VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society

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VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
2021 Issue 1

                                                          £3.00

VEGAN FROM BIRTH
Experiences of lifelong vegans

GREAT BRITISH VEGAN              MARKET NEWS
Recipes from Aimee Ryan          Rise of the plant-based sector
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
Editor’s letter and contents

EDITOR’S LETTER
                  Welcome to the first edition of 2021! Our feature       has changed in Atlanta, Georgia, over the past
                     article focuses on those who are in the lucky        three decades.
                        position of having been vegan since birth.          I am excited to share three recipes from a new
                          Written by Kaya Gromocki, who was               cookbook, Great British Vegan by Aimee Ryan of
                           raised vegan herself, it is a fascinating      wallflowerkitchen.com. As always, if you make
                            insight into the highs and lows of lifelong   any of these recipes please do write in and let us
                            veganism.                                     know. You could be in with a chance of winning
                              In this edition you can also find an        our Star Letter prize!
                           interview with the wonderful Quinnie             As ever, keep reading for updates on Vegan
                          Cook-Richardson, who has been vegan             Society news, volunteers, new trademarked
                        for over 30 years. Quinnie shares some of         products and much more.
                     her experiences of living as a Black vegan in
                  the US, reflecting on the challenges and triumphs
                  she has had, and looking at how the vegan scene                                         Elena Orde, Editor

CONTENTS
03   Highlights                          27        Nutrition                               08
     Essential updates on                          Supporting new
     Vegan Society news                            vegans

06   In the news
     The Vegan Society
                                         28        Volunteers
                                                   Volunteer Hub plus
     in the press                                  Volunteer of the Season

08   Vegan from birth
     Kaya Gromocki interviews
                                         33        Challenges and triumphs
                                                   An interview with Quinnie
     lifelong vegans                               Cook-Richardson
                                                                                            13
13   Recipes
     from Great British Vegan
                                         37        Fundraising
                                                   Supporting The Vegan
                                                   Society

19   Market News
     The growth of the
                                          38       Shoparound
                                                   New products to look
     plant-based food sector                       out for

22   Membership                           40       Buy online
     Including information
     on the AGM
                                                   The latest books and
                                                   merchandise                              19
25   Reviews
     The Invisible Vegan
                                          41       Events
                                                   What’s going on
     and Manifesto                                 across the UK

                                                                                                   Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 1
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
From the CEO                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Highlights

Editor Elena Orde Designer Violeta Pereira
Print gemini-print.co.uk

Staff
CEO
George Gill
                                                                           FROM THE CEO                                                                                       HIGHLIGHTS
Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research,
Interim CEO
Louise Davies
Head of Communications
                                                                           Firstly, I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2021. May this year see us
Sam Calvert                                                                tackle the pandemic and return to a safer life, with more scope for togetherness with
Director of Business Development
Chantelle Adkins                                                                                       those we care about the most.
Research and Policy Advisor                                                                                  I have some personal news to share in that my time
Amanda Baker
Communications Manager                                                                                      at The Vegan Society is drawing to an end. Having
Danielle Saunders                                                                                              started as Head of Business Development in 2009 and
Senior Supporter Services Coordinator
Stephen Sanders                                                                                                 finishing off in my position as Chief Executive Officer,
Supporter Services Coordinator                                                                                  I am proud of what I have contributed to achieving
Kaya Gromocki, Harriet Macintosh
Senior Web Officer                                                                                              over the past 11 years, in helping to transform our
Adam Duncan                                                                                                     presence, profile, size and impact.
Digital Content Officer
Jen Jones                                                                                                         We have great trademark visibility, more members
Web Officer                                                                                                 than ever and have developed an international profile
Hayley Kinnear
Senior Communications and Campaigns Officer                                                               reflecting the growing interest and motivation to embrace
Elena Orde                                                                                            our vegan movement. I feel that I am leaving The Vegan
Graphic Designer
Violeta Pereira                                                            Society having developed a strong and able team, and with more orchestrated and
Media and PR Officer
                                                                           efficient campaigns than ever before.
Francine Jordan
Fundraising and Partnerships Manager                                          Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research Louise Davies will very capably be holding
Ruby Jones
Campaigns Manager
                                                                           the position of Interim CEO until we complete the recruitment process.
Mark Banahan                                                                  I want to take this opportunity to thank council, staff, members and volunteers for
Campaigns and Policy Officers
Sabrina Ahmed, Tim Thorpe
                                                                           all of their support and wish you all every success moving forwards. The society has
Insight and Commercial Policy Officer                                      big plans for 2021 and I look forward to seeing them come into fruition.
Louisianna Waring                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The Future Normal campaign video has exceeded over one million total views
Office Manager
Kat Anderson
Sales and Merchandise Manager
Dave Nicholson                                                                                                                                         George Gill, CEO
Sales and Merchandise Officer                                                                                                                                                 Future Normal                                                     living on a budget or facing food poverty. We put together a
Hannah Trimble                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  hub for resources on our website at
Head of Business Development                                                                                                                                                  In November we ran the first ever Vegan Society TV advert.
Steve Hamon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     vegansociety.com/liveveganforless, where you can find
Trademark Team Manager
                                                                                                                                                                              The advert featured the Future Normal campaign film, which
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                budget recipes, tips, infographics and more.
Allison Timmins                                                                                                                                                               encourages viewers to look back on how they viewed animals
Trademark Team Leader                                                                                                                                                                                                                              At the end of 2020 we partnered with Sustainable Kitchen
Katharina Eist                                                                                                                                                                when they were children, and to remember those feelings
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Consultants, a team of chefs who specialise in healthy plant-
Deputy Trademark Managers                                                                                                                                                     of compassion, regardless of species. The advert ran on Sky
Ella Marshall, Natacha Rodrigues                                                                                                                                                                                                                based recipe development, on a series of delicious budget-
Trademark Account Manager                                                                                                                                                     on Demand and All 4 alongside nature, documentary and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                friendly recipe videos. These recipes made use of healthy and
Lisa Williams                                                                                                                                                                 entertainment shows.
Trademark Account Assistant                                                                                                                                                                                                                     affordable staples such as oats, lentils and chickpeas, also
                                                                                                                                                                                Thank you to everyone who has donated to Future Normal
Shamara Richards                                                           Staff updates                                                                                                                                                        focusing on using seasonal produce and showing how to
Business Development Officers                                                                                                                                                 and helped us to reach even more people. We are relaunching
Sheridan Rudge, Gabriela Chalkia, Sophie Glenn,                            Steve Hamon has joined us in the role of Head of Business Development. Allison                                                                                       avoid food waste.
Zoe Lomas, John Andrews, Caroline Bolton, Cheryl                                                                                                                              Future Normal very soon, so keep an eye out on our social
Pierpoint, Katarzyna Petruk, Serin Price                                   Timmins is now Trademark Team Manager. We have a new Trademark Account                             media channels for plenty of new resources to share and visit
Business Development Assistant                                             Assistant, Shamara Richards, and a new Business Development Assistant, Chloe                       futurenormal.org.uk to keep up with the latest developments.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                VegAPPG
Chloe Edwards
Business Development Marketing Manager                                     Edwards.                                                                                                                                                             The Vegan Society is a co-sponsor of the vegAPPG, the All-
Ericka Durgahee                                                              We have expanded our nutrition services, with Andrea Rymer joining us as our
Trademark Events and Communications Officer                                                                                                                                   Live Vegan for Less                                               Party Parliamentary Group for vegan and vegetarian issues. In
Neneh Buswell                                                              second staff Dietitian.                                                                                                                                              December we held an online event entitled ‘Is food security
Business Development Brand Marketing Officer
Nishat Rahman
                                                                             Our new Media and PR Officer Francine Jordan joined the society at the end of last                                                                                 an issue for vegetarians and vegans?’
Business Development and Marketing Officer                                 year. Harriet Macintosh has also joined us as our new Supporter Services Coordinator,                                                                                  The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security
Beth Dandy
Finance Manager
                                                                           assisting in the Membership Team.                                                                                                                                    as existing “when all people at all times have access to
Clare Straughan                                                              Communications Manager Danielle Saunders has left the society to focus on her                                                                                      sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and
Finance Officers
Allan Oakes, Emily Austin
                                                                           family and family business. She has been an enormous asset and we wish her all the                                                                                   active life”. During the pandemic, issues around access to
Research Officer                                                           best.                                                                                                                                                                food have become more widespread, including government-
Dr Lorna Brocksopp
Dietitians                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      provided food parcels that did not cater for specific dietary
Heather Russell, Andrea Rymer                                                                                                                                                                                                                   needs.
Vegan Rights Advocate
Dr Jeanette Rowley                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The event was chaired by Christina Rees MP. Speakers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                included Nathaniel Harper from Worthing Vegan Food Bank,
Council
Robb Masters (Chair)                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jen Elford from The Vegetarian Society and Yasmine El-
Eshe Kiama Zuri (Vice-Chair)                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Gabry from V for Life.
David Gore (Treasurer)
Stephen Walsh, Jenifer Vinell, Salim Akbar, Ali                                                                                                                                                                                                   You can find the video stream at shorturl.at/lS079. Keep up
Ryland, Joel Bravette, Michele Fox, Sally Anderson.                                                                                                                           In 2020 we launched Live Vegan for Less, our campaign to          to date with the vegAPPG at vegappg.org.uk.
                                                                           Donald Watson House                               © The Vegan Society
The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of
the Editor or of The Vegan Society Council. Nothing printed should be
                                                                           34–35 Ludgate Hill      0121 523 1730             Registered Charity No. 279228                    support those following a vegan lifestyle who find themselves
construed to be The Vegan Society’s policy unless so stated. The society   Birmingham, UK          info@vegansociety.com     (England and Wales) and         Printed on
accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of
advertisements (including inserts) does not imply endorsement.
                                                                           B3 1EH                  www.vegansociety.com      SC049495 (Scotland)             recycled paper

2 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 3
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
Highlights                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Highlights

                                                                                                                                        Nutrition outreach                                                place unnecessary restrictions on the growing plant-based
                                                                                                                                                                                                          food market and inconvenience consumers looking to make
                                                                                                                                        Dietitian Heather Russell delivered a webinar organised by
                                                                                                                                                                                                          more sustainable choices. After reviewing the evidence,
                                                                                                                                        MyNutriWeb to over 700 health and nutrition professionals
                                                                                                                                                                                                          the EU strongly rejected the proposed ban, deciding that
                                                                                                                                        about person-centred practice in relation to veganism and
                                                                                                                                                                                                          consumers are not misled by vegan ‘meaty’ names.
                                                                                                                                        vegan diets. Heather also gave an online lecture on veganism
                                                                                                                                        and plant-based diets to Solent University students.
                                                                                                                                          We delivered kitchen skills training to Birmingham City
                                                                                                                                        University student dietitians, who came away from the
                                                                                                                                        session with more knowledge about plant-based food
                                                                                                                                        preparation.
                                                                                                                                          As we now have another staff dietitian on board at The
                                                                                                                                        Vegan Society, we are excited to expand the nutrition service
                                                                                                                                        and take on more outreach to educate health professionals
                                                                                                                                        and the general public about making the most of a vegan
                                                                                                                                        diet.

We’re delighted that so many people took advantage of our Youth Membership offer

                                                                                                                                                                                                            However, conversations are ongoing about wording that
                                                                                                                                                                                                          compares plant-based items to dairy products such as ‘milk’
Youth membership                                                                                                                                                                                          and ‘butter’. Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research Louise
We have been working to improve accessibility to our                                                                                                                                                      Davies said, “We are perplexed by this decision by MEPs who
membership for those who would like to support our work.                                                                                                                                                  should be doing all they can to support the consumption of
As part of this, in the autumn we launched our new Youth                                                                                                                                                  plant-based products to address the growing climate crisis.”
Membership, open to vegans and vegan-curious people aged
25 and under. For a limited time, new members within this                                                                                                                                                 Grow Green
age range could sign up for just £5 for their first year.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          As part of the online political party conference season,
  We are pleased to say that many of you took us up on this
                                                                                                                                                                                                          we sponsored an event with SERA, the Labour Party’s
offer and purchased memberships for yourselves or as gifts
                                                                                                                                        ‘Burger ban’ proposal rejected                                    environmental society. The event, Growing the Right Food
to friends or family members.
                                                                                                                                        The Vegan Society fed into the discussion around the              Policy, resulted in a meeting with Daniel Zeichner, the Shadow
  All new Youth
                                                                                                                                        proposed EU ban on ‘meaty’ language. We highlighted the           Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, at which we met with
Members were
                                                                                                                                        fact that banning food producers from using traditional           industry experts and put forward ideas for transitioning UK
given the option
                                                                                                                                        words such as ‘sausage’ and ‘burger’ on their products would      agriculture towards producing more plant proteins.
to be entered
into a prize draw
for the chance to
win a chocolate
hamper from Moo
Free Chocolates.                                                                          The new Vegan Trademark area of he website
Thank you to Moo
Free Chocolates                                                         Visit vegansociety.com/campaigns to see our new and
for supplying an                                                      improved online campaigns hub, where you can stay up to
amazing prize!                                                        date on all our latest initiatives and find out how you can get
                                                                      involved.
Website updates
                                                                      Catering for Everyone
Several of our webpages have been revamped recently,
                                                                      To further our Catering for Everyone campaign, we are
making the experience of visiting the website much more
                                                                      working to secure manifesto commitments from various
user-friendly.
                                                                      political parties taking part in devolved elections in May. We
  The Vegan Trademark webpages have been given a
                                                                      are also continuing to engage with individual councils to
makeover and it is now much easier for companies to take
                                                                      encourage them to include our campaign ask as part of their
the first steps to register their products. In 2021 we will focus
                                                                      climate mitigation plans. The team is also working to develop
on improving the trademark search function, simplifying
                                                                      a Continuing Professional Development course, to support
the process of searching for products registered with our
                                                                      health professionals in learning more about veganism.                                                                     The Grow Green campaign makes the case for a shift towards UK crop growing
trademark.

4 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 5
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
News                                                                                                                                     Advertisement

IN THE NEWS

Future Normal                                                   to see how delicious they can be. She added that we would
                                                                like to see every precaution taken to ensure that the risk of
At the end of 2020 we ran our first ever TV advertising
                                                                cross-contamination is minimised. Elena was invited onto
campaign, which went out on All 4 and Sky on Demand. The
                                                                Talk Radio and BBC Radio Berkshire to discuss the story.
campaign garnered coverage in Plant Based News, which
published an article titled ‘Pro-Vegan TV Ad Targeting Animal
Lovers Exceeds 1 Million Views’.
                                                                Expert nutrition comment
  Campaigns Manager Mark Banahan spoke on BBC Radio             A new Epic-Oxford report which raised potential concerns
Leeds, alongside Chef Day Radley, about the campaign.           about the bone health of vegans resulted in Dietitian Heather
He shared the news that The Vegan Society gifted animal         Russell giving comments to the press. Heather stated that
sanctuary adoptions to celebrities and those in the public      further research is warranted, but that vegans can follow
eye, in a bid to encourage them to make the connection          recommended guidelines about protecting their bone health,
between the animals they love and care for and the animals      including featuring calcium-rich foods such as calcium-set
they unthinkingly exploit in their everyday lives.              tofu and fortified milk and yoghurt alternatives in their diet.
                                                                Several sources, including Farmers Weekly, cited Heather in
                                                                their articles, resulting in more balanced pieces.
                                                                  Heather also fed into a feature on vegan parenting in
                                                                Closer Vegan magazine and gave nutrition tips for those
                                                                taking part in Veganuary on the Vegan Food and Living
                                                                Podcast.

                                                                Best of the rest
                                                                Vegan Society staff regularly contribute articles to the
                                                                Ecologist’s online magazine. In December, Insight and
                                                                Commercial Policy Officer Louisianna Waring wrote a piece
                                                                on the new Greenpeace campaign, which uses a bold
                                                                animation to expose the truth about industrial animal farming
New plant-based McDonald’s line                                 and rainforest annihilation. You can find our regular Ecologist
The news that McDonald’s plans on launching a new plant-        pieces at theecologist.org.
based line resulted in members of the press contacting us for     We appeared on multiple TV news and comment segments
comment. Senior Communications and Campaigns Officer            about the EU’s decision to reject the proposal to ban terms
Elena Orde shared the statement that The Vegan Society          such as ‘sausage’ and ‘burger’ on vegan products. Campaigns
always welcomes the development of products that will           and Policy Officer Tim Thorpe appeared on the Jeremy Vine
encourage meat-eaters to try a plant-based alternative and      show in a piece entitled ‘When is a sausage not a sausage?’

6 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                        Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 7
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
Feature

                             VEGAN
                             FROM BIRTH
                             By Kaya Gromocki

                             Some people are lucky enough to have never eaten an
                             animal product. I was raised vegan from birth and have
                             often been under the impression that there aren’t many
                             others like me. However, when we posted a call-out on
                             social media asking for lifelong vegans to share their
                             stories, I was pleasantly surprised to receive so many
                             responses.
                               To begin with, I spoke to Danielle Saunders, who was
                             our Communications Manager here at The Vegan Society.
                             Danielle and her partner Adam are raising their little boy
                             Jonah as a vegan. At one year old he has never consumed
                             any animal products.

                             Favourite foods
                             Danielle and her partner own a vegan soul food restaurant
                             in Coventry (Dirty Kitch), so Jonah has had lots of
                             opportunities to try an exciting range of food. Danielle
                             explained that he already has a mature palate. She says,
                             “I don’t think we’ve come across a food Jonah doesn’t
                             like yet. If I had to name a favourite, it would probably
                             be something with lots of flavour and spices like a curry
                             or chilli. He takes after us when it comes to his love of
                             punchy flavours!” She also explains that cultural dishes are
                             important to their family. “I try to make sure that Jonah is
                             familiar with food that reflects his Caribbean heritage, like
                             ackee served with greens or rice and peas.”

                             Most parents teach their
                             children to be kind, so
                             extending it to what we eat
                             feels natural.
                               Emily and her husband Kevin live in Hong Kong with
                             their sons Henry, five, and Oscar who is 21 months old.
                             Henry’s favourite meal is red lentil coconut dhal and rice.
                             Oscar loves avocado, pasta and fruit. Emily frequently
                             cooks refried bean quesadillas, mushroom lasagne, sushi,
                             pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese, Pad Thai and pizza for the boys.
                             Emily says, “We are lucky in Hong Kong to have lots of little
                             Buddhist vegetarian Chinese shops and restaurants, so we
                             eat a lot of noodles, dumplings and spring rolls from there
                             too.”

                             Early conversations
                             I wanted to know about what sort of conversations Danielle
Henry and Oscar

8 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                      Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 9
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
and Adam imagine having with Jonah about
                                                                                             veganism when he is older. As a vegan child
                                                                                                 I remember struggling with the way other
                                                                                                     children perceived animals. I loved
                                                                                                       them and my friends ate them. It was
                                                                                                         confusing.
                                                                                                             Danielle explains that Jonah
                                                                                                            is currently too young to
                                                                                                             understand concepts such as
                                                                                                              animal rights and environmental
                                                                                                              protection. “Until he’s old
                                                                                                               enough to understand, we will
                                                                                                               do our best to demonstrate
                                                                                                              that we live this way because
                                                                                                              it’s important to be kind. Most
                                                                                                             parents teach their children to
                                                                                                            be kind, so extending it to what
                                                                                                           we eat feels natural.”
                                                                                                            Danielle added that she wants
                              Em

                                                                                                        Jonah to look at other beings
                                il y

                                   Ke
                                    ,

                                      v   in                                                          (human and non-human) and respect
                                             ,   He
                                                      nr y                                         their inherent right to live happily. “I hope
                                                             a nd                              by raising our child vegan, we manage to
                                                                    Oscar
                                                                                           preserve the innocence and compassion he
                                                                                      came into the world with.”                                                                          Holly, her siblings and their children – all vegan from birth – her mother and her late grandmother
                                                                                 For Emily, veganism feels very natural to her family.
                                                                            Since her children have been vegan since birth, veganism is
                                                                            normal to them. “When we talk about animals, we talk about                When I asked Danielle about her feelings on this topic, she      who don’t eat meat, they have a positive experience there
                                                                            taking care of them and letting them live instead of hurting           explained that she is conscious of how Jonah’s perception           too. “Henry attends a local kindergarten and they provide
                                                                            them or killing them for food.” Emily echoed Danielle’s belief         of those around him will be shaped by him being a vegan.            lunch and snacks. They also have ‘Green Mondays’ where
                                                                            that loving animals comes naturally to children and that it is         “I honestly don’t know how I’d answer a four-year-old if he         the whole school eats vegetarian.” Emily started her own
                                                                            society that teaches them to suppress this, by telling them            were to ask why his school friend eats animals. I don’t want        Facebook group for vegan parents, which now has over 1000
                                                                            that eating animals is necessary. She adds, “My children find it       my child to carry the burden or frustration of feeling like the     members. She and the other parents find this a useful space
                                                                            strange that people would want to hurt or kill animals just to         world doesn’t care.”                                                to discuss recipes, restaurants and parenting tips.
                                                                            eat them – that is the difficult thing to explain. Not why we             Holly, a 34-year-old GP, her sister Wanda and brother
                                                                            don’t eat animals, but why others do.”                                 Jasper were all raised vegan from birth and have been vegan         Changing attitudes
                                                                               From the perspective of a vegan parent, it may be that              all their lives. Between them, they have three vegan children.      Holly echoes this experience of changing attitudes. Since
                                                                            there is something more wholesome about seeing their                   Holly says that when she and her siblings were younger, being       qualifying as a GP, she has seen the perception of a vegan
                                                                            vegan child interact with other animals. Emily tells me how            vegan was unusual, but not challenging. She attributes this to      diet shift towards a more positive and accurate public view.
                                                                            her children love to pat dogs they see outside and watch               her parents, who made a special effort to help their children       “I would never have had the confidence to recommend a
                                                                            birds, wild boars, turtles and frogs they see on family hikes.         fit in with their peers. Holly says, “My mum would find out         vegan diet to a patient a few years ago. But the evidence now
                                                                            “I love to see their compassion towards all creatures. Oscar           what the other children were eating at parties and send us          is so positive that now I feel able to do so. I feel privileged to
                                                                            kisses all of the pictures of cats in his books and waves to           along with a box of our own version.”                               be vegan from birth and in my line of work. I’m in a position
                                                                            birds out of our 20th floor window!”                                      Holly explains that although she has come across those           to help people improve their health drastically while also
                                                                                                                                                   who have made fun of her diet, she has always been willing to       reducing the slaughter of animals and impact on our planet.”
                                                                            Friendships                                                            answer their questions and has not pushed her point of view            To be vegan from birth is a unique experience. For me, it
                                                                            Those who are opposed to raising children in this way                  or given advice unless she was asked. She says, “I feel this is     has meant never having to go through the consciousness
                I don’t think                                               often argue that a vegan lifestyle will limit them socially. We
                                                                            know that a well-planned vegan diet is suitable for people
                                                                                                                                                   the best way to make a difference as people learn to respect
                                                                                                                                                   me for who I am, and then start to take an interest over time.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       shift of viewing animals as my food to seeing them as sentient
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       beings. However, just like any other belief system in which
                we’ve come                                                  of all ages, a fact that is supported by the British Dietetic          This approach appears to have worked, as she comments               children are raised, there will still come a point in each child’s
                                                                            Association, but what about friendships, school and social             that many of her friends have now become vegan or reduced
                across a food                                               activities?                                                            their consumption of animal products. “I think there are lots
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       life where they will have to decide for themselves if they are
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       going to maintain this belief. For those of us who reaffirm the
                Jonah doesn’t                                                  From personal experience, I know that being vegan from
                                                                            birth can be socially isolating. You have a different world view
                                                                                                                                                   of reasons for this, but I like to think that seeing me lead a
                                                                                                                                                   normal and happy life as a vegan could be a part of it.”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       decision to be vegan when we are older it can feel like we
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       have an even more meaningful conviction.
                like yet!                                                   from your peers, but you might not have the vocabulary or                 Emily’s experience of being a vegan parent in the present
                                                                            intellect to articulate or justify it. How can this be handled to      day is an example of the progress that has been made since          Have you been raised vegan from birth? Please get in touch
                                                                            ensure that vegan children feel able to continue with their            Holly was a child. Her family have many vegan friends and           and share your story! Email editor@vegansociety.com or
                                                                            lifestyle while participating in the same activities as their non-     so their children are often around people who also share the        contact us on any of our other usual channels.
                                                                            vegan peers?                                                           same beliefs. Although at school they may be the only ones
Jonah

10 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 11
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
GREAT
BRITISH VEGAN
Aimee Ryan from Wallflower
Kitchen shares some British
classics from her first
recipe book

                         Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 13
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
Recipes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Recipes

                                                      WELSH CAKES                                      (Image on page 13)
                                                                                                                                                                                    BANGERS AND MASH
                                   Makes                                                                                                                              Serves 4
                                    10                Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
                                                                                                                                                                                    Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

                                                                                                                                     Ingredients                                    Vegan sausages are not hard to find these days but sometimes it’s nice to
Ingredients                                           These have been a popular British teatime treat since the late nineteenth
                                                      century. I like them best at breakfast as they’re wonderful served warm
                                                                                                                                                                                    make your own, especially if you have some mushrooms to use up. Serve
                                                                                                                                                                                    with a mash that is just as creamy, buttery and comforting as the dairy-
                                                      from the pan with dairy-free butter, or just by themselves later on in the     For the mash
225 g/8 oz/1¾ cups self-rising flour, plus                                                                                                                                          laden kind.
                                                      afternoon.                                                                     900 g/2 lb King Edward potatoes, peeled
   extra for dusting
                                                                                                                                       and diced
75 g/2½ oz/½ cup raisins
¼ tsp ground mixed spice (apple pie spice)
                                                                                                                                     50 g/1¾ oz (3½ tbsp) dairy-free butter
                                                                                                                                                                                    Directions
½ tsp ground cinnamon                                 Directions                                                                     100 ml/3½ fl oz (scant ½ cup) unsweetened
                                                                                                                                       dairy-free milk
75 g/2½ oz/¹/3 cup caster sugar (superfine),                                                                                                                                        Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to
   plus extra for dusting                             In a large bowl, combine the flour, raisins, mixed spice, cinnamon and                                                        the boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until very soft.
                                                      sugar. Add the butter and rub into the flour with the tips of your fingers     For the vegan sausages                            Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and sauté the
100 g/3½ oz/7 tbsp dairy-free butter
50 ml/1¾ fl oz/3½ tbsp unsweetened                    until you have a breadcrumb consistency.                                       2 tbsp vegetable oil                           onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the balsamic vinegar,
   dairy-free milk                                       Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Gently stir until a dough   1 small white onion, roughly chopped           yeast extract or miso paste and mushrooms then cook for a further 8
1 tsp vegetable oil                                   is formed.                                                                     2 garlic cloves, finely chopped                minutes until everything is brown and sticky. Remove from the heat and
                                                         Sprinkle a work surface with some flour and roll out the dough to ½         1 tbsp balsamic vinegar                        allow to cool for 10 minutes.
                                                      cm/¼ in thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out 5 cm/2 in discs. You          1 tbsp yeast extract or miso paste                Add the mushroom mixture to a food processor along with the beans,
                                                      should be able to get about 10 from the dough.                                 100 g/3½ oz shiitake or chestnut (cremini)     walnuts, oats, flour, sage and tomato purée then season to taste. Pulse
                                                         Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the cakes, in             mushrooms, sliced                           until you have a smooth, meaty mixture. Shape the mixture into 8
                                                      batches, for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.                       1 x 400 g/14 oz can of kidney beans,           sausages.
                                                         Remove from the pan and sprinkle with extra sugar. Serve immediately           drained and rinsed                             Add the rest of the oil to a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the
                                                      or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.                            25 g/1 oz (¼ cup) chopped walnuts              sausages for 10 minutes, turning regularly to cook evenly.
                                                                                                                                     50 g/1¾ oz (¹⁄3 cup) porridge oats (oatmeal)      Once the potatoes are very soft, drain and return them to the pan,
                                                                                                                                     2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour               along with the butter and milk. Mash until smooth and season.
                                                                                                                                     1 tsp dried sage                                  Serve a generous few dollops of mash onto each plate and top with
                                                                                                                                     2 tsp tomato purée (paste)                     two sausages and some gravy.
                                                                                                                                     Sea salt and ground black pepper
                                                                                                                                     Gravy of choice to serve

                                      Great British Vegan by Aimee Ryan, White Lion Publishing, £20

14 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                                                        Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 15
VEGAN FROM BIRTH GREAT BRITISH VEGAN - Recipes from Aimee Ryan - The Vegan Society
Recipes

                                                                            BATTENBERG
                                                                Makes
                                                                 10
                                                                            Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

                              Ingredients                                   Don’t worry, Battenberg is actually much easier to make than you’d
                                                                            think. Not only does it taste wonderful, but just looking at this beautiful
                                                                            pink and yellow chequered cake is a pleasure in itself.
                              130 g/4½ oz (generous ½ cup) dairy-free
                                 butter
                              200 g/7 oz (1 cup) caster sugar
                              120 g/4¼ oz (½ cup) unsweetened soy           Directions
                                 yoghurt
                              150 ml/5fl oz (scant ²⁄3 cup) unsweetened     Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan/180 °C/350 °F/gas 4. Use a double layer
                                 dairy-free milk                            of foil to divide a 20 cm/8 in square cake tin in half. Line both sections
                              2 tsp apple cider vinegar                     with greaseproof paper.
                              1 tsp almond extract                            Whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the
                              260 g/9¼ oz (2 cups) self-rising flour        yoghurt, milk, vinegar and almond extract, then fold in the flour and
                              ½ tsp baking powder                           baking powder.
                              Vegan pink food colouring or beetroot juice     Pour half of the batter into one of the halves in the tin. Mix drops of
                              3 tbsp marmalade                              food colouring or beetroot juice into the remaining half of the batter
                              400 g/14 oz golden marzipan                   until you get the desired shade of pink, then pour the pink batter into
                              Icing (confectioner’s) sugar, for dusting     the other half of the tin.
                                                                              Bake for 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out
                                                                            clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin before turning out onto
                                                                            a wire rack to cool completely.
                                                                              To decorate, gently transfer the cakes onto a chopping board and cut
                                                                            each one in half lengthways, trimming the edges to create straight and
                                                                            even layers.
                                                                              Heat the marmalade in a small saucepan over a low heat until runny.
                                                                            Brush one long side of a pink strip of cake and one side of a yellow one
                                                                            and stick them together. Repeat to stick the other two strips together.
                                                                            Now paint the top of one pair completely with marmalade and place the
                                                                            other pair on top, with pink on top of yellow and vice versa to create a
                                                                            chequerboard pattern.
                                                                              Dust a work surface with a little icing sugar and roll out the marzipan
                                                                            to a rectangle about 20 x 25 cm/8 x 10 in. Brush the outside of the cake
                                                                            with marmalade. Use a rolling pin to lift the marzipan over the cake
                                                                            and smooth it firmly around the top and sides, joining underneath. Trim
                                                                            away the excess and brush the seam with a little marmalade. Finish by
                                                                            pressing the edges together to create a seam at the bottom.

16 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                 Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 17
Advertisement                                                                                                                                           News

                              MARKET NEWS
                              Louisianna Waring, Insight and Commercial Policy Officer, looks back on the
                              impact of 2020 on the vegan food and drinks industry

                                                         2020 was a year that most of us          their primary motivation, while 41% did so due to their usual
                                                         will not easily forget. Despite all of   products not being available on supermarket shelves.
                                                           the turmoil, the last 12 months        In the same month, we interviewed TheVeganKind – a
                                                            have given us many success            leading vegan supermarket – who told us that the average
                                                             stories within the vegan food        order value was up 40% compared to the previous month.
                                                             and drinks industry.                 Later in the year, they upgraded to a new warehouse three
                                                                                                  times the size of the last, and employed 21 extra members of
                                                           The pre-pandemic                       staff to manage the rising demand.
                                                           months
                                                          In January 2020, Veganuary              A very different British summer
                                                      welcomed the year with a record             As the weeks rolled by and we entered a summer like no
                              breaking 400,000 sign-ups. In the same month, it was                other, Kantar found that in the 12 weeks prior to June, tofu
                              reported that the UK is the global leader for new vegan             sales had increased by 81.7%, vegan mince sales increased
                              food launches, with nearly one in four (23%) new products           by 50.1%, vegan burger sales increased by 37% and vegan
                              launched in the UK throughout 2019 having a vegan claim             sausage sales increased by 21.3%. And it wasn’t just the meat
                              (in 2018 this figure was 17%). The cumulative effect of these       alternatives that were having a moment – in July, Waitrose
                              successes led to Mintel reporting vegan food sales had              revealed that online searches for ‘oat milk’ were up 210% and
                              soared 40% in 2019 – a very impressive start to the year.           sales of oat milk up 113%, compared to 2019.
                              Prior to national lockdown, in February, Quorn experienced             At this point, you might be thinking that of course vegan
                              unprecedented demand for their products, as a huge surge            food and drinks sales were up, as most food and drink sales
                              in popularity caused demand to outstrip supply.                     were up this year. Luckily, our friends at Veganuary have us
                                                                                                  covered. At an online event, Head of Communications and
                              UK enters lockdown                                                  Marketing Toni Vernelli revealed that whilst meat meals were
                              In April, we conducted research that found 20% of Brits             up 24% in August compared to the previous year, plant-
                              reducing their meat consumption and 15% cutting down                based meals were up 52% – meaning that consumption of
                              their consumption of dairy and eggs. Encouragingly, 43%             vegan food was increasing at more than twice the rate of
                              cited health, environmental or animal rights reasons as             non-vegan food.

18 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                           Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 19
News

Second lockdown
As autumn approached, Asda made national headlines by
announcing plans to become the first UK supermarket to
launch an ambient vegan aisle. Soon after, Tesco went public
with its ambitious goal to boost sales of meat alternatives by
300%. In the same month, it was revealed that Applewood
vegan cheese is the second most searched for vegan product
in the UK, accounting for 20% of Applewood’s UK sales.
In October, as the nights got colder, Veganuary hit a
milestone achievement of one million participants since
the campaign launched. Soon after, Deliveroo revealed that
vegan orders have more than doubled in the last year –
increasing by 115%. Additionally, research from Eating Better

                                                                 found that 16% of ready-meals in supermarkets are now
                                                                 plant-based, compared to just 3% in 2018.
                                                                   To end the year, in December new research from
                                                                 Applewood found that 20% of respondents would be
                                                                 cooking a completely vegan Christmas dinner and a
                                                                 staggering 74% would be looking for vegan cheese to
                                                                 complete their festive spread.
                                                                   Despite the turbulence of 2020, let this be a reminder that
                                                                 the vegan food and drinks industry is resilient. This year, 2021
                                                                 brings its own challenges to the table. But we know that the
                                                                 strength of the industry – and our supportive community –
                                                                 will keep veganism in the public eye and as part of a kinder
                                                                 future.

20 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021
Membership

                              MEMBERSHIP
                              Congratulations to our wonderful member Annie, who won
                              the Star Letter prize for this issue. Annie won a Lifestyle Box
                              from The Vegan Kind.
                                 The Star Letter winner for issue 2 will receive a monthly
                              subscription box from Eat Pips for three months. Each box
                              includes five specially selected vegan snacks, shipped in eco-
                              friendly biodegradable packaging.

                                 Star Letter
                                 I made Rachel Ama’s Sweet Potato
                                 Shepherd’s Pie from Issue 4. It was delicious
                                 and the consistency was superb. I have
                                 prepared one for my freezer too. I also made it for my
                                 friend who is recovering from surgery, and I made one
                                 for my neighbour too. Both found it to be a tasty and
                                 easy to eat dish. I love being able to make a dish to try
                                 to encourage someone else to try a plant-based meal.
                                    Instead of the all-purpose seasoning I used ‘savoury
                                 spice blend’, a Dr Michael Greger recipe from his book
                                 How Not to Die. It worked very well indeed.
                                    This recipe absolutely will be a regular in my
                                 household. I am going to try the Chickpea Cookie
                                 Dough next. Thank you for these recipes!
                                 Love, Annie and the animals

                                                                                                                                                                Election of Council members
                              Discounts                                                                                                                         Applications to become a trustee are invited by Monday 1
                              In return for supporting The Vegan Society and our                                                                                March 2021. The role is voluntary, but reasonable expenses
                              campaigns, we offer our members 10% off our multivitamin                                                                          can be claimed.
                              VEG 1 and over 130 third-party discounts. These include                                                                             The most important qualities for trustees are commitment,
                              10% off at Holland & Barrett and 50% off Vegan Food and                                                                           enthusiasm and the ability to consider issues thoughtfully,
                              Living magazine. You can find all of these in the Members’                                                                        communicate effectively and work well with others. To
                              Area of our website at vegansociety.com/my-account/shop-                                                                          ensure an effective and diverse board, members from a wide
                              discounts.                                                                                                                        range of backgrounds and with a broad base of skills and
                                New discounts include 15% off handmade soap, shampoo                                                                            experience are sought. Experience in successfully managing
                              and conditioner bars from Friendly Soap, 10% off Moo Free                                                                         expanding organisations, policy development, charity law
                              Chocolates and 12% off PJ Kombucha.                                                                                               and audit or risk management are particularly welcome.
                                                                                                                                                                  The time commitment is about nine days per year for
                                                                                                                                                                attending face-to-face meetings and training events
                                                                                                                                                                (currently online). Email correspondence may at times take
                                                                                                  We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you       up several hours per week, particularly in the approach to a
                                                                                                might have on improving the Discount List. You can email        Council meeting, but usually much less.
                                                                                                us at membership@vegansociety.com or call on 0121 523             Candidates must be proposed by two full members.
                                                                                                1730. Alternatively, do you run a business that would like to   Candidates must also have been full members of the society
                                                                                                offer a discount to your fellow members? Contact discount@      for at least a year and be aged 16 or over, on the date of the
                                                                                                vegansociety.com or apply online at vegansociety.com/your-      AGM. Candidates should support the society’s objectives and
                                                                                                business/discount-list.                                         mission and be committed to a vegan lifestyle.
                                                                                                                                                                  For a candidate pack or further information on becoming
                                                                                                AGM 2021                                                        a trustee, please contact the Chair of Council Robb Masters
                                                                                                The 2021 AGM will be held at 1pm on Saturday 22 May 2021.       (chair@vegansociety.com) and the Interim CEO Louise Davies
                                                                                                We will provide online access, but will also have a physical    (ceo@vegansociety.com) by email or post (Donald Watson
                                                                                                venue if appropriate.                                           House, 34–35 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham B3 1EH).

22 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                        Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 23
Reviews

REVIEWS

The Invisible Vegan                                                  Manifesto by Dale Vince
Reviewed by Heather Russell, Dietitian                               Reviewed by Paul Appleby

                        Although I don’t recommend                                              Dale Vince OBE is one of the most
                        documentaries as a source of advice                                     high-profile vegans in the UK. The
                        about vegan health and nutrition,                                       owner of green energy company
                        The Invisible Vegan provides food                                       Ecotricity, UN Climate Champion
                        for thought. It conveys powerful                                        and chairperson of Forest Green
                        messages from Black vegans in                                           Rovers FC (the world’s first all-vegan
                        North America about the complexity                                      football club) is also one of the most
                        of eating habits and the benefits of                                    outspoken.
                        holistic thinking in relation to lifestyle                                 Dedicated “to eco warriors
                        choices and activism.                                                   everywhere – past, present and
                            The Invisible Vegan reminds us                                      future”, Manifesto is Dale Vince’s
that we shouldn’t underestimate the social value of food.            autobiography and a polemical call for action in the wake
It shows that connecting plant-based eating and culture              of the coronavirus crisis. In the opening chapter he urges
can help people to preserve and even strengthen their                us to “rebuild our economy in a new way, repurpose it to
sense of belonging. The documentary also highlights that a           tackle the fundamental drivers of climate change, wildlife
commitment to animal liberation can have a positive impact           extinction, poor health and social inequality … to create a
on engagement with other forms of liberation.                        new system, rooted in sustainability in the widest sense of
   Although there are differences between the NHS and                the word.” Not so much evolution as revolution.
the American health system, we face similar public health              Tracing his life from new age traveller to successful
challenges. The documentary highlights that societal                 entrepreneur, Manifesto pulls no punches, placing the blame
changes are required to make healthier living easier for             for the problems that threaten our survival on “the mass
everyone, taking into account the needs of different                 consumption of fossil fuels … and the mass consumption of
communities. One of my favourite moments was watching                animals.” What are his solutions? 100% renewable gas and
people enjoying community food growing.                              electricity, electrifying all transport and, in terms of food,
   It was great to watch filmmaker Jasmine C Leyva talk about        replacing animals with plants. Vegans will wholeheartedly
how going vegan helped her to develop a more positive                agree with the last of these, but whether such simplistic
relationship with her body and focus on how nourishing food          solutions are practical, or always desirable, is another matter.
can help you feel your best. The documentary encourages              For example, electric cars still cause particle pollution and
people to think of wellbeing as an essential part of effective       there are concerns over the sourcing of certain rare-earth
activism. There are many other great take-away messages:             elements for their batteries and motors.
   • Be mindful of stereotypes.                                        Nevertheless, you have to admire Dale Vince for his
   • Promote inclusive representation, so that more people           enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude. This is a man on a mission.
   can relate to vegan role models.                                    Ecotricity will donate £9 from every Manifesto copy sold
   • Focus on empowering people to make informed                     using our referral code: VEGSOCMANIFESTO at
   decisions through learning.                                       shop.ecotricity.co.uk.
   Find out more at theinvisiblevegan.com.

                                                                                                           Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 25
Nutrition

SUPPORTING NEW VEGANS
How to help people adjust to a vegan diet

                      Veganuary is an opportunity for              • Replace oily fish with a daily intake of plant food rich in
                        people who are curious about               omega-3 fat like walnuts, chia seeds, shelled hemp seeds
                           the vegan lifestyle to try it out.      or ground linseed (flaxseed).
                             It’s also an opportunity for
                               seasoned vegans to help           Tip three: encourage a step-by-step
                                family and friends who are       approach
                                participating and continuing     When making dietary changes, it’s always important to take
                               their vegan journey beyond        it at your own pace. If someone is feeling overwhelmed by
                              January. Therefore, it’s the       the nutrition side of things, encourage them to break it down
                            perfect time to take a fresh look    into manageable stages through goal setting:
                          at our diets and lifestyles and           1. Keep a food diary for around three days
                       share tips about making the most of          2. Identify a few achievable goals to work on first
                 everything that vegan nutrition has to offer.      3. Review the goals in a month or so

Tip one: signpost to reliable resources                          The free VNutrition app can help with this process.
If you’re recommending documentaries, it’s a good idea             If someone makes a sudden decision to try a vegan diet,
to point out that they’re not necessarily reliable sources of    switching overnight might not be the best way to go from a
information about vegan health and nutrition. They feature       health perspective. A gradual increase in plant-based foods
inspiring people and provide a starting point for research,      and drinking plenty of fluid is recommended to help our gut
but vegans should be encouraged to make use of resources         adjust to a higher fibre intake.
produced by nutrition professionals like dietitians. Both
Veganuary participants and seasoned vegans can benefit           Tip four: talk about support
from setting aside some time for nutritional planning using
                                                                 Support is important for people trying to establish a new
the tips available at vegansociety.com/meal-planning.
                                                                 routine. Encourage Veganuary participants to chat with
                                                                 family and friends about why it matters to them and how
Tip two: highlight smart swaps                                   they can help and get involved. Cooking together is an
There is a misconception that switching to a vegan diet is       enjoyable way to socialise even if it’s a virtual cook-along.
about removing food from your diet. We say that a smooth         Also, you can encourage people to download The Vegan
transition to a vegan diet is all about making smart swaps,      Society’s free VeGuide app for short, daily videos covering
replacing animal products with alternative sources of            the basics of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle over 30 days;
nutrition. Here are a few examples:                              they’ll discover that it’s not just about what you eat.
  • Replace animal-derived protein with nutritious                 If a friend or relative wants to follow a vegan diet beyond
  alternatives like beans, chickpeas, lentils and tofu.          Veganuary but they have concerns, you can suggest that
  • Switch from milk and yoghurt to fortified plant-based        they talk to their doctor about a referral to a dietitian.
  alternatives.
                                                                                                       Heather Russell, Dietitian

                                                                                                       Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 27
Volunteers

                              VOLUNTEER                                                          Would you like to become an Advocate for one of these
                                                                                                 Organisers?
                              HUB
                                                                                                                              Saoirse Clohessy London                  made fabulous friends and grew in confidence. Having an
                              Kaya Gromocki                                                                                     (West Norwood)                         education background, I love to talk to the public and share
                                                                                                                                                                       my knowledge, and so as well as benefiting the animals I
                              Supporter Services Coordinator                                                                     Volunteering has always been
                                                                                                                                                                       also enjoyed what I was doing. I decided to join The Vegan
                              (Volunteering, Engagement and Outreach)                                                             an important part of my life
                                                                                                                                                                       Society as a Community Organiser because I want to use
                                                                                                                                  and I love being part of a
                                                                                                                                                                       my skills to encourage and support other vegans to feel
                                                                                                                                  community, so I was very
                                                                                                                                                                       comfortable speaking about veganism; and what better way
                                                                                                                                  excited to join The Vegan
                                                                                                                                                                       to do that than with the most recognised vegan educational
                                                          At the beginning of a new year,                                        Society as a community
                                                                                                                                                                       charity?
                                                             I have taken the opportunity                                      organiser. Having a direct link
                                                                to reflect on the role that                                  with a long-standing charity means
                                                                 volunteers played in 2020 –                            we get given clear goals to help with
                                                                  undoubtedly an unusual year    and our latest campaign task has already helped me get in
                                                                                                 touch with people in my area who are just as passionate about
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Lucinda Smith Guildford
                                                                  for everyone.
                                                                                                 animal advocacy as I am. I’m excited to see my local vegan                                             I decided to be a Community
                                                                     When the pandemic
                                                                                                 community grow as we support local plant-based companies                                                 Organiser as I am passionate
                                                                  first began, scaling back
                                                                                                 and anyone looking to move towards a more sustainable                                                    about vegan activism and
                                                                 volunteering was our only
                                                                                                 lifestyle.                                                                                                spreading knowledge on
                                                               option. As the weeks crept into
                                                                                                                                                                                                           the different aspects of
                                                            months and the situation showed
                                                                                                                                                                                                          veganism to people from all
                                                        no signs of abating, I began to think
                                                                                                                                                                                                         walks of life. Volunteering for
                              about how we could adapt and develop our usual way of
                              doing things, to allow volunteers to continue to play the                                      Haz Feliks Aylesbury                                                      The Vegan Society is a great
                                                                                                                                                                                                     opportunity to get in touch and
                              significant role that they have always played in the workings                                       Applying to be a Community
                                                                                                                                                                                                 team up with local vegans to work
                              of The Vegan Society.                                                                                 Organiser made sense
                                                                                                                                                                       on shared, structured tasks. Bringing awareness of how our
                                 I found embracing new methods of communication and                                                  considering our outreach
                                                                                                                                                                       choices really affect animals can have an impact on our
                              recruitment a hugely positive experience, something that was                                           efforts in Aylesbury had been
                                                                                                                                                                       local community by encouraging change in non-vegans. I
                              highlighted in November when I was recruiting proofreading                                             supported by The Vegan
                                                                                                                                                                       find The Vegan Society campaigns in-depth and interesting,
                              volunteers. I undertook video and telephone interviews                                                 Society for over two years. My
                                                                                                                                                                       particularly as they cover different aspects of veganism
                              with volunteers in Australia, America, Sweden and Italy, and                                          favourite campaign is Plate Up
                                                                                                                                                                       whilst giving reliable information and advice. I would like to
                              have brought on board volunteers with a broad and exciting                                          for the Planet, particularly the
                                                                                                                                                                       see veganism being put forward and presented in a clear
                              range of backgrounds, from law to software development to                                       card packs which were a hit with
                                                                                                                                                                       educational way in my local area, just like it is presented by
                              marketing. The changes might have come quicker than we                                      stall visitors. Much like I see elsewhere,
                                                                                                                                                                       The Vegan Society.
                              were expecting, but in terms of the volunteering community         I feel the local acceptance of veganism has grown and is easier
                              I feel they have in many ways broadened our reach and              to talk about. I am fortunate to be able to put my skills towards
                              widened our pool in a way which can only be advantageous           helping people and animals and am keen to develop impactful
                              to The Vegan Society’s work.                                       and meaningful volunteering experiences that include as many
                                 All of this change and development brings me to The             people as possible.
                              Community Network, a stream of volunteering which we
                              are hoping to expand this year. The Community Network
                              is a network of volunteers from across the UK who help                                                                                      Join the Community Network
                              to spread our campaign work in their local areas. The                                              Sam Roblett
                                                                                                                                  Southampton                             We all share a common aim, that gives the
                              network is made up of Organisers and Advocates. Each local
                                                                                                                                                                          Community Network the potential to bring about
                              community has one Organiser and a group of Advocates.                                                  I have been vegan for nearly
                                                                                                                                                                          real change. To make that change as impactful as
                                 You may remember that the Network was featured in the                                                five years now. I went vegan
                                                                                                                                                                          possible, we need the number of Organisers and
                              spring edition of the magazine last year. We have come a                                                 overnight after deciding
                                                                                                                                                                          Advocates to increase, and for those individuals to
                              long way since then, but the network is still developing.                                               that I couldn’t justify
                                                                                                                                                                          be enthusiastic and passionate about our work. If
                              In order to grow, we need more Advocates in the areas                                                   exploiting animals anymore.
                                                                                                                                                                          you think you have what it takes to be an Organiser
                              where we have recently appointed new Organisers. Rachel                                                After a year I started to feel
                                                                                                                                                                          or an Advocate, please read the role descriptions on
                              (Ely), Saoirse (West Norwood, London), Michele (Vauxhall,                                             more comfortable talking
                                                                                                                                                                          our website and apply. If you have any questions,
                              London), Haz (Aylesbury) and Sam (Southampton) have all                                            to people about my reasons
                                                                                                                                                                          please email volunteer@vegansociety.com or call
                              been appointed as Organisers recently and are keen to start                                   for choosing veganism as a way of
                                                                                                                                                                          0121 523 1745.
                              campaigning. In order to make the biggest impact possible          life and decided to join a local vegan outreach group. Here I
                              they need more Advocates to join them! To join the network,
                              visit our website: vegansociety.com/communitynetwork and
                              email volunteer@vegansociety.com with any questions.
28 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                                                                Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 29
Volunteers                                                                                                                                                        Advertisement

VOLUNTEER OF THE SEASON
Charlie from vegan illustration and animation studio Dinos and Teacups
volunteered her time and expertise to create the wonderful Teen Hub animation.

Tell me about your vegan journey                                     for being the lazy, screen-obsessed generation, but I don’t
My husband and I went vegetarian two years ago. We felt like         think they get nearly enough credit. This is the generation
there was something changing in the world and we wanted              that has all the means to finally normalise treating animals,
to be a part of the conversation but realised we didn’t know         the planet and our bodies with a long-overdue minimum level
much about it. After watching some documentaries and                 of respect. My hope is that this video helps them realise how
looking into the animal rights, environmental and health             much power they have and motivates them to look deeper
aspects of it all, it soon became pretty clear we should’ve          into things, so that the next time they tell their parents that
been vegan a long time ago. That’s the funny thing about             they don’t feel like exploiting animals anymore, they do it with
veganism, it’s really just about acknowledging that you              information, confidence and support.
probably had these values all along, but you just lacked the
basic information and will to align them with your actions.          Do you have any favourite vegan illustrators or
                                                                     animators? What do you enjoy about their work?
Have you always loved creativity?                                    I recently found out about Miki Mottes’ work. Not only is his
I think I always knew I’d have a somewhat creative career –          client work completely adorable, but he also runs this website
that’s just the kind of kid I was – but the illustrator/animator     called Simple Happy Kitchen, which is a whole vegan thing
thing was accidental. I was actually headed towards a career         with an online shop, educational content, short video series
in film production, but things steered off somewhere during          and more. I’d love to do something like that in the future.
my studies, and this is where I landed! I wouldn’t change a          Maybe. Who knows!
thing about it though, except that I still can’t draw for the
life of me. I definitely wouldn’t be an illustrator/animator if it   What direction would you like your career to take?
weren’t for computers!                                               Illustration and animation have the innate capability of making
                                                                     information pleasantly digestible and I think veganism could       Want to advertise here?
What was it like to create the Teen Hub video?                       use some of that! I know myself and I’ll probably never have
I had a bit of a lightbulb moment last summer. I was getting         the arguments, patience or skills for full-on street activism.
                                                                     But one thing I know and love is design. That’s what I can
more and more enquiries for animal product-related projects
                                                                     do. So I hope to have more opportunities for vegan projects,
                                                                                                                                        For advertising in The Vegan,
and the whole thing was making me feel like I should be
doing so much more with my work than simply replying ‘No,            with brands, organisations and anything in between. And I          contact Wendy Kearns at:
thank you’. So I started looking for (and creating) specifically     hope these projects will reach people and help them see that
vegan-related opportunities and, sure enough, The Vegan              change is in their hands.
Society had the perfect one!                                                                                                            advertising@vegansociety.com
   It struck me that teenagers nowadays get such a bad rep           Check out dinosandteacups.ca to see more of Charlie’s work.

30 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021                                                                                                                                Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 31
Interview

CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS
Quinnie Cook-Richardson has been vegan for over 30 years and raised six vegan
children. Here she reflects on the challenges and triumphs of her life as a Black
vegan living in the US.

                                                                                    Quinnie, her husband and their six vegan children

I started my vegan journey in the 1980s, when I was in my             There were many times where it was challenging for the
early 20s. As a Black person, living in a southern state in        children to be the only vegans in their classroom. I knew
America, there was definitely a lot of isolation – but I knew it   that there would be so many other situations in life where
was the right thing to do. It was definitely challenging, but I    they would be the only one – whether it’s the only person
was committed to it.                                               of colour in the room, or whether other children were doing
   To start with, I would get a lot of “How can you not eat        things that they couldn’t do – who would be different. We
meat?” and ”Where do you get your protein from?” And of            are a very African-centred family – the children have African
course, raising the children, people would question how I          names and we don’t perm our hair. So starting off in life not
could have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. It was          being able to eat what other children were eating at parties,
isolating, but most of my friends at that time were vegan,         I feel like it prepared them for other situations where they
which was a blessing.                                              would be the only one.

                                                                   Representation
                                                                   We live in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is not as integrated as
                                                                   people probably think it is, given that it is the birthplace of
                                                                   Dr Martin Luther King. There are a lot of vegan events where
                                                                   you see mostly Black people. Or a mainly white vegan event,
                                                                   hosted by white people. I do show up to those types of
                                                                   events – I don’t feel uncomfortable.
                                                                     There is separation in what I’ve seen from the movement,
                                                                   and Black people definitely aren’t represented well. Often
                                                                   when I saw who was speaking at vegan events, I never saw
                                                                   any Black people. That’s been a real issue for me over the
                                                                   years. The picture and the face of veganism has been white
                                                                   – all the vegan magazines would always show white people.
 Quinnie Cook-Richardson                                             Social media has really allowed us to be seen, but prior to

                                                                                                        Issue 1 2021 The Vegan | 33
Interview

social media you would think that there was not one Black         Health
person who was vegan. That was a huge challenge for me.
                                                                  We own a holistic plant-based medical clinic, so not only
My friends and I all raised our children as vegan, but you
                                                                  have we lived this vegan lifestyle, we have encouraged and
wouldn’t know that through what was put out in the media.
                                                                  influenced thousands of others to transition to a vegan
And today in the larger media, not just social media, Black
                                                                  lifestyle. The majority are people of colour.
people aren’t represented as living this vegan green lifestyle.
                                                                     Due to the pandemic, people have been suffering in such
  Whenever we have an event at our home, the food is
                                                                  large numbers. However, one positive is that people are now
always 100% vegan and people love it. In my culture, some
                                                                  ready and willing to do the work they need to do in order
of our traditional foods would be corn bread and black-eyed
                                                                  to be healthier. Right now, there are more Black people
peas, collard greens, macaroni cheese … barbecue ribs are
                                                                  than ever concerned about their health and making the
a big thing in the south. I’ve been able to turn all those into
                                                                  dietary changes and the lifestyle changes they need. That is
vegan dishes. Everything that I grew up eating can, for the
                                                                  phenomenal.
most part, be veganised. It’s all about learning how to cook
                                                                     I would say most of the people I know who are Black and
with different spices.
                                                                  vegan, made that decision for health reasons. Many of us
                                                                  – most of us actually – grew up with family members who
                                                                  suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure or died from
                                                                  heart attacks. We observed our family members really suffer
                                                                  as they were aging.
                                                                     I don’t feel that enough of us really focus a lot on the
                                                                  ethical aspect of it. But you know, if we can get people
                                                                  away from eating animal products or decrease it by a large
                                                                  percentage, it still helps the animals and the environment.
                                                                     All six of our children are still at home and we have a
                                                                  grandbaby at home too – and everyone still embraces the
                                                                  vegan lifestyle. Some of our children are excellent vegan
                                                                  chefs – they can throw it down in the kitchen! This is how
                                                                  they want to raise their families. I’m very grateful that they
                                                                  do.
 Quinnie has learned to veganise her favourite dishes

A delicious plant-based spread at the family home

34 | The Vegan Issue 1 2021
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