The Multi-Award-Winning VEGAN Lifestyle Magazine

JUly 2018| issue 40 | £3.99

A R T
Be Kind - Laura Klinke

vegan
SP E C I A L curry
houses
12-page special
of our favourite
vegan artists

ALSO INSIDE

Nutrition
B-Vitamins and
Pregnancy

SPECIAL
Lucie Shorthouse Vegan Sauces
in the West End DEBATE
Advocating
Veganism

ZOOS
Animal Prisons
PALM OIL
Land Loss and
Animal Distress
2
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MANAGING EDITOR | Emily Saunders

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EDITOR | Phillipa Smith
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ASSISTANT EDITOR | Rebecca Horton
rebecca@primeimpact.co.uk
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR | Keith Coomber

I
keith@primeimpact.co.uk
MANAGING DIRECTOR | Julie Saunders ’m so excited to be writing my first editor’s letter and
julie@primeimpact.co.uk
that we are finally, undeniably, amidst the summer
DESIGN MANAGER | Tom Sanderson
tom@primeimpact.co.uk season! Speaking of sunshine – this issue we’re taking
DESIGNER | Scott Tyc a trip across the globe to the, what-should-be, luscious rainforests of Indonesia, to
scott@primeimpact.co.uk
examine the devastating effects the palm oil business has wreaked on this stunning,
ADVERTISING SALES | Claire Rogers
claire@primeimpact.co.uk natural area. We also explore how sustainable growing solutions can save the habitat
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES | Hannah Allen of our characterful, fluffy friends, orangutans, from the relentless palm industry (see
hannah.allen@primeimpact.co.uk
page 66).
MARKETING AND PRESS | Hannah Irons
hannah@primeimpact.co.uk
PROMOTIONS AND BLOGGER COMMUNITY Also in this issue, we are introducing you to the lovely Lucie Shorthouse, a West End
MANAGER | Jessica Smith
Jessica@primeimpact.co.uk
star and vegan advocate. She discussed her choice to transition to veganism, the
MERCHANDISE | Chloe McGarry health benefits she found from a plant based diet, and her role in the innovative
chloe.mcgarry@primeimpact.co.uk new play ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ (page 16). With so many vegans making
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY | Melissa Beer
Melissa@primeimpact.co.uk
waves in the creative industry, our Art Special celebrates the brave names that
paint the true picture of animal cruelty, and cleverly portray the need for veganism
FOOD CREATIVE TEAM through their work – get inspired on page 90.
LEAD RECIPE DEVELOPER | Katy Simmons
Katy@primeimpact.co.uk
ASSISTANT RECIPE DEVELOPER | Chantelle Leach Finally, the summer evokes the need to create fun,
chantelle@primeimpact.co.uk
easy and time-filling activities for kids, but are our
ASSISTANT RECIPE DEVELOPER | Jemma Turner
Jemma@primeimpact.co.uk most popular pastimes educating children into
LICENSING | Bruce Sawford 44 (0)1280 860185 insensitive mind-sets? Charlotte Meyer Zu Natrup
Bruce@BruceSawfordLicensing.com
gives her view on the ‘To zoo, or not to zoo?’ debate
ACCOUNTS | Yolande Arnold
accounts@primeimpact.co.uk on page 76.

The publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of Enjoy the issue and make sure to share your
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expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily opinions with us via email, Instagram, Twitter
represent the views of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept
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featured within the editorial content does not imply endorsement
by Vegan Life magazine. P.S. Don’t miss our hilarious article from Jake Yapp,
Every effort is made to ensure that all advertising is derived from who puts a cheeky twist on chickpeas on page 114.
reputable sources. Vegan Life magazine cannot, however, accept
responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers.
Be Kind - Laura Klinke p102
The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is
sourced from responsibly managed forests, according to
PHILLIPA SMITH | Editor
strict environmental, social and economic standards. The
manufacturing mill has both FSC and PEFC certification, and also
ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.

/veganlifemagazine

@VeganLife_Mag

@VeganLife_Mag
"Could you look an animal in the eyes and
say to it, 'My appetite is more important
than your suffering'?"
Quotesreel.com

3
 24 VEGAN
ART
78
26
SPECIAL

90 40
34 62

43
"Everybody’s Talking About
Jamie is a very simple story,
but it’s about someone
really embracing and
celebrating who they are."
66
84

16
58
4
 Vegan
Contents Diary
Saturday 7th July
USA: Long Beach Vegan
Festival, California
eventbrite.com
On The Cover 44 Tua fuk yao pad tua dum
Tickets start from $10
16 Everybody's talking about Lucie 45 Khao glong pad kra prow
Lucie Shorthouse is just starting out in 45 Med mamuang pad fuktong
Saturday 14th July
her career, but she’s already causing a UK: London Vegan Beer Fest
stir on the West End, having won Best 46 Slow-baked vanilla rice See veganbeerfest.co.uk for other
Supporting Actress in a Musical at the pudding vegan beer fest locations
WhatsOnStage Awards Tickets from £5 and over 18s only
47 Vegetable kebabs with miso &
26 Let's get saucy - sauces special ginger glaze Saturday 21st July
As summertime approaches, it is UK: Plymouth Vegan Festival
the perfect time to sort out your 48 Keralan squash and eventbrite.co.uk
sauce game cauliflower curry Tickets start from £3
34 The great British debate 49 Spiced parsnip parathas
Saturday 21st July
What is the best way to advocate 50 Sweetcorn chowder Canada: Vegtoria Fest,
veganism?
51 Vegan carbonara with tofu Centennial Square, Victoria B.C
66 In the palm of your hands vegtoria.ca
Palm oil is destroying rainforests bacon
around the world, so what is it and 52 Vegan chocolate chip cookies Saturday 28th July
why is it used? UK: Bath Vegan Festival
53 Refrigerator cake eventbrite.co.uk
78 B-Vitamins during pregnancy £3 entry, under 16s free
Rory O'Connor explains the 54 Apricot and almond pop tarts
importance of ensuring mothers-to-
be get enough B-vitamins 56 Creamy fishless pie
58 Pea and sun dried tomato 88 It's all about red, baby
80 Eating out Oliver Coningham shows us the way
The top 5 vegan curry houses pesto pasta this summer with his list of exciting
59 Chickpea crackers with a pea red wines
84 Zoo: An excellent place to study
the habits of human beings houmous dip 102 Sketch up
Zoos are animal prisons, except the Laura Klinke tells Vegan Life about her
inmates are all innocent and none
of them have been offered a fair trial
Interviews personal journey through veganism
and art progression
74 Hats off to you
90 Vegan art special Vegan Insider Maria Slough meets 106 Isla Bonita
We’ve rounded up our favourite award winning Milliner Rachel Kim Willis enjoys breathtaking views
artists that we’ve featured over the Warrillow on an extraordinary volcanic rock in
past four years for our art special the Canary Islands

Special Features Regulars 110 Vegan pages

06 Vegan News 114 Easy chickpeasy
62 Are we witnessing the 6th All the latest stories Jake Yapp shares his unique sense
great extinction? of houmous
Simon Leadbeater argues that 12 Vegan Planet
omnivorous diets and animal Vegan news from around the world

88
agriculture mark the beginning of 14 Subscription
this era of extinction
20 Guppy in focus
Food And Drink This month we take a look at
the Guppy
37 Thai red porridge with vegan egg
22 Accidental vegan
38 Lemongrass noodle soup A selection of products that are
vegan by chance rather than design
39 Perfect pecan pie
24 Trending Vegan
39 Sparkling basil limonade Sean O’Callaghan on the future of
40 Chipotle jackfruit tacos vegan food, its origin and the non-
vegan equivalents they will replace
41 Jackfruit bulgogi salad
76 To zoo, or not to zoo?
42 Watermelon and chiogga beets Charlotte Meyer Zu Natrup on the
with miso wow sauce issues of taking children to the zoo
43 Chickpea meatloaf 82 Vegan spotlight
Our favourites this month
5
 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! vegannews@primeimpact.co.uk
BALI WILDLIFE REPORTED TO BE IN ‘LIVING
HELL’ BY WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION
Captive wildlife in Bali is in a ‘living hell’,
as reported by World Animal Protection,
who have found that all venues with
captive elephants, tigers, dolphins or
civet cats didn’t meet the basic needs
of the animals kept in captivity. In
addition, 80 per cent of venues with
primates didn’t meet the basic needs of
the animals. This information has been
compiled in the Wildlife Abusement
Parks report by World Animal Protection,
to expose the scale of the situation that
is increasing around Indonesia, and
encourages the government and travel
industry to take action to protect wildlife
from exploitation, and leave them in
their natural habitat.
Wildlife tourism is increasingly popular,
and in some cases it encourages a
pro-conservation mind-set and when
6
the animals are properly cared for it
“can be positive for the environment
and wild animals: it can lead to and
help fund the protection of natural
areas, improve animal welfare and
alleviate poverty.” However, some
tourist attractions take advantage of the
animals and exploit them for profit. “In
many of the venues visited, little to no
attempt was made to replicate a natural
environment, with many animals being
kept in small concrete cages, behind
bars or on chains.” Measures such as
allowing animals the ability to freely
move around the environment must be
taken, interaction with visitors should be
limited and rides for selfies and handling
for photo purposes must be banned. The
report continues to say: “Ultimately, the
needs of wild animals can only be fully
met in the wild – the environment they
naturally belong in and have evolved to
thrive in.”
Indonesia is one country where animals
are exploited for entertainment and
tourism purposes, with inadequate
regulations. For example, elephants
are used for rides and as a result, they
suffer in pain not only from being forced
to have tourists ride on their necks
and backs, but also from the barbaric
training methods used.
To conclude, the report says: “To protect
wild animals used for entertainment
tourism, we must work together with
local influencers, people and partners,
to open conversations to make lasting
change for animals, and for people. We
can help to build understanding about
how we can all plat our part to protect
wild animals – to help keep them in the
wild, where they belong.”
7
 News
WAITROSE ADD 50 NEW MEAT-
FREE OPTIONS TO 125 STORES
Supermarket chain Waitrose has added
50 new meat-free options to their product
range, supplied by The Happy Pear and
The Vegetarian Butcher. Included in the
range are ready meals and other meat-
free options that help make the transition
for new vegans and vegetarians easier,
V IN THE PARK FESTIVAL,
whilst appealing to those with on-the-go
lifestyles. Chloe Graves, chilled vegetarian SCOTLAND
and vegan buyer for Waitrose, said: “Our Scotland’s first ever outdoor vegan
current selection of products has been festival, V in the Park, is being
selling really well week after week, with held on the 6th-9th July, so you
requests for more choice coming from still have some time to get hold of
our customers and partners, so we could some tickets. There will be food
clearly see there was an appetite to have more vegetarian and from Hygge Foods, animal rights
vegan options in our shops." activist Vegan Geezer and Hench
Herbivore, workshops on different
David and Stephen Flynn, co-founders of The Happy Pear, said: “We are chuffed to topics, children’s entertainment
be entering the UK market with our products and really honoured to be working with and live music. If you’re looking for
Waitrose to expand its vegan range." weekend getaway to meet some
likeminded people, this is the
festival for you. You can buy tickets
online via Eventbrite.co.uk.

CORNWALL BASED BEAUTY COMPANY RECEIVE PALM OIL

FREE CERTIFICATION
Cornwall based company Bloomtown Ltd has received the Orangutan Alliance
palm oil-free certification for the full range of body and skincare products,
becoming the first company in the UK to achieve this certification. Bloomtown
co-founder Peyanka Clark Prakash said: “We launched Bloomtown out of our
kitchen in Cornwall after spending 2 years in Indonesia and seeing a real need for
palm oil-free options in the beauty industry. Global demand for palm oil is ever
increasing, so we feel that one important way to prevent more virgin forest from
being cleared is to reduce overall demand, by raising awareness and offering VEGAN BBQS A TREND
consumer reasonably priced, palm oil-free alternatives.”
FOR SUMMER 2018
Vegan BBQs have been called
The Orangutan Alliance International Palm Oil-Free Certification team is
out as a trend for summer
comprised of beauty, food, product development and sustainability experts who
2018 in a report released
all wanted to assist through customer choice on the issue of conflict palm oil.
by Amazon UK. Veganism is
expected to continue to be a big
Maria Abadilla, Founder and
trend this year as consumers
Chairperson of Orangutan Alliance
seek out healthier and more
said: “Consumers are now wanting
ethical products. Steve Tooze,
full disclosure in their food
advisory consultant at Stylus
beyond allergen declarations for
said: “Britons are striving to
environmental to ethical reasons
incorporate more plant based
and we are here to provide that
meals into their diets and brands
choice. There needs to be new
are responding by creating vegan
ingredient solutions coming
meats, milks and yoghurts that
from the industry including new
mimic the flavours, textures and
options, not requiring so much land
nutritional credentials of their
associated with deforestation."
animal-based counterparts more
closely than ever before.”
8
CALL FOR BAN ON DOGS USED IN ANIMAL TESTING OATLY ANNOUNCE NEW ICE
A new campaign has been launched to end the use of dogs in animal testing CREAM FLAVOURS
in the UK by 2020. Beagles are typically used because of their trusting Popular brand Oatly have launched
nature, despite the availability of alternative methods. The campaign is new ice cream flavours, in addition to
being led by Cruelty Free International who put up a billboard at Hastings their current flavours that are available
Railway Station in East Sussex. at selected retailers. Currently the
new products are only available in
In addition, a petition has been launched and once it reaches 10,000 Sweden, where the brand originates.
signatures the government will respond to it. At 100,000 signatures Flavours in the ice cream range include:
a parliamentary debate can be held. Michelle Thew, Cruelty Free Pretty Average Vanilla, Quite Ordinary
International chief Executive, said: “As a nation of animal lovers, the Strawberry, Basic Chocolate, very Fancy
UK should lead the way in ending dog experiments. Tests on dogs are Double Chocolate and Really Posh
unethical and outdated and there are many credible and effective Caramel Hazelnut. Keep an eye out for
alternatives that can be used updates on when you can expect the
instead. We call on product in the UK!
the Home Office to
review and put in place
a roadmap to end the
suffering of our canine
friends in
UK laboratories.”

You can find the petition

at petition.parliament.uk.

9
 News

TESCO LAUNCHES PLANT ISLE OF WIGHT’S FIRST VEGAN RESTAURANT OPENS

BASED STEAK If you’re planning a visit to the Isle of Wight any time soon, you’ll be pleased
Tesco have launched a plant based to know that a new vegan restaurant has opened. Pulse is owned by Sandra
steak amidst the popularity of O’Toole who spoke to the local news outlet and said: “It’s [opening a vegan
plant based meat alternatives. restaurant] something I’ve wanted to do for a while because there’s nowhere
Some people might feel for me to eat. I’m taking a big chance by starting my own business, and doing it
uncomfortable at the thought of on a shoestring, but already it feels like my little haven.”
eating a product that mimics the
taste, texture and appearance O’Toole is also behind the Isle of Wight Vegan Festival and is the former owner
of a meat item, however, new of The Keep Smiling Café, a vegan mobile catering business. She is the only chef
products such as this can help at the business, although hopes to recruit more staff in the future.
more people make the switch to a
vegan diet, or simply reduce their
meat intake. The steak is being
made by Vivera, a Dutch company
who is also launching the steak
in other European supermarkets.
Gert Jan Gombert, from Vivera,
said: “It is very important that we
eat less meat, both for our own
health, animal welfare and for our
planet. Innovative and high-quality
plant based products can make a
significant contribution here.”

ÁINE CARLIN AND BIO-D TEAM UP FOR EAT. CLEAN. CAMPAIGN

Vegan food writer and blogger Áine Carlin has teamed up with Bio-D to raise awareness of
the environmental impact OF daily kitchen products, such as washing up liquid and hand
soap in the Eat. Clean. campaign. The plight of single-use plastics was highlighted in BBC
series Blue Planet, and governments and manufacturers have been taking action to deal
with plastic.

Bio-D is leading the way with their new 100 per cent recycled packaging that reuses the
waste from plastic packaging in the UK. Áine said: “I already use Bio-D products and I hope
that by supporting the Eat. Clean. campaign, more people will think about the impact
everyday household products can have on the environment."

Bio-D managing directpr, Lloyd Atkin, said: “We believe the Eat. Clean campaign is a fun
way of encouraging people to think about the serious issue of plastic waste currently facing
our world. We want people who love spending time cooking to think about the cleaning
products in their kitchen and the impact these could be having on the environment."

10
 TEMPLE OF SEITAN OPEN
NEW STORE AND CAFÉ IN
HACKNEY DOWNS MARKET
Temple of Seitan has opened a new
café and store called Temple Goods
in Hackney Downs Market. Speaking
to Fat Gay Vegan, Bec from Temple of
Seitan said: “We are very excited to
announce that we have taken over the
café at Hackney Downs Studios (at least)
for the summer. We will be building it
into something pretty special over the
coming months, so please follow our
new café on Instagram for updates!

“To begin with, we will be serving our

full range of cakes and pastries, as well
as Dark Arts Cofees, and a rotating menu
of breakfast and lunch dishes. We will
also be stocking ‘vegan treatz’ and are
working with some other independent
vegan businesses to build a stock of hard
goods to take home.

You can follow the new cafe at:

@templegoodsuk on Instagram
for updates.

AWARD-WINNING RECIPE KITS LAUNCH VEGAN OPTIONS

A small award-winning business who makes recipe kits have launched a new
range called the Vegan Inspiration Recipe Kits. Easy Peasy Cooking gathered
the attention of Theo Paphitis, renowned for his time on BBC TV show Dragons
Den and won a Small Business Award for their innovative approach. Ian Bacon,
founder of Easy Peasy Cooking, said: “We had been asked numerous times if
our Recipe Kits were vegan friendly and although a couple of the vegetarian kits
met vegan criteria, they weren’t that exciting. Because of this growing demand, I
tasked our team to create a vegan range, with its own identity, that would create
exciting, healthy and tasty meals.

"I wanted the meals to be familiar to the whole family, and where possible use
local, easily sourced ingredients. I really think that we have achieved this with our
‘Vegan Inspiration Recipe Kits’ range, and have had some really positive feedback
from our local vegans during our trial phase
… you could say that we have given them
mealtime inspiration.”

All the herbs and spices are hand blended

in Ipswich, Suffolk, where the company is
based. They are all free from gluten, additives,
preservative and MSG and each dish has a
suggested shopping list of what to pair with
the recipe kits, with cooking instructions and
nutritional data of the completed dish.

11
 Vegan Planet
Wildflowers
used instead
of pesticides
in Switzerland
and UK
Wildflowers are being used instead of
pesticides in efforts to reduce the need
for chemicals to be sprayed on crops.
The planting of wildflowers encourages
the natural predators of pest insects
and the strips of wildflowers are planted
throughout the crop field to allow pest-
eating insects to travel throughout the
crop fields. A similar trial is being run in the
UK and the strips will be monitored for five
years on fields in central and eastern parts
of the country. The centre for Ecology and
Hydrology (CEH) are running the trial in
the UK, and Richard Pywell from CEH said:
“Our research has shown that levels of
natural pest control fall off rapidly from the
edges of large arable fields. We hope that
sowing flower strips through the centre
of fields will act as ‘predator highways’ to
bring the benefits of natural pest control
into the field centre.

Rusty Patched Bumble

Bee classified as
Critically Endangered
The rusty patched bumble bee has been classified
as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. This
species of bee is usually found in North America, and
the species has declined severely in recent years. The
main threat to these bees is habitat destruction, along
with pesticide use, climate change and pathogen spill-
overs from commercial to wild bees. A reduction of the
population caused by the previous factors contributes
to the loss of the species, also. To help resolve the issue,
areas where the use bees inhabit must be protected
from pesticides, habitat alteration, grazing and any
other threats that may interfere with the bee population.
12
 Costa Rica
planning to ban
fossil fuels
Costa Rica’s new president Carlos
Alvarado has announced plans
to ban fossil fuels in the country
and become the world’s first
decarbonised country. In a speech
during his inauguration, he said:
“Decarbonisation is the great task of
our generation and Costa Rica must
be one of the first countries in the
world to accomplish it, if not the first.”
His plans include ending the use
of fossil fuels in transport by 2021,
which is the 200th year of Costa Rican
independence.

Pork replacement
start-up tackling China’s
pork consumption
Omnipork, a pork replacement
product, has been developed in
Hong Kong to combat the levels of
pork eaten in China. It is being served
in several restaurants, including
founder David Yeung’s own restaurant.
Environmental concerns are at the
heart of the product, with pork
accounting for 40 per cent of the
world’s meat consumption, and in
China it accounts for 65 per cent of the
meat consumed. The product is still
going through the approval process
to be sold in mainland China. It is
made from pea protein, non-GMO soy,
shiitake mushrooms and rice, and it’s
the world’s first alternative to pork.

13
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15
 Interview

Lucie Shorthouse is just starting out in her career, but she’s

already causing a stir in the West End, having won Best
Supporting Actress in a Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards

16

H
i Lucie, it’s great to
speak to you. Have you
always dreamed of being
on the stage?
It’s always been what I wanted to do. I
wanted to go to stage school when I was
11, but my parents encouraged me to get
an education and then I wanted to apply
for drama school when I was 18 and
they encouraged me to go to university,
which I really got on board with
because, as much as I love this, I do love
studying. I went to Cambridge and I did
Education with English and Drama, so it
was a compromise.
After my final year, I knew I would always
think what if so I applied for some drama
schools and managed to get into one.
I felt like I was putting my life on hold
when everyone else was getting jobs
and onto graduate schemes and earning
money, but I always knew I would regret
it if I didn’t give it a try. Although it’s
taken me a bit longer, no one can take
my degree away from me.
Is it true that you’ve never had a
singing lesson?
It is! I’ve never had a singing lesson. I
used to just copy what I’d hear on a CD,
but I was very shy about my voice. If no
one was in the house or the car I’d go
full-blast, but I was shy in public until
I graduated from university. For some
reason I just stopped worrying so much
and I started embracing it. To support
myself through drama school I did gigs
back in the Midlands. My technique isn’t
quite there yet – you’re meant to sing
from your diaphragm and I’m learning
all of this stuff with Everybody’s Talking
About Jamie. I didn’t even know what
vibrato was until this job. I just copied
people doing it; I didn’t know what the
names were.
I’ve promised myself to train towards the
end of this job. It’s hard to sustain your
voice eight shows a week and I got quite
ill in February. Trying to get my voice and
strength back has been quite a trial.
Tell us about your decision to
go vegan.
I turned vegan in November 2016. I never
used to eat meat, except when I was out
because I didn’t like to cook it. I didn’t
like the feel of meat and I’ve always
just loved fruits and vegetables — they
are the staples of my diet. I never liked
cheese and because of my voice I didn’t
have dairy. I have been having soya milk
for four or five years so for me it’s not
been a massive transition.
"Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
is a very simple story, but it’s
about someone really embracing
and celebrating who they are."
My boyfriend at the time showed me
a video of this cow who had been left
in these stirrups and I think it had
become paralysed. You could see that
it was really in pain and distressed and
I burst out crying. I realised that I had
Interview
no reason to eat meat. For me, it’s not
a staple and it’s not a necessity. I can so
easily go without it, but I get for some
people it can be a really hard transition.
It is much harder when I go back home
because I’m from a small village in the
Midlands where just trying to get a bit
of dark chocolate is impossible and so I
understand that it can be hard.
I’ve never felt limited for choice, but I
have the luxury of living in the city. When
I go back home it’s harder, although my
stepmum is great at cooking me the
most amazing things. In London we’re
spoilt for choice but for other people it
isn’t so accessible.
After cutting it all out, I felt so much
more energised. Going vegan is one of
the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Let’s talk about your character
Pritti, are you similar to her?
She’s very reserved, intelligent and, it
sounds really big headed, but I was very
academic at school and I cared about
my studies. I had a bit of a social life — I
wasn’t a complete nerd — but I was
definitely academic. Considering I’m an
actor, some people might think I’m quite
extrovert and I am in some respects, but
I’m also quite guarded and introvert if
I’m not familiar with people. I very much
related to that with Pritti.
What the show does really well is it
captures that feeling of being 16 again
when you feel like you’re meant to know
what you’re going to do, but you don’t.
It’s nice to relate to being 16 again.
Pritti’s very wise and she knows who
she is, but she doesn’t overcompensate
for that or have to explain herself, she
just kind of is. What people struggle
with, even now, is knowing who they
are and not having to prove themselves.
I always get asked what advice I would
give a 16-year-old and I would just say
stop worrying and trust yourself. Pritti
really trusts herself and she just knows
who she is. I’m really trying to learn that
from her as a twenty-something — about
being okay with yourself and sitting in
your own truth.
17
 Interview
Are there other characters in the
show that you empathise with?
I certainly empathise with Jamie’s
character just because I think everyone
has that little hurdle or obstacle that
they have to confront [Jamie’s is going to
school prom in a dress]. We have it every
day. Whether it’s deciding to sign up for
a race or to go for an audition or not, I
think it’s about having the courage to see
that through in spite of any backlash or
struggles that might follow.
The courage that Jamie has at the
age of 16 is really inspiring and that’s
something I relate to and constantly
remind myself of. We do this show
eight shows a week and it’s very easy
to forget the magnitude of the story
telling. Everybody’s Talking About
Jamie is a very simple story, but it’s
about someone really embracing and
celebrating who they are and it’s really
important that we take that on board
as actors. It’s a reciprocal thing and we
learn from it every day.
ETAJ has such a diverse cast, is
that what drew you to show?
I got told about my character, but I
didn’t get a breakdown of all of the other
characters. I remember sitting in the
18
workshop room and seeing all different
colours, ages and faiths, and it really felt
like something progressive, effervescent
and exciting. Our creative team are so
supportive of women and giving
everyone equal space in the room. I
suppose with Time’s Up I had lots of
questions about, as a woman, how I’d
be treated in the rehearsal room and
I’ve had nothing but respect working on
this show. The show really does
champion women.
The opening scene is completely
multi-cultural. You have two girls in
hijab, one that is really loud and wears
make-up, and the other, my character,
who is just a little bit more reserved.
I think it’s really important to see two
hijabi girls that are completely different
because people might have this terrible
stereotype. ETAJ shows that everyone
is so diverse, rich and fully formed. It is
a real melting pot of people that isn’t
meant to be a gimmick. That was really
important to me when I played Pritti —
that she wasn’t just put in because she
was Muslim. I feel like the diversity in the
show is not for diversity’s sake because
this is modern Britain, this is the face
of Britain.
How does it feel to be an
award winning actor so
early in your career?
It is weird and lovely. The
WhatsOnStage Awards were a
public vote as well, so for me
it is more of a victory, because
people have embraced a
character that’s diverse and you don’t
usually see. It’s great to be recognised
for your performance. People want to
see a character like Pritti with more
visibility and representation and they’ve
really welcomed her into their hearts.
That’s what meant the most to me.
Do you have any tips for
budding actors?
Stay focused and know why you’re
doing it. If you’re in it for fame, you’re
always going to be disappointed. It’s
such a tough industry and you need to
know your worth in it. You have to have
faith and, also, be realistic about the
contribution you can make and which
stories you want to tell.
If you can’t do it, there are 50,000 other
people who look exactly like you and
can kick their legs higher, but, at the
same time, if you know that’s what you
want to do and you have a talent and a
passion for it, go for it.
What are your plans for
the future?
The future is a bit foggy at the moment
and I sometimes think ‘What if I never
work again?’ I just want to keep learning
and developing as an actor. TV and
film is something I want to experience
as I haven’t done that as much — I’ve
had small cameos and guest spots,
but actually having a longer chunk in a
series would really give me an education
in TV and camera work. I never trained
in musical theatre and this is a story
that I’m really passionate about and I’ve
 Interview
been lucky that the shows I’ve been in
explore stories that are important to me
like Brexit and the world of Hijra, which
is a transgender community in India.
Still doing that is important to me, but,
mainly, I just want to be employed and
developing as an actor.

Also, sustaining your energy as a

performer is so important. Some people
can get away with having junk food and
fizzy drinks and just get on stage and
perform, but for me I have to look after
myself. That’s what helps to sustain you
as a performer. You’ve got to make smart
decisions and I don’t really drink either –
rhubarb and water is my tipple. Having a
vegan, plant based diet is a smart choice
for a performer. It has helped me sustain
my energy doing eight shows a week.

ETAJ will be playing at the Apollo

Theatre until October, get your
tickets by heading to:
everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk.

Freedom Mallows will be live at the

Just V Show
London Olympia 6-8th July
For Free Tickets please copy the link
www.justvshow.co.uk/go/freedom

19
 Animal in focus
GUPPY
in focus
This month we take a
look at the guppy
T
he guppy fish is named after
Robert John Lechmere Guppy, a
researcher and geologist. They
were discovered in 1886 in Trinidad
and there are 300 types of guppy fish
in South America. They are often a
popular choice to keep in domestic
aquariums. In the wild, they live in
warmer waters off the coast of Trinidad
and Tobago, and around Brazil.
Guppies are a range of colours, from a
vibrant orange to a subtle white, each
one is different. They are otherwise
known as Million Fish because of the
amount of offspring that they produce.
• Guppies are not endangered as they
produce up to 100 offspring at once,
and the environment is appropriate
for them.
20
• In some countries, guppies have been
introduced as a means of malaria
prevention, as they eat mosquito
larvae before they are able to fly and
in turn, this help prevents the spread
of malaria to some degree.
• Baby guppy fish, otherwise known
as Fry, are able to eat and swim
around freely after they are born.
They also are able to sense danger
immediately which is important
around adult guppies.
• In the wild guppies eat worms,
shellfish and the larvae of various
bugs. They are omnivorous and also
eat algae.
• Female guppies have a small,
patterned tail and male guppies
have a larger tail and tend to have
fewer markings. Male guppy fish are
smaller than females.
• Female guppies give birth to live
babies as opposed to laying eggs,
like many species of fish. However,
guppies are prone to eating their
babies once they’re born so if they
are kept in captivity, they have to be
separated. After the female guppy
has given birth, she is then ready to
reproduce almost immediately.
21
 CO-OP FREE FROM LIDL CROWNFIELD
JAMMY WHEELS COOKIE CEREAL
Perfect with a cup of tea, these A cheaper alternative to branded
biscuits are the ideal replacement cookie cereals, this is a vegan friendly
for childhood favourites from the alternative. Enjoy it with your favourite
Family Circle box of biscuits. These plant based milk for breakfast, and you
biscuits are also gluten-free, so could add some berries in with your
if you’re sensitive to gluten you cereal to make it a little bit healthier.
can still enjoy these. Available in
selected Co-Op stores. HOMEPRIDE ALL AMERICAN
STICKY CARAMELIZED ONION
BBQ COOKING SAUCE
An ideal staple to keep in the
cupboard, this American inspired
cooking sauce is versatile. You can
marinate tofu in it, or cook your
favourite soya chunks or vegetable
dish with it. With enough in the packet
to serve four people, it’s handy to keep
for a quick dinner.

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
aren’t advertised 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.

MORRISONS FREE FROM

CUSTARD CREAMS
If you are looking for a vegan custard
Have you found a brilliant accidentally
cream that is also gluten-free, this is
vegan product? We want to know!
ideal for you. At £1.60 for a 165g box,
the biscuits are individually wrapped, Share it with us on
making them ideal to take to work or Facebook
keep in your bag. (facebook.com/veganlifemagazine)

Instagram
(@veganlife_mag)

VIMTO CHEW BAR
Many of the sweets produced by
Swizzels Matlow are suitable for
vegans, and this delicious chewy
Vimto bar is one of them. You can pick
them up from different retailers and
sweet shops, and if you’re a big fan,
you can purchase bulk boxes online.
22
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
23
 Fat Gay Vegan

TRENDING VEGAN
Sean O’Callaghan on the future of vegan food, its
origin and the non-vegan equivalents it will replace

24

O
ne of the best things about being
vegan is watching fascinating
new foods be developed and
gain popularity.
Thankfully for vegans like me who enjoy
eating delicious, inventive foods there
appears to be no shortage of talented
and passionate plant based chefs and
creators out there taking our cuisine to
dizzying heights of creativity.
Our movement has become known for
being at the forefront of food trends and
even a lot of non-vegans (or not-yet-
vegans if we want to be optimistic) look
to our restaurants, online chefs, food
markets, and festivals to discover the
future trends of food.
A clear example of vegans leading the
way can been seen in jackfruit.
Jackfruit has been a common staple
is South-East Asian cuisine for a long
time, but over the past decade we have
seen this versatile fruit gain popularity
worldwide thanks to the ingenuity of
vegan chefs.
Most of us are now familiar with jackfruit
being used to replicate the texture
of pulled pork and the Internet is
absolutely swimming in recipes utilising
it. Jackfruit has become so synonymous
with vegan comfort food that non-vegan
kitchens, pubs and restaurants have
taken to making their vegetarian or
vegan burger offering out of the stuff.
As we become used to seeing jackfruit
take the place of falafel and bean
burgers, we can also keep our vegan
eyes trained on a few other food trends
heading out of vegan kitchens and into
the mainstream.
Aquafaba is a revolutionary food
ingredient and it is also just a fancy word
for the liquid found in a can of chickpeas.
Inquisitive vegans have recently begun
to experiment with the liquid as an egg
replacer, especially when it come to the
making of meringue.
The leftover liquid from the cooking of
chickpeas is high in protein and starches
that react in the way egg whites do,
making it perfect for whipping. You can
spend a fascinating afternoon over at
aquafaba.com reading all about the
history, science, and application of
the liquid.
Expect to see aquafaba become more
commonplace as clever chefs discover
new ways of using what would otherwise
be considered a waste product. Food
companies have launched aquafaba-
based mayonnaise alternatives in
supermarkets, while vegan recipes can
be found online for buttercream frosting,
marshmallows, and cheese using
chickpea water.
Pea protein is the hidden vegan
ingredient that we don’t pay much
attention to as consumers but is popping
up all over.
Large corporations are already making
their vegan versions of big name ice
cream brands with this whey alternative
and we can expect to see a lot more
plant-based yogurts featuring pea
protein in supermarket fridges over
coming years. Pop into health food
stores or a body building specialist shop
in your town to discover pea protein
and maybe try your hand at using the
ingredient in your own kitchen.
Plant based burgers that look as
though they are bleeding is a trend that
some vegans are not so excited about,
however the trend shows no signs of
slowing down.
Food companies have identified a
consumer who wants their vegan
Fat Gay Vegan
meat alternatives to closely resemble
animal products. Vegan burgers that
feature gristly textures and red cooking
juices to mimic meat patties now line
supermarket freezers and chillers the
planet over.
Also expect to see the return of some
oldies but goodies when it comes to the
future of vegan food trends.
Tempeh is a tasty and nutritious food
originating from Indonesia that is a
result of a culture and fermentation
process involving soybeans. The nutty-
tasting tempeh cakes are aged longer for
more pronounced taste and can be used
in curries, burgers, salads, and basically
any dish requiring a protein element.
I think tempeh is due a big comeback
after falling out of favour somewhat in
recent years (unless of course you live in
Indonesia). Fresh tempeh is particularly
delicious and can easily compete with
the likes of seitan and jackfruit should
our vegan food creators deem it worthy
of a widespread return.
My final prediction for what we will
all be soon devouring probably won’t
be as commonly seen as some of the
above, but I expect it will be popular in
vegan restaurants and cafes known for
showcasing adventurous and trend-
making cuisine.
Banana blossom is another ingredient
with origins in South-East Asia and is
traditionally eaten raw and used in
curries, salads, and soup-based dishes.
But of course leave it to vegans to find
a way to turn something like banana
blossom into a meat analogue.
Restaurants all around the world are
busy perfecting vegan fish made from
banana blossom. Numerous instruction
videos exist online, making it possible
for you to stay ahead of the trend by
creating this unique vegan fish in your
own home!
So, anyone feeling hungry right about
now?
25
 Vegan Sauces

43%
OF BRITS COVER THEIR
CHIPS IN TOMATO
KETCHUP

BEWARE OF
WORCESTERSHIRE
SAUCE WHICH CONTAINS
ANCHOVIES AND IS
THEREFORE UNSUITABLE
FOR VEGANS

BROWN SAUCE IS
TWICE AS POPULAR
IN SCOTLAND THAN
ANYWHERE ELSE IN
GREAT BRITAIN
26
 Let's
get
As summertime approaches, it is the
perfect time to sort out your sauce game
S
auces are a staple in most people’s
fridges and cupboards. Ketchup is
a global favourite, with 650 million
bottles of Heinz ketchup alone sold each
year and many would consider British
favourites, such as tofish and chips or a
vegan sausage sarnie, to be incomplete
without a sauce of some kind.
Sauces are defined as, “any
preparation, usually liquid or
semiliquid, eaten as a gravy or as a
relish accompanying food” and as,
“stewed fruit, often puréed and served
as an accompaniment to meat, dessert,
or other food: cranberry sauce.”
There are some obvious
examples of sauces that
aren’t suitable for vegans.
Mayonnaise and salad
cream contains eggs as
do some salad dressings.
Some of the more
uncommon sauces such
as fish sauce, oyster sauce
and Worcestershire sauce
have vegan alternatives
and happily, you can get
many of them from your local
supermarket — although you
may have to head to the internet for
alternatives to some of the rarer sauces.
Undoubtedly some of the sweeter
sauces will have high sugar content.
Surprisingly, one tablespoon of
ketchup has (on average) 4.1g of sugar,
and if you’re a lover of these sauces,
it’s best to opt for the reduced-sugar
versions. Other high sugar sauces and
condiments include BBQ sauces, sweet
chilli sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoisin
sauce and sriracha.
It isn’t all bad news though; some
sauces are fortified with vitamins and
minerals to aid human health, such as
soy sauces and bouillion powders.
It is also possible to make tasty vegan
alternatives to the sauces you love at
home. Not only will this cost you less
than buying supermarket sauces, you
can reduce the amount of packaging
and waste that you create. Making your
own sauces is also a great way to get
the sauce just how you like it. As such,
we have recreated some firm favourites
for you to try out at home: tomato
ketchup, brown sauce, sweet chilli
sauce and mayonnaise.
27
 Vegan Sauces

Take that as a Tracklements Hot Mustard Ketchup

Condiment
This new ketchup is a special edition and
has a fair amount of heat — it isn’t one
for the faint-hearted. Great for dipping
your chips in, spreading on a slice of fresh
bread or drizzling over a steaming vegan
burger, this is a must-have for condiment
connoisseurs. Tracklements.co.uk

Sublime sauces for your

vegan summer Encona
Carolina Reaper Chilli
Described as ‘our hottest chilli

Newman's Own Carolina Gold BBQ sauce’ and with the warning to
‘try at your own risk’, this limited
edition is made from the Carolina
This sauce is delicious to put on
barbequed food this summer with reaper chilli which is 25 times
a hint of mustard for a deeper hotter than the piri piri chilli. This
flavour. Newman’s Own donate all can be used as a drizzling sauce
of their profits to charity, so you or in recipes, but be careful with
can be sure that your money is this sauce. It is seriously hot.
going to good causes around the Available from Tesco and Iceland.
UK. newmansown.co.uk enconasauces.co.uk

The Sauce Shop

The Sauce Shop has gone from

Mr Organic Nottingham-based start-up to

a Great Taste Award Winning

Free from mayo Company in just four short years.

They make three sauces which are
Finding an egg-free mayonnaise has suitable for vegans — Sriracha,
never been easier. This is available Green Sriracha and Smoky
to get from Waitrose. Mayo is a Chipotle Ketchup. Available to
versatile condiment that can be buy online at Ocado, Wholefoods
used to accompany your favourite Market UK and in over 300
vegan burger, or make potato salad independent health food shops.
with. mr-organic.com sauceshop.co

Chef Bernie’'s Banana Ketchup

An unusual addition to any dish, banana ketchup is
unique in its flavour. Inspired by St Lucia, the naturally
sweet bananas have wine vinegar, lemon juice, turmeric,
ginger and Caribbean spices added for the interesting
flavour. Paired well with fried food, rice dishes and
incorporated into curries. You can purchase it from their
website: chefbernie.co.uk

28
29
 Vegan Sauces

e
ar
rt
Ta
AY
M NO
NAISE

n
Burge tio
Sauce r na
ro
Co
four

WAY
S
Ro
as
te
d
Ga
rl
ic

30

MAYONNAISE 4 WAYS
Each makes 1 large jar
PLAIN MAYO
• 240ml (1 cup) mild olive oil
• 120ml (1/2 cup) soya milk, at room
temperature
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 Place all the ingredients in a large,
wide-mouthed jar.
2 Using an immersion blender/stick
blender, pulse everything together
until combined and thickened.
3 Taste to check the seasoning and
store in the fridge for up to a week.
Per jar (349g)
Calories: 1945, Carbohydrates: 0.9g,
Sugars: 0.3g, Fat: 218.5g,
Saturates: 30.1g, Protein: 3.1g,
Salt: 3.1g
TARTARE SAUCE
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and finely
chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill, any tough
stalks removed
• 1 tbsp cornichons or dill pickles,
drained and finely chopped
• ½ lemon, zest and juice
• 175g plain mayonnaise, as above
1 Stir all the prepared ingredients
thoroughly through the plain
mayonnaise. Great served with tofu
‘fish’ fingers.
Per jar (239g)
Calories: 1000, Carbohydrates: 6.8g,
Sugars: 4.7g, Fat: 109.6g,
Saturates: 15.1g, Protein: 2.2g,
Salt: 2.1g
BURGER SAUCE
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp mild American yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp onion, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cornichons or dill pickles,
drained and very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp pickle brine
• 175g plain mayonnaise, as above
1 Stir all the prepared ingredients
thoroughly through the plain
mayonnaise. Serve with your favourite
plant based burgers.
Per jar (254g)
Calories: 1024, Carbohydrates: 8.4g,
Sugars: 6.6g, Fat: 110.7g,
Saturates: 15.2g, Protein: 3.2g,
Salt: 3.8g
ROASTED GARLIC MAYO
• 1 whole bulb of garlic
• Olive oil, a drizzle
• 175g plain mayonnaise, as above
1 Cut the very top off the bulb of garlic
to expose the tops of the cloves.
2 Drizzle lightly with olive oil and
roast at 180°C (Gas Mark 4, 350°F) for 30
minutes or until soft.
3 Remove from the oven and leave
to cool. Squeeze the garlic cloves from
their skins and mash them before adding
Vegan Sauces
to the mayonnaise and mixing through
thoroughly. Perfect with chips or crispy
homemade wedges.
Per jar (219g)
Calories: 1139, Carbohydrates: 10.4g,
Sugars: 0.5g, Fat: 123.0g,
Saturates: 16.9g, Protein: 3.5g,
Salt: 1.6g
CORONATION MAYO
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ½ onion, peeled and very finely
chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely
chopped
• 1 tbsp sultanas, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp mango chutney
• 175g plain mayonnaise, as above
1 Add all the ingredients, except
the mango chutney and mayo, to a
small frying pan and sauté gently until
softened and fragrant.
2 Leave to cool before mixing with the
mayonnaise and chutney.
3 Try mixing with roughly mashed
chickpeas for a delicious jacket potato or
sandwich filling.
Per jar (291g)
Calories: 1160, Carbohydrates: 24.5g,
Sugars: 17.5g, Fat: 119.4g,
Saturates: 16.4g, Protein: 4.0g,
Salt: 4.9g
31
 Vegan Sauces

Gotta
Ketchup
with us
Fresh Tomato
Ketchup

Thai Sweet
Chilli

Fruity BBQ
Proper Brown Sauce
Sauce

32

PROPER BROWN SAUCE
Makes approx 4 x 500g bottles
• 500g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large Bramley apple, cored and
chopped
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and
chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 star anise
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 mild red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 65g (1/3 cup) dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 480ml (2 cups) water
• 120ml (1/2 cup) red wine vinegar
1 Heat the oil in a very large saucepan
and add the onions. Cook for a few
minutes to soften before adding the
ginger, chilli and spices. Allow to cook for
a further few minutes until fragrant.
2 Add all the other ingredients to the
pan and bring to a simmer. Stir well
and leave to gently cook for around
an hour. The mixture should have
reduced significantly.
3 Blend the sauce really well with a
hand blender and pour into sterilised
bottles or jars. Label, seal and store in a
cool place for up to 6 months.
FRESH TOMATO KETCHUP
Makes 1 litre
• 2 white onions, peeled and
roughly chopped
• 150g celery, trimmed and
roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1kg ripe tomatoes, we used a
mixture of plum and cherry
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 160ml (2/3 cup) white wine vinegar
• 130g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
1 Place the onions and celery into
a food processor and pulse until
finely chopped.
2 Heat the oil in a very large pan over
a medium heat and add the onions
and celery with 1 tsp sea salt. Cook,
stirring often, for a few minutes until
fragrant and most of the moisture
has evaporated.
3 Add the garlic and the spices to
the pan and cook for a few minutes
until fragrant.
4 Add all the remaining ingredients
and stir well to combine. Bring to a
simmer and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes,
or until reduced and syrupy.
5 Remove the bay and cinnamon from
the pan and blend the ketchup with a
hand blender until very smooth. You can
sieve the sauce to make it extra smooth
if you prefer.
6 Taste to check the seasoning and
adjust as necessary. Transfer the sauce
to sterilised bottles or jars, label and seal.
They will keep, unopened, for 6 months.
FRUITY BBQ SAUCE
Makes 250ml
• 1 large onion, peeled and
roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large mild red chilli, roughly
chopped
• 1 tbsp mild oil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
Vegan Sauces
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 175g light soft brown sugar
• 60ml (1/4 cup) vegan Worcestershire
sauce
• 60ml (1/4 cup) balsamic vinegar
• 240ml (1 cup) pineapple juice
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
1 Place the onion, garlic, chilli and
all the spices into a food processor and
pulse until finely chopped.
2 Heat the oil in a large pan and scrape
the onion mixture into the pan. Fry gently
for 10-15 minutes until fragrant and all the
excess moisture has evaporated.
3 Add the tomato puree to the pan and
fry for another couple of minutes.
4 Add the remaining ingredients to the
pan and stir well to combine. Allow to
simmer until thickened and sticky.
5 Allow to cool before sealing in
sterilised jars. Store in a cool place
for up to 3 months. Keep in the fridge
once opened.
THAI SWEET CHILLI
SAUCE Makes 500ml
• 2 large red peppers, deseeded and
roughly chopped
• 150g (2 cups) mixed chillies,
roughly chopped
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 lime, halved
• 360ml (1 ½ cups) white wine vinegar
• 325g (scant 1 ½ cups) caster sugar
1 Place the peppers, chillies and garlic
in a food processor and pulse until
finely chopped.
2 Scrape the chilli mixture into a large
pan and add the vinegar and sugar.
3 Cut the lime in half and squeeze the
juice into the pan. Drop the lime haves
into the pan also.
4 Mix everything together well and
bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for 45
minutes or until thickened and syrupy.
5 Pour into sterilised jars or bottles
and seal. Store in a cool place for up to
6 months.
33
 Debate

What is the best way

to advoc
ate
veganism?

W
ith increasing numbers
of people choosing to
eliminate animal products
from their diets, it has become
easier to have open and honest
conversations about how we advocate
for animals. However, fear of being
labelled as preachy or extreme can
stop people from speaking out,
especially to their friends and family,
so this month we took to social media
to ask for your opinions.
What do you think is the best way
to advocate for veganism? Do we
focus on pointing out the health
impacts of switching to a plant based
diet or on the ethical reasons for
following a vegan lifestyle? Should
we focus on calm conversations or
persevere through heated debates?
Are documentaries or written articles
preferable?
We have a new debate every month
so head to our Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram pages to get involved in
the discussion.

Let us know on:

Instagram@veganlife_mag Facebook@veganlifemagazine Twitter@veganlife_mag

34

Readers' THOUGHTS
bethjd
Calm conversations, we should be
teaching not demanding.
charlottes.vegan
.eats
Take friends to awesome vegan
restaurants, cook them delicious meals,
make your veganism known (start a blog
*cough *cough) but don't force it onto
people. Be open to conversation when
people ask and remember that you
yourself were once ignorant/in denial
of the cruelty to animals that exists in
all sectors.
emily_broidery
Be positive, healthy and kind. Promote
it positively not militantly. Be passionate
for change, not angry.
Angie Pangie
Just chatting to people in passing or in a
supermarket when they see me buying
a particular vegan friendly product
and ask if it’s nice. Then I get to explain
a little of why I'm vegan but I'm not
aggressive with them, about the only
time I'm NOT aggressive.
therawvegan_
vampire
Show them that all their favourite
foods can be veganised and make it
absolutely, undeniably delicious. Point
out the many health benefits and also
that they are going to save loads of
money. I have learned that you kind
of have to appeal to their ego to win
them over; they need to know what’s in
it for them.
vegan_hania
Be healthy, happy, and show people
what to eat. I do vegan food tasting
events and they’re always really popular
and positive.
traceylee.green
Share knowledge a little bit at a time so
that people aren’t scared away. There is
a lot of painful truth out there.
missshanksclass
Attraction rather than promotion.
Make your life, health, and mood so
compelling that people want to know
how you did it. Make your compassion
a quiet but unmistakable part of
your personality. Selling veganism
rarely works.
guymcnallyyy
Throw apples, broccoli and bananas at
people until they see the light, but never
avocado, don’t waste avocado!
rexanna2
Just cook for your friends and they will
discover how amazing and delicious
vegan can be. And also how beautiful it
looks plated up.
Donna George
Make slaughter houses available for the
public to go and see for themselves how
the food they choose ends up on their
plates. Glass houses, glass walls, we
would have a vegan world in no time.
Debate
THE
GREAT BRITISH
DEBATE OFF
tizpot
I don't think there is just one best way.
It requires a different approach for each
individual. One person may be better
with shock tactics, one may be better by
observing another quietly and asking
questions when they're ready.
#differentstrokesfordifferentfolks
palmlinda72
I encourage others to watch What the
Health and Forks over Knives on Netflix.
oldskoolmillah
I was once asked at work “why don’t you
eat meat?” I replied, “because I don’t
have to.” Another colleague overheard
and said “good answer”... sometimes
not overloading with facts and opinions
is the best argument. Keep it simple,
keep it polite…
Tam Chan Thanh
I don't advocate. I give my reasons for
being vegan when people ask. So it’s:
this is my choice. What is your choice?
I believe it leads to gentle reflection
rather than defensive reaction being the
first response.
veganxcoffee
By setting a good, compassionate
example and pointing out where
veganism is logically better.
Linda Passmore
Giving people plain and true facts of how
'their' food is produced in whichever
country. From a reputable source.
35
 Prep, cook, eat
with Vegan Life
Our favourite recipes this month

36
 Recipe

THAI RED PORRIDGE • 50g (1/2 cup gram/chickpea flour) the vegan egg by whisking all vegan egg
• 60ml (¼ cup) water ingredients together to form a medium-
WITH VEGAN EGG • Pinch black salt thick batter.
Serves 2 (4 as a side)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 6 Heat the vegan butter in a small
saucepan and when melted and
For the Thai broth
1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in the bottom of a bubbling, fry the ‘egg’ mixture for a
• 1 tbsp oil
large saucepan. Fry the onion for 2-3 couple of minutes on one side, then
• 1.4 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock
minutes on a medium-high heat until it flip and cook on other side until firm.
• 3 tbsp vegan friendly red curry paste
starts to soften. Add the curry paste and Set aside.
• 400g tin coconut milk
stir to coat the onion. Fry for another 7 When the rice has cooked through,
• 1 red onion, chopped
minute to release some of the flavour. add the frozen peas, the chopped
2 Add the vegetable stock and coconut coriander and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
For the Thai porridge
milk to the pan and bring everything to a 8 Divide the rice into two bowls and
• 240g (11/2 cups rice)
gentle simmer. Set aside. pour over remaining broth mixture.
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
3 Prepare the rice for the porridge by 9 Garnish with the vegan egg cut into
• 140g (1 cup) frozen peas
rinsing a few times under a cold tap. slices, coriander and sesame seeds.
• 1 handful chopped coriander (plus
4 Pour 500ml of the Thai broth into
extra for garnishing)
a large saucepan along with the rinsed Per serving (1260g)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
rice and ginger and bring to a boil. Turn Calories: 896, Carbohydrates: 138.2g,
• Sesame seeds (to garnish)
down and simmer on a medium heat Sugars: 23.5g, Fat: 22.5g,
until rice is cooked through. Add more Saturates: 3.7g, Protein: 29.5g,
For the vegan egg
broth if rice starts to stick. Salt: 15.5g
• ½ tbsp of vegan butter
5 While the rice is cooking, prepare

37
 Recipe
Recipes excerpted from:
Ageless Vegan: The Secret to Living
a Long and Healthy Plant-Based Life
by Tracye McQuirter, MPH with Mary
McQuirter. Copyright © 2018. Available
from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint
of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of
Hachette Book Group, Inc.
38
LEMONGRASS NOODLE
SOUP Makes 4 servings
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp peeled and finely chopped
ginger
• 60g (4 stalks) lemongrass, cut in
half lengthwise
• 144g (about 2 cups) mushrooms,
sliced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
(about 1 cup)
• 1 stalk celery, cut into ⅛-inch slices
• 1 serrano chile, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, cut into ⅛-inch
slices
• 320g (2 cups) broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp low-sodium tamari
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• 200g (2 cups) edamame and mung
bean fettuccine, cooked according
to package instructions
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
(about ½ lime)
• 10g (¼ cup) chopped coriander
leaves, for garnish
1 In a large soup pot, heat the oil over
medium heat.
2 Stir in the garlic and ginger and sauté
until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3 Add 4 cups water, lemongrass,
mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, and chile
and bring to a boil.
4 Reduce the heat to low, cover, and
simmer for 20 minutes.
5 Add the carrot, broccoli, tamari, and
salt and return to a boil. As soon as it
boils, remove from heat.
6 To serve, remove the pieces of
lemongrass, stir in the fettuccine and
lime juice, and garnish with coriander.
TIP Explore® brand makes the pasta
called for in this recipe and it’s available
at health food stores and online. Other
whole-grain noodles can be easily
substituted, such as soba, angel hair, or
spaghetti noodles.
Per serving (234g)
Calories: 257, Carbohydrates: 18.1g,
Sugars: 7.1g, Fat: 7.5g, Saturates: 1.2g,
Protein: 25.6g, Salt: 2.5g

PERFECT PECAN PIE
Makes 7-9 servings
• 175g (1¾ cup) whole pecans
• 125g (1 cup) chopped pecans
• 260ml (¾ cup) maple syrup
• 86ml (¼ cup) brown rice syrup
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 60ml (¼ cup) unsweetened
almond milk
Recipe
•
•
2 tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil
⅛ tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 (9-inch) whole-grain pie crust
1 Preheat oven to 180°C
(Gas Mark 4, 350°F).
2 In a food processor, add 100g (1 cup)
of the whole pecans and process until a
coarse meal is formed.
3 Place the meal in a medium bowl
and add the chopped pecans.
4 Stir until just combined. In a large
bowl, combine the maple syrup, brown
rice syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed
meal, milk, oil, and salt.
5 Add the pecan mixture to the wet
mixture and stir until mixed well.
6 Stir in 1 tablespoon of the whole
wheat flour at a time. You want the
batter to be thick, but still loose enough
to pour.
7 Pour the batter into the piecrust.
8 Arrange the remaining whole pecans
on top.
9 Bake for 45 minutes. Let the pie cool
completely for the filling to firmly set.
Serve immediately.
TIP If you prefer a slightly less sweet
pie, omit the brown rice syrup.
Per serving (122g)
Calories: 556g, Carbohydrates: 50.0g,
Sugars: 27.0g, Fat: 39.5g,
Saturates: 7.2g, Protein: 5.8g,
Salt: 0.39g
SPARKLING BASIL
LIMONADE
Makes 2 servings
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
(about 1 medium lime)
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
(about 1 medium lemon)
• 1 tsp coconut sugar (or more,
to taste)
• 700ml (3 cups) sparkling water
• 6-8 (1 cup) ice cubes
1 In a small pitcher, combine the basil,
lime juice, lemon juice, and sugar.
2 Use a wooden spoon to press down
on and slightly bruise the leaves so more
of the flavour will be incorporated into
the drink.
3 Add the sparkling water and ice
cubes. Stir and serve immediately.
Per serving (404g)
Calories: 20.8, Carbohydrates: 6.3g,
Sugars: 2.6g, Fat: 0.0g, Saturates: 0.0g,
Protein: 0.2g, Salt: 0.02g
39
 Recipe

CHIPOTLE JACKFRUIT • 1 tbsp dried oregano 3 Add a drizzle of vegetable oil and
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste then the spice mix, and break it up with a
TACOS • 1 tsp smoked paprika wooden spoon.
Makes 8 tacos; serves 4 as a main and 8
• 1 tsp ground cumin 4 And the jackfruit and fry, stirring, for
as a starter
• 1 tsp ground coriander 2–3 minutes until they are well coated
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon or raw with the spice mixture and fragrant.
A great taco offers a variety of textures
cacao powder 5 Add water and let the jackfruit
and flavours, and this easy recipe
• ¾ tsp salt, plus extra to taste simmer and reduce in the spice mix
featuring spicy lentils and garlicky
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper for 20 minutes; if the pan dries out too
mushrooms ticks all the boxes. The
• 100ml water quickly, add a little more water.
toppings of coriander, avocado and sour
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 6 Taste and adjust the seasoning with
cream offer a fresh, cool contrast. Many
• 2 tbsp olive oil salt, then set aside.
people enjoy tacos frequently, using
7 Fill the tortillas with the jackfruit and
ready-made spice mixes. Impress your
To serve: fresh salad toppings and serve with lime
guests by making your own spice mix – it
• 8 corn tortillas wedges, sour cream and hot sauce.
adds a vibrant homemade flavour that is
• Lime wedges
superior to industrial mixes. These tacos
• Nutritonal yeast to sprinkle Per serving (405g)
are enhanced with a little kick of chipotle
(optional) Calories: 653, Carbohydrates: 98.9g,
hotness – chipotle is a dried and smokey
• 150ml vegan sour cream Sugars: 42.8g, Fat: 25.5g,
variety of jalapeño. You can substitute
• Hot sauce Saturates: 5.9g, Protein: 13.0g,
the chipotle paste for another chilli.
Salt: 3.3g
Toppings:
• 2x 400g cans of green (young)
• Serve with fresh salad toppings of
jackfruit in brine
your choice, such as, chopped or
• Vegetable oil, for frying
sliced avocado, red onion peppers,
tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage and Recipes excerpted from:
Spice mix: Feasts of Veg by Nina
baby spinach.
• 2 garlic cloves, minced Olsson is published by
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger or Kyle Books, £18.99 (www.
1 Mix together all ingredients for the kylebooks.co.uk)
ground ginger
spice mix in a bowl into a paste. Photography: Nina Olsson
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2 Heat a frying pan to a medium heat.
40

JACKFRUIT BULGOGI
SALAD Serves 4
This salad is packed with flavour! Using
fried jackfruit, marinated with shoyu and
chili, as a delicious savoury element in
a fresh green salad. Pear, avocado and
spinach adds a cool contrast and cashew
nuts the extra crunch. You will need to
prepare the jackfruit bulgogi (see below).
The jackfruit is best served warm but
you can eat the salad warm or cold. It’s
an excellent salad to bring to a BBQ or
potluck.
BULGOGI RECIPE
• 600g canned green jackfruit,
drained
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Water as needed
• Sesame seeds
Marinade:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp shoyu soy or tamari sauce
• ¾ tbsp gochujang chilli paste
or sriracha
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar or agave syrup
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
Recipe
• Salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
1 Put the jackfruit in a bowl. Mix the
marinade ingredients together and
pour over the jackfruit.
2 Massage the jackfruit with your
hands, breaking up the bigger pieces
and working the marinade into the
fruit. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes
(or up to 24 hours in the fridge) or fry
straight away.
3 Heat a pan over a medium-high
heat, add a drizzle of oil and fry the
jackfruit. Add a little water to ensure the
jackfruit doesn’t dry out too quickly.
Continue frying and adding small
amounts of water for 15 minutes. Fry
for a further 5 minutes without adding
water to let the jackfruit dry out. Taste
and adjust with salt and pepper.
4 This is delicious served warm,
sprinkled with sesame seeds but can
also be served cold.
SALAD RECIPE
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar or citrus juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 400g jackfruit bulgogi (see above)
• 2 avocados, halved pitted, and diced
• 1 asian pea or regular firm pear, cut
into strips
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 60g baby spinach or other green
salad leaves
• 50g toasted cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 Mix the toasted sesame oil and rice
vinegar together and set aside. Arrange
the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
2 Combine the Bulgogi and the salad
recipes together into 4 servings.
TIP Use canned green jackfruit in
brine, which you will easily find in Asian
supermarkets or online.
Per serving (305g)
Calories: 462, Carbohydrates: 36.9g,
Sugars: 24.4g, Fat: 33.5g,
Saturates: 5.0g, Protein: 7.6g, Salt: 1.3g
41

WATERMELON AND
CHIOGGA BEETS WITH
MISO WOW SAUCE
Makes 1 plate, Serves 4
This vibrant sharing salad combines
sweet water melon pieces with earthy
chiogga beet slices offering fresh sweet
and savoury flavours to tease the
appetit. But it’s actually the sauce that’s
the real star in this ensemble. You can
use this creamy miso sauce warm or cold
with any cold a variety of cooked or raw
vegetables. I call it the Miso Wow Sauce!
• 1-2 chiogga beets, peeled and
sliced thin, and cut to bite size
triangle pieces
• 200g watermelon, cut into bite size
triangle shapes
Miso Wow Sauce:
• 1½ tbsp red miso paste (aka miso)
or brown rice miso paste (genmai)
Recipes excerpted from:
Feasts of Veg by Nina
Olsson is published by Kyle
Books, £18.99
(www.kylebooks.co.uk)
Photography: Nina Olsson
42
Recipe
• 1½ tsp drained capers
• 1 tbsp soy or tamari sauce
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• ⅓ tsp agave syrup
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 100ml water
• 1 tsp kuzu (optional)
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 100g vegan mayonnaise
To Serve
• 1 tbsp microgreens like red vein
sorrel leaves and shiso leaves or
use delicate herbs
• Baby basil leaves
1 To make the sauce, put all
the ingredients except the vegan
mayonnaise, in a food processor and
whizz until smooth*.
2 Transfer to a small saucepan and
bring to the boil, stirring, then turn off
the heat. Let cool slighty and whisk in
the vegan mayonnaise.
3 Arrange the chiogga beet and
watermelon slices on a serving dish,
drizzle with the sauce and top with
microgreens.
4 Before serving, heat up the sauce,
whisking it until smooth and adding a
little water to loosen the consistency
if necessary.
5 Leave to cool slightly before serving.
* The sauce can be made a day in
advance and kept, tightly covered or in
an airtight container, in the fridge.
Using kuzu:
I’ve used kuzu here as a thickener,
which gives a lovely smoothness and
shine to sauces and gels without any
weird aftertaste, but you can use
arrowroot or another thickener if you
prefer. Alternatively, add vegan crème
fraîche to the sauce instead.
Per serving (158g)
Calories: 63, Carbohydrates: 11.8g,
Sugars: 7.3g, Fat: 0.7g, Saturates: 0.1g,
Protein: 3.2g, Salt: 1.4g

CHICKPEA MEATLOAF
Makes 1 loaf (6 slices)
For the loaf:
• 2 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
(juice from tin reserved)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 150g (2½ cups) panko
breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp vegan Worcester sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
Recipe
For the Maple Glaze:
• 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) tomato paste
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Preheat oven to 190°C
(Gas Mark 5, 375°F).
2 Lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan.
3 Begin by draining the chickpeas,
reserving the juice from the can (this is
called aqua faba).
4 Working in batches if needed,
place all meatloaf ingredients into food
processor bowl and pulse until chickpeas
are broken up and ingredients are well
mixed, stopping to scrape down sides of
bowl as needed. Do not over blend.
5 If working in batches, transfer each
batch to a large mixing bowl when
complete and then mix by hand. If the
mixture is a bit dry, then add some aqua
faba (approx. 8 tbsp) to make it a little
more wet.
6 Press mixture into prepared loaf pan
and bake 30 minutes.
7 While the meatloaf bakes, stir glaze
ingredients together in a small bowl.
8 Remove loaf from oven after 30
minutes and spoon glaze over the top of
loaf. Bake another 20-25 minutes.
9 Remove from oven and allow to cool
at least 10 minutes before cutting. The
longer the loaf sits however, the firmer
it gets.
Per serving (208g)
Calories: 320, Carbohydrates: 55.3g,
Sugars: 14.2g, Fat: 8.3g, Saturates: 0.9g,
Protein: 11.2g, Salt: 2.0g
43
 Recipe
TUA FUK YAO PAD
TUA DUM
(YARD-LONG BEANS WITH
BLACK BEAN SAUCE)
Serves 2

Making your own blackbean sauce using

fermented black soybeans (also known
as salty Chinese black beans) gives much
tastier results than using a store-bought
version – you really get the depth and
complexity of the fermentation, making
for a super-tangy dish. You can find
fermented black beans in most larger Asian
supermarkets or online.

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 3 red bird’s eye chillies, finely
chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fermented black beans
• 200g (1 cup) textured vegetable
protein mince
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 80g (1/2 cup) yard-long beans
or green beans, cut into 2.5cm
(1 inch) pieces
• 1 spring onion, sliced

1 Heat the oil in a wok set over a

medium-high heat.
2 Add the chillies, garlic and fermented
black beans and stir-fry for about 30
seconds, until aromatic.
3 Now add the TVP mince and stir well to
combine thoroughly. Season with the sugar,
soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce
and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the mince is
warmed through.
4 Tip the beans into the wok and
stir-fry for about 1–2 minutes, until the
vegetables are just cooked.
5 Stir in the spring onion and cook
for a further 30 seconds, then serve
immediately.

Per serving (184g)

Calories: 458, Carbohydrates: 30.7g,
Sugars: 4.8g, Fat: 13.1g, Saturates: 1.0g, Recipes and images from:
Protein: 54.6g, Salt: 1.9g Rosa’s Thai Café: the
Vegetarian Cookbook by
Saiphin Moore, published
by Mitchell Beazley, £20
www.octopusbooks.co.uk
44

KHAO GLONG PAD
KRA PROW
(STIR-FRIED BROWN RICE
WITH HOLY BASIL SAUCE)
Serves 2
Stir frying the rice in the Kra Prow sauce
brings an entirely different taste to this
dish. Tossing holy basil into the hot pan
at the end, letting the warm, aniseed
aromatics fill the kitchen.
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2–3 red or green bird’s eye chillies,
finely chopped
• 50g (1/3 cup) onion, finely diced
• 50g (1/3 cup) carrot, finely diced
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tbsp sugar
• 100g (1/2 cup) cooked brown
jasmine rice, at room temperature
• 25g (1/4 cup) spring greens,
roughly chopped
• 25g (1/8 -1/4 cup) spring onion,
finely chopped
• 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small handful holy basil leaves
• Lime wedges, to garnish
1 Heat the oil in a wok set over a
medium heat. Add the garlic and chillies
and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until
Recipe
the garlic is golden brown. Add the
onion and carrot and stir-fry for about 2
minutes, until slightly translucent.
2 Now stir in the light soy sauce,
dark soy sauce and sugar, then toss
the rice into the wok and stir-fry for
1–2 minutes, until all the ingredients
are well combined. Finally, add the
spring greens, spring onion, tomatoes
and holy basil and stir-fry for a further
minute, until the spring greens are
cooked through.
3 Serve immediately, garnished with
lime wedges.
Per serving (220g)
Calories: 195, Carbohydrates: 31.1g,
Sugars: 8.5g, Fat: 6.7g, Saturates: 0.6g,
Protein: 5.3g, Salt: 1.6g
MED MAMUANG PAD
FUKTONG
(STIR-FRIED PUMPKIN WITH
CASHEW NUTS)
Serves 1-2
Inspired by the famous chicken with
cashew nut stir-fry, the addition of
cashew nuts gives this dish a little more
protein, as well as the lovely nuttiness.
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 dried red chillies, chopped
• 300g (21/2 cups) sliced pumpkin,
peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 50g (1/3 cup) toasted cashew nuts
• 1 spring onion, cut into 2.5cm
(1 inch) pieces
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
1 Heat the oil in a wok set over a
medium heat. When it is hot, add the
garlic, onion and dried chillies and stir-fry
for 45 seconds, until fragrant and golden.
2 Now add the pumpkin and cook for
a further minute. Mix in the vegetarian
oyster sauce, soy sauces and sugar
and stir-fry for 1 minute, until all the
ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the
pumpkin is just about cooked through.
3 Add the rice wine, cashew nuts and
spring onion, then stir-fry for a further
2 minutes, until everything is heated
through. Serve immediately with
jasmine rice.
Per serving (381g)
Calories: 507, Carbohydrates: 66.3g,
Sugars: 21.1g, Fat: 23.8g,
Saturates: 3.3g, Protein: 10.4g,
Salt: 3.5g
45
 Recipe

Recipe and images from:

Virtually Vegan by Heather Whinney
is published by Nourish Books
priced £20.00

46

SLOW-BAKED VANILLA
RICE PUDDING Serves 4-6
This is a crowd pleaser pud, as it’s
a really nostalgic. It requires few
ingredients and minimum effort, just a
slow bake. You need much less rice than
you think as it quadruples in size whilst
cooking. I like it with just a subtle taste
of nutmeg but finely grated lemon or
orange zest would work and, if feeding
the kids, a grating of chocolate always
goes down well!
• 2 tbsp sunflower spread
• 150g (2/3 cup) short-grain/pudding
rice, rinsed
• 700ml (3 cups) almond milk, plus
extra for topping up
• 250ml (generous 1 cup) coconut
milk drink
• 1 vanilla pod/bean, split
lengthways
• 50g (1/3 cup) golden caster/
superfine sugar
• A pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Recipe
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (Gas
Mark 2, 300°F) and lightly grease a large
shallow ovenproof dish with a little of
the sunflower spread.
2 Put the rice, milks, vanilla pod/bean
and sugar in a pan, stir and bring to the
boil, then simmer for a few minutes.
3 Transfer the mixture into the
prepared dish, top with the remaining
sunflower spread and sprinkle with the
nutmeg. Cover with foil and put in the
oven for about 40–50 minutes, then
check on it, give it a stir and top up with
a little more almond milk, if needed.
4 Put the foil back on and cook for
another 40–50 minutes, check and stir
again, adding milk if it is too dry, then
remove the foil and cook for about 20
minutes until it is creamy, the rice is
tender and it is golden on top.
Per serving (225g)
Calories: 224, Carbohydrates: 38.7g,
Sugars: 13.1g, Fat: 5.6g,
Saturates: 0.5g, Protein: 4.1g,
Salt: 0.43g
VEGETABLE KEBABS
WITH MISO & GINGER
GLAZE Serves 4
The fresh figs add a delicious sweetness
but they are not always available to
use when in season. You’ve got licence
to be as creative as you wish with the
vegetables, but choose veg that take
about the same time to cook and cut
them into similar-sized pieces.
• 1 aubergine, cut into chunky pieces
• 2–3 courgettes, cut into chunky
pieces
• 4–6 figs, quartered
• 2 slices of sourdough bread, cubed
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and
roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and
roughly chopped
• About 6 tomatoes, roughly chopped
For the slaw
• 1/2 light green cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, grated
• Juice 1 lime
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely
chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger,
peeled and grated
• A pinch demerara/turbinado sugar,
to taste
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
For the dressing
• 1 tbsp red miso paste
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger,
peeled and grated
1 You will need 8 skewers. If you are
using wooden skewers, soak them for
20 minutes before using – this will stop
them from burning in the griddle pan.
2 First make the slaw. Put the
cabbage and carrots in a large bowl,
season with salt and pepper and mix
together. In another bowl, whisk the
lime juice, vinegar, shallots, chilli, garlic,
ginger and sugar and whisk until the
sugar dissolves.
Pour the mixture into the cabbage and
carrots and mix it all together using
your hands. Leave to one side or in the
refrigerator until ready to serve.
3 Now make the dressing. Mix the
miso, oil and ginger together and
season with salt and pepper.
4 Thread the aubergine, courgette,
figs, bread, peppers and tomatoes
evenly on to the skewers and lay them
in a shallow dish. Drizzle the dressing
over the top and turn to coat. Leave to
one side for 10 minutes.
5 Heat a griddle pan until hot, then
add the kebabs a few at a time. Cook for
about 4–5 minutes each side, drizzling
a little more dressing over them as
they cook. Serve with the slaw and any
leftover dressing on the side.
Per serving (656g)
Calories: 298, Carbohydrates: 46.0g,
Sugars: 27.9g, Fat: 9.4g,
Saturates: 1.5g, Protein: 8.8g,
Salt: 1.2g
47
 Recipe

48

KERALAN SQUASH AND
CAULIFLOWER CURRY
Serves 4
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 large chilli, sliced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and
grated
• 6 gloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 20 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 240ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
or water
• 1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
• ½ lime, juice only
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled
and cubed
Recipe
• 1 small cauliflower, broken into
florets
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh coriander and sliced chilli,
to serve
1 Melt the coconut oil in a large
pan and add the onions with a pinch
of salt. Gently cook for a couple of
minutes before adding the garlic,
ginger and chilli.
2 Once the onion has started to
soften and the garlic is fragrant, add the
spices. Stir well and cook so that the
spices sizzle and pop. Cook for a few
minutes until fragrant.
3 Pour in the coconut milk and water,
add the tamarind, sugar and lime juice
and season well. Mix well and add the
squash and cauliflower. Cover with a lid
and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
4 Once the curry has simmered,
check the squash and cauliflower are
tender. Taste to check the seasoning
and adjust if necessary.
5 Serve the curry in bowls with
rice, topped with fresh coriander and
sliced chilli.
TIP The cooked, cooled curry can
be frozen in bags or tubs for up to 3
months. Defrost thoroughly and reheat
until piping hot before serving.
Per serving (530g)
Calories: 397, Carbohydrates: 42.2g,
Sugars: 10.9g, Fat: 26.3g,
Saturates: 21.9g, Protein: 8.0g,
Salt: 2.1g
SPICED PARSNIP
PARATHAS Makes 6
For the filling:
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• ½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ mild chilli, finely chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
For the dough:
• 200g (2 cups) plain flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp nigella seeds
• 180ml (3/4 cup) water
1 Place the parsnip and salt in a
saucepan and cover with water. Bring
to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, or
until soft and mashable. Drain well and
set aside.
2 Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan
and add the onions. Cook until starting
to soften before adding the garlic, chilli
and spices.
3 Mash the parsnip and add it to the
pan with the spices, season well and
mix together so that you have a spiced
puree.
4 In a large bowl, mix together the
flour, salt and nigella. Add the water
and mix to a soft dough. Knead for a
minute and divide into 6.
5 On a floured surface, roll out each
portion of dough a little so that you
have a small circle. Place a spoonful of
the parsnip mash in the centre of each
and bring up the sides of the dough to
completely encase the filling.
6 Dust the worktop with a little more
flour and roll out the filled parathas to
a larger circle, about 9 inches across.
7 Brush the parathas with oil and
heat a non stick pan until hot. Cook
the parathas until golden on both sides
and cooked through. Keep warm while
the cooking the others.
8 Serve the warm parathas with the
curry and some rice, if you like.
TIP These breads can be made in
advance and gently reheated when
ready to serve. Sprinkle lightly with
water and wrap in foil before baking
for 10 minutes at 180°C (Gas Mark 4,
350°F).
Per serving (108g)
Calories: 154, Carbohydrates: 29.9g,
Sugars: 2.0g, Fat: 2.6g, Saturates: 1.7g,
Protein: 3.9g, Salt: 2.1g
49
 Recipe
SWEETCORN CHOWDER
Serves 4 (as a starter)

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 400g (2 cups) potatoes, peeled and
cut into small cubes
• 500g (2 cups) tinned or defrosted
frozen sweetcorn
• 800ml (31/3 cups) vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 200ml (1 cup) plant based milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Bunch chives, roughly chopped

1 Heat the olive oil in a medium sized

saucepan and gently fry the onions and
garlic and celery in the olive oil until soft.
2 Add the cubed potatoes to the
onions, garlic and celery and cook for a
further 2 minutes.
3 Add the stock and bay leaf and
thyme to the pan. Whisk well if you
need to, bring to the boil and simmer
for 20 minutes, ensuring potatoes are
cooked through and soft.
4 Add the milk to the saucepan and
bring to the boil again. Take off the
heat, remove the bay leaf, then blend
together with a hand blender. Add the
sweetcorn, salt, pepper, nutritional
yeast and smoked paprika, and heat
through if necessary to warm up. Stir
some of the chopped chives through
the chowder, leaving some for serving.
5 Divide between four bowls and
serve topped with chopped chives.

Per serving (534g)

Calories: 295, Carbohydrates: 37.0g,
Sugars: 13.9g, Fat: 12.1g,
Saturates: 1.5g, Protein: 9.6g,
Salt: 4.2g

50
 Recipe

VEGAN CARBONARA • 1 tsp smoked paprika 4 To make the carbonara sauce, drain
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari the soaked cashew nuts then in a high-
WITH TOFU BACON • ½ tsp garlic powder speed blender, blend all the carbonara
Serves 4
• ½ tsp onion powder sauce ingredients, except the black salt
together. Set aside.
• Spaghetti or linguini pasta (enough
To serve: 5 In a large saucepan, cook the pasta
to serve four people)
• A handful of parsley, roughly according to packets instructions.
chopped 6 Once pasta is cooked, drain pasta
For the carbonara sauce:
and tip back into the saucepan it was
• 180g (1 cup) cashew nuts, soaked in
1 Begin by preparing the tofu bacon. cooked in then pour over the carbonara
hot water for 20 mins
2 Cut the drained and pressed tofu sauce, add the black salt and mix well.
• 240 ml (1 cup) plant-based milk
into small chunks. Marinate the tofu Stir in the chopped parsley, saving
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
in the maple syrup, liquid smoke, some to garnish. Season with a little
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
smoked paprika and soy sauce. Set more salt and pepper if needed.
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
aside for about 20 minutes so the 7 Divide the pasta into four bowls,
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
tofu can absorb flavours. If you want top with the tofu bacon and a sprinkle
• 1 tsp black salt
to prepare the tofu and marinade in of parsley.
• Salt and pepper to taste
advance and marinate overnight, the
flavours will be stronger. Per serving (266g)
For the tofu bacon:
3 Once the tofu bacon has Calories: 550, Carbohydrates: 51.6g,
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
marinated, heat the 2 tablespoon of oil Sugars: 8.4g, Fat: 30.3g,
• 100g tofu, drained and pressed
and fry the tofu chunks on a high heat Saturates: 5.1g, Protein: 22.9g,
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
until crispy. Set aside. Salt: 3.8g
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
51
 Recipe
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP • 70g (½ cup) hazelnuts
• 70g (½ cup) sultana
COOKIES
Makes 12 1 Preheat oven to 170°C (Gas 4, 350°F).
2 Beat the butter and sugar together
• 150g (2/3 cup) vegan butter until light and fluffy.
• 150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar 3 Mix together the flour, vanilla,
• 225g (2 scant cups) self-raising nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and
flour xanthan gum until well combined. If using
• ½ tsp powdered vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla extract instead of powder add it to
vanilla extract the butter and sugar mix.
• Pinch nutmeg 4 Gradually add the flour mix to the
• Pinch cinnamon butter and sugar mix until a dough begins
• 1 tsp baking powder to form.
• 1 tsp xanthan gum 5 Add the soya milk and bring the
• 1-2 tbsp soy milk dough together with your hands.
• 70g (1/3 cup) vegan chocolate chips
6 When a smooth dough is formed
add the chocolate chips, hazelnuts and
sultanas and work into the dough.
7 Divide into 12 and roll into balls.
8 Place onto a lined baking tray and
press to flatten slightly – they will spread
when baking.
9 Bake for 10-15 minutes.
10 Remove from the oven and allow to
cool slightly before transferring to a wire
rack to cool completely.
Per serving (65g)
Calories: 280, Carbohydrates: 34.3g,
Sugars: 18.8g, Fat: 14.9g, Saturates: 3.3g,
Protein: 2.9g, Salt: 0.39g

52
 Recipe

REFRIGERATOR CAKE
Serves 12

• 50g pack vegan rich tea

2
• 100g (1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp) vegan butter
• 150g (scant ½ cup) golden syrup
• 30g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
• 75g (heaped 1/3 cup) sultanas
• 100g (½ cup) glace cherries chopped
• 60g (1/3 cup) hazelnuts
• 400g (31/3 cups) vegan milk chocolate
• Coconut flakes to decorate (optional)

1 Roughly crush the biscuits with a rolling

pin and set aside
2 In the microwave or in a pan melt the
vegan butter and syrup together and sift in
the cocoa powder
3 Add the biscuits, nuts, sultanas and
cherries and combine well
4 Spread the mixture into a square tin
5 In a microwave or in a pan melt the
vegan milk chocolate and pour over the top
of the cake base
6 Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.

This cake will keep if covered in an airtight

container the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

TIP As the topping begins to set, run

a knife through the cake to measure out
servings before setting fully in the fridge,
making it easier to cut when serving.

Per serving (101g)

Calories: 368, Carbohydrates: 40.5g,
Sugars: 27.4g, Fat: 22.1g, Saturates: 9.9g,
Protein: 2.4g, Salt: 0.28g

53
 Recipe

APRICOT AND ALMOND have a rough ball of dough. Wrap the

dough in cling film and place in the
POP TARTS fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
Makes 6-8
4 When the pastry has chilled, divide it
into 2 and roll each piece out on a floured
• 300g (2½ cups) plain flour, sifted
surface, to the thickness of a 50p coin.
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
5 Make a rectangular stencil to the
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
size you want the tarts to be and cut 6-8
• 225g (1 cup) non-dairy butter, cut
rectangles from each sheet of pastry.
into small chunks
6
andTop
pophalf of the pastry rectangles with
SUMMER
• A few drops FRUITS PASTRY
natural almond extract
some
in the
apricot jam
microwave
and place
to soften.
the other
middle, swirling the pastry into a
2 Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and decorative knot.
PARCELS
• 140ml (1/ 2 cup) cold water
• 330g4(1 cup) apricot jam,
rectangles
ginger andon top.to
leave Use the tinesfor
marinate of a fork 8 Pinch the remaining corners
Makes to crimp and seal the edges together as
homemade or store bought 15 minutes. together along the edges.
well as possible.
3 Drain the fruit mixture through a 9 Brush each parcel with almond or
• Ready rolled puff pastry sheet 7
To50g decorate: sieveTransfer theof
to get rid tarts
theto the prepared
excess liquid. soya milk and bake for 20 minutes, or
• (1/2 cup) frozen raspberries baking
4 Get the pastry out ofthe
sheet and bake in theoven for10
fridge until golden.
• 50g (1/(1
• 125g cup)frozen
2 cup) icing sugar
mixed berries around 20 minutes, or until a light golden
• 2 tbsp non-dairy milk minutes before you start cooking and 10 Serve with vanilla ice cream and a
• 200g (1 cup) brown sugar colour.
• A few drops orange food colouring, preheatRemove
the oven from the oven and set
to 200°C sprinkling of icing sugar.
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon aside
(Gas Mark 6, 400°F) cool.
until completely
• optional
1 tbsp ground ginger 8
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds, roughly 5 To Cutdecorate,
the pastry mix the4icing
into sugar with
rectangular Per 100g
• Almond or soya milk to brush pastry the milk and colouring, if using. Drizzle
chopped sections. Calories: 314, Carbohydrates: 52.0g,
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or spoon over the tarts and sprinkle
6 Spoon the fruit mixture into the Sugars: 40.0g, Fat: 10.0g,
• Icing sugar (optional) over theofalmonds. Leave the icing to set
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (Gas Mark centre each piece of pastry. Saturates: 4.7g, Protein: 2.6g,
before serving.
7 Take two opposite corners of Salt: 0.35g
4, 350°F)
1 Takeandthe line a baking
frozen sheet
fruit out thewith
freezer
parchment paper. pastry and pinch together in the
TIP The uncooked tarts can be
2 Add the flour to a mixing bowl and
frozen for up to 3 months. Simply heat
stir in the sugar and salt. Add the butter
from frozen, adding 5 minutes to the
chunks and quickly rub into the flour
cooking time. Check they are piping hot
with your fingertips until incorporated.
throughout before serving.
The mixture should resemble fine
breadcrumbs.
Per serving (173g)
3 Mix the water and the almond
Calories: 578, Carbohydrates: 85.6g,
extract into the flour and butter,
Sugars: 42.1g, Fat: 25.7g, Saturates: 4.8g,
kneading as little as possible, until you
Protein: 5.3g, Salt: 1.1g

54
Recipe

55
 Recipe

56
 Recipe
CREAMY FISHLESS PIE and flour to the pan. Cook, stirring
Serves 4-6 continuously, for 2-3 minutes.
4 Pour in the stock and stir well to
For the mash: combine. Cook, stirring often, until
• 1kg floury potatoes, peeled and thickened and bubbling.
cubed 5 Add the soya cream, mustard,
• 2 tsp sea salt lemon juice, parsley and peas to the pan
• 2 tbsp non-dairy butter and stir everything together. Season
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast generously with salt and pepper.
• 120ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened 6 Scoop the filling into a deep,
soya milk ovenproof dish and spoon over the
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped mash. Spread the mash over the filling
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
so that there are no gaps and fluff up the
top with a fork to help the potato crisp
up in the oven.
7 Transfer to the oven and bake for
30 minutes or until golden, crispy and
bubbling. Serve immediately with fresh
green vegetables.
Per serving (518g)
Calories: 448, Carbohydrates: 52.1g,
Sugars: 6.5g, Fat: 18.8g, Saturates: 2.4g,
Protein: 21.4g, Salt: 4.1g

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp mild flavoured oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely
chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely
chopped
• 225g (3 cups) oyster mushrooms,
halved or quartered if large
• 300g pack smoked tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• 1 tbsp chopped cornichons or
dill pickles
• 1 sheet nori, shredded
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 300ml (1¼ cup) vegetable stock
• 180ml (3/4 cup) soya cream
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 150g (1 cup) frozen peas

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (Gas Mark

4, 350°F). Place the potatoes in a large
pan with the 2 teaspoons salt and cover
with cold water. Bring to the boil, cover
and simmer for 15 minutes or until
tender. Once cooked, drain really well
and return to the pan with the rest of
the mash ingredients and season well.
Mash everything together until smooth
and creamy. Add a little extra soya milk if
needed. Set aside.
2 To make the filling, heat the oil in a
large, deep frying pan and add the onion
and garlic. Cook gently until translucent
before adding the mushrooms, tofu,
capers and pickles.
3 Once the tofu has started to become
golden, add the nori, dill, tarragon
57
 Recipe

PEA AND SUN DRIED To serve slight bite. Return the drained pasta to
• 30g (1/4 cup) pine nuts, toasted pan off heat and set aside with a lid on
TOMATO PESTO PASTA to retain heat. To keep the pasta from
Serves 2
1 Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with sticking, you could also add a little
water, salt generously, and bring to olive oil.
For the pesto
a boil. 4 Next, heat olive oil in a large
• 30g (½ cups) basil
2 In the meantime, prepare pesto. saucepan over medium heat. Once hot,
• 10g (1/4 cup) parsley
To a food processor, add basil, parsley, add the olive oil then fry the onion.
• 30g (1/4 cup) sun-dried tomatoes,
sun dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon Towards the end and once onion has
chopped
juice, nutritional yeast and sea salt browned a little, add the peas. Remove
• 3 cloves garlic
and pepper. Mix to combine, gradually from heat and add to the cooked pasta.
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
adding the olive oil until all blended 5 Stir the pesto, pasta and rocket
• 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) nutritional yeast
together. If it has trouble blending add together so the pasta is completely
• 90ml olive oil
a bit more olive oil or water. You can coated in pesto.
• Salt and pepper, to taste
taste the pesto at this point and adjust 6 Divide between two bowls, sprinkle
seasonings if needed, adding more with toasted pine nuts and a few more
For the pasta
lemon juice for acidity/brightness, peas then serve.
• 250g pasta (or gluten free pasta)
nutritional yeast for cheesy flavour or
• 150g (1 cup) frozen peas, defrosted
salt for saltiness.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
3 Next add pasta to boiling water and Per serving (376g)
• 1 red onion
cook according to package instructions. Calories: 765, Carbohydrates: 67.0g,
• 1 handful rocket
Be sure not to overcook, and drain Sugars: 8.1g, Fat: 48.5g, Saturates: 6.0g,
when pasta is ‘al dente’ and still has a Protein: 15.9g, Salt: 0.36g
58

CHICKPEA CRACKERS
WITH A PEA HOUMOUS
DIP Makes 24 crackers (approx)
For the crackers
• 180g (2 cups) chickpea/gram flour
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus
more for brushing
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 80ml (1/3 cup) + 1-2 tbsp warm
water, plus more if needed
• Za'atar spice (see recipe below)
• Sea salt and pepper for garnishing
For the za’atar spice mix
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 tsp sumac
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
For the pea houmous
• 75g (1/2 cup) frozen peas, defrosted
• 75g (1/2 cup) chickpeas
• Handful coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (about half
a lemon)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 120ml (½ cup) olive oil
• Pinch ground cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Recipe
5 To make the crackers, prepare a
flat work surface with two pieces of
parchment paper. Place one piece
of dough on top of one piece of
parchment, wet your hands a bit and
flatten the dough with your palm.
Cover dough with second piece of
parchment and roll out to an 1/8-inch
thickness with a rolling pin.
6 Sprinkle the rolled dough with the
za'atar spices then using your rolling
pin, roll over the dough once more
to push za'atar spice mix into the
dough's surface.
7 Using a small cookie cutter, cut
little biscuits out of the dough then
using a pastry brush, lightly brush
the tops of crackers with olive oil and
sprinkle with the sea salt and pepper.
8 Transfer the crackers to prepared
baking sheets and bake for 12-15
minutes). Rotate the crackers halfway
through (crackers will be lightly
browned on the edges when done).
9 Remove from the oven and
let crackers cool. Repeat with
remaining dough.
To make the pea houmous
1 In a food processor pulse first 7
ingredients 30 to 40 seconds or to a
desired consistency then season with
the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the crackers with the pea
houmous as a starter or a tasty and
healthy snack.
You can also experiment with the
cracker topping; if you don’t fancy
using the za’atar spice mix, top your
crackers with just salt and pepper or a
sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
Per serving (134g)
Calories: 503, Carbohydrates: 31.9g,
Sugars: 2.9g, Fat: 37.0g, Saturates: 5.0g,
Protein: 13.0g, Salt: 2.1g

To make the cracker dough

1 Pre heat the oven to 180°C (Gas
Mark 4, 350°F) and line two baking
sheets with parchment paper.
2 In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea
flour with the salt and baking powder
until combined. Using your hands, rub
the olive oil into the flour to distribute
evenly, this will take about 2 minutes -
make sure there are no large clumps.
3 Transfer the flour mixture to a
food processor. With the processor
running, drizzle the warm water into
the blender through the spout until the
mixture comes together. If your dough
is still dry, add more water by the 1/2
tablespoon until dough ball has formed.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
4 Divide it into two pieces and wrap
each piece with plastic wrap. Let it rest
for 10 minutes.

59
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PlantBased’s in house chefs, Katy
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and Chantelle Leach (left) will be on hand
to answer your plant based questions over
the weekend, so be sure to come and say
15 0 STALLS
hi. Catch their PlantBased ‘Cook Off’ over
the weekend in the PlantBased Kitchen OVE R
where they will be demonstrating how easy
it is to cook tasty, nutritional meals with
basic ingredients that you may already
have in your fridge and cupboards.

Kitchen Demo Areas

There will be three live cookery demo areas at the show this year,
with top chefs from around the country bringing you delicious
recipes to inspire you in the kitchen. Chefs include Master Chef of
Great Britain Paul Da Costa Greaves, Mira Manek, Roxy and Ben of So
Vegan and Chef Patron at London’s Tredwells restaurant Chantelle
Nicholson, amongst many more.

USE CODE: PBMAG AT WWW.PLANTBASEDLIVE.COM

OFFER ENDS 31ST JULY 2018
61
 Environmental

Are we
witnessing

6th
the

great
extinction?
Simon Leadbeater argues that omnivorous diets and animal
agriculture mark the beginning of this era of extinction
62

A n unexpected
journey
Early in The Fellowship of
the Ring JRR Tolkien writes “It's a
dangerous business… going out your
door. You step onto the road… there's
no knowing where you might be swept
off to.” My unexpected journey began
when I wrote a book review for the
journal ECOS, which inspired me to
read a work of the same title written
nearly twenty years earlier; which led
to another, then another. As I read,
I discovered that I was becoming
weighed down by one concern which
began to dominate my daily life; the
extinction of all life on earth.
Most people do not notice extinction’s
progress, even though its effects are
all around us. This is partly because
extinction is often happening
elsewhere and it can be difficult
to make a relatable connection to
modern life. Closer to home extinction
is mostly about the little things, bees
and other invertebrates, which a
lot of people don’t really miss. But
perhaps the biggest factor is that
each successive generation does not
recognise what the former has lost, a
phenomenon called ‘shifting baseline
syndrome’, which is a result of each
new generation lacking knowledge
of the historical condition of the
environment. With the demise of
the traditional English meadow the
colour has been drained out of our
countryside; we take the endless
green of the countryside to be its
natural state. We assume that green
countryside is health, but according
to Oxford University’s Clive Hambler,
we lose about one species a fortnight.
How did this happen?
The earth has previously experienced 5
major extinction events; the one most
of us have some awareness of was 66
million years ago when an asteroid
collided with the earth leading to the
end of the dinosaurs — this resulted in
the extinction of 75 per cent of all life
over a period of 66 million years. The
current or sixth great extinction event
arguably began with the ‘great human
diaspora’ out of Africa some 90,000
years ago, and now, as David Johns
in his essay The War on Nature (2013)
observed, “The sixth great extinction is
not slowing but gaining momentum.”
From the 1970s — within my and many
readers' lifetimes — we are looking
at a decline in species of some 67 per
cent. The rapidity of the contemporary
extinction event is a key characteristic
contrasting strongly with previous
events which took place over millions
of years.
The current extinction phenomenon
has a number of causes, but in my
view is driven primarily by the human
consumption of meat.
Meat eating has caused three main
discrete but overlapping waves of
extinction. The first was the extinction
of animals through hunting them;
secondly, the consumption of
particular types of meat led to the
introduction of alien and sometimes
invasive species; finally, the mass
market for meat has led to a global
industrial farming system which
has eradicated ancient habitats and
contributed to climate change, a
further driver of extinction.
The beginning
Let’s go back in time about 90,000
years ago. At this time there was a
group of African Homo sapians who
migrated out to Arabia, then Asia,
reaching Australia and Europe about
45,000 years ago. Via Alaska they
entered the Americas about 14,000
years ago reaching South America
some 500 years later. Now, why did
they (or rather we) embark on this
walk? We were following and hunting
animals, and the trigger for our travels
Dominic Waughray,
Senior Director and Head of Environmental Initiatives, at the World Economic Forum.
Environmental
out of Africa was learning to co-operate
and the introduction of flint-tipped
projectile spears, which made hunting
far more effective.
What did our ancestors find? As
Goulson writes:
As they travelled they would also have
come across other hominids – tribes
of creatures varying from the large
and powerful… to the hobbit-like.
Our legends are full of dragons and
monsters, elves, pixies and trolls. They
are not myths; we really did once live in a
world that was full of such wonders. So
what happened to all these marvels?...
The answer is almost certainly that we
killed and ate them. Our 80,000 year
journey was a culinary odyssey.
Whether you agree with this or not,
the undisputable fact is that wildlife
disappeared when prehistoric peoples
arrived on new continents and they
began slaughtering animals on an
industrial scale. Killing off most of our
prey forced people to start farming
which in turn led to another wave of
extinction through felling large forest
areas — by the time of the Norman
Conquest there was probably less tree
cover in the UK than there is today.
However, hunting animals to
extinction is sadly not consigned
to the past. In Africa, for example,
300 million animals are killed for
bushmeat each year from the Congo
Basin forests alone. This has led
to another syndrome — the ‘empty
forest syndrome.’
Extinction increased pace in the
1950s, or the period known as ‘the
Great Acceleration.’ At this time
63
 Environmental
large animals such as elephants,
rhinos and carnivores like polar bears
became particularly vulnerable to the
expansion of humanity. This period
Climate change
can be defined in five ways: high levels
of carbon dioxide, the destruction of
coral reefs, the extinction of 75 per
cent of wild animals, the control of 75
per cent of fresh water, and resculpting
of the earth.

Renowned Harvard academic, Prof

Edward O Wilson claims that current
extinction rates are nearly 1,000 times
the rate of prehuman levels, and is
accelerating. We lose some 30,000
species every year; the equivalent of
three per hour. Wilson also says that
the extinguishing of millions of years
of ‘evolutionary glory is a tragedy’
in the loss of much of the 2 million
species known to science and the
6 million species likely to be forced
into extinction before they even

P
become known.
hillip Lymbery, author of Farm animals already contribute
Dead Zone, claims that we nearly 15 per cent of total greenhouse
Clearly the issue is complex, but it is
already rear 70 billion farm gas emissions, more than all forms of
also true that food production has
animals every year and demand for transport combined. But industrial
changed beyond recognition since the
meat is projected to double in next farming contributes to climate
time of self-sufficiency. Modern meat
35 years. “Should we allow that change in other ways, such as the
goes through a whole host of industrial
to happen, the loss of wildlife will removal of ancient forests. Indeed,
processes before consumption.
surely be incalculable. In addition to the WWF argue that deforestation
Animal feed is first grown using
triggering the destruction of habitats, and forest degradation causes up to
copious quantities of chemicals; is
rising meat production is likely to 20 per cent of the world's greenhouse
then shipped from South America to
accelerate one of the other big drivers gas emissions.
industrial farms in Europe, where it is
of mass extinction: climate change.”
fed to incarcerated (and industrially
bred) animals; these are then
transported to slaughter; the resulting
meat products are then transported to
supermarkets, whose shoppers then
drive them home. Is it any wonder that
modern industrial food production
causes so much more harm than when
people tried to grow their own?

The NHS calculates that in the UK we

now consume some 70 grams of meat
each day, the equivalent of a little
more than one Big Mac beef burger.
While people may believe our species
has many admirable attributes our
practice of exterminating all life except
our own, mainly because of what we
eat and how we go about producing
food, must be our dominant quality
and that needs to change.
64

The impact of industrial agriculture
I
f hunting and alien species were
the principal drivers of extinction
(and remain important reasons for
species declines) the main causes of
extinction today lie in the expansion
of two crops, palm oil and soya. The
amount of land covered by palm oil
plantations is an area equivalent to
the size of Brazil; this monoculture
replaces pristine forests millions of
years old, eradicating the homes of
orang-utans and Sumatran elephants,
among others.
Iceland have recently announced that
all of its own brand products will cease
containing palm in favour of other
vegetable oils. The managing director,
Richard Walker, made this decision
having visited Borneo and witnessing
‘horizon to horizon monoculture.’
He deserves great credit for this, but
it remains to be seen whether his
leadership will be followed by other
food retailers.
The evidence presented by Philip
Lymbery in Dead Zone (2017) is not so
positive. He says that a new market for
palm, in the shape of the kernels for
animal feed, means that factory farms
are likely to increase demand for palm
products up to three times by 2050. He
reports that the Sumatran elephants’
forests have already been reduced by
70 per cent in the last ten years, leaving
only 1,700 elephants left. Their plight
is likely to worsen still.
Lymbery also travels to South America
to research the growth of soya farms.
He concludes that “The bitter truth is
that cheap meat in Britain, Europe…
whether it's beef, pork or chicken — is
likely to have been reared on soya
from the deforested plains of South
America.” Approximately
20 per cent of the Amazon
rainforest has been
lost, much of it to soya
plantations and when
the global demand for
Environmental
soya and beef increased in the 2000s
deforestation increased to more than
20,000 km2 each year.
In October last year I attended the
Extinction Conference organised by
the CIWF and WWF. One of the best
speakers was Prof Raj Patel. He sums up
soya’s contribution well: “The footprint
of global agriculture is vast. Industrial
agriculture is absolutely responsible
for driving deforestation, absolutely
responsible for pushing industrial
monoculture, and that means is
responsible for species losses.”
“What happens in Brazil and other places
is you get green deserts — monocultures
of soy and nothing else…that’s what
extinction looks like.”
65
 Palm oil

66

In
the
P
alm oil has been making
headlines in recent years,
with the destruction it causes
being at the forefront of why it’s
been gathering attention. It is the
fruit of the oil palms, primarily the
African oil palm and it is a vegetable
oil that is used in food, toiletries and
cosmetics. The product is high in
demand around the world for use in
all of these different products, and
avoiding it is proving to be more
difficult than ever.
Despite this, there are some brands
that are taking responsibility and
distancing themselves from using
palm oil in their products. Major UK
retailer Iceland recently announced
that they are banning palm oil in
their products by the end of 2018.
Read on to find out from Iceland
why they decided to cut palm oil
out of their products and the effect
that they hope to encourage by
of
your hands
Palm oil is destroying rainforests around the
world, so what is it and why is it used?
doing so. Three species of orangutan
have been massively affected by
the deforestation for palm oil with
10,000 Bornean orangutans killed
in the last 16 years. Orangutans
have been in decline since the
1960s when deforestation for timber
was in demand, but now palm oil is
the culprit.
Rainforests in Indonesia are
disappearing at a rate of one football
pitch every 25 seconds, and despite
multinational companies promising
to reform back in 2010, very little
has been done to make any change.
Maintaining forests around the
world is vital to the ecosystem as
they are beneficial to all lifeforms.
Palm oil deforestation is responsible
for 8 per cent of the world’s
deforestation from 1990 to 2008, and
burning forests is accountable for
high levels of air pollution in South
East Asia.
Palm oil
The global demand for palm oil has
increased six fold since 1990, and
it’s found in half of all packaged
items on supermarket shelves. With
many different names for the oil in
ingredients lists, it makes it difficult
to avoid it. Read on to find out the
alternative names for palm oil used
by manufacturers, so if you’re trying
to cut down on your consumption
of palm oil you know what to look
out for.
Palm oil is also not great for your
health. It is high in saturated fat and
one tablespoon of the oil contains 55
per cent of your daily recommended
saturated fat. However, palm oil
contains tocotrienols which is a form
of vitamin E that has antioxidant
properties and may benefit brain
health. It also has vitamin A in and
it has been linked to protection
against heart disease.
67
 Palm oil
Fay Richard from the
Roundtable on Sustainable
Palm Oil talks about how
palm oil can be produced
sustainably
I
f you’ve heard of palm oil, you’ve
probably heard it’s bad for the
environment. But the truth is it
doesn’t have to be.
If it’s grown sustainably, palm oil
production can benefit local
communities, and help to protect
valuable species and forests. By using
sustainable practices, farmers can
increase their income by making more
palm oil from less land.
When palm oil is grown unsustainably
it can have a big impact on local people
and the environment. Impacts can
include: large-scale forest conversion,
loss of critical habitat for endangered
species including orangutans, rhinos,
elephants and Sumatran tigers, soil
erosion, soil and water pollution,
eviction of forest-dwelling people and
social conflict in communities.
Which is why the Roundtable on
Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is working
across the whole industry - from farmers
to grocery stores - to get everyone
68
working towards sustainable palm oil. A
growing number of organisations in the
palm oil industry have made
commitments to adopt more sustainable
practices working alongside social and
environmental NGOs members of RSPO
such as Verité and WWF. The result of
this transition is an increasing amount of
palm oil in our products is produced and
sourced in a sustainable way.
But why do we even use palm oil? Palm
oil is used in many of the everyday items
found on the supermarket shelf. Palm oil
is extremely popular for several reasons:
it has excellent cooking properties
which it can maintain even under high
temperatures, its smooth and creamy
texture and absence of smell make it
a perfect ingredient in many recipes,
including baked goods like cookies.
Can’t we simply replace palm oil?
Replacing palm oil with other types
of vegetable oil (such as sunflower,
soybean or rapeseed oil) would only
move the issues to a different crop.
And, crucially much larger amounts
of land would need to be used, since
palm trees produce 4-10 times more oil
than other crops per unit of cultivated
land. Although using other vegetable
oils seems like a practical solution, it
would actually create similar, if not
larger, environmental and social
problems. In 2016 WWF Germany
conducted a study on palm oil
alternatives and found that there
currently isn’t a sustainable alternative.
The recent BBC2 documentary, Red Ape:
Saving the Orangutan, was an important
and upsetting reminder that we need to
act now to protect forests and wildlife
habitats. A recent study from Dr Erik
Meijaard, founder of Borneo Futures and
one of the documentary’s contributors,
shows that RSPO certification helps
to limit deforestation and protect
orangutan habitats.
It's also important to recognise that in
Indonesia and Malaysia, a total of 4.5
 Palm oil
million people earn their living from
palm oil production. Stopping the

Palm oil Alias

production of palm oil altogether would
create significant problems for these
people who support their families by
working in this industry.

Therefore, for environmental and

social reasons, the best solution is to Palm oil goes by many names, here’s
ensure you buy products that contain some to watch out for
sustainable palm oil.

Look out for products carrying the RSPO

Trademark which represents a seal Palminate
of commitment to sustainability and
transparency. If your favourite brands
aren’t carrying the RSPO Trademark, PKO - Palm Kernel Oil
ask them why and for an explanation on
their sustainable sourcing policies. Sodium Laureth Sulphate
Sodium Lauryl Sulphates
We need to raise awareness of
sustainable palm oil, before it’s too late.

Find out more about RSPO via the

website www.rspo.org
Elaeis Guineensis

69
 Palm oil
One of the UK’s major supermarkets has taken a
stand against palm oil and we find out why
U
K retailer Iceland is the first
major supermarket to remove
palm oil from their own
brand products. Figures from Iceland
show that 35 per cent of consumers
are unaware of what palm oil is, and
once people were informed about the
environmental effects, 85 per cent of
people believe that palm oil shouldn’t
be used in food products. The decision
to remove palm oil from their products
is an ethical one, and Iceland deserve
recognition for taking steps to reduce
the need for palm oil and hopefully
encourage other supermarkets to
rethink the non-essential use of palm
oil in their products.
Richard Walker, Managing Director
of Iceland, said: “Until Iceland can
guarantee palm oil is not causing
rainforest destruction, we are simply
70
the
saying ‘no to palm oil’. We don’t
believe there is such a thing as
guaranteed ‘sustainable’ palm oil
available in the mass market, so we
are giving consumers a choice to say
no to palm for the first time. Having
recently been to Indonesia and seen
the environmental devastation caused
by expanding palm oil production first
hand, I feel passionately about the
importance of raising awareness of
this issue – and I know many British
consumers share my concern and want
to have a real choice about what they
buy. This journey has shown me that,
currently, no major supermarket or
food manufacturer can substantiate
any claim that the palm oil they use is
truly sustainable, as the damage being
caused to the global environmental
and communities in South East Asia is
just too extensive.”
Iceland have been working hard to
eliminate palm oil from their products,
with it removed from 50 of their
current products, and palm oil is
not present in 100 of their new lines,
including the summer range. By the
beginning of 2019, Iceland will have
launched over 200 new lines that do
not contain palm oil, and as a result
they are reducing the demand for palm
oil by 500 tonnes per year. Iceland
have environmental concerns at the
forefront of the changes they are
making, with the company being the
first major UK retailer to pledge the
removal plastic packaging on their own
label food by 2023. In addition they
have banned the use of GM ingredients
and are the first UK supermarket to
remove artificial flavours and colours
from own brand food.
71
 Palm oil

PALM-FREE
please
We’ve picked out some
of the best products on
the high-street that are
palm oil-free

Original Organic Milk

Chocolate Alternative
Snact Apple & Raspberry Fruit Jerky
This delicious snack product is using only apples
and raspberries, and it is packaged in plastic-free
compostable packaging. Fighting the levels of food
waste is at the heart of what Snact do, using fruit that
would otherwise be thrown away. All of their products
are vegan, gluten-free and part of your five a day with no
added sugar or preservatives. You can pick them up from
Planet Organic, independent health food shops, or add
them to your Ocado or Amazon order. Snact.co.uk

Meridian Organic
Smooth Peanut Butter
All of the products by Meridian are palm oil free and
the brand supports the Borneo Orangutan Survival
Foundation and has adopted 13 of the orphaned
orangutans to support their rehabilitation costs.
Meridian roasts the peanuts in the skins which add to The Original Organic Milk
the flavour. Their products are available from most Chocolate Alternative bar is
mainstream supermarkets and health food shops. made from Moo Free’s multi-
meridianfoods.co.uk. award winning ‘milk’ chocolate
couverture which is, as well as
being certified vegan and palm oil
free, free from dairy, gluten and
soya, which makes it an excellent
Green People Minty Cool Toothpaste choice for those with allergies,
An essential in daily life, toothpaste is an item that often too. This bar, like the rest of the
contains palm oil. However, there are many alternatives chocolates produced by Moo Free,
available that don’t contain it, such as this product from is made with carefully tempered
Green People. You can purchase this in different flavours, but chocolate for a smooth, creamy
if you like the minty taste of toothpaste then this is the option taste, and the size of the bar makes
for you. You can get it online from multiple retailers including it absolutely perfect for sharing,
Ocado, or in Holland & Barrett. greenpeople.co.uk too! moofreechocolates.com

PHB Ethical Beauty Lavender Natural Soap

This award winning soap is freshly made in small batches, and cleanses the skin whilst
moisturising. Lavender is just one of the gorgeous scents that they offer, with rosehip &
lemongrass, peppermint & black seed, orange & grapefruit, and aloe vera scents available. All
of their soaps are free from palm oil and preservatives, artificial fragrance, colours and other
synthetic ingredients. phbehticalbeauty.co.uk
72
73
 Maria Slough
Hats off
to you!
Vegan Insider Maria Slough
meets award winning Milliner
Rachel Warrillow
T
he wind whistles around
an unused warehouse loft
in Surrey. Exposed heating
elements and multiple coloured
walls are some of the backdrops for
today's photo shoot with the petite,
humble-natured, Yorkshire-born,
Rachel Warrillow. As hair and make up
created our first look of the day I ask
Rachel which came first, millinery or
veganism? “Millinery - I always loved
arts and crafts but my career was as
74
a carer. Working with people in the
last stages of life made me reassess
its meaning. I had an interest in the
glamour of burlesque, it was an outlet
from the gravity of my day job but I
could never find the hats I wanted. I
even dabbled momentarily under the
stage name Rosie Derriere for a charity
fundraiser. A one day workshop in
Birmingham learning how to make
hats using a material called sinamay 9
years ago turned into a serious hobby”
Rachel, who is softly spoken,
considered herself an animal lover and
confesses to naively eating meat and
dairy until a distressing social media
post changed everything.
“As a visual thinker the images flicked
a switch. I experienced an awakening
and gave up meat and then fish out
of respect to animal suffering. The
subconscious guilt I had lived with
lifted and I have never felt healthier
or happier.”
As a milliner Rachel never used
fur but did use wool, felt, silk and
feathers in her hats. “Subconsciously
disconnected, I never really thought
about where that came from. Once
that connection was made I had
to look at how giving up all animal
products would affect my millinery.”
18 months ago her creative
relationship with sinamay took a
new direction and 6 months later,
Rachel launched Warrillow. Grown in
plantations in the Philippines, sinamay
arrived in the UK in the 80’s and the

distributors work directly with family
co-operatives who hand weave the
fabric that comes from the bark of the
abaca tree.
“The fabric and how it’s sourced sat
really well with my ethics and what
I wanted my brand to represent. All
my creations are PETA approved.
My logo is the leaf of the tree. I ‘ruin’
pieces of the materials by pulling out
individual threads to replace feathers.
I consciously want to be known as a
cruelty free milliner that is vegan.”
Rachel’s workshop is based in her
home that she shares with her
husband Dave and their two rescue
cats. Growing up with a cat named
after Basil Fawlty, he inspired her to
start rescuing old and unwanted cats.
At 37 the bond she shares with cats
has given her a lifeline she never knew
she needed.
“I have just been diagnosed with
autism spectrum disorder. I always felt
a bit different; the odd one out and
struggled with full time commitment
to work and social engagements. A TV
programme prompted me to research
it further. Sensory overload can be an
issue. Now I understand that these
moments are called shut downs. You
need time to resettle and then you
can carry on. The diagnosis changed
everything and yet nothing. It was a
relief to understand why I had always
felt so different.”
Maria Slough
milestone. To celebrate their marriage changing passion for the vegan
they decided to adopt a cow named lifestyle running through this journey.
Shoveller who lives at The Farm Animal There is a great conscious awakening
Sanctuary in Evesham. starting to snowball now. Women
continue to overcome sexism and
“We are so excited to visit Shoveller. the world is still dealing with racism.
The more individuals that make Surely the next big battle that has to be
compassionate humane choices the won is speciesism.”
bigger the impact. It’s a matter of
conditioning, not questioning the To see more of Rachel’s work visit
steak on your plate; where it comes www.warrillowstudio.com
from and what that animal suffered
to supply that part of its body for you
to consume. It is incredibly bizarre to
have a cat snoozing on your lap and a
piece of a dead cow on your plate.”
It is not only Rachel’s designs that
will leave a lasting impression on
this planet, but the very essence
of her multi-faceted depth and
understanding of life on earth.
“Millinery is my obsession, my
compulsion, my hobby and my
business and now I have this life

“My relationship with my cats growing

up was always important to me which
I believe stems from the autism.
Twiggy and Special Bert play a huge
role in me managing the condition.
At the end of a challenging day,
time with the cats grounds
me. Animals connect with
you without words and that is
incredibly powerful.’

As Rachel and her husband

approached their third wedding
anniversary she was horrified
to see that leather signified the

75
 Parent's Tale
Not to zoo?
Charlotte Meyer Zu Natrup on the issues of taking
children to the zoo
I
was surprised last week by my
daughter’s first selection of books she
wished to borrow from the local book
bus. I selected an unlikely book for her
that was about a cow who had a surprise
birthday party which I hoped to translate
and read to her in English. She chose a
book on the refugee crisis, a book on
cat and kitten care, and a Sesame Street
recipe book.
Although I explained what the books were
about, suggesting that some of the topics
might be a bit tricky for her, Jess was keen
to borrow all of them. The Sesame Street
recipe book tempted with its pictures
76
To zoo, or
of rock buns, Cookie Monster cupcakes
and share breads and kept both children
busy pointing at the images for hours. I
have no idea why she wanted the book
on the refugee crisis, although she may
have been attracted by the image of a
boat on the front cover. The book on cat
and kitten care which taught the reader
where to leave litter trays and food, got
me thinking.
As July hits us, schools close for the
summer. We parents are faced with filling
many long days with entertainment for
our children. Playing outside, with its
sensory engagement, vitamin D, and
fresh air is the best option. Personally,
I want my child to spend as much time
outside as possible because it tires them
out. Every single moment that it isn’t
raining, in fact. And some, even when it is.
Which begs the question, where?
Once the family garden (if there is
one) has been explored, played in and
ransacked until boredom has struck,
where else can one go?
One great outdoor pastime, swimming,
simply isn’t possible here. Swimming
is great fun but unquestionably not an
outdoor activity. Hamburg has a similar

climate to many areas in England. Many
Junes, Julys, Augusts have drizzled,
dripped and crept past without more
than a few hours of sunshine. This means
that the local council have wisely seen fit
not to provide our area with an outdoor
swimming pool. It would simply be too
cold to use it for 87% of the year.
If swimming outdoors is off the list,
there are parks, gardens, grandparents’
gardens, friends’ gardens, grandparents’
friends’ gardens, fields, pedestrian
zones… and petting zoos.
I can hear a collected intake of breath.
Petting zoos, you are saying, are
decidedly un-vegan. I agree. They are
spaces where innocent bunnies and
guinea pigs and piglets, donkeys and
chickens live, albeit in seeming comfort,
but for the purpose of the amusement
of homo sapiens. Therefore, they are not
vegan and should be off limits to visit.
I wish it were so simple, but I think there
may possibly be a grey area here. On
the one hand, it appalls me to see an
animal caged. Full stop. Some petting
zoos have comfortable outdoor areas for
their animals to roam freely, but others
don’t. The latter, in my mind, should
never be permitted to exist. Most of us
can understand that crowding a sentient
being into a tiny enclosure, just so that we
can peer at it, feels fundamentally wrong.
However, as a vegan parent I feel a degree
of responsibility in passing on the vegan
message. It is not always easy to keep this
message going, particularly as the whole
rest of the world seems very much against
its survival at all times. It is not stress-free
to always have to stand up and stand out
and speak out for veganism, although it
is, of course, very much worth it.
However, as voiced in previous articles,
we are asking our children to do the same
as we do. In addition to this, we are asking
them to follow our example (while they
are young) rather than making their own
choices. I sometimes find it a challenge to
stick to my guns and religiously, positively
remind people of the compassionate
choice either by my actions or by the
alterations and recognition I request from
them. Particularly when they don’t want
to hear it. At least I am comforted in this
by the fact that I made the choice to go
vegan. I chose to take this path. Years
ago I understood what the moral cost of
a beef burger or a bag of gummy sweets
was and decided to give them up. Our
children, in many cases, have not had
the luxury of coming to this decision for
themselves, and it must be harder to
follow our footsteps, particularly if their
peers are sceptical.
I sense that petting zoos, good ones, can
help support us in our cause. This for so
many reasons. At petting zoos children
see face to face the little creatures that we
preach to them to care about. I think that
it is only getting to know an animal, by
seeing its innocence and its beauty, that
they will fully understand why we have
Parent's Tale
made the decisions we have. Unless we
have acres of gardens where we could
take in rescue animals of all shapes and
sizes (I don’t), I am not sure how else this
is supposed to be achieved.
Most parents I speak to, vegan or
otherwise, feel that animal care or sports
like horse riding are worthwhile because
they teach children a wealth of things.
Among these are responsibility and
kindness, compassion in general and
towards animals. Isn’t visiting a petting
zoo an extension of this, and one that
is even more important? I came to the
conclusion to live more ethically because
I love, admire and respect other sentient
beings. I delight in other creatures and am
saddened by their abuse. These feelings
were only reached and strengthened by
understanding animals close up and not
in the abstract.
My daughter has friends who have
pets. One family has guinea pigs and
another a bunny. Neither have gardens or
enough time and space to let their wards
outside on grass into sunshine, or, as it’s
Hamburg, mist. The advantage of this
is that the children can learn the care of
animals but I think it must be awful for
the pets themselves. It also teaches little
about the animals’ natural environments
or habits.
My daughter was attracted to the cat
care book, I am assuming, because of the
pictures of the cats. Children love animals.
They are a natural combination, much like
the proverbial ‘love and marriage’. I would
rather that good petting zoos with lots
of outdoor spaces, shady retreats, fresh
food, and the promise of retirements and
old age for the animals existed so that
all children could see and get to know
animals. This is preferable to people
keeping outdoor animals indoors in cages
as pets all the time. Or, an alternative
that is sadder for children and which
does not allow for their understanding as
to why other sentient beings should be
protected. And that is, to simply say, that
because we are vegans and do not visit
petting zoos, our children may not get to
see animals at all.
77
 Nutrition
B-Vitamins
during
Rory O'Connor explains
the importance of
ensuring mothers-to-be
get enough B-vitamins
D B-5
uring pregnancy it is very
important to make sure that
you are giving your body
enough B-vitamins so that you and
your baby can thrive over this special
9-month period. This can be achieved by
consuming a diet that is rich in nutrients
and taking a well-planned shopping list
to your local food market. You should
be able to get all of the vitamins you
need from a rich and varied vegan diet,
but some people may have absorption
issues when it comes to vitamin B12
and therefore it is always advisable to
consult your health care provider if you
feel you need to supplement any of
these vitamins.
The B-vitamin family are often called
the B-complex set of vitamins and
they are very important when it comes
to converting your food into energy.
B-vitamins are essential in the formation
of red blood cells in the body and this
is one of the reasons why they are so
important during pregnancy.
It is important to note that when it
comes to pregnancy, it is vital for woman
to get adequate nutrition across a wide
78
spectrum of vitamins and minerals, and
the B-complex vitamins are essential for
the proper growth and the development
of unborn babies.
What are the B-vitamins
and why are they so
important?
B-1
Thiamine and Riboflavin are very
important during pregnancy, thiamine is
vital for the brain development of babies
and it can aid in the normal function of
the nervous system, pregnant women
need approximately 1.4 milligrams of
Thiamine each day.
B-2
Riboflavin is important for good
growth and healthy vision, it is
recommended to have 1.4 milligrams per
day during pregnancy.
B-3
This vitamin is known as niacin and it
can be helpful for producing the sex
hormones and regulating them during
the pregnancy. The recommended
allowance of B-3 is 18 milligrams per day.
Pantothenic acid helps in the regulation
of hormones and for metabolising your
macronutrients which are, fats, proteins
and carbohydrates. The recommended
daily amount is 6 milligrams a day.
B-6
Pyridoxine is an interesting one for
pregnancy as it may be useful for
morning sickness, a daily dose of 30
milligrams of this vitamin may ward off
those awful mornings!
B-7
B7 is called biotin and can sometimes be
used to treat hair-loss and brittle nails,
the recommended daily allowance for
this vitamin is 30 micrograms a day.
B-9
This B-vitamin is one of the most
important vitamins during pregnancy
and it is called folic acid. If there is
a deficiency of this vitamin birth
defects can occur and therefore it is
recommended that pregnant women
consume around 400 micrograms
of folic acid daily. The easiest way
to get this folic acid into your body
 What B-Vitamin rich foods can
I include in my diet?
Beans Oats
Chickpeas Sesame seeds
Beetroot Peanuts
Carrots Flax seeds
Hazelnuts Nutritional yeast
Avocados Fortified milks
Spinach Fortified cereals
Broccoli Sweet potatoes
Pumpkin seeds Bananas

is by supplementation to avoid baby, however if you feel that you may

any deficiency. be lacking in any of the B-vitamins it
would be advisable to consult your
The NHS advice states: “It’s doctor on supplementation options
recommended that you take 400mcg during your pregnancy.
folic acid supplement daily from the
time you stop using contraception until The B-vitamins pregnancy
you’re 12 weeks pregnant. This is to smoothie:
help prevent birth defects, such as spina • Half an avocado
bifida, in your baby.” • One ripe banana
• 225g (1 cup) of fresh spinach
B-12 • 75g (½ cup) of beetroot
For any expecting mother, especially on
• 3-4 cubes of ice
a vegan diet, B12 is a nutrient that you
• A dash lime
should take notice of, as it is essential
• 235ml (1 cup) coconut or spring water
during pregnancy for DNA synthesis
and for forming red blood cells. The
(If you are suffering with morning
recommended daily allowance for
sickness you can also add in a few pieces
vitamin B-12 during pregnancy is
of fresh ginger to help ease the stomach
2.6 micrograms.
— no more than 4 grams).
What does all this
information mean for the
mum to be?
When it comes to pregnancy, the
B-vitamin family is best consumed
through diet. Eating a vegan, plant
based diet that is high in these
nutrients is essential when having a

79
 Eating out

The Top

5
Vegan Curry Houses
Fancy a Friday night curry? Try one of these incredible houses
for a vegan meal you won’t forget
80

1. Curry Leaf,
Brighton
Curry Leaf Cafe serves authentic
Indian street food, curries and craft
beers from three colourful venues in
Brighton. The original Brighton Lanes
Café operates as a lunch spot during
the day with a range of thalis, dosas
and naan wraps, while its small, but
diverse dinner menu features street
dishes, tandoor specialities and
expertly spiced curries and desserts. At
Curry Leaf Café’s Kemptown Kitchen,
meanwhile, diners enjoy a playful take
on Indian food that focuses on tapas-
style sharing dishes served in an open-
style kitchen and dining space. The
third member of the Curry Leaf Café
family is a purpose-built street food
and craft beer kiosk inside Brighton
Station. We recommend trying the
Kathirkaya Salan which is a traditional
vegetable curry from Hyderabad made
from okra, aubergine and butternut
squash, simmered in a thick sauce
flavoured with tamarind, peanut and
sesame paste.
2. Spicebox,
Camden Market
This year, SpiceBox are launching
London's first 100 per cent vegan
Indian takeaway with Deliveroo.
Their plan is to update the high street
curry house model with fresh, vibrant
spins on curry house classics — think
jackfruit jalfrezi, cashew and coconut
chickn korma and tandoori cauliflower.
SpiceBox cut their teeth on the London
street food scene and over the last
few years have won their fair share of
awards for their freshly made curries,
including Young British Foodies street
food finalists and Time Out’s Top 10
Street Foods in London. Earlier this
year, their tarka dhal won 'Best Dhal
in Britain' at the British Dhal Festival
in Bristol. Try Spicebox’s Cashew and
Coconut Chickn Korma which consists
of soy chickn chunks in a rich creamy
sauce fragrantly spiced with cardamon
and cinnamon and packed with
seasonal green veg. Find Spicebox at
Camden Market and keep your eyes
open for their first permanent location
coming soon. Eatspicebox.co.uk
Eating out
1
3. Chai Walla,
Bath and Bristol
Chai Walla is somewhat of an
institution in Bath, with a small branch
now open in nearby Bristol. Chai Walla
are best known for making Indian
street food such as spicy samosas,
fragrant onion bhaji wraps, delicious
dahl and the most moreish rice.
Everything on the Bath menu can be
made vegan, apart from the Chai,
2
and the Bristol branch is 100 per cent
vegan. The wraps are particularly
good and filled to brimming with all
sorts of delicious and fresh vegetables.
The Bath branch can be found on
Monmouth Street and the Bristol
branch is at 70 Stokes Croft. Well worth
a visit.
4. Sagar,
Covent Garden
Sagar have three restaurants to
3
choose from, with additional sites
in Hammersmith, the West End and
Harrow. All of the dishes at Sagar
are meat-free, however to see their
full vegan menu you need to request
this with the staff. With an array of
starters suitable for vegans such as
samosas, medu vada and bhajia, you
won’t go hungry whilst you wait for
your main. If very spicy food is for you,
the sambar curry is one to try when
4
you visit, however the staff are happy
to accommodate to however much
spice you would like in your curry. 31
Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JS.
5. Mowgli Street Food,
Liverpool
Mowgli is all about creating light, fresh
zingy plates of Indian food, reflecting
what Indians eat at home and on
their streets, but pared back and
unplugged — it is about the smash and
5
grab zing of healthy, light food with
perfectly balanced herbs and spices.
Find Mowgli at 69 Bold Street, a short
walk from Moorfields train station and
many of the dishes on their menu are
suitable for vegans. We suggest that
you try the Holy Chow which is made
from spiced chickpea, potato, spinach,
fresh ginger and mango, all served in a
loaf, £8.50. Mowglistreetfood.com
81
 Spotlight

Mongarda
Prosecco
Vegan
Mongarda Winery
is located in the
Valdobbiadene
Our favourites this month!
Region which is
north of Venice.
It is a relatively
small winery which
is family-owned,
nature-oriented
Living more sustainably
and the prosecco With a greater awareness of the plight of the environment, people are
they produce is choosing to buy products that are friendlier to the planet and multiple-use,
dry, fruity and light meaning that there will be less litter in the future. We’ve chosen a couple of
bodied and is great our favourite items that the Vegan Life Team use on a daily basis to reduce the
for pairing with amount of waste we produce.
traditional Italian
dishes. Available
from nfizz.co.uk. Ecoffee Cup
You can make a change to the amount
of single-use products which make
their way into our rubbish bins
every year; using a reusable cup like
this Ecoffee Cup can make a huge
difference to your individual waste
output. Made from bamboo fibre, the
Ecoffee Cup is naturally sterile and
phthalate free. The lid and sleeve are
made from silicone designed
especially for hot liquids
and it is dishwasher safe. Around 100
ecoffeecups.eco billion single-
use coffee cups
go to landfill
each year

Stainless Steel
Drinking Straws
These reusable drinking straws come
in a set of eight, with cleaning brushes
included, in four metal tones: gun
metal grey, rose gold, gold and copper.
These straws are made from food grade
scratch and rust proof stainless steel so
that you can reuse this product over and
over again. Available from Amazon for
just £7.99 for eight straws.

82
Tea makes
everything
B' Lure

Add a little magic

to your drinks

Better
this summer
with B’Lure’s
natural colour
change cocktail
concentrate. Made
using an extract
from the Butterfly
We Are Tea Pea Flower, add
We Are Tea are committed to making their tea a few drops to
bags plastic-free as well as vegan. The clear drinks to
bags are made from corn starch turn them blue
making then 100 per cent and then add a
165 million little lemon or
biodegradable. This infusion is cups of tea are
super berry infusion tea. drunk each day
lime and see the
Available from wearetea.com in Great colour change
Britain from purple to
pink. Available
from Lakeland.
Little Miracles Mate lakeland.co.uk.
This tea uses baobab, a kick of ginger and
yerba mate tea to create their organic ice tea.
The baobab has become a superfood as it is a
rich source of Vitamin C, fibre and magnesium
and the ginger gives this tea a distinct kick.
Available from Tesco, Asda, Ocado, Boots and
Whole Foods Market. drinklittlemiracles.com

The UK Tea & Infusions

Association estimate that
there are about 1,500
varieties of camellia
sinensis (tea plants).

Small & Wild

Happy Herbal Tea
Small & Wild have created new herbal teas which
have been created especially with children in
mind to create flavours that children will love.
Caffeine free, with no added sugar, the teas are
100 per cent natural and have been formulated
to brew at a low temperature so that your
children can have their tea at a safe temperature.
Available from smallandwild.com.
83
 Welfare

ZOO:
An excellent
place to study
the habits of
human beings
Zoos are animal prisons, except the
inmates are all innocent and none of them
have been offered a fair trial
84
 Welfare

V
isiting zoos is an international
pastime. There are very few
people who haven’t ever
Do animals in zoos have
been to a zoo and I have spoken to a enough space?
considerable number of vegans who
said that they loved going to zoos
before they transitioned towards
Research from Oregon Zoo used shared space of 3,000 sq. m (0.3ha)
veganism. Remembering the first
Fitbit-esque technology to track the throughout the year, unless the
time you saw an elephant or that you
movements of African elephants after current BIAZA guidelines exceed
pressed your nose up to the glass of the
the expansion of their facility. They this. There is evidence that much
gorilla enclosure will be a vivid memory
found that an individual named Sung larger spaces (e.g.>2 ha (20,000
for many and looking at a zoo through
Surin walked over twice as far per sq. m) for five or fewer adults) are
the eyes of a child it is understandable
day after they expanded the elephant required to achieve suitable exercise
why they are so beloved. The biggest,
enclosure — from 4.7 miles to 10 miles levels, and development plans are
fiercest, rarest and most colourful
per day. Oregon Zoo celebrated this as strongly recommended to aim for
animals on earth come together all in
a victory for the elephants and their larger spaces.”
one place, with a gift shop and an ice
improved quality of life and we agree
cream truck to boot.
that more room is undoubtedly better Baby elephants are a crowd-pleaser
for them. However, this study merely and, as such, zoos are keen to ensure
However, as adults, we need to
highlights the lack of room that most they have calves to maintain and
examine zoos with a more discerning
animals have in zoos. Nikia Fico, increase profits. A problem arises
eye because what looks like a place
Director of Save Tucson Elephants when, due to lack of space, these
for education and conservation on the
says that elephants can walk up to 50 calves are later separated from
surface is actually somewhere animals
miles a day and that restricting the their mothers, grandmothers and
are kept in artificial environments for
distance that elephants can walk can aunties and sent to other zoos, a
the entertainment and pleasure of
lead to physical problems. highly unnatural phenomenon for
humans.
elephants, animals with strong family
This lack of space also impacts ties. Elephants are able to feel loss
In recent years the public outcry
on the relationships between and grief just like humans and it is
against SeaWorld has been
individuals. The UK Government upsetting for both calf and mother
astonishing, leading to a huge
Standard of Modern Zoo Practice when individuals are separated and
reduction in the number of visitors
states that: “Outdoor enclosures sold like commodities to another zoo.
and governments across the UK are
must be as large and complex as
under pressure from the public to ban
possible and encourage walking and The space gap between their natural
the use of wild animals in circuses.
also exploration, grazing, foraging, and captive environments is not
Yet, despite this, visiting zoos is still
social interaction and maintenance limited to elephants. Shocking
a highly popular activity. In 2017, 1.1
behaviours (e.g. dust-bathing). statistics from Freedom for Animals
million people visited London Zoo and
highlights that tigers and lions have
the previous year, 1.9 million people
“Outdoor areas for bulls and cows around 18,000 times less space in zoos
flocked to Chester Zoo.
(i.e. over two years) must provide and, astonishingly, polar bears have
all animals with a minimum one million times less space.
What right do we have to breed, capture
and confine animals? In essence,
keeping animals in zoos is no less
exploitative than keeping animals for
consumption through factory farming.
Both activities come down to the fact
that we have taken away an animal’s
freedom in favour of our own wants.

Making the decision to consciously

open up your mind to consider that
zoos may be immoral isn’t easy, but
considering the truth never is.

For years, people have argued that zoos

facilitate education and that getting
85
 Welfare
children interested in the protection
of species by offering people the
experience of seeing wild animals up
close will ensure that future generations
are motivated to conserve Endangered
species. There have also been countless
researchers who have claimed that
zoos and aquariums have contributed
thousands of academic articles to
animal research over the last 20 years
as a result of observation of animals
in zoos.
What are we teaching children by taking
them to zoos to see animals which
belong in the wild? That animals are
here for us? That they are ours to use
and keep how we wish? That humans
are at the top of the pecking order? This
isn’t education, but an exacerbation of
an outdated, immoral societal norm. If
we want to educate the next generation,
we can show them documentaries,
teach them using reference books,
observe animals in their natural
environments or visit a sanctuary.
Besides, zoos are the last places to
look for natural behaviour; they are
a breeding ground for mental and
physical illness. So prevalent are the
negative symptoms associated with
being confined to a zoo that there
is a name for abnormal behaviour
exhibited by animals in captivity called
zoochosis. The symptoms of zoochosis
include self-harm, vomiting, pacing
86
and/or rocking — not the
typical behaviour
you would expect
to see happy,
healthy
animals
exhibiting.
In addition
to this,
zoos aren’t
necessarily
safe for the
animals who are
kept there. Zoos
are not regulated in
the same way around the
world and earlier this year there
were reports that bricks were being
thrown at animals in a Chinese zoo.
According to reports, visitors to the
Fuzhou Zoo threw bricks at kangaroos
in an attempt to make the animals
hop. How can this zoo claim to care for
animal welfare? How can any zoo?
habitats help them? We need to look
Zoo advocates have also argued that to solve the root of the problem or
these establishments are essential there will be no natural habitat to
to protect Endangered animals from reintroduce species from zoos back
poachers and habitat loss. Breeding into the wild.
programmes ensure the survival of
species which are on the brink of According to research published in
extinction, don’t they? PLOS One, just 18 per cent of land
animals in zoos are Threatened or
How can taking animals out of their Endangered and whilst the zoos may
natural environments and then
continue to destroy their natural

provide a place for Endangered and
Threatened animals to live, they do
not provide a healthy, fulfilling and
happy life for that animal. It is also
true that captive breeding does not
increase the number of individuals in
the wild — captive animals are often
unable to be released into the wild as
successful reintroduction of animals
born in captivity is rare. A similar study
from 2015 found that captive breeding
is pointless without wild conservation.
This begs the question of the
relevance of zoos in a modern, aware
society – what is their purpose?
They do not educate and they don’t
conserve species.
We must also remember that zoos
are businesses and that it is in their
self-interest to breed baby animals
in captivity as they bring the highest
number of visitors to the zoos;
breeding captive animals line their
pockets. People are beginning to
wake up to the reality of zoos and as a
result, many zoos are using the words
‘sanctuary’ or ‘rescue’ to insinuate that
they are helping animals.
Welfare
We should be giving our money to
conservation projects for animals in
the wild rather than zoos. Children can
be more thoroughly educated through
watching wildlife documentaries
that show natural animal behaviour.
Furthermore, vegan entrepreneurs are
coming up with alternatives to zoos
such as papier-mâché zoos and even
a cruelty-free animated aquarium
which is set to open in Riyadh, the
capital of Saudi Arabia. These suggest
that there is a market for vegan- and
animal-friendly zoos which do not
capture, cage or keep animals against
their will. Animals are not here for us
to control and human animals are
not superior to non-human animals.
Zoos are cruel institutions that are
playing God, trying to control the lives
and populations of animals instead of
solving the root problem, which is the
widespread destruction of animal’s
natural habitats. Say no to zoos, and
yes to a real and honest education.

BECOME A RELAXATION TEACHER

Or just learn to relax yourself

THE ART OF FINDING STILLNESS

AND CALM
RELAXATION AND DAILY AWARENESS
WORKSHOP
A unique one day certificated teachers workshop with
Vegan Buddhist Monk.
VEN. LAMA SHRI SADHU DHARMAVIRA
(Teaching since 1969)

This unique workshop contains all the relaxation

techniques needed to experience the wellbeing that
comes through a life that is stress and anxiety free.

This course was created for those who wish to teach

others to be stress free. But, anyone who would
like to attend for their own personal wellbeing, is
very welcome.
Booking now for workshops in London.
To ensure quality teaching, workshops are limited to a
maximum of 8 participants.
To receive full details about the workshop and its
benefits, please telephone: 01723 862 496 VEN. LAMA SHRI SADHU DHARMAVIRA
(calls taken between 8am - 6pm, 7 days a week)

87
 Drinks

It's all
about
Red, baby
Oliver Coningham shows us the way this summer with
his list of exciting red wines

A
s the vegan surge continues
one of the many benefits is
food and drinks producers
taking the labelling of their products
more seriously. This, in turn, has
filtered down to the retailers who
are making it much easier to find
vegan products.
88
The world of wine used to be shrouded Find out more about vegan drink and
in an air of mystery and intrigue, but food on the forkandcarrot.com website
now vegan-friendly wines are more or follow Oliver Coningham on Twitter
accessible than ever. Red wines are @forkandcarrot.
often associated with the darker part
of the year and perhaps heavier, meat-
based dishes too, but as you’ll find
with our suggestions this month, they
have a versatility that far exceeds this.
 Drinks
MERLOT (13.5%) –
OXFORD LANDING
RRP £6.50 FOR 75CL (TESCO)
Oxford Landing Merlot is maroon in colour
and displays an appealing aroma of
chocolate, ripe plums and juicy raspberries
with a hint of woody spice. Try pairing
this soft and silky Merlot with griddled
asparagus and eggless-fettuccine in a
creamy tomato sauce.
Oxford Landing wines are made without
the aid of any animal-sourced products or
processing aids.
PINOT NOIR ROMANIA
(13%) – WAITROSE
RRP £5.99 FOR 75CL (WAITROSE)
Romania isn’t the first place that springs to
mind when you think of Pinot Noir. However,
this wine has everything you’d expect from
the style; sumptuous red berries and a
touch of savoury intrigue. Serve with vegan
enchiladas for a match made in heaven.
Suitable for vegans.
CATENA MALBEC 2015
MENDOZA (13%) – CATENA
RRP £13.99 FOR 75CL
(MAJESTIC WINE)
An elegant Malbec from Argentina with ripe
blackberry and blackcurrant flavours and a
pleasing amount of peppery spice. The finish
adds further complexity with distinctive
chocolate notes and a crisp, refreshing acidity.
Match this Malbec with Iceland’s new No Bull
Burgers Quarter Pounders topped with Bute
Island’s Blue Sheese.
Suitable for vegans.
PINOTAGE (14%) –
STELLA ORGANICS
RRP £8.99 FOR 75CL (OCADO)
An organic, fair-trade and ruby-hued red
wine from the Western Cape, South Africa.
Smooth and rounded in flavour with a
wonderful balance of berries and spices.
Enjoy alongside rich, tomato-based pasta
dishes featuring aubergines, mushrooms and
dark leafy greens.
All Stellar Organics wines are suitable for
vegans.
RESERVE DE BONPAS
COTES DU RHONE (14%) –
BONPAS
RRP £6.50 FOR 75CL
(SAINSBURY’S)
Within this classic exterior is a considered
blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre
grapes. This combination imparts a powerful
aroma and taste of black fruits, coffee and
spices. Serve slightly warm at 17-18°C with a
spicy dish such as Asian tofu stir-fry.
Suitable for vegans.
FINCA FABIAN
TEMPRANILLO (13.5%) –
DOMINIO DE PUNCTUM
RRP £7.95 FOR 75CL (RIVERFORD)
An organic fresh and fruity Tempranillo with
moreish cherry and berry notes and well-
balanced tannins. This high-quality red has
a great depth with flavours that immediately
develop after opening. Finca Fabian
Tempranillo works well with delicately
spiced Mexican food including tacos, nachos
and burritos.
Suitable for vegans.
89
 Art

VEGAN
ART
SPECIAL

We’ve rounded up our favourite artists that we’ve

featured over the past four years for our art special
90

CONTENTS
Melinda Hegedus pg 98
Born and raised in Hungary, Melinda
Hegedus’s art is greatly influenced by
her country’s folk art and its motifs,
incorporating the bright colours
and design patterns often seen in
traditional Hungarian embroidery into
her work. She draws inspiration from
Mother Nature as well as femininity,
finding stimuli within the Norwegian
countryside where she now lives. She
creates poignant vegan art, conveying
the connection between animals and
humans in a visual form. Find out more
at melindahegedus.com
Jo FredEriks pg 93
Having loved drawing from a young
age, Jo always wanted to be an
artist. Born and raised on one of
the largest cattle stations, s2 in her work, which forces the viewer
he grew up watching animals being
mutilated, exploited, enslaved and
violently killed in Queensland, Australia,
it was considered the natural order of
things. While this exposure to suffering
numbed the senses of many, it had the
opposite effect on Jo, nurturing her
connection to animals, highlighting
their immense vulnerability at the
hands of man. Find out more at:
jofrederiks.altervista.org.
Hartmut Kiewert pg 100
Hartmut Kiewert is a painter and
graphic artist whose work explores the
relationships between humans and
animals. His paintings represent the
exploitation farmed animals are forced
to endure and the desire of a world
where this suffering would be purely a
memory. Find out more at:
en.hartmutkiewert.de
Andrew Tilsley pg 94
For as long as he can remember,
Andrew Tilsley always saw animals as
sentient, autonomous beings. Known
by his peers as the local boy who cared
for injured animals, his childhood was
filled with disabled pigeons, abandoned
rabbits and orphaned thrushes. With an
equally strong passion for art, Andrew
put paint brush to paper and used
his creativity to successfully portray
the realities that animals face in our
exploitative society. Find out more at:
facebook.com/AndrewTilsleyArtwork
Dana Ellyn
pg 95
In 2012 artist Dana Ellyn took a gamble,
leaving the corporate world, and
becoming a full-time painter. This
vision and bold character is present
to question the way society views
animals. She describes her work as
a combination of social realism and
expressionism – though admits a focus
on technique during her younger years
has given way to infusing more emotion
into her paintings. Find out more at
danaellyn.com
LyndA Bell pg 96
"My goal is to inspire people to care for
animals and to remember that they are
sentient beings, in need of our love,
care and protection. I think about what
the earth would look like if there was
no cruelty or exploitation - no farming
or hunting or testing on animals. My
paintings are stories, in which people
are heroes and heroines for the
animals, because people can in fact be
just that, in real life". Find out more at:
facebook.com/lyndabellart/
Art
Marlaina Mortati
After turning vegan in 2011,
pg 97
accomplished artist Marlaina Mortati
shifted her artwork focus to vegan
and animal rights themes and made
it her 2014 goal to seek a tattooing
apprenticeship. Now two years on,
Marlaina is working as a full time tattoo
artist, etching passionate and detailed
vegan based tattoos onto people all
across America. Find out more at:
tattoosbymarlaina.wixsite.com/
marlainamortatiart
Twyla Francois
pg 92
Working as an animal cruelty
investigator means Canadian-born artist
Twyla Francois is constantly exposed
to the darker side of human nature.
The connection she felt with animals
combined with the relentless sight of
animal cruelty and torture she sees daily
meant her art was born 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. Find out more at
www.twylafrancois.com
Sue Coe pg 101
Best known for her real life drawings
of animals in slaughterhouses and
factory farms, Sue Coe’s artwork draws
attention to the death and exploitation
that happens daily all around us in an
attempt to awaken compassion. As a
prize-winning artist she bears witness
to unspeakable crimes, and has long
advocated that human beings take
more responsibility for ourselves, our
fellow species and our planet.
Laura Klinke pg 99
Read the full interview from Laura
Klinke on pages 102-105.
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FRIEND OR FOOD
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KILL TO DRESS

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DIFFERENCE

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HARMONY, FOREST GIRL
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NINE MONTHS
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Sketch up
Laura Klinke tells Vegan Life about her personal journey through
veganism and art progression
L
aura Klinke is an artist based
in Leipzig who depicts vegan
topics in her art. Covering a range
of subjects such as the ignorance of
omnivores over veganism, illustrating
statements and concepts relating
to veganism, she promotes the
importance of veganism and the ethical
issues in animal agriculture. Klinke
uses a range of mediums to create her
art, and has a unique style which she
embraces in her illustrations.
Tell us about your own vegan
journey and a little bit about
you now.
I grew up on a farm and later moved
to the city, and I regularly returned
to the farm to visit my grandparents
where keeping animals to eat was
always the norm to me, and I never
questioned it, not until I was 23 when
I read a book called “Tiere essen” (“To
Eat Animals”) I then forced myself to
watch all of the horrible documentaries,
that made me open my eyes to the
slaughtering of animals. I cried a lot
and from that moment I knew, I didn't
want to support this anymore. First step
was vegetarianism, but it only took 6
months to know it wasn't enough, so I
started to live a vegan life.
I really loved milk and cheese and
expected that this would be really hard
step for me, but in actual fact I don’t
miss them at all, I don't even remember
how they taste anymore and don’t want
to. Humans don't need these products
for a balanced diet.
Going vegan was one the best decisions
I've ever made in my life.
How long have you been making
art? What is your process from
idea to end product?
I’ve always created art, but I started
to really focus on it five years ago. I
always get new ideas on the go or if
I see something that's inspires me,
Firstly I would do a sketch, very short
and fast, and go back to it later, I never
think about what it will look like in the
end, I just start and even the results
surprise me.
When I do my pro-vegan art, there's
always a message behind the picture,
but I always take care that it's not
daunting to the viewer, but inspiring
and thought provoking.
What is the vegan scene like in
Germany?
In the last few years, a lot of this
Art
happened in this field, but there are
still not enough voices who are raising
awareness for change. Although we
slowly made it to the point to be taken
seriously, there are still so many people,
who are standing alone and don't even
know, how to cross the skeptical “front”.
Vegan is still considered as extreme and
not normal. But there's one noticeable
change. In bigger cities it becomes
easier to choose vegan alternatives,
and there are growing communities
of vegans that want to achieve
something together. Different artists
are encouraging challenges to make the
content and network grow more. At this
point I'd love say a huge thank you to
@vegan.elly's instagram page, who is
challenging other artists every month
to create more content and illustrations
on this subject and to share those.
Sure, everyone is doing their best, but
I strongly believe that together we can
achieve much more.
How would you describe your
own signature style?
I love to use my simple style, with
the naive figures, black outlines and
a discreet use of colour to make
statements. I like to try different and
new styles, but always try to keep
consistency with the way I draw the
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 Art
girls, to achieve some recognition. My
girls are often covered with some kind
of loneliness, because I believe that our
ability to feel empathy is what makes us
better people.

How do you think your distinctive

style promotes veganism?
In the beginning it was really important
to me to find a style that is visually
appealing, but also discussion-
provoking. I don’t think you should
aim to offend, but I think if you always
convey it 'too nicely', they often get the
feeling that it couldn't be 'that bad'.
There is a fine difference between
making this kind of illustration
interesting to people and make them
feel uncomfortable with it. It's just too
easy to go on with scrolling down and
still close your eyes to this positive
outlook on life. The moment you start
a factual conversation with someone
about living vegan, lots of people start
to realize, that they are guided by
prejudices and misinformation and
in the same time you inspire them to
make a change.
opinion in an aggressive way, but I artists as possible connect together to
I would say that I use my art more like do fight against the exploitation and build a much stronger community, to
a 'bait' to attract people first and then suffering of animals. It's just like my art: support and push each other to achieve
make them think second. on the one side, it's nice to look at. But the same goals. I strongly believe,
on the other side it's fighting for what I that everyone who has ever dealt with
Is there an animal which you feel love and what is important to me. veganism knows, that nothing can
a particular affinity to? justify and argue the exploitation and
I think I’d probably be a swan. Swans What is your favourite piece? murder of animals. I hope that in the
are mostly loners, until they tie to their I don't really have a favourite piece, future my art and will be shared all over
partner for the rest of their lives. I think because each piece has an important the world, not to make me famous but
they are very graceful animals and that message to reach different people rather to spread my message.
you shouldn't underestimate them. in different ways. I really hope that
I wouldn't say that I underline my the more I create realistic art with For my personal future, I hope that
more realistic forms and figures, the people will stop rolling their eyes when
more people will start to connect my they hear the word “vegan” and start to
illustrations to reality and maybe they take it seriously and not just as a short-
will start to see the animal suffering lived trend. I wish that all the people
that happens. who closed their eyes to this subject
will open them and start to deal with all
My favourite sentence is and will the problems in this world and maybe
always be “to live and to let live”. recognise, that they can be part of the
Inspired by this, I decided to create an solution. The first step is always the
illustration and printed it on bags that hardest one, that's true, but every step
people can buy. in the right direction is leading us to
the next important step, no matter how
What are your hopes for the little these steps are.
future, both as an artist and
a vegan? Find out more about Laura on Instagram
For the future I wish that as many instagram.com/lauraklinke_art
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105

Kim Willis enjoys breathtaking views on an extraordinary
volcanic rock in the Canary Islands
R
ising before the sun always
feels counterintuitive, like your
internal body clock is begging
you to close your eyes and go back to
sleep because no human should ever
start their day before the sun starts
hers, but despite grumbling to my
husband that maybe it wasn’t worth
it and maybe we should catch the sun
set at the much more social time of
later, rather than the sun rise, I’m glad
he didn’t listen. Witnessing the sun
burst through the clouds at the top of
the Roque de los Muchachos was one
106
Isla
Bonita
of the most spectacular moments of
my life.
La Palma is the lesser trampled sister
island to neighbouring hotspots
Tenerife and Lanzarote. It is famed in
the astronomy world for the Roque de
los Muchachos, the mountain at the
top of which I found myself early that
beautiful morning. Great observatories
have been built and much universe-
understanding has been accomplished
here. At 2,426m high, you stand above
the clouds, which is why it’s one of
(Beautiful Island)
the greatest places on the planet
to stargaze.
It takes a good two hours to drive
up the Roque de los Muchachos, on
account of the many hairpin bends
required to reach the summit. We
arrived just as the sun started to
emerge and it was breathtaking.
Clouds stretched to the horizon like
cotton-wool waves on an ocean, kissed
by the sun as it turned the sky from
black to orange and yellow then finally,
blue. By night, the gigantic telescopes

built here help an international team
of astronomers figure out all kinds
of crazy facts about the universe. By
morning, we got some cracking photos
of little fluffy clouds tumbling over
mountain peaks, the tip of Mount Teide
in Tenerife waving a peaceful hello in
the distance.
A word on driving around the island.
I’d recommend hiring a car because
travelling by bus would be a winding,
nausea inducing nightmare. I was
lucky enough not to be put on the
insurance so my husband did all the
driving and there are numerous hairpin
bends. Not just up the Roque de los
Muchachos, but wherever you want to
Travel
go is a distinct volcano
away and the hairpins
are everywhere. Bring
your driving gloves
and prepare to zigzag.
In the passenger seat,
I was able to enjoy the
marvel of the many
banana plantations
sprinkled along the
road’s edges. Bananas
thrive here on account
of the volcanic soil,
rich in nutrients. A
few million years
ago, a submarine volcano blew its
lid, creating the mountainous island
now affectionately known as the isla
bonita, which means beautiful island.
It’s more rustic and quiet than more
touristy Canary Islands, but if you love
hiking and gazing at beautiful scenery,
this island’s a gem. Although the vegan
options weren’t quite as luminous and
multiple as they were during our visit
to Fuerteventura a year previously, it
wasn’t like we went hungry. We stayed
in a self-catering apartment (which
had a pool, sauna and hot tub) near
the town of El Paso, where there was
a supermarket that stocked a broad
range of vegan goodies, as well El
Campo, a health food shop to satisfy
every vegan need, from seitan to
powerballs.
Another day, we achieved a 20km hike
down the Caldera de Taburiente, the
island’s central volcanic crater. The
best way to achieve this expedition is
to drive your vehicle to the end point
(at the bottom) where taxis await keen
hikers. For about 20 euros, they’ll
drive you up to the summit and drop
you off. The beauty of such a long
walk down a volcanic crater was that
every few kilometres, the landscape
changed. From the tracks through
pine woodlands at the top, we wound
our way down to a waterfall, before
following the riverbed and eventually
reuniting with our car. There are clearly
marked yellow and white painted
icons at regular intervals to remind
you that you really are still going in
the right direction, and the views were
always exquisite. The descent woke up
our calf muscles and gave us a good
excuse to buy too much cake from El
Campo on the way home.
The hiking options are so varied that
every day gave us a new experience.
The Volcan de San Antonio is more
of an upwards hike (thus ensuring
a whole new set of muscles ached)
along the ridges of this stark black
cone of a volcano. I’m always hesitant
to use the word ‘hike’ as it feels a bit
American, when ‘walk’ feels more
modestly British, but I could get really
snazzy and describe the next wander
107

as a trek. We trekked through the fern
jungle of Cubo de la Galga and arrived
at a resplendent waterfall, patiently
waiting for our turn to take selfies, as it
was much more popular than the 4am
start required to watch the sun rise at
the top of the Roque.
We tried to attend a stargazing
experience but unfortunately it was
called off every evening of our stay
due to pesky cloud coverage. But, at
30 euros per person, the opportunity
to learn more about the solar system
was affordable and I’d love to go back
to learn more about the stars above. La
Palma is an island for the inquisitive.
The fascinating Salinas Marinas de
Fuencaliente salt pans give life to
micro-organisms at the depths of each
basin, while encouraging all kinds of
bird life from dunlins to sandpipers to
dive for their dinner. Plus, salt farming
is surprisingly pink in hue. Which is
always good for Instagram.
Throughout our daily adventures we
continued to hunt for vegan dining
options. Happy Cow told us of some
restaurants offering vegan options
and La Vitamina in Los Llanos de
Aridane was lovely. We made frequent
return trips there and had refreshing
smoothies and salads at Veg Art in
Los Cancajos on the east side of the
island. But caught short of guaranteed
veganism, we took to ordering a lot of
papas arrugadas (literal translation:
108
Travel
wrinkly potatoes) because when in
doubt, potatoes.
On our last day, we discovered a
hidden gem of a veggie cafe well worth
the expedition required to reach it.
After parking the car in the adorable
little village of Las Tricias (you can also
catch a bus here from Los Lanos) it
was a short hike of a few kilometres to
reach veggie / vegan cafe Finca Aloe
(‘Aloe Farm’) nestled in the hills. We
got rambling (another fancy way of
saying we walked). We passed 250 year
old dragon trees, known as Dracaena
Draco, which must be said as if you
are announcing your name in Game of
Thrones. The bark ‘bleeds’ a reddish
resin, known as dragon’s blood and
their intertwined exposed roots and
tangled branches are beautiful and, if
you like to dazzle people with facts like
I do, then you’ll be interested to know
they’re not trees at all but in fact tree- keep us warm. I love a sun dappled
like plants from the asparagus family. leaf and there were plenty at this
Which is pretty nuts when you’re enchanted treasure of a cafe, with a
standing underneath one feeling very quiet ambiance and friendly bilingual
small and insignificant. Asparagus staff. There are some corners of the
doesn’t tend to have the same impact. world so peaceful they are poetry in
motion and this was one of them. The
We soon arrived at the best restaurant uninterrupted view of the ocean kept
on the island. It was like Bilbo Baggins us mesmerised while we waited for
had invited us into his hobbit-hole our smoothies and fancy avo on toast,
for lunch. We sat in an idyllic open-air which arrived on a bed of nasturtium
yurt structure, the winding branches leaf, decorated with dainty yellow
of a vine shielding us from too much nasturtium flower, grown on site. It
sun, but just enough of a beam was hands down the best meal we
found its way through the leaves to enjoyed on this isla bonita, made
all the more delicious by the walk
required to reach it and the views
afforded by doing so. I second that
statement when it came to the cake.
La Palma has many gifts for those who
love to soak up the beauty Mother
Nature has to offer. The volcanic
scenery, the walks, the waterfalls, the
bananas, the sunsets, the sunrises.
Prepare yourself for all the hairpin
bends and a few instances of requiring
emergency potatoes and you’re in for
a treat.
Photography: Gareth Iwan Jones
109
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Find truth, beauty,

freedom and love...

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112
113
 Jake Yapp
Easy
Chic k pe as y
Jake Yapp shares his unique sense of houmous
L
ook, I’m not going to lie to you.
There are days when I can’t face
scrubbing a carrot or de-gritting
a leek. I mean, how much grit can one
vegetable harbour? It’s like leeks aren’t
even TRYING. Leeks have some kind of
self-esteem, issues. C’mon, guys. Spruce
up. But I’ve seen so many posts on social
media about the hassle of being vegan,
and… I just don’t get it.
Going vegan is, of course, an adjustment.
And new lifestyles and habits do require a
tremendous amount of mental power. But
honestly, it’s nowhere near as much faff as
a traditional omni diet.
Take milk. That old ritual of tentatively
sniffing your little bottle of cow’s
breastmilk to see if it has curdled. I mean,
that’s so rank, the more you think about it.
And you have to buy it, what, every three
days or so? I buy my fake milk in crates
of six 1-litre packs. It’s a piece of cake. I
could buy my milk once a year if I wanted
to. (Although I will grant you that almost
nothing smells quite so bad as soured soy
milk. My god. It’s the gateway to hell).
And eggs. Notwithstanding the health
issues, the whole Russian Roulette thing
with an egg that’s gone off…? Vegans have
cupboards stuffed with perfectly good egg
substitutes - tofu for scramble, aqua faba
for baking, and water-bombs filled with old
soy milk for chucking.
My personal obsession at the moment is
Gram Flour. Finely-milled chick pea flour
has become my go-to ingredient now for
114
what I very loosely term an omelette. While the new ‘touch-free’ packaging for chicken.
I sauté some vegetables, I mix up a few Why on earth would you eat something
spoonfuls with mixed herbs, seasoning, you’re not prepared to touch? That’s mad.
sometimes curry powder, and Kala Namak. Vegans have one chopping board, thanks,
Have you tried Kala Namak? I never we keep our kitchens reasonably clean, but
subscribed to people getting all jazzed we don’t have to be hysterical about it if
about Himalayan Pink Salt - they were our tofu hits the worktop.
invariably people who would pronounce it
‘Him-AAAARRRRR-lee-an’ and would never One thing that is getting harder and more
watch Ant and Dec. Kala Namak is not that complicated for vegans, though, is eating
- it’s sometimes called Black Salt and it out. It used to be that when you went to a
imparts a delightfully disgusting-delicious, restaurant you’d have one choice from the
sulphurous eggy flavour. I’m addicted to it. menu. And it was probably a side of chips.
Nowadays, with so many eateries realising
Anyway - I mix that up with some there are a lot of hungry vegans out there,
water until it resembles emulsion paint we’re now faced with menus with multiple
(magnolia, natch), then pour it over the options. It’s been such a long time coming
vegetables, cook it, flip it, maybe add some that it now genuinely takes me a lifetime
grated fake cheese, and wolf it down like a to figure out what to order… Generally I’ll
dog on hot chips. order any dish involving leeks. Because
I’m just so grateful someone else has gone
The point being - whenever I want it - it’s through the hassle on my behalf.
there. I don’t have to manage it, or ‘finish
it up’. There’s just a sack of it waiting for
me. If I get cravings, I don’t have to go
to an all-night garage and
buy some anaemic eggs
of highly questionable
provenance and welfare.
I don’t have to think
about any of that. It’s
so blimming easy.
I have a feeling people
are cottoning onto this
anyway - When you look
at the endless R and D that
goes into perpetuating the
meat and dairy industry -
from the de-lactosing of milk to
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