
at my soya milk. I am 25, I have a good job, I am very happy with my
life choices. But when I go home, I feel like a child again, my choices
ridiculed and questioned. Im so sick of sitting around the dinner table
with my older brother and parents while they tuck into meat and make
joke noises of their lamb being killed and that kind of thing. How do
I deal with this? Do I talk to them? Stage an intervention? Or just
accept that they dont care about me enough to respect my choices?
David

Dear David
Firstly, thanks for the compliment. Kind words are deeply appreciated and will ensure a letter always makes it to the top of the Dear
FGV mail sack.

Now, back to your dilemma.

I think your family sound perfectly normal in their treatment of you and by perfectly normal I mean dysfunctional and judgemental. Isnt this
how all families treat each other?
Joking aside, your situation can be answered in a similar fashion to a lot of letters I receive. You need to speak up. Be confident, vocal and
unwavering when you tell your family you dont like how they treat you due to your vegan choices.
In your particular case, this advice comes with an extra condition. Your family sound particularly vicious, so I strongly suggest not taking them
on all at once. They are likely to rip you to shreds and youll have only handed them years worth of ammunition to fuel future teasing and
ridicule.
Think about who you are closest to and take them aside (maybe over a slice of vegan cake
or spirit them away for a day out at a local animal sanctuary). Tell this person that the jokes
are taking their toll on you and youd appreciate a bit of a reprieve. Ask them for their support
when the other members of the clan start to round on you with scorn at the dinner table. Their
support might be something as simple as changing the subject when they see you in trouble.
Once you get a sympathetic soul on side, the tide should start to change for the better. Then
you can commence chipping away at the rest of the marauding pack. Stand by your beliefs,
speak honestly and break them down one by one. Youll soon have them begging for your latest
chilli non-carne recipe and a batch of chia seed and spirulina cookies.

16

Dear FGV,
I am looking to you to be the final word in an ongoing vegan argument. I have
noticed that more and more big companies are buying-out vegan producers.
So some products I really liked, and liked to buy because I wanted to support smaller
independents, are now generating profits for massive multi-nationals. Now my problem
is this: while the product itself is free from animal-derived ingredients, if it is owned by
a company that performs animal testing, can it still be said to be vegan? I dont
want my hard-earned money going to animal abusers. I would never buy say,
toiletries from a company that tests on animals, so should I buy food
products from a company that does the same thing? I cant go off the
grid completely. Help! Emily

Dear Emily,
Do I know you in real life or did someone tell you that I adore
being the final word on everything?

There is an easy answer to this question and that is as a vegan you should
strive to not support companies that do not have the best interest of
animals at heart.
There is another easy answer that reads we should use our collective consumer clout to force
the hand of multinational companies to ensure they reduce the amount of animal testing they
carry out and increase the number of vegan products they make available.
Take your pick from the two options above. Seriously, that is my advice.
Living off the grid without contributing to evil corporations is tough, but many people do
their darn best to make this their reality. Shop local, grow your own food, support veganic
farming and only spend money with businesses that are 100 per cent committed to improving
outcomes for animals.
That is most definitely a strenuous way to get along in a large city or town where most people
live, so I wholeheartedly support and congratulate people who manage to succeed at it.
But what if you want to take the consumer activist route? Ive seen huge change occur with
this approach.
There are countless examples of consumer power being used for persuasion. Many companies
have committed to removing ingredients tested on animals from their skincare ranges,
supermarkets all over the UK are falling over
themselves to bring out their own dairy-free ice
creams and even a pizza restaurant chain has
committed to offering vegan cheese in all of its
140 locations.
These changes are valuable and measurable.
Non-vegans are being confronted with plantbased options on their menus and in their
supermarket aisles. The fear of losing clients
and the promise of gaining new shoppers really
is a powerful force to effect change.
This might not be the final word you were
hoping for, but it really comes down to what
you believe is the right thing to do and what
you feel you can manage to do.
Do your best to reduce harm and be pleased
with the choices you make.
Thats a pretty golden standard.

17

rainbow food
A handy, colourful way to transport your lunch to work or school

Rainbow Salad Jars with Shiitake Bacon

185g ( cup) cooked

quinoa with oriental spice
mix
2 tbsp vegan wild garlic
(ramson/Brlauch) pesto (or
any vegan pesto)
1 handful chopped radicchio
lettuce
yellow bell pepper
1 stalk celery
red bell pepper
1 can chick peas (already
cooked, weight when
drained: 230g)
3 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp coconut oil

1 pinch paprika powder

tsp sea salt
1 handful baby spinach
handful lettuce
100g (1 cups) fresh
shiitake mushrooms
handful alfalfa sprouts
1 small (or big) ripe
avocado
courgette (zucchini),
spiralized
Cherry tomatoes, radishes
and fresh basil to garnish
2 tbsp tahini
1 tangerine (the juice)
2 tbsp water

Recipe and image from Kim-Julie brusselsvegan.com

18

1. Chop or dice all the veggies.

2. For the turmeric chick peas, rinse and drain a jar of chick peas
and cook them in a pan with 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp ground
turmeric and a pinch of paprika and sea salt at the highest heat
for about 3-5 minutes.
3. For the shiitake bacon, slice the shiitake mushrooms and bake
them with coconut oil and sea salt in a baking tray lined with
parchment paper at 180C/350F for 20-30 minutes depending
on how crispy you want them to be.
4. For the TTT dressing: in a cup or small bowl, mix 2 tbsp tahini
with the juice of 1 tangerine, 2 tsp ground turmeric and about 2
tbsp water. You can use a fork or a whisk.
5. To assemble the big jar (layers from the bottom): Quinoa with
oriental spice mix, vegan wild garlic (ramson/Brlauch) pesto,
radicchio lettuce, yellow bell pepper, celery, red bell pepper,
turmeric spiced chick peas, baby spinach.
6. To assemble the small jar (layers from the bottom): More
turmeric spiced chick peas, lettuce, shiitake bacon, alfalfa
sprouts, avocado, spiralized courgette, cherry tomatoes, sliced
radishes
7. Serve both with the TTT dressing on the side.

Competition
500 worth of PHB Ethical
Beauty vouchers to be won
PHB Ethical Beauty is giving 10 lucky winners the chance to receive a
50 Gift Voucher to spend on their range of organic and handmade
vegan beauty products.
PHB Ethical Beauty is apioneering, British family businesswith a
revolutionary range of ethical beautyproducts.Home to the worlds
largest range of natural, vegan and alcohol free (Halal certified) beauty
products, PHBs products arehandmade in the UK. The company is
strongly against animal testing and palm oil.
As up to 60 per cent of what goes onto skin goes into skin PHB only
uses 100 per cent naturally derived ingredients. The cosmetics are free
from alcohol, parabens, sls, palm oil, animal ingredients, and harmful
chemicals.
The multi-award winning range includesskin care, hair care, body
care, mineral cosmetics, male skin care and natural remedies for acne,
eczema, pigmentation and psoriasis.
PHB donates 20 per cent of net profits to charity to help improve the
lives of people and animals in the UK and around the world. This year
we have launched our own charity called The OneLove Foundation
and supported charities such as Vision for Zambia, The Trailblazer
Foundation and Sense UK.
To discover more about this pioneering business, the products and
charity visit phbethicalbeauty.co.uk.

For your chance to win please go to

veganlifemag.com/phb
19

vegan planet
Vegan news from around the world

USA: Bobcat hunting proposal withdrawn in

New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has withdrawn a proposed administrative
rule that would have allowed bobcat hunting and trapping in the state for the first time
since 1989. The announcement responds to many concerns raised by state residents and
conservation and animal protection organisations, including the Animal Welfare Institute
(AWI) and the Center for Biological Diversity. The list of concerns included the potential for
mistaken and illegal shooting, or ensnaring, of the federally protected Canada lynx. This animal is suffering inherent
to trapping, a lack of credible science to justify the proposal, and the potential to set back recovery of the states
bobcat population. We are thrilled with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Departments decision to withdraw
its proposal for a bobcat hunting and trapping season, given legal concerns, opposition by many New Hampshire
citizens, and the objection from the legislative rules committee, said Tara Zuardo, wildlife attorney with AWI. This
decision will prevent much animal suffering, allow the states bobcat population to continue to recover, and help
prevent harm to federally protected Canada lynx.

Ireland: Disapproving public force animal circus to leave

country early
A controversial animal circus has been forced to leave Ireland following public outcry. The Belly Wien circus
cut its nine month tour short, heading off to France after just two months. Jan Creamer, president of Animal
Defenders International said: Circuses with animals have had their day and the public has voted with their
feet against the suffering. The message that forcing animals to perform is not entertaining has been sent
loud and clear and we urge the government to listen to the wishes of the Irish people and ban wild animal
acts. Animal rights group ARANs John Carmody added: Irish people have spoken. With protests, political opposition and the public
saying no to elephants and other bewildered animals in this circus, it was only a matter of time before the big top turned into the
big stop. We say good riddance to Circus Belly Wiens animal-acts, and hope that Irish circuses now proceed to removing all animals
from their shows so that Ireland can finally have a circus industry that is truly with the times.

20

India: Bollywood star says:

Sterilise to save lives
Actor Priyamani has teamed up with Peta India to promote
the importance of animal birth control. The campaign
was shot by leading photographer Sam Mohan, and Tejal
Rao styled the silver screen stars hair and makeup. She
said: Countless dogs and cats suffer on the streets or are
waiting in animal shelters for lack of enough good homes.
We can help ensure as many of them [as possible] get good homes by sterilising
our companion dogs and cats instead of contributing to the overpopulation
crisis. Sterilised animals live longer and are less likely to contract lifethreatening
diseases. Sterilising eliminates the stress and discomfort that females endure during
heat cycles, makes males far less likely to roam or fight and reduces the risk of
developing reproductive cancer. Sterilisation is a routine, inexpensive surgery that
makes a big impact, as sterilising one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six
years, and sterilising one female cat can prevent 370,000 births in seven years.

Australia: Vegan eatery makes a

splash with junk
Nearly half a million Australians identify as veganand a
further two million as veggie according to research released
earlier this year. And plantbased restaurants are reaping the
benefit with some dishes gaining iconic status. Anthony Foster,
owner of the Cornish Arms Hotel in Brunswick, said: We had
people ringing up from interstate asking about our Big Mock burger. People drove
down from Albury [320 kilometres away]. Twenty came in on a bus from Dandenong. It
was total madness. The burger features two nonbeef patties, vegan cheese, pickled
onions and special sauce sandwiched in a sesame bun. It became famous when a new
chef at the restaurant suggested a weekly vegan night. Anthony describes himself as
unenthusiastic. But the resulting success means the vegan food described as junk
foodis always on offer. Anthony says: We find the junkier the better. We tried to go the
healthy route with things like lentil curry but it doesnt get half the reaction. I guess the
thing is that vegans can get their healthy fix anywhere.

21

In The Nood Roll your own Energy Ball

This is a really great take on the

raw bar. You get a pack full of
delicious (and no-added sugar)
raw mix which comes in three
flavours-orange and cacao,
simply cacao, and crunchy
cacao. Rather than readymade portions, you can
roll your own energy balls.
inthenood.com

Purition Raw Vegan Shakes

The philosophy behind this brand is that real foods

are essential when youre aiming for good health. These
shakes (which come in three flavours-raw hemp, raw
vanilla hemp, and raw chocolate hemp) are made from
ingredients like nuts and seeds. purition.co.uk

Propercorn Smooth
Peanut and Almond

Posh popcorn has been a gourmet

treat for a while now, but this new
flavour has really lifted
the bar. With around
120 calories per bag,
its a really convenient
(and tasty) way to fill
up between meals.
propercorn.com

Urtekram Rose Body

Lotion

Folkingtons
Garden
Gently
Sparkling
Elderflower
Presse

With a gentle
sparkle and light
fragrant taste this drink is a really lovely
alternative to juice or pop. They are slightly
lower in sugar-and dont contain any artificial
sweeteners-so come in at under 100
calories per can. folkingtons.com

This beautiful organic body lotion,

which moisturises very well, is
thick and rich with a delicate
rose scent. Its packaged in a
practical pump-dispenser bottle
which makes it super easy to
apply. urtekram.com

vegan finds
Publisher Julie takes to the shops to bring you her favourite vegan
finds. Send information about new products to
vegannews@primeimpact.co.uk
Wyldssons Bake at Home Bar Mix
This mix can be made with chia or flax (in place of
egg) and baked to create your own bars at home.
Theres nothing quite as satisfying as preparing
your own snacks at home, but the mix makes this
feel easy as well as virtuous. wyldsson.com

Queen Tea Really Relaxing

Bath Tea Bags

I enjoyed using these inventive pouches contain a

blend of relaxing ingredients including lavender and chamomile
flower. Simply leave to infuse in a hot bath for a fragrant and
relaxing soak. queenteacosmetics.com

ZAO Matt Lipstick

This gorgeous lipstick pulls off

the impressive achievement
of being long-lasting and
moisturising at the
same time. The lipstick comes
in a beautiful bamboo case,
which you can buy refills forgenius. zaomakeup.co.uk

Bellevue Earl Grey Tea

I really liked everything about this

product-from its pretty purple box, to its
gentle earl grey flavour with soft notes of
bergamot. Some drink it black or with a
slice of lemon, but I like it with a splash of
unsweetened soya milk. bellevue-tea.co.uk

22

Bute Island Feta-Style Cheese

This sharp, crumbly, cruelty-free cheese is a wonderful

alternative to its dairy-based counterpart. Makes a perfect
meal for warmer days cubed in Greek salad with tangy
olives, sweet tomatoes and fresh cucumbers.
buteisland.com

Myth 6:

VEGANS ARE
DESTROYING THE
RAINFOREST BY
EATING TOO MUCH
SOYA
We take some of the biggest lies and misconceptions around veganism and tackle them head on

oya is often associated with a variety of dairy-free and meatfree vegan products. Its believed a football pitch-size area
of rainforest is razed down every second to grow this crop.
Changing a rich and vibrant rainforest into a monoculture farming plot
affects wildlife and biodiversity. It also adversely affects people, the
global climate, water reserves and soil quality. The global soya habit
is a destructive one and the blame is often laid at the feet of soy-latte
quaffing vegans.

According to documentary Cowspiracy:

The Sustainability Secret, up to 70 per
cent of the soya grown globally feeds
animals destined for the food chain.
But is it fair to point the finger at those following a plant-based diet?
Animal charity the WWF says: In South America [the most affected
area] almost four million hectares of forests are destroyed every year,
2.6 million of them in Brazil alone. Although this is lower than in the
1990s, it is still far too high and can largely be blamed on heavily soyadependent livestock farming.
Livestock farming you say? Turns out the vast majority of soya grown
is used in animal agriculture. In fact, according to documentary

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, up to 70 per cent of the soya

grown globally feeds animals destined for the food chain.

Meat eaters frequently indirectly digest

more soy than vegans.
The WWF adds: Soybean meal is the largest source of protein feed in
the world, and is generally used in animal feed.
Therefore, most of the worlds soybeans are consumed indirectly by
humans through products like meat (chicken, pork and beef), dairy,
eggs and farmed fish. People also directly consume soybeans in tofu,
soy sauce, meat substitutes and other soy products.
The upshot of this is meat eaters frequently indirectly digest more
soy than vegans. And its not just used for food-the use of soya for
biodiesel production is growing rapidly, as is its use in other non-food
related items including paint, ink, wax, and foam-products used by
people following all diets, not just a plant-based one.
Despite the many uses of soya, there is one single thing that people
can easily and practicably do to save the rainforests. According to
the WWF: Limiting consumption of animal-based food products,
particularly meat, is one thing people can do to help end this
devastating trend.

23

on the cover
Eat the rainbow

Recipe and image from Timothy Pakron @mississippivegan

mississippivegan.com

24

Wild Rainbow Bowl

This recipe should be a fun creative expression. A work of art if you will. Its all about
collecting and gathering the most beautiful plants that you can find, whether it be at the
local farmers market, grocery store, or hand foraging yourself.
180g (1 cup) purple or black rice
180g (1 cup) white jasmine rice
tsp turmeric
tsp smoked paprika
3-4 large shiitake mushroom caps
2 bunches enoki mushrooms
2tbsp tamari
Liquid smoke to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Handful of garlic cloves
65g ( cup) wild garlic mustard stems (broccoli rabe or kale will also work)
75g ( cup) edamame
Portion of home-made or store-bought hummus
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice
Raw vegetables
1-2 mini cucumber
Handful of baby carrots
Handful of endive leaves
Handful of red radishes
red pepper
Wild edibles
Handful of dandelion greens
Handful of chickweed
Handful of red bud flowers
Handful of wild violets
Handful of crabapple flowers (you can use store bought edible flowers, baby
asparagus tips, and young tender greens like baby arugula and baby kale)
1.

Start by making your two different rice varieties for the base of the bowl. Purple or
black rice and white jasmine rice, cooking them separately. Add the turmeric and
smoked paprika to the jasmine rice before cooking to make the rice bright yellow.
2. Next, roast the shiitake mushroom caps and two bunches of enoki mushrooms tossed
in a few tablespoons of tamari, a few dashes of liquid smoke, and some olive oil
coating them well. Bake for 15-20 minutes (until crispy on the edges) at 175C (350F).
While roasting the mushrooms, roast a handful of whole garlic cloves tossed in olive
oil in a small baking dish at the same temperature until golden brown.
3. Once cooled, slice the shiitakes on a bias and separate the enokis into bite sized
pieces. Set aside. Then slice the garlic cloves in half and set aside.
4. Next saut the wild garlic mustard stems until bright green and slightly browned (or
the broccoli rabe/kale)
5. Bring a small pot of water to boil, and blanch the edamame until just cooked and
shock them in an ice water bath to seal in the colour. Drain and set aside.
6. Raw vegetable prep: slice the mini cucumbers, a handful of rainbow baby carrots, wash
and dry a few endive leaves, cut red radishes into small matchsticks, and slice half of a
red pepper into thin strips.
7. Gather and wash your wild edibles: for this bowl, I gathered dandelion greens,
chickweed, red bud flowers, wild violets, and crabapple flowers. If you cannot access
these ingredients, you can use store bought equivalents listed above.
8. Prepare your favourite hummus recipe, or purchase your favourite brand.
9. Now for the fun part: Assembling. There is no right or wrong way. The whole point is
not to follow directions, but to do what you feel, playing with the colours and textures
and making it look beautiful to you.
10. Have all of your ingredients laid out like a colourful palette of paints. For the base,
add mounds of each variety of rice into a large bowl. Then add a heaping dollop of
hummus to a spot on the side.
11. Now for arranging all of the beautiful components. Start by creating a separate pile
of each sliced mushroom variety, reserving some. Next begin to stud in all of the
vegetables. Next, stud piles of blanched edamame beans in clusters and stud a few
endive leaves here and there. Continue to fill the bowl with all of the components.
Lastly, sprinkle with wild red buds, wild violets, wild crab apple flowers, wild flowering
chickweed, and wild dandelion greens (or the previously discussed substitutions).
12. To finish this dish, add a sprinkling of Celtic sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of
lemon juice. Enjoy!

25

e
v
si

u
l
c
Ex Vegan boom in
great britain
The poll results are in-and they are fascinating

e finally have the answer to the question weve seen so

many people ask: How many vegans are there in Great
Britain?

The last survey was done over 10 years ago, putting the number at
around 150,000, and with a recent surge in vegan interest, it felt like
the right time to find out again.
The Vegan Society in association with Vegan Life magazine
commissioned Ipsos Mori to undertake extensive pollingand the
results are now in. While some aspects of the data have been released
to the media, including the number of dietary vegans540,000we
have some exclusive information here for Vegan Life readers.
Peter Smith, head of communications for The Vegan Society, says:
Over half a million vegans in Britain is just fantastic. We now have

26

the facts to support what we suspected, that more people than ever
before are becoming aware of the health and environmental benefits
of veganism, and discovering for themselves what really goes on inthe
meat and dairy industries and deciding they do not want to contribute
to the pain and suffering of animals.
The figures will help us enormously when campaigning for change at
a policy level, and will now allow us to more accurately measure the
impact of our activism. They may also entice new businesses into the
vegan market bringing more vegan options on to the high street.
With an increase in the number of vegans of over 350 per cent in the
past decade, much of it over the last couple of years, veganism has
become one of the fastest growing lifestyle movements. The future is
truly bright if the rate of growth continues on this trajectory, and we
fully expect it to!

So what about the numbers?

According to the results of the poll (see pink box):

542

thousand
follow a vegan
diet. This means
they do not
consume any
animal products
at all.

360,000

Over half a million

vegetarians are looking
to become vegan

So who is a typical vegan?

According to the poll there are certain factors that make you more
likely to be vegan.

63%

63 per cent of vegans are female

making 37 per cent male.

37

Over 1.5 million people

follow a vegetarian diet.

360,000-or 0.69 per cent of the population-are

lifestyle vegans.

Of all vegans, 42 per cent

are in the 15-34 age group
compared to only 14 per
cent who are over 65.

This means current potential vegans number

over one million people made up of the
542,000 vegans and half a million veggies
wanting to become vegan.

88

Laura is one of the founders of Teen VGN, an organisation that

supports teen vegans with advice, a summer camp, and information.
She says: Weve noticed an increase in is the interest in our camp. Of
course our first year we only opened our camp up to 32 young people
because we werent sure how well it would be taken (or even how many
young vegetarians and vegans there were in the UK). But with that
selling out so fast and havingover a hundred people on our waiting
list ready for this year, it was only then we realised how many young
people there are just in the UK, so interested in a vegan lifestyle.

Theres something really exciting happeningfor whatever reason, be

it compassion, health, or the environment, its great to see concrete
evidence that the ranks of vegans are swelling as this wonderful
lifestyle becomes more accessible and widespread.
How does polling work?
A poll is designed to measure the views-for example, relating to
politics, or lifestyle, of a group of people. In the case of our poll,
that was residents of England, Scotland, and Wales, aged over 15.
This polling was carried out by Ipsos Mori who questioned almost
10,000 people-aged 15 and over- about their eating habits, and
lifestyle habits.

42%

88 per cent of all vegans live

in urban areas: 12 per cent
live in rural areas.

As the poll did not take into account those aged 15 and under, we
believe the true number is higher, as many plantbased parents also
have vegan children. In addition the number of younger vegans has
been anecdotally on the rise in recent years.

Keith Coomber and Julie Saunders founded Vegan Life magazine

in 2014. Both vegans, they felt the publication they wanted to read
themselves, was missing from shelves. Keith says: Im not surprised
to see a hike in the number. Weve seen more and more people start
to read our magazine and tell us their stories of how they feel less
isolated as the sector grows. Weve seen so many new plantbased
companies spring up weve started a Vegan Trade Journal for the
business readers.

14%

People with children are

less likely to be vegan
than those who are not
parents.

44%

39 per cent of vegans are

single compared with 27
per cent of the general
population.

44 per cent of vegans are

married or living as married
compared with 58 per cent
of the general population.

Almost twice as many vegans in the study had

a degree/Masters degree or a Phd than those
with GCSE qualifications alone.
78 per cent of people who are vegan are the
main shoppers in the household compared with
22 per cent of vegans who are not the main
shopper.
Of the vegans we asked 77 per cent live in a house
without children compared to the national average
of 69 per cent.

AGE

1524: 20%
2534: 22%

3544: 13%
4554: 19%

5564: 12%
65+: 14%

When polling, you dont have to ask every person in the country
their opinion: rather you choose a sample that is representative of
the whole group you are finding out information. This means the
group you question-known as the sample-must be representative
of thegender, age, socio-economic background and other factors,
of the population as a whole.

27

Cress to impress
A delicious way to kick-start your day

Watercress, Orange and

Kiwi juice Serves 1
Kcal 114 | Fat 1.1g | Carbohydrate 23.6g Protein 3.7g | Fibre 3.2g (per serving)

50g (2oz) watercress

2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
A few mint leaves, torn
Juice of 1 orange or 125ml (4fl oz) fresh orange juice
Juice of 1 lime

1. Place everything in a blender and whizz together. Or

if you have a juicer, process the watercress, kiwi and
mint together, then stir in the orange juice and lime.
Pour into glasses and chill until ready to serve.

Recipe and image from watercress.co.uk

28

TOP TIP
Our new Vegan Life mason jars are perfect for
serving and transporting this delicious juice. You can
view our range of accessories on our online shop:
veganlifemag.com/shop

29

FIGHTING FOR PRIMATES

Why are so many of these animals still forced to endure experiments?

30

orced to live their short lives like prisoners: deprived, miserable,

and in pain, thousands of monkeysmainly macaques and
marmosetsare used in research and testing every year. These
sentient creatures have no interaction with one another. They are
routinely tested on then dumped back into their steel cage without any
painkillers. Often they will even be starved of food and water.
According to animal rights charity Peta: Research shows 90 per
cent of primates in laboratories exhibit abnormal behaviours caused
by the physical abuse, psychological stress, social isolation, and
barren confinement they are forced to endure. Many go insane,
rocking back and forth, pacing endlessly in the cages, and engaging
in repetitive motions such as backflipping. They even engage in acts
of selfmutilation, including tearing out their own hair or biting their
own flesh. Peta claims tens of thousands of primates are used in
experiments, or held in labs globally, every year.
Primates are highly intelligent animals who form complex social
relationships, and experience emotions in a similar way to humans
and they can suffer in similar ways to us. In a research paper entitled
The Case for Phasing Out Experiments on Primates, writers Kathleen
M. Conlee and Andrew N. Rowan say: Primates are well known for
their cognitive and emotional abilities. Studies demonstrate that they
have mathematical, memory, and problemsolving skills and that
they experience emotions similar to those of humansfor example,
depression, anxiety, and joy.
Animal Justice Project [AJP] is an international nonprofit organisation
working in the UK and the States. It campaigns against the use of
animals in laboratories, as well as advocating veganism and animal
rights. The group uses education, outreach and research, to publicise
the reality of vivisection and expose the injustices that take place in
society to animals as a whole.
The organisation recently launched its #StopMonkeyImports
campaign which plans to halt the import and use of 120 macaque
monkeys for malaria experiments at Karolinska Instituteta leading
university in Stockholmalso the last university in Scandinavia still
using primates for research.
AJP international director Claire Palmer says: We launched the
campaign with Djurrttsalliansen, an animal campaign group, with a
petition directed at the university asking them to call off the import
and study. A petition that today has almost half a million signatures.
On November 13 last year, we received the sad news that 24 captive
bred rhesus macaques had arrived at the Astrid Fagrus Laboratory
for Karolinska Institutet researchers to begin experimentation. All
monkeys were under four years old. By December 8, following renewed
efforts by our two organisations, the university made an official
statement, claiming now only the 24 monkeys would be used, and for
lesser procedures. This is, of course, a minor victory, but not good
enough.
Since then the campaign has gone from strength to strength, peaking
in March when the project gained support from 33 celebrities including
Joanna Lumley, Peter Egan and worldrenowned primatologist Jane
Goodall. During World Week for Animal in Laboratories, we handed
in an open letter to the Swedish Embassy and Djurrttsalliansen
organised a demonstration which was attended by hundreds of
compassionate people right outside the laboratory in Stockholm.
The aims of the campaign are simpleto stop these cruel monkey
experiments, and release the 24 macaques to a sanctuary. Since birth

Image: Sarah J Hardt

these animals were never allowed freedom, but they would at least no
longer be at the mercy of researchers, explains Claire.
People are often a lot more responsive to the use of primates in
testing than any other animal. According to Claire, the reason for this
is fairly simplewe feel more empathy with animals who we can relate
to, understand, and are like us. She believes this speciesism, which is
so very widespread in our society, can be used to our advantage. We
can evoke empathy for individual of certain species, to open hearts to
others.
Since 2011, invasive experiments on chimpanzees have essentially
been abandoned by the scientific research community. Claire says:
The significant decision was based on the conclusions of a report
adopted by the US National Institutes of Health that stated most
current use of chimpanzees for biomedical research is unnecessary.
If the chimpanzee is such a poor model for the study of human
disease, what does that say about other animals (including monkeys)
with whom we share even less DNA? Certainly in the field of vaccine
development alone, the use of nonhuman primates has been a
spectacular failure.
Whilst humans and monkeys share many genes, it is the way in which
those genes are regulated that accounts for much of the difference
between human and monkey anatomy and physiology. Although
monkeys and human both have a gene for a tail, the gene is switched
on in the monkey but switched off in humans, says Claire. On the
basis of current science, the obvious and most reliable source for the
study of human disease would be by studying human populations and
the human immune system. Claire adds: The likely harm to monkeys
far outweighs the hypothetical benefits.
There is an assumption that if scientists ascertain that if they discover
how a monkey reacts to a certain vaccine or condition this is of course
how a human will react. Again, this is demonstrably false. Out of 100
AIDS vaccines that protected laboratory animals against HIV/AIDS not
one was effective in protecting humans against the disease, Claire
says. This clearly highlights that scientists assumptions on correlation
between monkeys and humans is highly inaccurate.
Primates and other animals have a voice, but for those caged in
laboratories their voices go unheard. With only DVDS and cheap plastic
toys for visual stimulation, these magnificent creatures are living a life
of misery. Claire adds: Sentient animals have an intrinsic right to life
free from suffering, and those incarcerated in laboratories certainly
receive no benefits from this travesty.

Animal Justice Project is always looking for volunteers, so if you want

to get involved in the campaign go to
animaljusticeproject.com/volunteer

31

32

eat and drink-Vegan style

Usha
Glasgow

lasgow is not only a historic and artistic city, but also a fantastic place for vegan and
vegetarian dining. With its dedicated vegetarian menu, Ushas serves up delicious
Indian street food in contemporary, glam surroundings. All tried-and-tested recipes are
designed and inspired by the owners mother-in-law Usha Bhalla, in consultation with top chef
Sameer Sehgal.
The food is authentic Indian of the highest quality and all dishes are quite obviously freshly
prepared. Dishes come in sharing plates or tapas size in order to promote the traditional concept
of sharing food and the level of spiciness can be adjusted to suit every individual taste.

This was quite possibly the best dosa I have ever

had (and Ive tasted a few). The crispy dosa was
complimented perfectly by the fluffy potatoes, spinach
and aromatic spices.
The menu was easy to navigate, meat options in red on one side, veggie options in green on the
other. There were helpful symbols that clearly denoted if options were vegan or gluten-free. Clear
descriptions appeared under every dish, so there was no confusion over what you were ordering.
The restaurant is tastefully decorated with mood lighting, soft furnishings and cosy corners
perfect for sharing. The staff were attentive and seated us quicklytaking the time to explain how
the menu works and highlighting which dishes were vegan friendly.
A clear favourite amongst the group was the dosa: a thin crispy pancake made of rice and lentil
flour. There was a choice of three fillings for the dosa; methi aloo which consists of spinach and
potatoes, chole which blends cooked chickpeas, green chillies and coriander and finally roast
Indian veg which included paneer (an Indian cheese). You could of course request this option
without the dairy. This was quite possibly the best dosa I have ever had (and Ive tasted a few).
The crispy dosa was complimented perfectly by the fluffy potatoes, spinach and aromatic spices.
The food is served in tapas size, meaning we were able to try out a wider variety of dishes. The
samosa chaat was particularly memorable. Described by staff as a street food favourite, it
combined fragrant samosa, sweet chickpeas, crunchy salad and a yoghurt sauce. It was mild in
taste but full of flavour. For something a little different, the lightly spiced aubergine pakora which
was served with a sweet, tangy dipping sauce was delicious and devoured by the group in no time
at all.
With a dessert menu comprising of very few vegan optionsmainly only smoothieswe decided
to forego pudding. Having said that, the smoothies were full of fruit and sounded pleasant and
refreshing, with flavours such as strawberry delight and raspberry ripple. The level of variety at
Ushas certainly warrants a second visit. Overall, the service was faultless and vegans were well
catered for with an abundance of tasty and flavourful dishes.

ushas.co.uk

33

Bo wow!
These Chinese buns taste as good as they look

Recipe from Lydia Downey, Demuths Cookery

School, Bath. demuths.co.uk.
Photography by Rob Wicks Eat Pictures

34

Vegetable Bozi Steamed

Chinese Buns Makes 20 small buns
Dough
450g (3 cups) strong white flour
1 tbsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
275ml (9.6 fl oz) lukewarm water
Filling
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 spring onions, chopped finely
5cm piece of ginger, minced finely
2-3 cloves garlic, minced finely
200g (2 cups) chopped mixed vegetables-for example: Chinese leaf or
green cabbage shredded finely, grated carrot, mushrooms, fresh or
rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, black fungus, cashews
30g (1oz) dried tofu skin, rehydrated, shredded and chopped finely
tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soya sauce)
2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing or rice wine
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Shoyu Dipping Sauce
1 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp Kecap Manis
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (made from glutinous sticky rice and has an
amber colour and nutty flavour)
tsp hot chilli sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Water to mix
To make the dough, whisk the sugar and dried yeast into the water and
leave to stand until frothy.
2. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook
attachment, and add the yeast liquid, stirring till combined.
3. Knead by hand for roughly 10 minutes, or mix in the machine till the
dough feels smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled
bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to rest for an hour till doubled in size.
4. To prepare the filling, finely chop the spring onions, garlic and ginger
either by hand or in a mini electric chopper or hand blender.
5. Prepare all the vegetables.
6. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, and stir-fry the spring onions, garlic
and ginger for about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and sesame seeds,
and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rehydrated tofu skin, shoyu, Kecap
Manis, rice wine and sesame oil. Taste and check the seasoning, adding
more shoyu if required. It is important to season the mixture really well,
as Baozi fillings tend to be strongly flavoured. Leave the filling mixture to
cool.
7. To assemble the buns, lightly flour your worktop and knead the dough
again. It should feel soft, smooth and elastic. Roll into a long sausage
shape, and cut into 20 pieces roughly the size of a golf ball. Take a
piece of dough, and flatten slightly in the palm of your hand into a small
pancake.
8. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling into the centre, and gather the edges of
the dough to the centre, pleating and pinching them together at the top
with a little twist. This creates a classic characteristic pattern and shape
of the bun.
9. Cut out 20 small squares of baking parchment, the size of the dumplings
10. Heat a saucepan of water, for the steamer to fit on to.
11. Place the Baozi in the steamer, each sitting on a square of baking
parchment allowing space in between each for expansion. Steam on high
heat for 10 minutes. Serve hot with a shoyu dipping sauce or a sweet chilli
sauce would all go well with the Baozi.
12. To make the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients together and add
enough water to make the consistency of a dipping sauce.
1.

35

YEAR OF THE PULSE

A look at these nutritional powerhouses

he humble pulse has really hit the spotlight in 2016 as the

United Nations [UN] has designated it International Year of the
Pulse. Throughout this year the UN will work to spread a number
of key messages on a global scale. Namely that pulses are highly
nutritious and have important health benefits, they are economically
accessible and contribute to food security at all levels, foster
sustainable agriculture and contribute to climate change mitigation
and adaptation and promote biodiversity. Pulses are dry seeds of
leguminous plants, such as beans, peas and lentils.
Why are pulses so important?
They are packed with nutrients and are a fantastic source of protein,
which makes up around 20-25 per cent by weight, double the protein
content of wheat and triple that of rice. When eaten together with
cereals the protein quality in the diet is significantly improved and a
complete protein is formed.
Pulses have a low fat content and contain zero cholesterol. The
glycaemic index (an indicator of the effect on blood sugar) is also low
in pulses, and they are a significant source of dietary fibre. Since they
do not contain gluten, they are an ideal food for celiacs. Additionally,
pulses are rich in minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus,
zinc) and B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, and folate) all of
which play a vital role in health.
They are also high in fibre, and other essential nutrients. Their high
iron and zinc content is especially beneficial for women and children
at risk of anemia. Pulses also contain bioactive compounds that show
some evidence of helping to combat cancer, diabetes and heart
disease. Some research indicates that eating pulses regularly can help
control and combat obesity as well.
Legumes in the uk
Nick Saltmarsh is one of the founders of Hodmedod-a business which

36

sources and supplies beans and other products from British farms. The
company is working with growers on trials of a wider range of pulses,
including lentils and a wider variety of beans, to assess the viability of
production in the UK. He offers his guide to local legumes.
Fava Beans
Delicious, nutritious and good for the soil, fava
beans are a variety of broad bean, vicia faba, left
to ripen and dry before harvest. Theyre also known
as field beans, horse beans, Windsor beans or ful.
Britains original bean, fava beans have been grown
and eaten here since the Iron Age. Theyre still
widely grown though mainly for export rather than consumption in the
UK.
Whole Fava Beans are perfect for spicy Egyptian ful medames, truly
British baked beans, stews, curries, salads and more.
Split Fava Beans are tasty, versatile and easy to cookthey dont
even need soaking. Use them to make dal, falafel or hummusor add
a handful or more to soups, stews or curries. The beans get softer and
softer the longer theyre cooked.
Red Haricot Beans
Red Haricot Beans have a superb taste, delicate
texture and rich garnet red colour. Theyre
especially good in chillis, bean casseroles and salads. Hodmedod
works with one of the only growers of these beans in the UK, Tim
Gawthroup.
Gog Magog Beans
Following a successful trial in 2014 Hodmedod is
working with selected growers to produce large
white Gog Magog Beans and hope to have a new

crop available from late 2016. Deliciously tender and buttery they make a great alternative to
butterbeans or Greek Gigantes beans.
Carlin Peas
Grown in the Britain for at least 500 years, marbled brown black badger
Carlin Peas have a superb nutty flavour and firm texture. They make a
perfect British-grown substitute for chickpeas. Theyre great in soups,
stews, curries and salad, pairing well with roast vegetables.
In Lancashire theyre traditionally served parched-boiled and roast or soaked in vinegar-on
Bonfire Night. Theyre celebrated in parts of Yorkshire on Carlin Sunday, the fifth Sunday in Lent,
and known as Grey Peas in the Black Country. Hodmedod also sells a redder variety, red foxes.
Yellow Peas
Split Yellow Peas are one of the most used pulses in British cooking, with a
satisfying flavour and smooth texture, they add body and depth to soups,
stews, dhals and dips. Whole Yellow Peas are the same peas used for Split
Yellow Peas but with the skin left on. Rarely found, they have an excellent
flavour and firm texture, especially good in curries.
Blue/Green Peas
Split Green Peas provide a rich colour and flavour to warming and hearty
soups or dips. Whole Blue Peas are the same peas used for Split Green
Peas but with the skin left on. Theyre a firm but tasty pea with plenty of
bite and superb in spicy dishes.
Marrowfat Peas
Marrowfat Peas are best known as the traditional variety for classic mushy
peas but theyre also fantastic in soups, dips and casseroles.

Beluga Lentil
and Kale
Hot Salad
with Sriracha
Soy Yogurt
Dressing
Serves 4

1.
2.
3.
4.

1x 250g (8 oz) packet of beluga lentils

(you can try Merchant Gourmet)
2 large handfuls of kale
2 spring onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced

For the dressing

1 tsp sriracha hot sauce (or to taste)
3 tbsp plain soya yogurt

Heat the lentils according to packet instructions.

Steam the kale for 1-2 minutes until tender and drain.
Divide the lentils and kale between 4 dishes and top with the spring onions and tomatoes.
For the dressing, mix the sriracha and yogurt together, then drizzle over the salad. Serve
immediately.

37

eat like an egyptian

A surprisingly easy traditional meal

Egyptian Falafels or Taamia

Makes about 16

Falafel
500g (2 cups) split fava beans, soaked overnight (or speedsoaked in boiling water)
1 red onion
Big bunch fresh coriander
1 red chilli pepper
Zest of 2 lemons
10 mint leaves
3 pinches coarse salt
3 pinches fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin
tsp cinnamon
Vegetable oil for deep frying

1.

Yoghurt sauce
8 mint leaves
350g (1 cups) vegan yoghurt
Juice of lemon
Coarse salt
Fresh ground black pepper

5.

2.

3.
4.

6.
7.

For this recipe you need to soak the beans, but dont boil them
as all the cooking happens in the oil. The beans can be soaked
overnight or speed-soaked by placing them in water thats been
brought to the boil, then taking it off the heat and leaving to stand
for 1 hour.
Coarsely chop the herbs, chilli and onion. Mix with the beans,
spices and lemon zest, and pulse in a food processor until fairly
smooththough not to a paste.
Roll ping pong ball size patties from the mixture and refrigerate for
30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the yoghurt sauce. Finely chop the mint and
stir with the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
Heat enough vegetable oil to cover a single layer of patties in a
deep pan. When the oil is very hot, carefully place the patties in
the oil and deep fry until dark golden brownthis will take a few
minutes.
Drain briefly on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Serve the falafel with the yoghurt sauce, a lightly dressed salad
and some pitta bread.

Per 100g:

38

186

1.9g

0.9g

5.4g

0.3g

12g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Recipe and image from hodmedods.co.uk

Hotel Chocolat
Orange Tangs

Sainsburys Rose and Lemon

Turkish Delight

Hotel Chocolat provides vegans with an

abundance of choice when it comes to
dairy-free treats. Enrobed in rich dark
chocolate these zesty tangs are no
exception. Paired perfectly with a cup of
tea it will be hard to refrain from eating the
entire box in one sitting.

This Turkish treat is a nostalgic much-loved

indulgence amongst many. The delicate
flavours of tingly lemon and rose are
perfectly distributed throughout each bitesize piece. Smothered with powdery sugar,
this SFV Turkish Delight is certainly true to its
namedelightful. To keep it fresh, try coating
each uneaten chunk in dark chocolate.

Guinness Rich Beef Chilli

Thick Cut Potato Snacks

With a strong meaty taste, its surprising

these crisps are SFV. Not for the faint
hearted, these thick cut, hand cooked
crisps pack some serious punch. Deep
layers of authentic flavour will have you
coming back crunch after crunch. No
matter the occasion, these flavoursome
crisps will be your perfect snacking partner.

the accidental vegan

A selection of products that are vegan by chance rather than design

This page is all about top treat and snack food finds that just happen to be suitable for vegans. These products arent advertised
or clearly marked as vegan, but we scan and check the ingredients, and share our discoveries with you. If any of these products
say they may contain milk or other animal-derived substances, this is due to the item being made in the same factory as
other food produce. All ingredients listings are subject to change.

Levi Roots Caribbean

Curry Sauce

With scotch bonnet chillies listed as an

ingredient, this fragrant Levi Roots creation
will be a winner for anyone who enjoys their
curry with a powerful kick. Simply add any
vegetables, beans or pulses of your choice
to the sauce for a flavourful, authentic
taste experience.

Have you found a brilliant accidentally

vegan product? We want to know!
Share it with us on
Facebook
(facebook.com/veganlifemagazine)

Tesco Broad Bean,

Asparagus and Mint
Houmous

While traditional chickpea houmous is a

mainstay of a plant-based diet, some of
the flavoured prepared dips often come
with unwanted ingredients like milk. This
fresh and delicious option is luckily SFV.
The flavour combination is summery and
light. Dunk crunchy crudites in it or slather
on wedges of warm, toasted pitta bread.

Instagram
(@veganlife_mag)
Twitter
(@veganlife_mag)
or you can send us an email or a letter:
editor@veganlifemag.com
The Accidental Vegan, Park House,
The Business Centre, Earls Colne
Business Park, Earls Colne, Colchester,
Essex CO6 2NS

39

Lush slush
This refreshing drink takes only seconds to whip up

Pineapple Mint
Slushies Serves 2

64ml ( cup) coconut cream (from

one can full-fat coconut milk)
130ml ( cup) freshly squeezed
orange juice (from 1 orange)
cup shredded mint leaves, plus
mint sprigs for serving
160g (1 cup) frozen pineapple
chunks
160g (1 cup) ice cubes

1.

2.

3.

4.

Chill a can of coconut milk

undisturbed overnight so that the
coconut cream separates from the
coconut water. Carefully open the
can and use a spoon to scoop out
just the coconut cream (reserve
the remaining coconut water for
another use).
Squeeze the orange juice into a
glass measuring cup. Submerge the
shredded mint leaves in the juice,
muddle, then let sit for 15 minutes.
While juice is infusing, combine the
pineapple chunks, coconut cream,
and ice cubes in a blender and
blend on high speed until frothy and
well mixed. Strain the mint leaves
from the orange juice, add the
juice to the blender, and blend until
combined.
Pour into two frosted glasses and
garnish each with a sprig of mint.

TOP TIP

Keep your freezer stocked with

containers of frozen fruit so that
whenever the urge strikes to whip
up a slushie, shake, or smoothie,
you are ready to go.
If you havent prepped ahead,
you can use fresh pineapple,
though the resulting slushie will
be considerably less frostybut no
less sweet!

Per serving:

40

202

10.6g

9.0g

23.1g

0.0g

2.6g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Recipe and image from Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet by Christine Chitnis.
Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala
Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. roostbooks.com

And they ate

happily ever after
Vegan Life art director and mother of two - Emily talks about raising a family
in a meat-free house

lthough some of the closest members of my immediate family

are vegan, I have decided to branch out, and take a more
pro-active approach to connecting with other parents who are
in the same situation as me-living a vegan lifestyle, and bringing up a
family with those morals.
My first foray into this community was an Essex family Easter meet.
Organised through social media, a good number of families showed up
on the day, to take part in a vegan egg hunt among other activities. It
was really good for the kids, who had loads of fun doing the activities,
and making new friends.
One of the most positive things to come out of this event was a feeling
of belonging, and also a feeling of confidence. Seeing the number of
people who are choosing to bring up their children in the same way
really helped reassure me that Im doing the right thing with my own.
It was also good to share ideas and talk about our experiences up to
this point.

I feel Ive made contacts who I would

definitely reach out to for support,
and I hope I could provide that same support for
others. Its great to see so many families thriving
as vegans in a non-vegan world, and the more I
connect with them, the more convinced I am that
this wonderful movement of ours is growing more
vibrant, popular, and accessible with every day that passes.

I would encourage anyone, but

especially someone who is feeling that
isolation, to reach out and get involved.
These types of support networks are invaluable: I know Im really lucky
to be surrounded by family and colleagues who share my values. I also
know a number of vegans can feel quite isolated and judged for their
choices-especially when these choices are extended to all members of
their family. I would encourage anyone, but especially someone who is
feeling that isolation, to reach out and get involved.
Leaving the event I felt really upbeat: it is always lovely to spend time
with new people, and expand the social circle, but its really special
when it is people who understand that crucial philosophy you have
that underpins so much of your life and so many of your choices.

41

Fashion fit for a Vegan

Sylvia Smith looks at the history of textiles

42

ets begin with a little bit of history. Along with quinine, sugar,
tea, and potatoes, cotton has played a major role in shaping
many societies. Slavery in the southern United States led to
the bloodiest war of the 19th century in 1861, and tens of millions
brutally removed from Africa via the Caribbean to the United States.
Here in the UK it took form in the horrors endured by workers in our
own Lancashire mill towns, to which most of that cotton was exported,
inspiring Engles and Marx to conceive revolutionary ideology.

From cotton to fur, exploitation has long been at the heart of fashion.
The Museum of Londons 2000 exhibition, Stolen Skins? Fur in Fashion,
traced antifur protest in Britain back to 1892 when the Humanitarian
League, led by Henry Salt, campaigned against the abuse of animals in
food, fashion, sport and science.
Even earlier, in the 17th century, public disquiet about fur was mirrored
in prints by Wenceslas Hollar with his plea on behalf of furwearing
women that the cold, not cruelty, makes her weare/In winter furrs and
Wild beasts haire.
At the end of the 19th century the writer John Galsworthy was
campaigning against the use of feathers in fashion. But with todays
attractive alternatives to animal skinsand without the need for fur to
keep warmour clothing purchases (which have metamorphosed into a
fashion industry) are causing even greater harm.
Fur flying
So the basic ethos of a vegan fashionista is to reflect long and hard on
fashion choices via the composition of clothes plus the how, and from
where these different elements emanate. Even if the label claims the
garment is fair trade, ecological, sustainable and animalfriendly, also
check that there is no wool, skin, leather, fur or silk used on trims, in
linings or buttons and that the pricetag is also vegan. This isnt always
straightforward.
While Stella McCartney is the first and only internationally recognised
designer to make animalfriendly fashion without fur or leather, her
clothes sometimes use silk and wool. A vegetarian since childhood,
whose lifestyle that was championed by her mother Linda and father
Paul, she is also a committed environmentalist and animal rights
activist.
With prices matching those of other top designers, questions have
been asked about the high cost of Stella McCartney products. If they
are leather and furfree should they not be less expensive? The answer
is that a handbags pricetag is not determined just by the materials
used, but also by the complexity of its sales and distribution networks,
along with international PR and marketing among other hidden costs
that go into making a brand luxurious and exclusive.
But there are vegan designers working in harmony with their ethics,
and helping to develop new alternatives that mimic the look and feel of
traditional luxury materials that dont cost an arm and a leg. According
to Christine Rochlitz, the designer behind LuckyNelly, a vegan fashion
label based in Berlin (the German centre for Vegan fashion), it is all to
be found online.

Eugenio Marongiu / Shutterstock.com

Cotton as a catalyst for social change is explained with great lucidity

by Henry Hobhouse in his revolutionary book, Seeds of Change. Yet
without cotton, which has led to 38 million of todays US population
being African American, we would also not have seen the syncopated
rhythms derived from jazz being the most important influence on 20th
century popular music.

She describes herself as an avid internet materialstalker and has

tested a variety of materials to use in her accessories. From sewable
wood, slate, stone and foldable flexible ceramic to the vintage
Swarovski crystals used in her jewellery, she is able to offer a luxurious
alternative to expensive, exotic animal leathers including crocodile.
I order samples, she says. After testing I choose the best. I do this
all myself, but dream of having a team to help me. It might sound
incredible to use slate and ceramic in fashion, but since cork, which
is similar to leather, is getting to be a bit old hat for Christine, she is
looking for newer combinations of materials.
When I found out cork is no longer unique, but used by lots of other
designers, she says, I started to hunt for other flexible types of wood.
After extensive testing I found the best flexible and sewable wood on
an ecoleather support.
A LuckyNelly vegan belt made of sewn wood won the PETA Vegan
Fashion Award in the category best belt for women in 2014. All
Christines products carry the Peta Vegan Approved Logo which means
even her glues and Milanbased production company is 100 per cent
vegan.
Christine works with materials such as PU fake leather (not PVC which
is not recyclable) combining it with cork. The results look like leather
and can be printed, dyed and stamped. It feels very soft and warm,
somehow like leather, she explains. But it is the renewable bark of a
cork oak tree and has a lot of amazing features.
These include being recyclable, antiasthmatic and antiallergic, plus
dirt and waterrepellent because the suberin contained in cork acts
as a selfimpregnating agent. Cork oaks grow in Europe and using
them offers almost extinct species protection as they can be seen to
be profitable. Trees are not cut down, Christina explains. They are
only peeled and they grow back new bark after a few years.
Having tried to produce in Germany, Christine eventually opted for
Milan, because German prices were too high and Italy offers fair and

>
43

transparent working conditions. Christine is keen to let everyone know

about the annual Fashion Revolution Day which takes place each April
24a tribute to those who died in the collapse of the Savar building
in Bangladesh in 2013 when 1,130 lost their lives and over 2,500 were
injured. It was the deadliest garmentfactory accident in history.

This has nothing to do with what I stand

for. Vegan fashion is a statement!
Christine also belongs to bewusstsigner.de, an organisation that only
produces fashion when there is customer demand (crowdbuying is
the name for this) so there is no waste and production is sustainable.
She also works with Ayesha Siddiqua and her online shop in Dubai is
planning to make vegan shoes in the future as well as pet accessories
such as leads and collars for dogs and cats.
With so many personal plans for the future, how does Christina foresee
the future of fashion? Im particpating in Berlin Alternative Fashion
Week, she explains. lts a combination of design art, statement,
craziness and recylcing. The mainstream fashion industry is little more
than purchasing and sales. Anyone can produce a clothes line in China.
For me this has nothing to do with what I stand for. Vegan fashion is a
statement!

44

Facts
Over 50 million animals annually are killed for fashion. Other
than the obvious and significant ethical issues surrounding
the culling of animals for their hides, studies by the UNs
Food and Agriculture Organisation, The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change and NGOs such as PETA have shown
us that the meat and leather industry is one of the most
environmentally damaging in the world.
The climate impact alone is staggeringmeat and leather
production is responsible for 18 per cent of all manmade
greenhouse gases in the world, with a single cow emitting
19.3 pounds/8.75kg of methane annually. Compare this to
transportation, which some believe only accounts for 13 per
cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, animal skins used for clothing and accessories are
loaded with caustic, toxic chemicals that prevent them from
decomposing the very opposite of what we expect from a
natural resource. The chemicals used in leather tanning makes
it one of most toxic industries in the world. Chrome, a known
carcinogen, is used in huge quantities and the groundwater
near leather tanneries in developing countries has been found
to contain critically high levels of lead, formaldehyde and even
cyanide. This causes cancer and other fatal illnesses in nearby
populations.

45

an way
veg

Fat

her s Day th

An array of gifts perfect for the special

man in your life
1. Wills London
Stylish, vegan friendly, and affordable, Wills London
shoes are created with microfibers that look, wear,
breathe and resist water just like leather.
wills-vegan-shoes.com
2. Fair Squared Natural Aftershave Balm
with Green Tea
This award winning aftershave balm has a light formula
that immediately soothes and protects the skin.
11.95 | fair-squared.co.uk
3. Viva La Vegan Evolve T-shirt
Ethically produced, this organic statement vegan t-shirt
is perfect for any dad that wants to make a powerful
statement.
25 | viva-la-vegan.com
4. MATT & NAT Tom briefcase
With room for a 15 laptop, papers and books, this Tom
briefcase makes organising easy.
150 | mattandnat.com
5. Plamil Dark Chocolate Sweetened with Coconut
Blossom Sugar
The newly released organic and fairtrade vegan
chocolate contains nothing more than cocoa and
unrefined coconut blossom sugar.
2.99 | plamilfoods.co.uk
6. The Pig in Thin Air by Alex Lockwood
This food-for-thought book is a road trip into veganism,
and a memoir of how the authors relationship with food
was shaped by family, especially his grandfather.
13.99
amazon.co.uk/Pig-Thin-Air-identification-graphies
7. Brass Castle beerWallop
The larger than life taste of this vegan beer makes it
perfect as a gift for any beer lover, young or old.
9.00 | brasscastle.co.uk
8. Dorset Chilli shop Antidote Sauce
Slowroasted peppers and a combination of chillies
including the Carolina Reaper Chilli (hottest in the
world), mean this sauce is full of flavour and heat.
5.00 | dorsetchillishop.co.uk

46

9. Medium 1.8m VegTrug

This self-contained vegetable garden is suitable for
growing a variety of your own veggies in the smallest of
spaces. 159.99 | vegtrug.com

Life of pie
A fathers day classic, or a weekend treat

Chestnut, Mushroom and Shallot Pie

200g (1 cup) cooked chestnuts (such as Merchant Gourmet

vacuum packed)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
200ml ( cup) red wine
300ml (1 cups) vegetable stock
25g (18 cup) vegan margarine
1 tbsp olive oil
12 shallots, peeled & left whole
250g (2 cups) chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
2 tbsp beurre manie (1 tbsp flour mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp
vegan margarine)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
225g (8oz) vegan puff pastry

Recipe and image from UKShallot.com

Serves 4

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

2. Melt the margarine in a frying pan, add the olive oil to stop
it burning and fry the onions until slightly browned, about 5
minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, bay leaves and rosemary and cook for a
further 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the chestnuts, red wine and vegetable stock. Bring to the
boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the onions are soft.
5. Add the beurre manie, stirring constantly until it dissolves, and
cook for a further 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
6. Stir in the mustard and flat leaf parsley and season to taste
with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon the mixture
into a pie dish.
7. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and place on top of
filling, crimping the edges to seal the pie. Cut a cross in the top
of the pastry to let the steam out during cooking.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Serve immediately.

Per serving:

496

27.8g

9.9g

5.8g

2.0g

2.0g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

47

THE END OF MEAT AS WE KNOW IT?

Could an in-vitro version change the world?

magine a world where no animal had to suffer the pain and

indignity of the industrial farming systema world where those who
would never consider a meatfree lifestyle could feast on steaks,
pork chops and bacon without any animals ever facing the abattoir.
According to one scientist this world is just a few years away, as lab
grown meat may soon replace the flesh of slaughtered animals.
Labgrown meatalso referred to as cultured, bio, victimless, invitro
and crueltyfree meatis manufactured by scientists through tissue
engineering technology. It is grown in an artificial environment rather
than harvested from animals. In theory, thousands of pounds of meat
could be produced from a small sample of living tissue (see box).
Mark Post is a professor of physiology at Maastricht University. He
says: Cultured meat, when successful in terms of resourceefficiency,
costeffectiveness and consumer acceptance, will replace livestock
meat. It will be readily available in five to seven years and assuming it
is more resourceefficient, and not very labour intensive, the price will
come down to that of livestock meat or dive under itthough that will
take at least seven years.

48

Prof Post created the first labgrown patty in 2013 creating a burger
that looked and felt like its animalbased counterpart. Crucially the
burger, which was launched at a press conference in 2013, lacked
authentic flavour. In addition it cost around $300,000. But according
to the professor, based on the expected upscaling of production in
the next few years, the calculated price of producing an edible burger
could fall to around US$11.
Future Food is an Austrianbased company that shares information
about alternatives to animalderived products. The group wants
to accelerate research into labcultured meat. According to Future
Food: The aim is to bring an end to animal suffering, environmental
pollution, starvation, health risks and so on, by no longer using billions
of domestic animals as meat, milk and egg machines, and to replace
these products with ones which are healthier and are produced via
more environmentally friendly and ethical means.
Leading the group is Dr Kurt Schmidimger who has authored the
dissertation Worldwide Alternatives to Animal Derived FoodsOverview
and Evaluation Models. He says: Todays practices of producing

animals for food severely impair the welfare of billions of farm animals
globally. Livestock population continues to increase rapidly and animal
production globally is becoming ever more industrialised.
At the beginning of 2010, an estimated 27 billion animals were being
kept as livestock globally, with 66 billion slaughtered each year around
the globe. This exceeds the number of human inhabitants on the globe
almost by an order of magnitude. If no provisions are undertaken
to avoid further growth in the livestock sector, meat production is
forecasted to rise to 465 million tons by 2050 and milk production to
1043 million tonnes.
The production of meat, milk and eggs through the use of animals
puts far more strain on the environment than other kinds of food
production. Cultured meat could have financial, health, animal welfare
and environmental advantages over traditional meat. The idea is to
produce animal meat, but without using an animal.
If cultured meat is more ethical and environmentallyfriendly, as well
as being as tasty in the future, what could stop it becoming the goto
option for omnivores desperate for that fleshy protein hit?
Professor Keith Belk is professor of meat safety and quality in the
department of animal sciences at the USs Colorado State University
and holder of the Ken & Myra Monfort endowed chair. He has claimed
hes not sure labgrown meat could replace animal productdue to
consumer reaction. He told one food journalist: I am sceptical not
because I question the ability to produce protein in this fashion, but
because I believe that it will be difficult to sell to consumers. Consider
the number of consumers that are more concerned with local and
sustainable production today, the growing demand for organic
and natural production practices, the fear of [genetically modified
organisms], and all other trends in our modern society. Are people that
are continually more concerned with method of production also likely
to purchase cultured meat products?
Dr Schmidimger tells Vegan Life: I see this as number two of the
biggest challenges for cultured meat. Number one is the question, if it
ever will be possible to produce cultured meat at a competitive price
to replace meat from industrial farming. But consumer acceptance is
a huge obstacle, too. The European Commission conducted a special
Eurobarometer in 2005 including the question whether growing meat
from cell cultures as an alternative to slaughtering farm animals would
be acceptable for EU citizens.
The results shown in this survey indicate thatwithout huge media
work or information effortscultured meat would face much scepticism
and resistance, at least in Europe.

Would vegans eat lab meat?

Toni Shepard, executive director at Animal Equality
My own personal opinion is that I wouldnt eat it, because I havent
eaten meat in nearly 30 years, so I doubt I would find it appetising.
I have no ethical obligation to eating it, or to anyone else eating
it, if it did not cause animal suffering. For me veganism is about
making dietary choices that cause the least harm to other
animals, not about strict rules on what I put in my body. Providing
the lab-grown meat is manufactured and produced in a moral and
humane way, there should be no ethical implications that hinder
vegans/vegetarians wanting to try the meat if they so wish.

Tony Wardle, associate director at Viva!

The first thing we have to really establish is that veganism isnt a
cult, its not a religion, we do what we do to try and save animals.
If bio meat is going to save animals from sufferingcurrently 80
per cent of all animals live in factory farmsmy own perspective
is that it has to be a good thing. There are 70 billion animals
slaughtered every year so if its going to save those animals from
suffering then thats great. In regards to consuming it myself, if I
was satisfied with how it was obtained then I would certainly try it.
In an ideal world, I would prefer if people weaned themselves off
the concept of eating meat entirely but really I just want to save
the animals and this solution is most definitely on the way to
doing just that.

Elisa Allen, associate director of PETA

In vitro meat will spell the end of lorries full of cows and chickens,
abattoirs and factory farming. It will reduce carbon emissions,
conserve water and make food supply safer.
Of course, fantastic, tasty mock meats exist already in the form of
fake bacon, meat-free chicken patties, mock lobster and various
veggie burgersfrom nuts and soya to beans and grainwhich
offer the taste of meat without a scintilla of the cholesterol or
cruelty. But lab-grown meat will ultimately provide people who
were addicted from childhood to the saturated fat in flesh with the
methadone for their habit.

Aine Carlin, vegan chef and cook book author

Im open to all new vegan products but it would probably be on an
occasional basis, as I prefer to stick to wholefoods. It seems like
it would fall into the processed food category and I personally try
to limit my consumption of those. In my experience, its simply the
texture of meat that people miss most and this could be a very
useful tool indeed.
What people do not have in mind when bashing cultured meat is the
unnaturalness of industrial livestock farming. Id really like to discuss
the unnaturalness of cultured meat in a typical factory farm where
the meat that the same people consider natural comes from. If you
stick to the facts, cultured meat could be a progressive step in terms
of health, animal welfare and ecology compared to what we currently
do. But yes, these efforts at persuasion will have to be done if cultured
meat becomes reality one day.
So if Dr Schmidimger sees the price being the biggest obstacle, when
does he expect it to match the price tags on conventional meat
products? Hard to say, the technical challenges are quite massive, but
the economic difficulties to compete with industrial farmed meat are
even bigger, as already mentioned. >

49

So it is not only a question of when, but also a question of if. Prof

Mark Post and his team obviously presented the first invitromeat
burger in London in summer 2013, Memphis Meats presented cultured
meat balls in early 2016, so parts of the technology are available,
but many issues still remain, including the need for a plant based,
affordable culture medium for growing the cells.
So, I really cannot predict when cultured meat burgers or even
cultured steaks will be available at an affordable price. Thats one
reason why projects like our futurefood.org or The Good Food
Institute promote different strategies to replace animal products in
parallelincluding plant based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs!
With many parallel strategies the chances to get rid of industrial
factory farming can be optimised, and we do not rely on the success
or failure of one strategy like cultured meat.
Lab meat offers more benefits than saving animals from factory
farming hell. As we report in this issue of Vegan Life, the misuse of
antibiotics in agriculture is part the issue when it comes to creating
antibioticresistant disease. But it is not the only health benefit. Of
course, if we can produce cultured meat, we should do it without using
antibiotics, and thus the risk of antibioticresistant germs would be
reduced globally, says Dr Schmidimger.
That is one of many, many reasons why we really need to get
away from industrial livestock practices. But there are many other
problems that could be solved or abated if we skip industrial livestock
practices, the list is extremely long, so just a few examples here: The
risk of the new global pandemics would be reduced drastically, the
number of animals abused and killed would diminish by many orders
of magnitude, water pollution, water consumption, area demand, soil
erosion, rainforest destruction, climate change, loss of biodiversityall
that could be massively mitigated. And as cultured meat could be
designed in a way to avoid the health hazards of conventional meat,

50

for example, by replacing saturated fatty acids and cholesterol with

high omega3contents, we could fight lifestyle diseases.
People might retort that we could as well skip livestock without
cultured meat or vegetarian alternatives to animal products, but is
that realistic? Im 100 per cent sure these replacement products make
such a transition much more realistic than trying to get rid of animal
products on our plates without similar alternatives at all.

How is cultured meat produced?

Starter cells are taken from live animals in a process described
as painless. The cells are cultured with nutrients and growthpromoting chemicals to help them multiply. Three weeks later
there are millions of stem cells, which combine into small strips
of muscle, the strips are then layered together, coloured and
mixed with fat.
While it sounds simple, its a painstaking process to produce
even a small amount of beef, which involves careful precision.
Professor Mark Post claims any type of meat (including
mammals, birds, and fish) can be grown in vitro. However, for
commercial purposes, beef is currently the best target.
According to Dr Kurt Schmidimger: Producing cultured meat
for processed meat products, such as sausages, burgers and
nuggets will be easier to develop, whereas cultured meat, which
should be more highly structured, such as for an in-vitro steak,
is considerably more of a challenge. A steak is made of muscle
tissue, in which extremely fine, long capillaries transport blood
and nutrients directly to the cells. It is much more difficult to
reproduce such a complex structure than it is to put together
the small balls of cells which grow to larger balls of cells, which in
turn become in-vitro chicken nuggets.

51

Recipe Creation, Set and Food Styling: Melissa Ann Haithcock

Instagram: @_ahappyhealthyheart
Facebook: A Happy Healthy Heart | ahappyhealthyheart.com
Photography: Alyssa Joy Photography | @alyssajoyphoto
alyssajoyphoto.com

52

happy healthy
mealtimes
The perfect summertime assortment

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

with Candied Pecans Makes 2
Per 100g:

155

4.2g

0.5g

6.2g

1.5g

3.5g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

2 medium sized sweet potatoes

85g ( cup) quinoa (uncooked)
27g ( cup) chopped pecans
1 tbsp maple syrup
250ml (1 cup) vegetable broth
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper

1.

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Using a fork, poke holes into

sweet potatoes down one side. Place them on a baking sheet
and cook for 45 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, heat vegetable broth over high heat, once boiling add
quinoa and reduce to medium high. Cook for about 15 minutes or
until liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper.
In a small pan, heat pecans and agave over medium heat. Stir
every 35 minutes until agave has covered pecans. Remove from
heat.
When the potatoes have finished cooking, slice halfway deep into
each lengthwise.
Spoon half of the quinoa into each potato and sprinkle with
candied pecans. Garnish with fresh rosemary. Serve warm.

2.
3.
4.
5.

53

Grilled Romaine
Salad with Balsamic
Dressing

3 romaine hearts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
25g ( cup) pistachios
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

1.
2.

Preheat grill to high.

Cut romaine hearts in half length-wise and
drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Place romaine face down on grill and sear for
3 minutes or until grill marks are present.
Remove from grill and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make dressing by combining
balsamic vinegar, mustard, oregano and
thyme.
Sprinkle romaine with salt and pepper, then
top with pistachios.
Drizzle dressing over salad. Serve at room
temperature.

3.
4.

Per 100g:

86

6.2g

0.9g

2.0g

1.9g

2.5g

5.

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

6.

Black Bean Quinoa

Burgers

500g (2 cups) black beans (drained and rinsed)

80g ( cup) cooked quinoa
2 garlic cloves
40g ( cup) red onions (chopped)
tbsp sea salt
tbsp black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp chili powder
25g ( cup) breadcrumbs
3 tbsp olive oil

1.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Preheat oven to

200C (400F).
Add black beans, quinoa, garlic, onion, and
seasonings to the bowl of a food processor
fitted with the blade attachment.
Pulse 4-5 times until well incorporated, then let
run for 30 seconds. The mixture should be well
blended but not too smooth.
Pour breadcrumbs into a small, shallow bowl.
With your hands, scoop a handful of the
burger mixture and mold into shape. Place into
breadcrumbs and coat both sides.
Place coated patty into hot oil and sear on each
side, about 3 minutes each. Repeat process with
all patties.
Place patties onto a baking sheet and bake for
15 minutes.
Serve warm with your favourite burger toppings.

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

Recipe Creation, Set and Food Styling: Melissa Ann Haithcock

Instagram: @_ahappyhealthyheart
Facebook: A Happy Healthy Heart | ahappyhealthyheart.com
Photography: Alyssa Joy Photography

@alyssajoyphoto | alyssajoyphoto.com

54

Per 100g:

189

5.7g

0.9g

2.2g

0.5g

8.7g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Strawberry Kiwi
Popsicles




1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

800g (4 cups) frozen strawberries

(thawed)
300g (1 cup) coconut cream
2 kiwis
2 tbsp raw sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the whisk attachment, combine
refrigerated coconut cream and raw
sugar. Mix for about one minute on high
or until air has incorporated and the
mixture has thickened.
Pour strawberries, coconut cream, and
1 skinned kiwi into blender and combine.
Blend until smooth.
Slice kiwi and place one slice into each
mold. Pour strawberry mixture into
mould and insert popsicle sticks.
Freeze overnight. To remove popsicles
from mould run under lukewarm water
for 30 seconds.
Enjoy immediately!

Lemon Mint Water

4 lemons
1 bunch fresh mint
4 L (1 gallon) of water
2 tbsp raw sugar and 4 tbsp water

1.

Rinse and slice lemons and place into

pitcher.
Heat sugar and 4 tbsp of water in a
small sauce pan over medium high heat.
Once sugar is dissolved, you will have a
simple syrup.
Pour simple syrup into pitcher and fill
with water.
Muddle mint leaves to release their oil
and place into pitcher.
Refrigerate overnight.
Feel free to substitute your favoured
citrus and herbs.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Recipe Creation, Set and Food Styling:

Melissa Ann Haithcock
Instagram: @_ahappyhealthyheart
Facebook: A Happy Healthy Heart
ahappyhealthyheart.com
Photography: Alyssa Joy Photography
@alyssajoyphoto | alyssajoyphoto.com

Popsicle Per 100g:

121

9.0g

7.7g

5.9g

0g

1.5g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

55

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Bringing vegan into vogue

57

VEGAN LEGEND
Bryan Adams shares his thoughts on veganism at an event in London

Image: Featureflash Photo Agency shutterstock.com

58

op star, bestselling musician, and celebrity snapper Bryan

Adams has enjoyed a veggie diet for over 20 years, relying on a
large proportion of raw foods to give him the energy needed to
tackle a high energy career.
The elusive star made a raw appearance at a London party celebrating
juice company Raw and Juicys 10th anniversary. The company, which
was founded by Stephanie Morgan, was the UKs first home delivery
juice detox company. Bryan has tweeted about how much he enjoys
the juices, so he took to the stage to tell the audienceincluding Vegan
Lifeabout his thoughts on veganism. His passion for crueltyfree living
shone through.
He told us: For those people who arent veggie or vegan it was the
best gift I could ever give myself to do it. I am turning 57 years old this
year and I work hard, I am always on the move but I have tonnes of
energy because I am plantbased. It is absolutely the best thing you
could ever do for yourself. It is a great path.

When I see men and women my

age with their guts hanging over their
trousers I wish someone was able to
explain the benefits of diet, and that
they are likely to be toxic and blocked
from the things theyve eaten.
Despite advocating the lifestyle, Bryan has said he doesnt like to
preach about it, preferring instead to let his health speak for itself.
Powering his routine is something hes talked about in the past,
telling one paper: I start my day with fruit juice and a mixed fruit
salad. Dinner is salads or, if Im not on a rawfood diet, then pasta
or something veggie thats cooked. If Im in the studio then the food
tends to be garbage for the most part, unless youre lucky enough to
have it catered in. I have been known to bring avocados to the set with
lemons. When I lived in France we got a local fella to come and prepare
vegetarian food which was the besthe still works for us on tour today.
We bring a juicer, so my rider is just fruit and veggies and some nuts
and dried fruits. An army doesnt march on an empty stomach.
He has frequently spoken about the benefits of a plantbased diet
saying one key thing he is able to manage is weight. When I see men
and women my age with their guts hanging over their trousers I wish
someone was able to explain the benefits of diet, and that they are
likely to be toxic and blocked from the things theyve eaten, he said.
I abide by the rule that if it looks like its going to clog your system, it
probably will.
So what does he turn to when he wants to indulge?
He told us: My favourite vegan comfort food is probably bananas.
That is what I would reach for every time. I spent some time following a
raw food diet which I did actually find quite difficult at times. Bananas
and avocados were my go to. I would eat a banana when I needed
to feel full, and it would work every time. I also found that drinking
something when I felt hungry would often quench the hunger.

In fact, he is thought to live an extremely clean lifestyle all round,

partaking in a number of sports including swimming, biking, and
running to keep fit, as well as largely avoiding alcohol (but not being
teetotal) and not taking drugs, once saying to a journalist: Im
astounded still today how I know that there are drugs all around me
but no one ever offers them to me.
Its not all about health though. The compassionate singer also cares
about animal rights, telling charity Peta: Being sympathetic to animal
rights is just something that came very naturally to me. Perhaps
because I used to have dogs growing up, and you know they became
part of the family. And it never occurred to me growing up. I never put
the whole thing of animal cruelty and that together as a youngster.
But the moment I began to understand what was going on with the
treatment of animals, it led me more and more in the way of the path I
am [on] now, which is a complete vegan.

A history of success
Bryan Adams is, globally, one of the best-selling
artists of all time, with a career spanning three
decades-so far. He has won enough awards and
nominations to fill numerous trophy cabinets,
including three nominations for Academy Awards.
He has won the prestigious Ivor Novello twice
for song composition, one Grammy (with an impressive 15
nominations) and 20 Junos among others. He has been
inducted intoCanadas Walk of Fame.
Born in 1959, in Kingston Ontario in Canada, he moved around
Europe and the Middle East with his parents. When he was 10,
he was given his first guitar, moving onto an electric guitar he
bought himself a year later. After moving to Vancouver age 14,
he started a band, getting signed when he turned 18.
His career in the limelight started in America in 1983 with
his album Cuts Like a Knife, then became known worldwide
the following year with songs like Run to You and Summer
of 69 from his album Reckless. In 1991 he released one of
the best-selling singles of all time: (Everything I Do) I Do It for
You. Over the course of his career, Bryan has duetted with
a number of other artists, including Tina Turnerin Its Only
Love,Sarah McLachlanin Dont Let Go, Mel C. in When youre
Gone, Chicane in Dont Give Up, and the aforementioned
collaboration on All For Love.
Known for his charity work as well as his music, he has
spoken out on issues like animal rights as well as working
with Greenpeace and Amnesty International. He recently
cancelled performances in Mississippi as protest against the
Religious Liberty bill 1523, saying: I find it incomprehensible
that LGBT citizens are being discriminated against in the state
of Mississippi. I cannot in good conscience perform in a state
where certain people are being denied their civil rights due to
their sexual orientation. Using my voice I stand in solidarity with
all my LGBT friends to repeal this extremely discriminatory bill.
Hopefully Mississippi will right itself and I can come back and
perform for all of my many fans. I look forward to that day.

59

Nom Nom Nom

Recipes for mindful mealtimes

Recipes from Yoga Kitchen by Kimberly Parsons

(Quadrille 20) Photography: Lisa Cohen

60

One-Pot Masala Dhal

Soba Noodle Buddha Bowl

Serves 2
Per Serving:

Per 100g:
164

11.2g

8.8g

2.7g

0.1g

4.4g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Masala paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2cm ( in) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and
cut into thin slices
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Himalayan salt
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp tomato pure (paste)
Bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves
Dhal
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp masala paste (see above)
160g (5oz)chopped tomatoes
400ml (14fl oz) coconut milk
100g (3oz) red lentils
50g (2oz) spinach
Coriander leaves to garnish
1.

2.

3.

4.

The

69

0.7g

0.1g

6.7g

0.4g

5.8g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

broth
1.2 litres (40fl oz) mushroom stock
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp peeled and julienned fresh
ginger
100g (3oz) soba noodles
250g (9oz) fresh chestnut
(cremini) and enoki mushrooms (or
mushrooms of your choice)
The bowl
75g (2oz) finely shredded red
cabbage leaves
150g (5oz) peeled carrots
1.

2.

Serves 4

75g (2oz) finely shredded Savoy

cabbage
75g (2oz) sugar snap peas
90g (3oz) bean sprouts, washed
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
1 fresh chilli, cut into thin slices
(optional)
Mixed sesame seeds
Lime wedges
Tamari soy sauce, to taste

Place all the ingredients for the broth, except the noodles and mushrooms, into
a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a gentle
simmer, add the noodles and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until the
noodles are cooked through.
Divide the mixture among 4 serving bowls, discarding the cardamom pods
and star anise if you prefer. Begin to add the vegetables into the broth by
piling a little of each type around the outside of the bowl. Add a squeeze of
lime to each bowl, followed by soy, the fresh coriander leaves, chilli (if using),
a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a lime wedge. Serve immediately with
chopsticks, a spoon to drink the broth at the end and add tamari to taste.

To make the masala paste, toastthe cumin and

coriander seeds in a frying pan until fragrant,
then place in a mortar and pestle and grind
them together.
Tip them into a small food processor, add the
ginger, chilli flakes, smoked paprika, garam
masala,and salt and pulse a few times to
incorporate. Next, add the coconut oil, tomato
pure and coriander leaves and pulse again
until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
To make the curry, heat a large frying pan over
a medium heat. Add the coconut oil and onion
and saut for 45 minutes until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the masala paste and cook for a further
12 minutes, stirring. Now add the chopped
tomatoes and coconut milk, stirring everything
together. Taste a little of the sauce and add
a little more masala paste if needed. Bring to
the boil. Add the lentils and reduce the heat
to mediumlow. Give the curry a stir every now
and then until the lentils are tender, about20
25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and fold in the spinach.
Season with salt and pepper and serve
garnished with coriander leaves.

TOP TIP

You can substitute the lentils with readycooked chickpeas for an even faster on- the-go
meal.
Extra paste can be kept in an airtight
container.

Recipes from Yoga Kitchen by Kimberly Parsons

(Quadrille 20) Photography: Lisa Cohen

61

Chocolate and
Maca Quinoa
Pops
Makes 12 bars

1.

2.

3.

4.

120ml (4fl oz) melted coconut oil

120ml (4fl oz) coconut nectar or
pure maple syrup
60g (2oz) cacao powder
40g (1oz) maca powder
Pinch of salt
80g (3oz) puffed quinoa (or other
puffed cereals such as rice, spelt,
buckwheat, millet)
80g (3oz) roasted hazelnuts,
roughly chopped
40g (1oz) dried unsweetened
cranberries, roughly chopped
40g (1oz) raw pistachios, roughly
chopped
Place the coconut oil in a medium
saucepan over a mediumlow
heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of
sweetener of your choice and
combine. Now add the cacao and
maca powder, plus the pinch of
salt and whisk until the mixture
forms a loose paste. Remove from
the heat.
Add the quinoa puffs, andstir
to combine, making sure all the
ingredients are coated in the
chocolate paste. Taste and add a
little more salt if needed.Line a 15
x 20cm (6 x 8in) baking tin (pan)
with baking paper (parchment
paper) and scoop the batter into
it. Use the palm of your hands to
press everything loosely down into
the tin.
Now sprinkle the hazelnuts,
cranberries and pistachios evenly
over the surface and, using
thepalm of your hands again,
press everything together tightly
and evenly to roughly 23cm
(1in) deep. Leave to cool, then
place in the refrigerator to firm for
30 minutes.
These bars will last for 1 week in
the refrigerator, or can be frozen
for up to 2 months.

Per bar:

62

226

17.1g

9.8g

6.6g

0.2g

3.9g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Recipes from Yoga Kitchen by

Kimberly Parsons (Quadrille 20)
Photography: Lisa Cohen

63

G
E
V
on
s
l
e
e
h
w
Jacqueline Meldrum inspires you to make the
most of your weekly veg box

une is my favourite time of the year. I wait impatiently through

autumn, winter and spring for berry season to arrive. Its the
strawberries Im waiting for. I greedily eat punnet after punnet
and struggle to share them. I have no shame when it comes to
strawberries.
Veg box strawberries are completely different from their tasteless,
under-ripe supermarket counterparts, so make sure you order plenty
and once youve eaten your fill you can start to make smoothies,
tarts, ice cream and puddings with them. This month we can also look
forward to beetroot, chicory, fennel, French beans and tomatoes.
Beetroot
I adore beetroot raw, roasted or pickled. For a
tasty stew, throw wedges of peeled beetroot
into a roasting tin with hearty chunks of carrots,
peppers, sweet potato and a glug of olive oil. Mix
through, then roast in a hot oven for 20 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and add 400g chopped
tomatoes, 400g cooked chickpeas, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 200ml
vegetable stock and your favourite spices (I like paprika and chilli).
Give it a stir, then pop it back in the oven until the sauce has thickened
up. Serve with couscous or rice.

Chicory
Chicory or endive as it is also known is great
in salads, but for a more interesting flavour
and texture cook it on an oiled griddle before
adding it to your salad or why not keep it crisp
and fill it with hummus, grated carrot and a
drizzle of sweet chilli sauce for a light lunch or
a party snack?

64

French Beans
French beans make an excellent
side dish, but I like to steam baby
potatoes and French beans then toss them
through just cooked pasta with lots of fresh herbs,
black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. They are
also good in a green salad, with salad leaves, edamame
beans, avocado, mint and a lemony dressing. Just blanch them for
a couple of minutes first to take the bite off them.

Fennel
Use fennel to make homemade coleslaw in
place of cabbage. Finely shred fennel, carrot
and apple (toss the apple in a little lemon juice
to prevent it discolouring) and toss in dairy free
plain yoghurt. Season with salt and pepper and
add a good handful of finely chopped fresh dill.
This is great served on top of veggie burgers, to
perk up a salad or as a tasty filling for a baked potato.

Strawberries
Order several punnets with your veg box and
just gorge yourself on them. OK, so you can
do more than that with them. Why not make
some easy strawberry chia jam. Heat a punnet
of strawberries (cut in halves or quarters)
in a large pan with a couple of tablespoons of
agave nectar and a squeeze of lemon juice. When they release liquid,
bring to the boil for 10-15 minutes until the jam starts to thicken, then
add a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds and stir in. Pour into hot
sterilised (I run them through the dishwasher) jam jars.

Tomatoes
I love making a fresh tomato and basil sauce
for pasta with ripe tomatoes. Just saut
a finely chopped onion in olive oil with a
crushed clove of garlic until soft, then add
eight good sized ripe tomatoes, which have
been skinned and chopped. Add a generous
pinch of sugar, 2 tbsp tomato puree and a splosh of wine and cook
gently until reduced. Once the sauce is thick, season with salt and
pepper and add a good handful of freshly torn basil leaves. Toss
through just-cooked pasta and serve with a glass of wine.
You can find more of Jacquelines ideas and recipes at
tinnedtomatoes.com

Per 100g:

65

1.4g

0.2g

9.4g

0.1g

1.3g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Beetroot and Chilli Ketchup

1.

2.
3.

4.

5.

6.

1kg (5 cups) beetroot (about 12 mediumsized beetroot)

2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Recipe and image from Kate Ford

thevegspace.co.uk

Makes 3 jars

1 tsp ground cumin

1 chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if
you prefer a milder chilli flavour!)
1 tsp salt
175ml ( cup) red wine vinegar
70g ( cup) soft brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Place the beetroot (whole and un-peeled)
in a large piece of foil, drizzle with a little oil, wrap up to enclose them and place on a baking
tray in the oven for an hour. After the hour is up, test each one with a sharp knife - if it
passes through easily, the beetroot is cooked so remove it. Return any which arent cooked
to the oven and keep testing every 10 minutes until they are all tender.
When they have cooled, peel the beetroots, trim the ends and chop into small-ish pieces.
In a large saucepan, heat the sunflower/rapeseed oil and add the onion, carrot, celery,
garlic and cumin, and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the beetroot, chilli, salt
and red wine vinegar, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and leave to cool for a few minutes. Spoon the beetroot mixture into
a blender or food processor, and blitz on the highest possible speed for 2-3 minutes until
completely smooth.
Return the ketchup to the pan, then add the sugar, bring to the boil, and lower to a very
gentle heat. Cook until the ketchup has reached a good consistency - mine took about 5
minutes, but it depends on the water content of your beetroot (and how thick or pourable
you prefer your ketchup!).
When it has cooled slightly, pour into warm, sterilised bottles or jars. The ketchup will keep,
(ideally in a cool, dark place), for 3 months, and once opened, in the fridge for 2 weeks.

65

66

Meet the chef

P

Marlene Watson-Tara

icture a plate of tasty grain burgers served with sides of sweet French fries and watercress
in a tangy tangerine dressing, followed by an elegant little pot of chocolate tofu pudding.
If you thought macrobiotic cooking was all about hippies chewing on bland brown rice its
definitely time to think again.
The very unhippy-ish internationally-renowned macrobiotic chef, author and health counsellor,
Marlene Watson-Tara, is here to show the world that vegan macrobiotic cooking can be vibrant,
health-restoring and utterly delicious. In fact the Glasgow-based chef says that her approach to
her cooking, and to her health counselling goes beyond vegan. What does she mean by that?
I mean that being vegan doesnt automatically mean healthy while Im about eating as if all life
matters. So yes, all my recipes are vegan. The animals come first and are the reason I get out of
bed every morning, but I cook with our ecological footprint in mind, with food slavery in mind, with
seasonality in mind, with locally-sourced food in mind. I aim to be as genuinely holistic as I can.
And thats the essence of macrobioticsseeing the big picture and making the connections
between humanity, the health of all sentient beings and the planet. The modern macrobiotic
approach has evolved over the past 50 years, based on traditional Chinese and Japanese
medicine. Marlene explains: The standard macrobiotic diet is the best-known version, but this
way of eating isnt really a dietits a way of choosing foods for personal needs. This approach
focuses on helping the body to recover from nutritional stress, which is often the result of eating
a typical Western diet based on meat, dairy products, saturated fats and simple sugars. By
restoring balance, the body is supported to heal itself.
Marlene has been teaching and counselling clients all over the world for 35 years. Her recipes are
based on grains, pulses, vegetables, sea vegetables, and fruit. They incorporate some familiar
and some not-so-familiar ingredients in clever combinations that are health-giving, satisfying and,
she says, great for preventing cravings.
There are five tastes found naturally in all foods: bitter, salty, sweet, sour and pungent, she
explains, pointing out that naturally is key: additives definitely do not feature. The more you
consciously include a variety of the five tastes, the more satisfying and nutritionally enhanced
your meals will be. Sometimes just a small amount of a tastelike a sprig or two of bitter-tasting
parsley leafcan contribute significantly to overall balance and cut down on cravings.
Too much of one taste can throw things out of balance. The macrobiotic approach holds that
each taste affects particular organ systems. So excess sweet can weaken the stomach and
pancreas, and contribute to digestive problems. Many peoples taste buds have been spoiled by
the chemicals used as flavouring agents, and by excess refined sugar so that they can no longer
appreciate the natural sweetness of a carrot or an onion, says Marlene.
Now back in her native west of Scotland after years working with high-profile clients abroad,
Marlene is bringing her healthy vegan cookery to clients in the UK. As well as offering one-to-one
health consultations, shes the author of Macrobiotics for all seasons and, with her husband Bill,
runs cookery and macrobiotic health courses ranging from two hours to two weeks. Our courses
are attracting people from all round the world, she says. Many return home and set up their own
macrobiotic coaching businesses. Although there can be trepidation at firstparticularly when it
comes to sea vegetablesMarlene sees people converted over and over again to the clean eating
that macrobiotics offers, and to the positive changes it can effect in peoples health. And it
warms the cockles of my wee heart when another family comes on board, eating these incredible
healing foods, she smiles.
Win a free one-to-one health consultation with Marlene
Marlene Watson-Tara is a world-renowned macrobiotic cook and health counsellor. You
could win a one-to-one health consultation with herworth 200plus a 21-day tailored
eating programme. All you have to do is sign up for her e-newsletter at
marlenewatsontara.com. The consultation would be done over Skype if you arent in the
Glasgow area.

67

MarleneS SIGNATURE DISH

Health and perfect flavour come together

Grain Burgers

400g (2 cups) cooked short-grain brown rice

1 large onion, grated
1 carrot, grated
30g ( cup) parsley, minced
1 tsp each of dried herbs: I used thyme, marjoram and sage
tsp sweet paprika powder
tsp ground turmeric
tsp Hebridean Ascophyllum Seaweed
1 tbsp Shoyu or Tamari (natural soy sauce)
Organic sunflower oil for frying
Vegan mayonnaise to serve

1.
2.
3.

4.

Mash cooked rice in a large bowl along with the onion and carrot
then add the parsley, herbs, spices, seaweed and soy sauce.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Press the mixture together using wooden spoon or your hands.
Wet your hands and take a heaped tablespoon of mixture and
form into burger shapes.
Warm a heavy bottomed frying pan, heat a little sunflower oil and
fry the burgers on each side 4-5 minutes, until golden brown.

TOP TIPS

Short-grain brown rice is best for these delicious burgers

as this rice is more glutinous and sticks together well when
forming patties.
Pickled radishes make a great accompaniment to these
burgers.

Per 100g:

68

116

1.6g

0.1g

2.9g

0.4g

2.5g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

69

10

BILLION
PEOPLE

BILLION
PEOPLE

60 BILLION
LAND ANIMALS

100 BILLION
LAND ANIMALS

2012

2050

Why human population is

an animal rights issue
Marcus Dredge shares his views on how population growth affects animalsand what we can do about it

he issue of human population is notoriously taboo and when

it is discussed its often downplayed and assessed from an
anthropocentric (human-focused) perspective. This taboo exists
in both the environmental and animal rights movements. Even the
film Cowspiracy has a segment that plays down population concerns
when compared to animal agriculture. Consumption and the number of
consumers are of course two sides to the same coin.
This anthropocentric focus is a necessity because if we are to factor
in our impacts on the millions of other species and the requirements
of each new human it quickly becomes clear we are causing a
disproportionate amount of harm. Human population affects all

70

earthlings, this includes human animals, other animals and not least
the new human who comes into existence.
The current human population as of writing this article is in excess
of 7.4 billion. The total number added to this finite planet rises by
230,000 new humans every single day (after deaths) and is predicted
by a conservative UN estimate to be at 11.2 billion and rising in 2100.
Thats if we can be sustained for that long.
We go into ecological overshoot (the point at which the earth can no
longer replenish what we take) at an earlier point every year and we
are causing the collapse of the oceans and fueling climate change

through our activities. Should we as vegans want to add extra numbers

to what many scientists have now designated The Anthropocene
Epoch?
The Anthropocene, a geological age in which humans have significantly
influenced the Earths atmosphere, has seen wild animals half in total
number since 1970 according to the WWF. In the same period human
animals doubled in number. We intensify the basic rate of extinction by
1000-10,000 times, 200 species a day. We get the dubious honour of
being the first species to drive an extinction event. We are the asteroid.
We are the volcano.

These basic requirements will all push wild

animals out and require that our activities
take place in what was once their habitat.
But we vegans dont contribute to extinctions! We photosynthesise
then emit oxygen and fairydust! Sadly not, while we generally require
less land and water and produce less pollution than non-vegans
who demand the direct exploitation of farmed animals, we still have
highly harmful impacts on other animals. All of us will require land
for agriculture, housing, fuel/energy, remaining clean water, finite
mined resources etc. If were in the high consuming western world then
multiply these demands further and factor in cars, transport for our
food, roads and other infrastructure. These basic requirements will all
push wild animals out and require that our activities take place in what
was once their habitat.
So procreation is a huge gamble at the best of times but comes with
fixed certainties for those who are concerned with other animals living
freely of human encroachment. The idea of purposefully creating
vegan children is very difficult. Veganism is an ethic that babies and
children are unable to subscribe to. The many possible descendants
the vegan parent is responsible for will all behave however they
choose. These choices will be made in a speciesist society, surrounded
by speciesist peers. Remember that most of us rebelled against our
non-vegan upbringing.
We live in a pro-birth culture where reproduction is celebrated and
rewarded but everyone has the ability to change their mind. Just as
many of us were once non-vegan, biological parents are still able to

Species Extinction and Human Population

60000

8000
7000

5000

Human Population
(millions)

30000

4000
3000

20000

2000
10000

1000

Time

2010

1980

1950

1920

1890

1860

1830

0
1800

Source: US Geological Survey

Some will point to destructive financial systems as responsible for

the greater blame. Every new human will be born into a globalised
capitalist system and used as the worker/consumer cogs that
the machine needs to continue. Let us also note that all other
industrial economies and ideologies have been just as destructive
environmentally and have also been speciesist. They all harm other
animals.
Very few people or nations on Earth are asking to consume less.
On the contrary most wish to consume more and see greater
opportunities still for their descendants. We cant replace ourselves
with a new fantasy animal nor is the hope of reducing our consumption
(or everyone magically becoming vegan) an argument that humans are
not overpopulated.
What if we just replace ourselves? Unlike some animals we dont
reproduce and then die. Instead we multiply exponentially. Children,
parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents often all live at
the same time and make impacts simultaneously. Remember that
other people will continue to have as many as they want, ours would
be additional, on top of the existing growth.

Vegans are conscientious people who wish

to opt out of causing unnecessary harm.
Vegans are conscientious people who wish to opt out of causing
unnecessary harm, not contributing further to what naturalist and
Population Matters charity patron David Attenborough has described
as the human plague could be said to be the very least we can do. We
dont believe in breeding new dogs when so many are already in need
of homes. In my opinion adoption is the ethical imperative for those
who possess a strong parenting urge.
Many of the contrary, anthropocentric arguments will resemble the
excuses used by non-vegans: Its a personal choice. Its natural. Other
animals do it. Lets certainly not forget humans are animals too and
in addition to the suffering we cause to others we should also factor
in the suffering the future descendants will experience. Suffering
is implicit to life and as such I believe it wrong to needlessly throw
another being into existence. This could be especially prudent given
the dire warnings coming from scientific papers regarding life in an
ecologically ravaged era of climate change, food shortages, water
wars and civilisation collapse. The value of each individual already
drops and becomes cheaper with more and more of us.

6000

Extinctions

40000

Population Numbers

Extinction Numbers

50000

change their message regarding population the adding of new humans

in the future.

All social justice issues rely on a habitable planet in order to stage

them. With 230,000 new humans being added to the planet, all causes
are lost causes and all problems are made worse. We need to look
upstream instead of dealing with the downstream symptoms.
It is not compassionate to be laissez-faire regarding the adding of new
humans into such a chaotic future and as I have shown, our concerns
as vegans should be wider still.

Marcus Dredge is host of The Species Barrier, the UKs first vegan
radio show. You can subscribe to the Podcast on Itunes, follow on
Twitter, Facebook etc and check the homepage at
thespeciesbarrier.com

71

adders
IN FOCUS
A close-up look at this
mysterious British snake

cientifically named Vipera Berus, the adder is

one of the most misunderstood British animals.
With distinctive markings and predictable
habits they can be tracked for years by the people who know
how, exposing their secretive behaviours. Yet adders are still
despised by some who are unaware their docile and vigilant
nature makes the risk of their painful bite very small. According
to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation [ARC]: Despite their
venomous bite adders will always attempt to flee from danger so
their bite is rarely fatal to humans, and usually only occur when
the snake has been disturbed or deliberately antagonised.

72

According to Dr John Wilkinson, science

programme manager for ARC: There
are still good adder populations in a few
areas, mostly upland site, but they have
probably already gone from some counties
like Oxfordshire, Nottinghamshire and
Warwickshire. Recovery is certainly possible but
theres little sign of it at presentwe are facing adders becoming a
rare species with restricted distribution in Britain at present.
There are many reasons as to the cause of their decline but
scientists believe it is down to the disappearance, degradation
and fragmentation of habitat. They are being forced to reside in
places they wouldnt usually inhabit. Commonly, adders would
choose to live in open habitats such as heathland, moorland,
open woodland and sea cliffs, and rarely stray into gardens.
Predation is also a big problem for adders and may be the most
controversial cause for their decline. Foxes are the adders main
natural predator. The mass release of pheasants may also be
having a negative impact on reptiles generally as they are known
to eat them.
Female adders often breed once every two years or even once
every three years if the seasons are short and the climate is
severe. They give birth to between 5-20 live young during the
months of August and September. Juvenile adders are born with
a fully functional venom apparatus and a reserve supply of yolk
within their bodies. The young snakes are immediately left to fend
for themselves making them an easy target for hungry birds.
In Britain, adders are protected from being killed, injured or sold
under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).

Adders are carnivores, much like other snakes

they will eat any animal they can overpower and
digest, they tend to specialise in small rodents
such as voles and mice but will quite often
eat lizards, frogs and newts. Adders have also
been known to feed on nesting birds when the
opportunity arises as well as their eggs. These snakes have a unique
method of hunting prey. They strike at victims injecting their venom
which they immediately release to avoid injury. They then use their
incredible sense of smell to follow the scent trail and
devour the prey whole.

Adders have vertical pupils providing them

with the ability to locate prey easily.
With correct treatment the worst effects of
an adder bite are nausea and drowsiness with
swelling and bruising to the area. There are only around 10
recorded death cases from an adder bite in the last 100
years.
Beginning in October, they will hibernate to avoid the cold
temperatures and scarce food sources, emerging in early
March, which happens to be the easiest time of year to
spot them basking on a log or under a rock.
Accurate differentiation between male and female adders
can be very difficult. The female generally has brown
zig-zag markings along her back whilst males markings
are black. To confuse matters more, some adders are
entirely black which results in them being mistaken for
other species.
Generally, male adders are grey, cream or pale-yellow
in colour. Whereas, females are usually reddish brown in
colour with brown toned markings. Both sexes have the
iconic zigzag patterning.
Female adders are actually larger than males and can
reach a length of 75cm whereas males reach 60cm. At
birth adders are only around 14-18cm.

73

Truly Scrumptious
Tasty treats for everyone to enjoy

Per 100g:

74

274

18g

5.9g

13.3g

0.3g

6.4g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Peanut Butter Cakes

Makes 12
Crust
230g (2 cups) vegan digestive biscuits
115g ( cup) Suma organic spread
Filling
230g (1 cup) silken tofu (e.g. Taifun)
250g (1 cup) Suma smooth peanut butter with or without salt
1 - 2 tbsp Suma agave syrup or maple syrup
1 x 390g can coconut milk (before you start, put the can in the fridge overnight. Do not
shake when removing)
Ganache frosting
180g (1 cup) vegan chocolate buttons
85ml (13 cup) of non-dairy milk

Avocado Chocolate
Pudding

50g ( cup) melted vegan chocolate

100g ( cup) cocoa powder
2 ripe avocados
80g ( cup) maple syrup
4 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pistachios, to garnish

1.

Add the avocados, melted chocolate,

cocoa powder, maple syrup, almond
milk, vanilla, and salt to a food
processor

2.

Process until smooth and creamy.

3.

Spoon into glasses. Place in refrigerator

to firm up for four hours.

4.

Garnish with pistachios and serve.

1.

Preheat oven to 190C (375F, gas mark 5). You will need 12 silicon cupcake cases for
these cakes.

2.

Break up biscuits into a food processor and whiz until you have fine crumbs. Melt
the Suma organic spread and add to the food processor and whiz again until totally
blended. Wipe out the blender, youre going to need it again shortly.

3.

Share the biscuit base between the cup cakes and press into the cupcake case to
create a shell. This is a bit fiddly but persevere, it does work.

4.

Pop in the oven for about 8 10 minutes until golden brown.

5.

Remove from oven and allow to cool down.

6.

Time to make the filling. Carefully open the coconut milk and put the solid part only
in the food processor. Add the Suma peanut butter, tofu and agave syrup and blend.
Scrape down sides to make sure everything is incorporated.

7.

Fill the cases when they are cool and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.

8.

Now to make the topping. Tip the bag of buttons in a bowl and cover with your hot
non-dairy milk. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then stir to create a smooth ganache.
If its not quite smooth enough you can put it in the microwave for a few seconds.

9.

Smooth the ganache over the cakes and cool again in the fridge.

Recipe and image from suma.coop

Avocado facts
mindbodygreen.com

Per 100g:

311

21.4g

7.9g

12g

0.5g

8.3g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

There are 10 grams of fibre in one

medium-sized avocado.
Their thick skin protects them;
its natural packaging! You cant
eat the skin, but it shields the
green goodness inside, making
avocados perfect for travel.
Avocados are ripe when they feel
heavy for their size, yield to light
pressure and are dark in colour.
Not ripe? Put in a brown paper
bag for 2-4 days, or you can
speed up this process by putting
a banana or apple in the bag.

75

WHAT WOULD BREXIT MEAN FOR ANIMALS?

Maria Chiorando tackles this political hot potato-from the vegan point of view

n June 23 Britain will go to the ballot box to answer a crucial

question: should we remain in the European Union? This
complex issue has caused rifts within political parties and
sparked furious debate. Current polling suggests public opinion is
fairly evenly split in favour of staying or leaving. While the prime
minister wants to stay in the EU, a number of high profile Conservative
politicians are campaigning to leave. The official line coming from the
Labour Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Green Party is they all want to
stay.
To oversimplify the matter, those in favour of staying in the EU broadly
claim Britain is stronger as part of a bigger bloc, and we cannot hope
for EU reform without having a seat at the table and without the power
to influence EU decisions. On the other side of the equation, the
Brexiteers want to be free of Brussels iron fist, decentralising decision
making and putting the UK in control of its economic and social
affairs.
For vegans there is another key question: When it comes to animal
welfare and rights should we vote to stay or leave?

76

Even this issue is contentious, with a number of organisations offering

differing viewpoints. Political advisor and vegan Marisa Heath runs the
AllParty Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare [APGAW]. APGAW is
one of the few parliamentary groups based in the House of Commons
boasting significant political membership as well as useful membership
with outside bodies. She says: Whilst in principle the EU should be a
good thing for animal welfare, in practice it is not owing to the failure
of a one size fits all model and a refusal to reform and conform across
all member states which is why Brexit may actually raise animal welfare
standards in the UK.
Only last month a group of European ministers called on the
European Commission to come up with new rules to improve
farm animal welfare standards. The food chain director at the EU
Commissions Food Policy Department, responded by saying that it
was unlikely demands would be met and stated we have to keep in
mind, frankly, the lack of support there is in a great many quarters for
more legislation in this area. Getting consensus on these issues across
members is near impossible as proven time and time again.

In other words in theory the EU should make animal welfare standards

higherbut the amount of red tape means real change is hard to put in
place.
This opinion is not shared by everyone. Green Party member of the
European Parliament for the south east Keith Taylor recently claimed
the question around animal welfare and the EU referendum is one of
the most frequent enquiries he receives.

Working with other European countries

has helped improve conditions for
animals in areas where national
governmentsincluding our ownhave
failed.
He told Vegan Life: The Green Party position is very firmly to remain
part of the EU. Within that decision there are lots of different reasons
which apply to different interest groups. For people who would like to
base a major part of their decision on the treatment of animals, we are
saying: If the animals had the vote they would want to stay.
The politician credits the EU with designating animals as sentient
beings, he says when we look at the United States, for example,
farm animals do not have the rights assigned to their European
counterparts. They are treated, he says, like a sack of potatolike
objects.
The Lisbon Treaty stipulates that full regard should be paid to animals
welfare requirements. This means European animal protection laws are
frequently stronger than those applied in other parts of the world. In
addition, working with other European countries has helped improve
conditions for animals in areas where national governmentsincluding
our ownhave failed.
A clear example of an area in which campaigners have failed to
make progress is live exportwhen animals are transported to
foreign countries by road and sea for slaughter. According to welfare
organisation Compassion in World Farming, over three million animals
are exported from the EU to nonEU countries every year. Their
destinations include Turkey, Russia and the Middle East. Not only are
the journeys themselves long and brutal enough to kill a number of
animals but when European animals leave the EU, they lose the legal
protection they were once afforded. This means they can be subjected
to squalid housing, brutal handling, torturous restraint systems, and
slow, painful slaughter.
Despite how unpopular the trade is, the UK is bound by EU law to let
it continue. To ban live exports would be illegal and would undermine
the principle of the freemovement of goods enshrined in the treaty on
the functioning of the European Union. According to APGAWs Marisa
Heath: This continues to be one of the big issues and despite much
lobbying, the EU is refusing to reduce the standard journey time or
conditions. Horses are also live transported across the EU to abattoirs
and for a long time the welfare groups have unsuccessfully been trying
to convince the Commission to introduce a maximum journey limit of
nine to 12 hours. The free movement has allowed puppies from the
most squalid puppy farms in Eastern Europe to be transported into the

UK and sold for huge sums to the public here undercutting our efforts
to tackle bad breeding and risking disease.
But would freedom from the EU mean freedom to create higher welfare
standards?
Tory MP and farming minister George Eustice certainly thinks so. In
a piece backing Brexit he wrote: If we vote to leave and take control
there would be no such thing as EU law. The ECJ would have no
jurisdiction in the UK. There would be no more EU auditors telling us
what to do. Ministers and their civil servants would be free to start
thinking policy ideas through from first principles. We could pilot new
ways of doing things and we could actually deliver the change British
farming craves.
He claims this could benefit both farmed and wild animals,
saying: To promote improved wildlife habitats and higher animal
welfare standards, we would put in place a scheme similar to the
environmental stewardship scheme we have now but we would make
it simpler and broaden the remit of schemes to include measures that
improve animal welfare. He believes these changes could not be made
under Britains current position in the EUthough as ever, not everyone
agrees with him.

But claims EU counties including Britainare forced to uphold lower

welfare standards than they would like, simply as part of their
membership are false, according to Keith Taylor from the Green
Party. He says: The UK is often able to introduce and enforce welfare
standards for animals that are higher than EU minimum requirements.
In fact, the UK banned veal crates in 1990. The EU followed suit in
2007. The UK banned animal testing for cosmetics in 1998. Similar,
stronger, EU regulations followed in 2009. The UK banned sow stalls in
1999. The EU did the same in 2013. However, this is proof that rather
than lowering our standards, Britain has the potential to promote
higher welfare standards across the EU.

Some say the UK would be freed from

the constraints of EU free trade rules,
allowing us to raise our animal welfare
standards.
Carol McKenna, Compassion in World Farmings director of campaigns,
adds: As a politically neutral organisation we arent able to offer
guidance on whether to vote in or out, but we can give insight into
what we would expect to happen in the case of Brexit. Some say the
UK would be freed from the constraints of EU free trade rules, allowing
us to raise our animal welfare standards and protect UK farmers by
banning lower welfare imports. However, we would still be governed
by World Trade Organization rules. These allow slightly more freedom
but would still prevent us from restricting imports that do not meet UK
animal welfare standards.
The answers are complex, and by no means definitive. And farm
animals are just one aspect of the welfare equation: another is wildlife.
The Wildlife Trust has robustly stated that it is not affiliated with either
the stay or leave campaigns, and is not telling people how to vote.
The trust has however put together a document considering how the >

77

What exactly is the EU?

The European Union [EU] is a political and
economic partnership involving 28 countries.
In order to join, countries must follow certain
rules, and gain certain benefits in return.
Countries must always pay for membership.
This should not be confused with the Eurozone which is the
economic region formed by EU members which use the euro as
currency.
Its orginals started during the aftermath of World War Two
and initially conceived as an economic route to peace as it
was believed countries that trade with one another become
economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict.
The first dealinvolving six countries who agreed to pool coal
and steel resourceswas signed in 1950.
In 1958, The European Economic Community (EEC) was created
forming the foundation of todays EU. The UK joined in 1973.
Since then, a hugesingle markethas been created.
Now this economic union has become a political union too
hence the name change from the EEC to the EU ( in 1993). Now
the EU spans a number of policy areasone of its main goals is
to promote human rights. The EU is based on the rule of law:
everything that it does is founded ontreaties, voluntarily and
democratically agreed by all member countries. These binding
agreements set out the EUs goals in its many areas of activity.
outcome of the referendum may affect nature and decided to make its
conclusions publicly available.

But Marisa Heath believes welfare legislation must come from

within the UK, saying: We have seen very little positive action
from the EU or funds to enforce existing legislation. In the UK we
are about to see the Wildlife Bill make its way through Parliament
which seeks to protect and conserve our wildlife. British farmers
already aim to meet higher standards but get undercut by cheap
imports from the EU.
Brexit will provide us with ways of supporting our British farmers as
the Defra minister George Eustice MP has stated as well as enabling
us to lobby our own MPs and Ministers for the legislation required to
protect animals rather than a faceless commissioner whom we have no
control over and a parliament with 28 competing interests.
For others it is not a case of in or out: rather that animal welfare
standards must be increased whatever the UKs position regarding
Europe.
Carol McKenna, Compassion in World Farmings director of campaigns,
says: In the past, the UK has often taken a lead on animal welfare
within the EUadopting a total sow stall ban, and prohibiting the use
of veal crates before most other member states. In recent years other
countries have begun leading the way, proposing EUwide animal
welfare improvements which the UK has refused to sign up to. This is a
complex area of discussion and there are further elements which come
into play, which we have examined in detail.
Ultimately, it is clear that both national and international
governments urgently need to adopt bold policies to continue raising
the base level of animal welfare standards, regardless of the outcome
of the referendum in June.

The Wildlife Trust claims: The EU has the single largest body of
environmental legislation in the world. The evidence shows that this
has had an exceptionally positive impact on our efforts to reduce
pollution, influence decisions about built development and safeguard
our wildlife in the UK. The EUs agricultural and fisheries policies have
had a more negative impact on wildlife in the past. However, recent
reforms have improved them both substantially, and these benefits
would be in jeopardy in the event of a Brexit.

For others it is not a case of in or out:

rather that animal welfare standards
must be increased whatever the UKs
position regarding Europe.
[We] believe that our wildlife and habitats will be better off if they
continue to benefit from EU environmental legislation and a cross
Europe framework for nature conservation. We have formed this view
because of the positive impact they currently bring to the UKs wildlife
and the uncertainty of the alternatives.
We also believe that wildlife across Europe benefits from having
laws which the UKs strong nature conservation community has been
involved in designing. We know where wildlife stands with the UK as a
member of the EU, but there is no certainty about its future under a
Brexit.

78

Marisa Heath, who runs the

AllParty Parliamentary Group
for Animal Welfare

79

Vegan Cider
Our pick of the barrel

or many years cider has been synonymous with the West

Country. The region is famous for its traditional cider farms
producing the scrumpy style of cider. Despite the close
connection of apples and the West Country, the apple tree originated
in Central Asia. This global spread is perhaps the reason why the apple
is a symbol deeply embedded in our psyches. From Norse mythology
through to the most well known talethe forbidden fruit of Eden.
Cider is often thought of as either dry, medium and sweet without
much in between. However, if you look beneath the surface, youll find
more variation than that. Magners, Bulmers and Gaymers did much for
regenerating the cider market and enhancing its appeal to a younger
generation with their serve over ice marketing. Quick to follow was
an influx of fruit flavoured ciders from Kopparberg and Rekorderlig
targeted at those drinkers with a sweeter tooth.
Unfortunately, as with beer and many other alcoholic drinks, cider is
not always suitable for vegans. Its an industry that suffers the same
issues throughout: a lack of clear labelling and transparency. Most
people would assume the key ingredients in cider to be apples and

80

there shouldnt be a need for animal products. Commercial cider

producers use animal products for the clarification process in order to
make their drinks appear clear. Sadly the main non-vegan ingredients
used to do this are either isinglass (derived from fish swim bladders) or
animal gelatine.
Mirroring a trend seen in the brewing industry, mainstream cider
manufacturers are now gravitating towards offering cloudy cider with
vegan-friendly ones including Thatchers Somerset Haze and Westons
Old Rosie. Regrettably the other widely available hazy cider, Strongbow
Cloudy Apple, cannot be said to be vegan-friendly. Its the same
story throughout much of the standard ciders available: Strongbow,
Blackthorn, Kopparberg, Rekorderlig, Gaymers, Bulmers and Magners
(with the exception of Pear) are all not vegan.
Thankfully there are many ciders available that are suitable for vegans
including twoStowford Press and Thatchersthat are accessible
in most pubs. Other vegan ciders include Aspall, Kingstone Press,
Brothers, Westons and Merrydown.

Premier Cru (7%) Aspall

RRP 2.00 for 500ml (Sainsburys)

Wyld Wood Organic Cider (6%) Westons

RRP 1.79 for 500ml (Asda)

The family cyder-making business was established

in 1728 by Clement Chevallier who planted the
orchards at Aspall Hall in Suffolk. The Chevallier
family still live and work among Clements orchards
and today Aspall is run by the eighth generation of
the family. The finest apples are pressed at Aspall
Hall to produce exquisite cyders and cyder vinegars.
Premier Cru pours a beautiful golden yellow that
glows in the glass. The subtle floral aroma is said to
capture the essence of an orchard. Produced using
bittersweet, culinary and dessert apples, the taste is
clean and crisp with a dry finish. Pair Aspalls Premier
Cru with herby vegan sausages or chili non carne.

Established in 1880, Westons make traditional

English cider the way people want cider to taste.
Created from specially selected cider apples
sourced from Herefordshires organic orchards.
Wyld Wood Organic Cider is a full-bodied and oaky
traditional premium cider. The cider was re-branded
as Wyld Wood back in September 2011 to emphasise
its organic and rural origin. Matured in aged oak
vats for up to nine months, Wyld Wood cider has a
ripe apple aroma with fresh and full-bodied taste. Its
advertised as a true celebration of nature in a glass
and its easy to see why.
Westons ciders are suitable for vegetarians, vegans

Aspall ciders are suitable for vegetarians, vegans

and coeliacs.

and coeliacs.

Strawberry & Kiwi (4%) Brothers

RRP 1.99 for 500ml (Tesco)
Brothers first sold their pear cider at the
Glastonbury Festival in 1995 near to what was then
known as the Jazz World Stage. These days it is
called the West Holts Stage, but their bar remains
in the same place during the festival. Attendees
kept asking where they could purchase Brothers
cider outside of the festival, so the logical step was
to market it to pubs and supermarkets. The range
includes light, refreshing ciders made using a variety
of fruits, now available in supermarkets and pubs
across the country. Delicate strawberry notes slowly
rise from the pastel pink cider. Juicy strawberries
and zesty kiwi juice combine to deliver a delicious
and refreshing natural taste. Perfect for hot summer
days.
Brothers ciders are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.

Thatchers Gold (4.8%) Thatchers

RRP 1.99 for 500ml (Waitrose)
For generations Thatchers has been bringing
together its traditional approach and modern
techniques. It has been perfecting its apple
orchards, craft and cider to ensure the end product
is the best it can be. The range features fresh,
vibrant and modern ciders such as Somerset Haze
and Red to the traditional and vintage. Thatchers
Gold is perhaps the most well known of their ciders
with a strong presence in many supermarkets, pubs
and bars throughout the country. This refreshing
cider has a smooth apple taste with floral notes
and lively carbonation. It works perfectly with spicy
dishes: try with a Mexican bean burger or a red Thai
curry.
Thatchers ciders are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.

Kingston Black (7%) Hecks

RRP 2.70 for 500ml (Bristol Cider Shop)
The Hecks familys cider farm in Street, Somerset,
is managed by sixth-generation cider-makers. Since
1896 the family has been producing traditional
Somerset farmhouse cider, perry and apple juice.
All the ciders are fermented in oak barrels and sold
draught from the wood. The perrys also deserve
recognition. Perry is made like a cider, but using
pears instead. Kingston Black is a single variety
sparkling cider formed from the famous Kingston
Black apple. This apple variety arose in Somerset
in the late 19th Century and yields a cider that is
classic in appearance, taste and strength. Pouring
a pleasing shade of copper, the taste is well balanced and full of this
distinctive apple flavour.
Hecks ciders are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.

Charmer (6%) Orchard Pig

RRP 1.99 for 500ml (Tesco)
Orchard Pig ciders are bursting with bittersweet
West Country cider apples. The apples are expertly
blended and matured for a great taste and huge
depth of flavour. Orchard Pig bottled ciders are
gently carbonated; less bubbles means more
delicious apples! Charmer is a gently sparkling cider
with a rich aroma of deep tannins. The first sip is
mellow apple sweetness with soft citrus and floral
notes. The deep apple flavours linger on the tongue
and end with a crisp, refreshing finish. This charming
Charmer full of characterful apple flavour is the
ideal match for some traditional dishes including
tofish and chips or a vegan sausage roll.
Orchard Pig ciders are gluten free and suitable for vegetarians, vegans
and fruitarians.
Follow Oliver Coningham on twitter: @forkandcarrot

81

EARTHLINGS EXPERIENCE
The remarkable women behind the masks share their story

82

earing masks and holding laptops the silent campaigners

do not talk to passers-by. Some stop and watch the moving
images unfurling across the screen while others rush by,
pretending not to have noticed the pain playing out before them. The
laptop screens play scenes from the film Earthlings. The campaigners
are part of a bigger movement to bring the reality of animal
exploitation to the masses.
For many the film is the obvious choice when trying to educate about
the plight of animals. Hollywood actor Joaquin Pheonix, who narrated
the documentary, previously said of the film: Ive been a vegan since I
was about three years old and involved in animal rights for years. Ive
seen a number of animal rights films throughout the years, none has
affected me as profoundly as Earthlings.
This innovative idea was the brainchild of two London-based sistersJane and Phoebe Frampton, founders of the London Vegan Actions
group and well-known within the community for their creative and
effective campaigning. I dont think we could be anything other than
active, says Jane. Once we learnt what was going on we became
vegan. That was about four years ago. Having my sisters support is
really helpful and its great we became vegan at the same time.
With this project, we started to think about harnessing the power
of moving images. Earthlings is such a moving documentary, but we
werent expecting it to become the global success it has, with activists
all over the world taking part.
The activists taking part in the demo avoid interacting with the public.
The idea is to not detract away from the images on the screen,
explains Jane. Thats why we wear the masks-to keep the focus on the
film and encourage the viewer to have their own unique and natural
reaction. We simply present the film: we dont talk about it. I think this
works well. We usually screen footage from the food segment on the
movie (Earthlings is divided into sections). Watching footage from
animal agriculture is a real shock for a lot of people. Most simply dont
understand how factory farming works.
One of the great things about the Earthlings Experience-aside from its
success-is its accessibility. Its a great piece of activism for your first
time, explains Phoebe. You can do it by yourself but it works better
if there are two of you. You dont need a massive group of people. Its
straightforward and non-intimidating.
Generally in pairs, one activist will hold the screen and another will hold
a sign saying something like watch the video to see why we are here.
The sisters also say you should have a visible label somewhere as a
disclaimer saying: WARNING: this footage contains graphic content.
Footage taken fromEarthlings.com.
Jane says: I have seen some people cry when they start to watch: I
think that is a healthy reaction to seeing animals suffer in the most
awful ways. When you have those moments, while I dont set out to
upset people, I feel like, as an activist, I am achieving something here.
We are really helping people learn about whats going on.
What makes someone push themselves into the frontline of activism in
this way? Phoebe says: When I became vegan, it was a really positive
step, but I felt like I wasnt doing enough. I felt like I had to be more
proactive, really get out there and start to make a bigger difference.
When Ive been doing the Earthlings Experience, Ive had people say
they are going to become vegan: thats it, they have learnt about
animal agriculture and they no longer want to be a part of it. That is
a great feeling. Playing the film seems really effective. Were not in

peoples faces, they are curious about what were doing and a lot will
come over to see.
Jane adds: There is something really exciting happening with veganism
at the moment-I really see the movement growing quickly. Whether for
reasons of health or compassion, more and more people are choosing
the lifestyle.
Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome-the sisters recommend
checking their website (londonveganactions.com) and Facebook
groups-then just turning up on the day to take part. Well keep
campaigning for as long as necessary, says Phoebe. We are privileged
in this part of the world to have the freedom to demonstrate and the
freedom to speak out. Not everyone has that, and I think we should all
engage to try and make the world a better place.
Jane adds: Being vegan means youre not part of the problem-but
if youre not proactive, youre not part of the solution either. We can
all be active in many different ways. Working towards creating a more
compassionate society is the most fulfilling thing Ive ever done.
Sisters success stories
Laura and Phoebes campaigning can claim a hand in lots of
significant victories over the last few years-helping create a
better world for animals.
2015-London Vegan Actions campaigned successfully to
have foie gras taken off the menu at numerous restaurants
including Le Petit Mason, LEscargot, Savoir Faire, and
Gauthier-among many others.
2014-Dedicated activism led to angora (often sourced in
excruciatingly inhumane ways) taken off the shelves at
United Colours of Benetton, Lacoste, Monsoon, French
Connection among others.
2014-Helped convince STA Travel to stop selling tickets to
bullfights.
2014-Shepherd Foods decided to stop selling foie gras after
they saw LVAs footage and information and realised how
cruel and inhumane force feeding is.
2013-Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, and Gap all said
theyd stop selling products containing angora.

83

the big dipper

Cause major lunch-envy with this delicious combo

Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf

360ml (1 cups) almond or other plant milk

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp coconut palm sugar or syrup
225g (2 cups) gluten-free plain flour,plus extra for sprinkling
225g (2 cups) teff flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp xanthan gum
tsp Himalayan pink salt

1.
2.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.

Flick some water into a heavy-duty casserole dish (about 21cm
in diameter) and sprinkle in some gluten-free flour so the sides
and base of the pan are lightly coated. This will help to prevent
the bread from sticking. Place the pan in the oven to heat up
while you prepare the bread. By baking the bread in a pan like
this, you will be sure to get a really delicious, crunchy crust.

3.

4.

5.

Combine the almond (or other plant-based milk) with the

apple cider vinegar in a jug. This is how you make a dairyfree buttermilk. Leave to sit while you prepare the other
ingredients.
In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and mix
thoroughly. Make a well in the centre and then pour in the
almond milk mixture. Use your hands to stir the mixture
together until it forms a nice dough. Knead on a lightly
floured surface for a minute or two. You want the dough to
be as smooth as possible so that the bread does not crack
when baked. Shape the dough into a circle roughly the same
diameter as the pan.
Place the dough in the hot pan and sprinkle the top with a
little extra gluten-free flour. Bake in the oven with the lid on for
5560 minutes. The bread is ready if it sounds hollow inside
when you tap it. Leave it to cool on a wire rack.

TOP TIP
Per 100g:

84

207

2.5g

0.4g

1.7g

1.2g

9.8g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

If you cant get teff, use ground

almonds instead, or just glutenfree flour alone. The texture
will not be the same, but the
result is still delicious.

Creamy Cauliflower And

Tahini Dip Serves 2

170g ( cups) roasted cauliflower florets

(260g raw cauliflower)
2 tbsp tahini
Zest of 1 lemon
Spice scatter
tsp coriander seeds
tsp cumin seeds
tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
tsp sumac
Finely grated zest of lemon
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1. Put the roasted cauliflower into a food processor or blender
with the tahini and lemon zest and blend until smooth. If
you need more liquid, you can add 60ml water. Transfer to a
serving bowl.
2. To make the spice scatter, toast the seeds in a dry frying pan
for 2 minutes or until toasted and smelling aromatic. Remove
from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Mix the sumac, lemon
zest and parsley with the toasted seeds and scatter over the
dip.
3. Serve the dip alongside a salad or as a traditional dip with
crudits, bread or crackers.

Per 100g:
95

6.3g

0.9g

2.6g

0.1g

4.4g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

Recipes and images from Honestly Healthy In a Hurry by

Natasha Corrett. Published by Hodder & Stoughton 25.
Photography by Lisa Linder.

85

Image: Vicky Alhadeff

Juliet Gellatley on Passion, Knickers

and a Pig Called Blue
Tony Wardle interviews the founder of vegan group Viva!

ve known Juliet Gellatley a long timea very long time26 years to

be precise. When I first met her she was a young youth education
officer at the Vegetarian Society but within three years was its
director. She then left to found the vegan campaigning group, Viva!
which she still directs from its Bristol offices.

about animals and someone has to tear away the veil that disguises
their pain with constant hype that encourages people to believe that
they have to eat animals. It is a massive deceit built on terrible cruelty
and selfinterest yet it is the source of so many human diseases and is
destroying our world.

Thats a long time to be constantly fighting for animals but in truth, it

started way before that, as a 15yearold on the streets of Stockport,
handing out leaflets against seal pup slaughter, snaring and other
barbarities. It was also then that Juliet blagged her way into a model
pig farm and the suffering she witnessedparticularly a limping, lame
old boar who implored her with his eyesdetermined the rest of her life.
She was compelled to try and turn Britainthe worldvegan.

Our children should know thisit should be on the school curriculum

but the opposite is happening. Their environmental awareness consists
of recycling and biking, which suits the establishment perfectly as no
one talks about the huge damage done by livestock on so many fronts.

There have been many farm visits since then but if you are so ripped
apart by animals suffering, why would you continue to expose yourself
to it? Theres no equivocation in Juliets answer:I do it because I care

86

We know that children hate cruelty to animals and their parents hide
them from it, taking them to lovely, cuddly petting zoos. And so they
are woven into the thread that runs through societythat animals are
wellcared for. It is almost a conspiracy and were all part of it. The
industry would fall apart if the truth was known and thats why I do
what I do.

Juliet is mother of 13yearold twin boys, Jazz and Finn, directs the
Viva! team in Bristol and is responsible for an equally big team at Viva!
Poland in Warsaw. And shes still taking part in exposs, deciding how
best to connect with you and I.

We have to stop seeing animals as

things. They are not here for our use, for
us to abuse, ours to kill. Someone has
to show what happens or no one will
believe it.
I try to personalise it, which is why I talk to the animals and say
things such as, this little girl will never see a vet. I named one pig Blue
because of her penetrating blue eyes, to remind people that pigs are
every bit as complex as us and in the wild run free, often for miles,
have a complex social structure and here she is, locked into a rape
rack so small she can barely move, desperate to escapetransformed
into a commodity, a tiny cog in a huge machine.
We have to stop seeing animals as things. They are not here for our
use, for us to abuse, ours to kill. Someone has to show what happens
or no one will believe it.

If you look at Juliet on camera at viva.org.uk/faceoff you will be in no

doubt about how deeply affected she was. But there is also a powerful
positivity about this seasoned campaigner for the animals.
What helps me is being surrounded by people who feel the same as I
do. I let my feelings pour out on social media and the messages come
rushing back so I know were not alone. Society is changing and we are
part of that change. Blue now has a place in my heart and the pain of
her comes back to me at the most unexpected timesand so it does
with the hens I recently filmed. I want to rescue them all but it isnt an
answer as they will simply be replaced with others.
I guessed there must have been some hairraising moments over the
years and I was right.
One of the first undercover exposs I did was into duck farming. My
colleague and I were so navetwo women chatting up a worker so we
could see inside a duck shed. The noise and stench and overcrowding
were overwhelming but I dropped to my knees in the crap and filmed.

You have to be robust to do this work

and know your limits.

Most people would not want to do what Juliet does and I asked if there
was anything she found particularly difficult.

The managers werent as gullible and I was suddenly surrounded

by angry men so I surreptitiously ejected the tape and hid it in my
knickers. They wouldnt dare search there! It was all worth it as it got
enormous media coveragethe firstever view inside an intensive duck
farm.

Normally, I carry a camera but on the recent Face Off pig

investigation I didnt have that barrier between me and the animals, I
was talking straight to camera about my emotions and had nowhere to
hide. I found it very difficult.

You have to be robust to do this work and know your limits. I filmed in
one slaughter house and struggled to suppress the urge to shout out,
stop it, stop it you bastards, you cant do this! I wont film slaughter
againothers do that.

It was the same breeding sow, Blue, who ripped a hole in me. I bent
down to her level, talked to her and made a connection with her. She
had probably never before heard a kind word from any human in her
life and I could see her trying to work it out. I so wanted to take her
out of that dreadful place but couldnt. I left feeling absolutely dreadful
and on the train back I started crying for Blue and the millions of
others who are subjected to relentless suffering.

We know from our Face Off street viewings that the cruelty affects
people deeply and challenges their perceptions, which is why we have
to keep doing it. Our Face Off chicken film has also been viewed
by 260,000 people on one Facebook page alone. I feel no sense of
elation as I know the scale of whats happening. But we have to change
peoplewe are changing people and the pace of that change is now
quite extraordinary! If you want to support Juliets work go to
viva.org.uk/join.

87

Recipe and image from Honestly Healthy In a Hurry by Natasha Corrett.

Published by Hodder & Stoughton 25.
Photography by Lisa Linder.

88

summer lovin
A treat for those long summer days and
dinners in the garden

Summer Pudding
Serves 6 8

Per serving:

239

1.6g

0.3g

13.0g

0.8g

8.0g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

250g (2 cups) raspberries

250g (1 cups) strawberries
120g (1 cup) blackcurrants
120g (1 cup) blueberries
3 tbsp agave syrup
Zest and juice of lime
68 slices gluten-free bread

1.

Place the fruit, agave syrup and lime juice in a pan with 2
tablespoons water and simmer over a gentle heat for 4 minutes.
The raspberries should have broken down and lots of delicious
juice should be gathering at the bottom of the pan. Set a sieve
over a bowl and drain the fruit.

2.

Cut the crusts off the bread so that you have rectangles about
5cm wide and 10cm long. These will be used to line a 1 litre
pudding bowl. Take one piece of bread at a time, dip it in the
fruit juice and then place it up the side of the bowl. Repeat until
you have gone all around the bowl, making sure that there are
no gaps between each slice of bread. You might need to push
the sides of each slice together a bit or cut some smaller fingers
of bread to bridge any gaps.

3.

Finally, using a cutter, cut a circle of bread to fill the base of the
bowluse any off cuts to bridge further gaps as you dont want
any of the fruit to escape.

4.

Once the bowl is lined, pour the fruit and remaining juice into
the centre of the bowl, then cover with more bread so as to seal
the pudding.

5.

The next step is to refrigerate the pudding overnight with a

weight on top. I use a side plate with an apple or two on top.
The liquid should not overflow from the pudding, but put a plate
under the bowl in the fridge just in caseyou can always drizzle
any overflow on top of the pudding when you serve.

6.

Remove the pudding from the fridge when you are ready to
serve and carefully flip it onto a plate. Drizzle any leftover
juice on top and scatter the plate with some more berries and
chopped mint.

7.

Serve with a dollop of vegan yoghurt.

89

INDEPENDENT THINKER
Mya has had remarkable success as an artist-she talks about how veganism has helped

Image: Helga Esteb shutterstock.com

90

hristina Aguilera, Pink, and Lil Kim are just some of the famous
names global superstar Mya has worked alongside. The singer,
who released smash hit Lady Marmalade among a host of
other numbers, has enjoyed a rare success with a career spanning
decades. With a clutch of awards to her nameincluding a Grammyher
work has been admired worldwide.
Following record releases with major labels (one of which is Interscope)
the star decided to become an independent artistbuying herself
the freedom to release her own music without constraints. And many
critics and fans would argue these independent releases showcase
Myas finest work.

Spiritually, I feel more calm, at

peace, better aligned with myself and
divine order, knowing that I am not
contributing to another living beings
pain and suffering.
The journey to independent artist was not the only one Mya started.
She says: At the beginning of my independent recording artist
journey eight years ago, I made the commitment to become my own
disciplinarian and start my journey ofselfconditioning, strength and
trust. Every new year Idset a new challenge that I had to complete to
prove myself to me. Most of my friends thought I was insane.
From pescetarianism, to celibacy, no alcohol, vegetarianism, 10 day
fastings every quarter, to running a marathon, to combining three
challenges at once. After a very toxic relationship, I decided I needed
to go further, go harder, by stepping into new territory to get the me
that Id lost back and be an even better me. This is what brought me to
veganism. It literally changed my life in every positive way.
And her new lifestyle has benefited the singer enormouslyshe
no longer suffers from anaemia, her skin is clear, and she able to
maintain a healthy body weight with less effort. I also save much more
money, because I dont purchase as many unnecessary items, she
says.Spiritually, I feel more calm, at peace, better aligned with myself
and divine order, knowing that I am not contributing to another living
beings pain and suffering.
Like many vegans Mya finds the lifestyle itself easy but says learning
the truth about animal agriculture was difficult. I began feeling anger
and shame toward my old self, my parents, upbringing, exstylists for
being either oblivious or careless to the atrocities and all of the things
Id once consumedthat involved torture and death, she says. Now, I
see the world through a different set of lenses, and my heart operates
from a different place. The pain is very intense, but so is the fight. Im
constantly in a spiritual battle with the ways of humanity, its greed
and disregard for life itself. To be honest, its been extremely difficult
to digest the ugly truth and even more difficult to eat with nonvegan
associates, friends and family.

to a guide or cheerleader. So, Id first recommend doing some

research on veganism, following vegan social media pages, watching
documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, Cowspiracy, Earthlings)
to name a few, for awareness and truth behind factory farming, animal
cruelty, destruction to human health and planet earth.
Motivation usually starts and continues from purpose and passion.
If discipline is not your forte, then Id recommend starting with just a
day or two of veganism every week, then graduate to three/four days,
then eventually a weekuntil it becomes habitual into monthly practice
and hopefully a lifetime commitment. Make any challenge fun, by
implementing games, taking classes, attending festivals,documenting
with pictures, engaging others on your progress even through social
media, and reward yourself for every progression made.
And while this commitment to veganism is a hugely important part of
her life, the songstress is currently busy with lots of projects. Outside
the daily independent admin work, rehearsals, fittings, travel and
touring, my current focus is being my best self mentally, emotionally,
physically, spiritually so that I might be a better example to others and
hopefully assistfirst hand in making the world a better place to live,
she says.
I believe any return begins with the investment in being a great
person first. Sure, there will be bad days, ups, downs, but positive
perspective, positive action,positive energy,knowing your value and
working toward being your best self leads to a longer,more fulfilling
life and resilience to continue. With that foundation, one can become
amagnet,personally or professionally, which leads to attracting
people of similar interests and passions, whichthen leads to a team
and community, which can assist in endurance and longevity.
While Mya generally keeps her future plans under wraps she has some
exciting plantbased projects lined up that shes willing to share. I
ultimately want to head in the direction of developing vegan/cruelty
free alternatives in every lane, she says. This includes fashion to fast
food, drive thrus, home decor and furniture, car interiors, pet food,
beauty and health, to cooking shows, if not an entire network.
Im also now inspired to step into a lobbyist position to begin
implementing organic, vegan meals into school lunch options, in airline
travel, airports, wherever its presence lacks. I am a big dreamer and
in time, I have become a big doer. Ive started small by developing an
organic vegan wine, and vegan chocolates which are both available on
my website myamya.com inside the shop. Accessibility and availability
is a key component in prompting others to make lifestyle adjustments.
Ive also learned that if something does not exist, create it, especially
if our hearts, health and future depend on it. I hope to exchange ideas
with a vegan community of power and influence in order to begin the
discussion and hopefully begin the journey on bringing them to life
with others.
Despite the acclaim, fame, and success, Mya remains humble. She
says; Id like to personally send a big thank you to all of those who
have been a source ofknowledge, inspiration, encouragement and
positivity during this journey of enlightenment. Though welive in a
world full of negative things, just through veganism, Ive been shown
how many loving, caring, pure hearts still exist and that there is still
hope to making this world a better place, which is everything! I am truly
grateful.

She has some helpful advice for those considering a vegan lifestyle,
saying: I think we can often set ourselves up for failure if we either
try to go cold turkey, dont do the proper research or have access

91

92

TURNING POINT
One single moment decided the course of
this artists life

orking as an animal cruelty investigator means Canadianborn artist Twyla Francois is constantly exposed to the
darker side of human nature. As part of her job she has
overseen investigations that have resulted in the closure of facilities,
animal cruelty charges and convictions, and the rescues of abused
and neglected farmed animals.
Coming from a small farming community Twyla always felt a
connection with animals. This connection combined with the
relentless sight of animal cruelty and torture she sees daily
meant her art was borne out of the need for an outlet. Using her
investigative work as inspiration, her paintings highlight the true
extent of the horrors animals trapped in the farming industry endure.
She always seeks to raise awareness of these animals in a gentle but
compelling way.
Can you tell me about how you discovered veganism? Is it
something you were always surrounded by?
Because I grew up in a rural farming village in the 70s and 80s,
veganism-and even vegetarianism-was unheard of. Like most rural
kids though, I participated in an agriculture program for budding
animal producers called 4H. As part of its animal husbandry course,
I chose and raised a calf and spent long hours getting to know
and care for him. When the town fair came around, I enrolled him,
believing it to be some sort of bovine beauty pageant.
It was only when I recognized the man bidding on my calf in the
audience as the town butcher did I realize what I had done, but no
amount of pleading or tears allowed the calf to be returned to me.
Because I was directly responsible for this calf's death, I was able to
make the connection between my own meat consumption and the
betrayal and death of animals. I dropped meat the next day-that
was 30 years ago. Years later, after beginning my work as a farmed
animal cruelty investigator and a 13 month investigation following
one barn of battery-caged egg-laying hens, I went vegan. It was the
best decision I've ever made.
Was being an artist always your ambition?
In childhood scrapbooks, my response to the question: "What do
you want to be when you grow up?"repeatedly went back and forth
between artist and veterinarian/animal nurse. Growing up in a small
farming village though, art wasn't seen as a particularly valuable skill.
I always saw the importance of art but somehow it was always pushed
into the background. It was really only recently that my partner Olivier
convinced me to put aside my fear of failure and exposure. Before
this, painting was an intensely private act-something I simply did to
cope with what I was seeing during investigations. I never imagined
that anyone would be interested in my work or actually buy it. It's
been extremely heartening to learn that I was wrong.

Crushing Compassion Since 1913

Tell me about some of your more hard hitting pieces i.e.

YOUR FACE HERE and Free Me.
I painted Free Mein an attempt to cope with what I was seeing during
my first investigation at a pig facility in 2005. The facility served as >

93

Free Me

Monkey Wrenching III - YOUR FACE HERE

94

Wilbur

Monkey Wrenching I

a collecting station, where animals were temporarily housed while

being marketed to slaughterhouses-in this case, thousands of miles
away. The animals were cull sows and boars used for breeding who
had spent the majority of their adult lives confined to barren concrete
and metal cages barely larger than their own bodies. Because of this
near immobilization, many had difficulty walking, which put them at
increased risk of abuse. Workers dragged the animals by their ears,
repeatedly hit and electrically prodded them, or, in the case of pigs
that were completely unable to rise, tied their leg to a post and
dropped them from the trailer to the concrete below, where they were
left to die.
When the pigs were loaded onto the large multi-deck trailers to be
taken to slaughter, many pushed their snouts through the portholes
of the trailer, trying to feel the sun on their faces. I realized it was
likely the first and last time they would ever experience this simple
sensation. In all of their suffering, they still had a desire to feel the
sun on their skin. They had to strain for it, and many who were too
sick, diseased or injured to reach the portholes weren't even able to
experience it. Their only certainty in life was their death which awaited
them at the end of this journey as it had hung over them from the
moment they were born. It was as inescapable as a shadow.
With the paintings YOUR FACE HERE and Monkey Wrenching I, I'm
hoping to normalize the fact that animals are sentient beings, not
property as the law currently views them. Rescuing them from lifethreatening conditions shouldn't be considered theft but rather an
honourable act that anyone would do if they saw the conditions these
animals were forced to live in.
A lot of your work surrounds pigs; would you say you're more
passionate about them than other farm animals?
Because I focus on message art, the goal is always to create
something viewers can relate to. I strive to create images that cause
people to look more critically at our relationship with animals and
then feel compelled and empowered enough to do something about
it. I've found that the animal people connect most with is pigs-

perhaps because it's so easy to see both the physical and emotional
characteristics of dogs in them. If it were up to me though, all my
paintings would be of turkeys! They're like tiny unicorns to me-the
sounds they make, how affectionate they are, their capacity for
forgiveness and the depth of their emotions are incredible.
Leading on from this, tell me about the investigative work
that you do and how this relates to your art?
The art work stemmed from the investigations. I don't think I'd feel so
compelled to paint without having done investigations and gotten to
know the depth of the suffering of farmed animals and just how critical
a role each of us can play in bringing about an end to their suffering.
The investigations have shown me that things are much worse for
farmed animals than any of us had ever imagined. It's also made
clear that government and law enforcement cannot be counted on to
protect these animals. Each of us must take responsibility-examine our
own food choices and make the changes necessary to bring about an
end to their suffering.
Do you think art work displaying the reality of the farming
industry has greater impact than written messages?
With every release of an investigation the goal is always to paint a
picture for viewers so they can understand exactly what's happening
to animals and feel compelled to change it. After a decade of shooting
and releasing graphic photos and footage from investigations, I
came to see that we weren't reaching a substantial proportion of the
population. A lot of very caring people-exactly the ones who would
go vegan if they knew what was happening-were turning away from
the graphic footage and photos and instantly shutting down before
absorbing the message. I realised that we needed to connect with
these people in a different way.
Highly emotive images in art can be just as effective, but allow us to
reach people in a less threatening way. One of the most powerful
things about art is how subjective it is-we each see in it what speaks to
us and feels personal to us. That can make it even more effective than
graphic photos and videos.

95

Images: Questionmark Photography

vegan fitness

96

Roller Derby
The biggest sport youve never heard of

oller Derby has been evolving rapidly in the last five years
across the UK. Described by enthusiasts as fast-paced, full
contact and hard hitting, roller derby requires commitment and
enthusiasm. This female dominated game which is known for its wild
outfits and wacky stage names is not just a sportits a community.
Born in 1930s America as a competitive speed skating event, roller
derby has a wealth of history behind it. Reinvented in the 1970s, derby
returned with rules and scoring strategies, then transformed once
again in 2001. However, it didnt gain popularity in the UK until leagues
began forming in 2006. There are now over 80 of these teams in the
UK alone, highlighting why roller derby is often referred to as the
fastest growing sport in the UK.
A number of these team members are vegan. Louise Braithwaite is a
member of Soy Division, a derby challenge veggie/vegan team made
up solely of plant powered skaters. Their aim is to prove that you
dont have to eat meat to be powerful athletes. She says: There is
a great vegan community off the track that shares recipes, nutrition
information and off-skate training tips. Also, being a very DIY sport,
there are often cake stalls run by the hosting league at games and
there will always be at least one vegan cake available.

There are a lot of rules and to condense

it down is difficult but at its essence,
it is a team sport that combines true
athleticism with elements of fun.
Initially, the process and rules of the sport can be confusing. London
Rockin Rollers Allstars skater, Hunter, explains: Roller Derby is the
biggest sport youve never heard of. It is a roller-skating sport played
on an oval track with four players from each team trying to assist their
scoring player in getting around the track as quickly as possiblewhile
preventing the opposing teams scoring player from doing the same.
There are a lot of rules and to condense it down is difficult but at
its essence, it is a team sport that combines true athleticism with
elements of fun.
Considering how popular roller derby has becomeparticularly in
the last five yearsits a lot easier to source cruelty-free skates and
equipment. Non-leather skates are far more expensive to purchase.
However, they are made from more durable materials, so they will
inevitably last you longer. According to Louise: Most of the equipment
used for derby is already vegan-friendlyhelmets, mouth guards and
padsbut skates can be tricky. With the rise of a more prominent vegan
community within roller derby, more and more brands are adding nonleather options to their range.

Teams pride themselves on being inclusive. Although its very physical

they are welcoming of all levels of fitness. Anyone and everyone is
welcome. When you look at a group of people involved in roller derby
youll find people of all races, gender-identities, sexualities, body
shapes, and lifestyles. Everyone fits in, says Hunter. Despite being
largely dominated by women, according to Soy Divisions Louise
Braithwaite: There are more and more mens teams, and co-ed or
mixed-gender teams are extremely popular at the moment. There is
also a rapidly growing junior derby community who are fantastic. The
future of derby is hugely promising.

A common misconception with roller

derby is people assuming they need to
be able to skate to join a league.
A common misconception is people assuming they need to be able
to skate to join a league. In fact, with no skating ability you can join
Fresh Meat courses that most leagues hold once or twice a year,
where you can start learning the basics you need to pass the minimum
skills test that will enable you to train with the official teams. Big Bucks
High Rollers skater, Sarah Byng, says: When I started I couldnt roller
or ice skate, it helps but its by no means essential. Most teams have
a dedicated course to teach you step by step basics, in a friendly and
supportive way.
Besides the obvious health and fitness benefits of training intensely
up to three times a week, roller derby can be fantastic for improving
mental health, especially for women. Louise says: Its a team sport
and you spend week in week out with these people who will support
you, push you and let you vent your frustrations.
Additionally, the sport is a great advocate for improving body
confidence. Hunter says: Unlike many fitness programmes, roller
derby is all about improving on your body and making you the best
you can be. Every body shape is important on the track, and how
you use whatever body you have is celebrated. Its a great social
community, we support and care for each other with incredible
strength and loyalty.
If you want to get involved with roller derby, then one of the first
steps would be to go along to a game local to you. There are leagues
located across the country. Sarah says: I urge anyone interested
to give it a go now. Go and watch a game, ask someone if you dont
understand the rules. Introduce yourself to the team and register your
interest. Roller derby is hugely rewarding for your self-confidence, both
physical and mental, endurance levels and your recovery rate.

97

From Numbers to Vegan Chef:

RAFEL MULET MONSERRAT
Manuel Lynch, founder of Vegan Gastronomy Culinary Academy Europe

egan Gastronomy Culinary Academy is gifted to be part of

the change in so many peoples lives. Whether it is for health
reasons, or their understanding that we dont need to eat
animals, or that they simply do not want to be part of destroying our
environment.
Students come from all over the world to our Vegan Cooking school
on a journey to open a vegan restaurant, to expand their CV, to cook
healthier for themselves or their family or simply to completely change
their life. It is not very often that we have local students from the island
of Mallorca who have a long tradition of eating animal based products
that want to change their path and their life.

98

Rafel Mulet Monserrat is one of those students who shows that we

can all change our lives and discover a new path of happiness and
contentment. Rafel is originally from Mallorca and he changed his
lifetime career of being an accountant to now being a Vegan chef at
a five star hotel called Cal Reiet in Santanyi Mallorca Island. Cal Reiet
(calreiet.com) is a leading boutique holistic hotel focused on yoga
retreats and wellness.
Rafels journey from looking at accounting spreadsheets all day long
to leaping into the world of holistic health is rather amazing. How
can an accountant become a chef at a 5 Star Hotel? It is all in the
numbers.

Rafel was born in the agricultural town of Porreres, a small village in the interior of the island
where he studied to be a fiscal accountant and tax adviser and had many clients. Some of
his clients were food producers and distributors of great ecological and vegan products.
Nowadays he lives in Santanyi, the bohemian village of Mallorca. He believes one of the best
ways to change the world is to change the way we eat. He loves to cook and when he realized
that he could have the opportunity to help people change the way they eat and also their way
of life, he decided to devote himself to becoming a master of vegan cuisine. He believes that
eating consciously is the largest and most direct revolution that human beings can be part of
nowadays.
He began with the energetic kitchen which bases its foundations in macrobiotic cuisine.
Rafel bases his cuisine largely on great flavour and he focuses on ecological locally sourced
products.
Rafel came to Vegan Gastronomy Culinary Academy in 2015 and took a journey through a
world of flavours and spices he never imagined.He was an adventuresome accountant who
even dared to use Molecular Vegan Gastronomy techniques he learned at the school in his final
project that was served to some notable vegans including Mimi Kirk, Petas rated sexiest vegan
over 50 years old, and Jasmijn de Boo, the CEO of the Vegan Society UK. His approach and
efforts were applauded.
Shortly after his completing our academy it just happened that a friend of the academy, an ex
Melia Hotels executive was opening a holistic five star hotel a stones throw from Rafels house.
The startup hotel was looking for someone that was a great vegan chef but was also good
with accounting, inventory and in developing a sustainable menu that showed vegan dishes
could be amazing, affordable and profitable.
As we say in life, we cannot always plan for the future nor can we possibly understand what is
opening up in front of usbut if we stay on course to do the right thing life will open to us in so
many unforseen ways.
To make the story end on an incredibly happy note, Rafel recently learned that he and his
partner are pregnant and they will be bringing a child into a beautiful vegan world.

vegangastronomy.com

99

roll with it
Spice up this classic party food

Dees Cayenne Sausage Rolls with Tomato and Nectarine Chutney

Makes 12
Chutney
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 nectarines, stone removed and roughly chopped
6 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
100ml (0.4 cups) red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chipotle hot sauce
Sausage Rolls
1 pack vegan puff pastry
1 pack Dees Traditional Vegan sausages
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
100ml (0.4 cups) oat milk
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 red chilli

1.
2.

3.

4.

Firstly, take the pastry out of the freezer and remove the
packaging to allow it to defrost.
Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil. Add the tomatoes, nectarines
and thyme and bring to the boil. Add the salt, sugar, vinegar and
chipotle sauce and cook the chutney on a medium heat for 25
minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the sausages in half. Sprinkle the
cayenne pepper on a plate and roll each sausage half in it so it
is completely coated. Cut the pastry into small squares (approx
5cm x 5cm). Place one sausage half in the centre of each square,
brush the edges with the oat milk and place another square on
top sealing the edges by pressing down with your finger or a fork.
Repeat with the remaining sausages. Brush the tops of the pastry
with the remaining oat milk, sprinkle with nigella and sesame seeds
and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake
in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crispy.
Serve with the chutney and freshly sliced red chilli.

Recipe and image from dees.ie

100

101

AFTER ANTIBIOTICS

Could the misuse of medication in agriculture lead to a

global health crisis?

102

world without antibiotics-where common infections have no

cure and can kill mercilessly-is a terrifying possibility. In fact
the worlds journey towards a post-antibiotic era has been
described as a global health crisis by the World Health Organisation
[WHO].
According to WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan: Medicine is
losing more and more mainstay antimicrobials as pathogens develop
resistance. Second-line treatments are less effective, more costly,
more toxic, and sometimes extremely difficult to administer. Many are
also in short supply.

He also claims people should not be too worried as the UK farming

industry is well-regulated and uses fewer antibiotics than other EU
countries.
But the WHO is not the only organisation which is worrying about the
issue. A report published late last year by an independent committee
chaired by British economist Jim ONeill looked specifically at
antibiotic use in the environment and agriculture. It concurred that
the use of antibiotics in agriculture is driving up levels of antibiotic
resistance-creating new superbugs.

This will be the end of modern medicine as we know it. If

current trends continue, sophisticated interventions, like organ
transplantation, joint replacements, cancer chemotherapy, and care of
pre-term infants, will become more difficult or even too dangerous to
undertake.

Routine antibiotics are not necessary

for good animal health.

There are a number of reasons behind this growing problem. The

over-prescription of antibiotics is one of them, as is the easy access to
over-the-counter medicines, according to Dr Chan.

And, according to some, its a situation thats set to get worse. The
report-Antimicrobials in Agriculture and the Environment: Reducing
Unnecessary Use and Waste-says as global populations continue to
rise and more meat is produced, the misuse of antibiotics will also
grow.

She adds: Overprescribing also occurs in animal husbandry and

agriculture, and in the food industry, especially when massive
quantities of antibiotics are used to promote growth, not to treat sick
animals.
The use of veterinary antibiotics is not tracked in detail by the
government. The annual tonnage of antibiotics sold for agriculture
is known, but not how much of that is used, how many animals
are treated, and whether the medication is used for treatment of
diagnosed diseases, or as a preventative measure.
This is considered a problem by a number of experts, with Christopher
Thomas, professor of molecular genetics at Birmingham University,
telling the Guardian: There a lot of worry about whether we should be
using the same antibiotics on a farm as we do in [human] clinics, as
the resistance developed on farms could spread to humans. However
good your hygiene [on farms], it is inevitable that resistant bacteria
bred on the farm will get to humans.
WHOs Dr Chan continues: Routine use of antibiotics at subtherapeutic levels kills the weakest bacteria, but lets the more resistant
ones survive. Farmers working with cattle, pigs, and poultry infected
with drug-resistant bacteria are at much higher risk of being colonized
or infected with these bacteria. In addition, human consumption of
food carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria can lead to the acquisition
of a drug-resistant infection.
That is to say, healthy animals are being dosed with medication they
dont need: it is simply being used to stop infection from developing
within a herd, or to make them grow faster. Unsurprisingly, both uses
are particularly prevalent in intensive agriculture, where animals are
kept in confined conditions. In the EU nearly 90 per cent of farm
antibiotic use is for group treatments-often for mass medication of
pigs or poultry.
Not everyone feels this is a problem in the UK: Peter Borriello is chief
executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the government
agency that oversees antibiotic use on farms. He says: We are not
aware of any major resistance problems and not aware of any major
changes in veterinary pathogen populations with respect to their
resistance potential.

Compassion in World Farming [CIWF] is a charity campaigning to

end all factory farming. The organisation is currently working on
an in-depth project to stop the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture.
As part of this campaign, the group has set up the Alliance to Save
our Antibiotics [ASOA]. Campaigns, lobbying, andcommunications
specialist Emma Rose says: The global increase in livestock farmingdriven by soaring demand for meat and dairy-has led to huge
intensification of agriculture. Pigs and poultry are often kept in
crowded conditions where respiratory diseases and other infections
are more common and harder to control. Such systems are dependent
on antibiotics to keep animals disease-free. For example, practices
common in intensive systems, such as the early weaning of piglets,
increase risk of stress-related problems like swine dysentery and to
mitigate for this piglets often given antibiotic preventatively.
There appears to be an easy justification that if we do not
preventatively treat livestock, disease outbreaks risk impacting welfare
and farm profitability. But contrary to claims by some in the livestock
and pharma industries, routine antibiotics are not necessary for good
animal health. Animals should be kept well through good husbandry,
housing and welfare. Livestock farmers must look at ways of reducing
dependency on antibiotics and keeping animals healthy without
routine treatments. This may require a shift to more extensive systems,
which generally require fewer drugs, a move towards genetic selection
for natural robustness, and improvements to housing and husbandry.
The statistics are sobering: the evidence suggests the amount of
antimicrobials used in food production internationally is at least the
same as that in humans, and in some places is higher. For example,
in the US more than 70 per cent of antibiotics that are medically
important for humans are used in animals. In addition, some last-resort
antibiotics for humans are being used extensively in animals, and
there are no replacements currently on the way. This was illustrated
by a recent study from China, which identified a gene responsible for
colistin resistance in bacteria from livestock.
So what is being done about this crisis?
Emma Rose says: This is, by many accounts, one of the greatest

>
103

public health issues of the current time. As human resistance becomes

more commonplace, it is increasingly likely that the initial antibiotic
chosen to combat an infection will be ineffective.
This creates pressure to use the last few effective antibiotics,
which increases resistance rates to these in turn. Resistance to
the carbapenems (the drugs of last resort) increased from about
five hospital patients in England to over 600 from 2006-2013. The
emergence of resistance to last resort drug colistin in pigs and humans
in China threw veterinary prescribing into the spotlight. This is clearly
traceable back to the farm, where colistin is widely used. In human
medicine colistin has historically been rarely used due to its toxicity,
but prescribers are increasingly turning to it as other drugs fail.
Before antibiotics, five women out of every 1,000 died from childbirth.
One out of nine people who contracted a skin infection died, as did
three out of ten people who contracted pneumonia.
British scientists have also estimated the impact of having no
antibiotics on patients having a total hip replacement. Infection rates
are currently 0.5-two per cent. Without antibiotics, the infection rate is
estimated to be 40-50 per cent and 30 per cent of those infected will
die.
The Alliance is now calling for dramatic reductions in farm use
of antibiotics an EU-wide ban to routine, purely preventative
(prophylactic) dosing of groups of entirely healthy animals. It is also
calling for reductions to farm use of the critically important drugsthis would include a ban on the use of modern cephalosporins in pigs
and for dry-cow therapy, and a ban on the use of fluoroquinolonesin
poultry.

104

Emma Rose adds: Finally, we want to see a part of an EU-wide

antimicrobials strategylegislation must be aimed at improving animal
health and welfare and ensuring that farm animals are kept in lessintensive conditions.

Political momentum
According to Emma Rose: Two related regulations are
currently under consideration by the European Parliament.
These will determine whether it will remain legal to routinely
dose groups of animals via their feed or water. The Alliance
has been focusing our lobbying efforts on securing strong
support for this. In a plenary session in March, MEPs recently
voted overwhelmingly in favour of an EU-wide ban to routine
preventative dosing of groups of animals. At the same time, 50
medical experts & scientists across EU signed our letter to EU
policy makers calling for a ban to such practices.
If this proposal is adopted, it will represent a major step
forwards in the drive to safeguard our antibiotics for the future.
Countries like Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, which
have already banned preventative mass-medication, have
much lower levels of farm antibiotic use. It is vital that Members
States now show the political will to make this a reality and
address concerns that EU proposals are being watered down
(the 2nd regulation appears to have caved to lobbying efforts
to all routine use in groups animals where just a few are
sick). We will be focusing on ensuring that the proposals are
not watered down, and in applying public pressure to those
industry bodies who oppose regulations to ban such practices.

105

106

VEGAN ON BOARD
Blogger and Vegan Life agony uncle Fat Gay Vegan reports back from a cruise holiday

here are two types of people in this world. People who adore
cruise holidays, and people who cant ever imagine paying to go
on a vacation set on water with a bunch of strangers.

This article is for both groups and by the end of it, Im fairly certain
both camps will be rushing to give it a go.
Prior to my experience with Vegan River Cruises in late 2015, I belonged
in the cruisecautious group. My head was filled with a few doubts
and plenty of questions about a holiday on the water. Did I really want
such a controlled, allinclusive holiday where all my meals are planned
out? What if I didnt get along with the other passengers? Would I feel
claustrophobic on a ship for a week?
It turns out the cruise I joined for seven days on the Danube was one
of the most enjoyable and eyeopening trips Ive experienced.

I would have been truly content to stay

in my spacious cabin for the entire
week.
My major fear of feeling caged inside the boat was the first negative
preconception to be allayed. Upon boarding the ship I was struck
by how spacious everything felt. I wont go overboard and say it was
like stepping into the TARDIS but from the dining areas to the wide
stairways leading between levels, no part of the ship felt cramped.
If I was pleasantly surprised by the boats common areas, I was
completely blown away by my luxurious cabin.
Having never really stayed in a fancy hotel I felt as if I had stepped into
a world where the other half live. My cabin featured an impossibly
comfortable queensized bed, a fully stocked (and allinclusive) mini
bar, decadent vegan toiletries, oversized towels, a spacious bathroom
with walk in shower and more wardrobe space than I could ever use in
a seven day period.
Add to this my own private balcony, heating controls, internetcapable
television and WiFi and I would have been truly content to stay in my
spacious cabin for the entire week.
Meal time was another revelation. Many worry about finding vegan
food on their travels, but luckily everything aboard was SFVand they
didnt scrimp on food. The restaurant served five meals each day
including midnight snacks. As my cruise was allinclusive this meant I
didnt pay extra for my food and drink, whether I was sitting down for a
fourcourse dinner with a few glasses of vegan wine or staying up late
in the bar drinking vegan beer on karaoke night.

friendly vegancurious people) from all over the planet but certainly
found enough quiet spaces to relax on my own when I felt the need. I
noticed some passengers taking advantage of the onboard gym when
they needed some alone time, while others utilised the running track
situated on the top deck.
The huge lounge area that doubles as the bar and nightspot after
dark was the perfect hideaway during the day. With WiFi throughout
the entire ship, many passengers could be seen curling up on one of
the sofas with a book and taking advantage of the bottomless tea,
coffee and juice available. It was in the lounge where I often found a
comfortable armchair in which to catch up on my blogging and work
commitments while all the time enjoying the scenery gliding past the
floor to ceiling windows.
If all of the above has you thinking that a holiday on a ship might just
be the thing for you, let me seal the deal.
Imagine a weeklong stay in a luxury hotel where all your meals and
drinks are included but where the scenery is everchanging. My trip on
the Danube exposed me to cathedrals, gorgeous terrain, city skylines,
countryside and ancient ruins all framed perfectly by my cabin window.
There were plenty of opportunities to leave the ship for day trips
organised by the crew and ample time for individuals to explore the
sights on their own. The highlight of my Danube trip was traipsing
around the streets of the breath taking city of Vienna at my own pace
and on my own schedule (making sure I made it back to the boat for
the sumptuous dinner, of course).

Im smitten with sightseeing on the

move as my spacious hotel room gets
a new outlook every day.
Ive fallen so deeply in love with the concept of vegan cruise holidays
that I have signed up to help promote the 2016 Vegan River Cruises
through the South of France in October and the journey out of
Amsterdam for New Years Eve. Im smitten with sightseeing on the
move as my spacious hotel room gets a new outlook every day. Im
even considering a cabin on the 2017 vegan luxury liner between
London and the Norwegian Fjords.
Ive gone from a cruise sceptic to a fullyrealised champion of all
things allinclusive on the water. Of course, every single aspect of the
vacation being 100 per cent vegan goes a long way when it comes to
making me a believer.

veganrivercruises.com

My concern of not getting along with other passengers didnt

materialise in the slightest. I chatted with friendly vegans (and some

107

perfect paella
This classic Spanish dish works
well with lots of veg

Paella with Samphire

Serves 4
Per serving:

1.

2.

3.
4.

TOP TIPS

Paella is traditionally made in a very wide Paella pan

(like a wide frying pan with handles) and cooked
over coals so the entire pan is heated at the same time.
Presuming you dont have a wide gas hob you will need
to move the pan around often to distribute the heat
Over-stirring of the Paella makes the rice go sticky.
Dont worry if you get a crispy layer at the bottom. In
Spain this is regarded as the best bit!
Dont rinse the rice before cooking
Vary the vegetables to suit the season and your tastes
use asparagus when in season and wild mushroomsalthough mushrooms are best cooked separately and
added towards the end of cooking.

Recipe from Demuths Cookery School demuths.co.uk. | Photography by Rob Wicks Eat Pictures

108

5.

6.

118

1.3g

0.2g

3.8g

0.5g

4.0g

kcal

Fat

Saturates

Sugars

Salt

Protein

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, chopped into 1cm pieces
250g (1 cups) tomatoes, de-cored, deseeded and chopped
300g (3 cups) fennel, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
A pinch of saffron, soaked in boiling water for
at least hour
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
100ml (0.4 cups) dry sherry
500ml (2 cups) hot home-made stock (or any
vegetable stock)
200g (1 cup) paella rice
100g ( cup) French beans (topped and
tailed)
A handful of samphire
1 bunch Asparagus, tips
100g (1 cup) peas and or broadbeans
100g ( cup) marinated artichokes (in a tin or
in oil), sliced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and
lemon wedges to serve
In the widest frying pan you have, fry the
onion in the olive oil until it is really soft, and
then add the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and
fennel.
Add the saffron (in its water), paprika, thyme
and bay leaf and gently simmer until it cooks
down to a sauce consistency. This is called
sofrito.
Add the rice and fry gently for 5 minutes to
absorb the flavours.
Add about half of the sherry and cook until
this has been absorbed, then add nearly all of
the stock and the rest of the sherry, keeping
a little stock back in case the Paella is too dry
later, and leave to simmer on a low heat until
the rice has soaked up the liquid and is soft
(you need to taste it) DO NOT STIR!
About 10 minutes into the cooking add green
beans and fold them into the paella without
stirring too much. It should take about 20
minutes to completely cook.
When the rice is almost cooked, sprinkle on
the asparagus, artichokes, peas and samphire
and a little more stock if needed, stir once and
leave to cook for about 5 minutes until the
rice is tender and the vegetables are cooked
(but not soggy!) season to taste and serve
with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil, freshly
chopped flat-leaf parsley and lemon wedges

giveaways
3

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ProViotic is a truly vegan, allergen free and organic
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The capsules are ideal for people suffering from any digestion
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proviotic.co.uk
ENTER at veganlifemag/proviotic

109

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113

A PIGS LIFE
A love for animals brought Amelie and Meg together

ith the help of her mother Meg and her husband Martin,
marathon record holder Fiona Oakes, runs Tower Hills
Stables Animal Sanctuary. Come rain or shine, every
morning at 3.30am she single-handedly begins to muck out and feed
her 59 horses, 15 sheep, 60 pigs, 2 cows, 11 dogs, 30 cats, six goats,
rabbits and many varieties of birds including ducks, turkeys, peacocks
and chickens.

particular, have some of the worst lives imaginable at the hands of the
factory farming industry and people very rarely have the opportunity
to see them in another light. Theyre intelligent, loving, loyal, kind,
gentle and peaceful creatures with very similar attributes to a dog but
receive such opposite and unjust treatment compared to our canine
friends. At the sanctuary we attempt to illustrate these attributes and I
feel particularly pleased that I have been able to rescue so many.

One of those animals is Amelie, a large white pig. She has been at the
sanctuary for six years after escaping from an abattoir. Fiona says:
We received a phone call from a distraught lady who lived near a local
slaughterhouse. Amelie had escaped from one of the lorrieswhen it
was unloading its victimsand made a successful break for freedom.
She had run and run as fast as her poor, weary, meat-fattened,
frightened body would carry her, eventually ending up in this ladys
garden.

Fiona explains that all of her marathon running helps to raise

awareness for Amelie and her other animals and in return provides
even more animals with a chance at survival. She says: This year I am
competing in the toughest series of foot acres on the planetthe four
Deserts Grand Slam. Obviously my main passion is the continuing care
and growth of the sanctuary but my other passion is the promotion of
veganism through extreme excellence in sport.

It was a pretty harrowing experience as we had to face the police and

the slaughter men when we arrived but, after negotiations, we were
allowed to purchase Amelie and bring her to the sanctuary and her
forever home.
Since the ordeal, Amelie has been enjoying her life at Tower Hills where
she lives with a variety of other rescued pigs. Fiona says: Pigs, in

114

Tower Hills Stables relies completely on donations, and it is because of

the kindness of the general public that Fiona has been able to provide
so many animals with a second chance at life.

towerhillsstable.com