LEADING A VEGAN LIFESTYLE BY ANITA HUDSON

I have been vegan for over 2 and a half years and a vegetarian for over 30 years. I have never liked the taste of meat and have loved animals for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is of hiding chicken in my skirt pockets and then finding it days later all crusty and hard when I put my skirt on again!

Growing up in the 70s and 80s you ate what was on your dinner plate. At the age of 14 I dug my heels in and told my mother boldly that I was going to follow a vegetarian diet. She somewhat defeatedly agreed but within 6 months she too gave up meat. Linda McCartney sausages were new to the market but back them there was little else on offer in the supermarkets by way of “alternative” meats. Despite there then being two vegetarians in the household my mother continued to cook meat for my siblings at meal times.

Fast forward to today and my household is somewhat different. There is no meat whatsoever under my roof. My two daughters, Georgia [15] and Darcey [7] are vegetarian and pescatarian respectively and my partner is an omnivore. I see the startled look on people’s faces when I mention that we are a no meat household before the many questions are fired at me. What do you eat then? Where do we get our protein from? Do my children take supplements?

So, what do we eat?

Presently, in my freezer there are meat free sausages, burgers, and pies. I even have plant based “fish” and “steak”. You can pretty much “veganise” any meal these days. A favourite is sausage, mash and gravy, a totally vegan meal if you use dairy free butter for the mashed potatoes and most of the main branded gravy is vegan anyway. We recently had some family over for a Sunday “roast” and did not tell them until the end of the meal that their entire meal, save for the Yorkshire puddings, was vegan. There were Linda McCartney’s rosemary and onion sausages, chicken (the Chunk from Tesco’s Oomph range), roast vegetables [potatoes, broccoli, carrots, parsnips, onions, peppers], stuffing and gravy. Dessert was Aunt Bessie’s apple pie with vegan custard. Everyone cleared their dinner plates and some had seconds.

The days of believing that vegans live off rabbit food and lentils is long gone. Do we take supplements? No.

The reason being is I am probably extra conscious that their dietary needs are met and so provide them with a varied and balanced diet. They have oat milk in their cereal and fruit and vegetables daily. My youngest loves homemade hummus and roasted broccoli (great sources of protein). Last night we ate soya mince with mashed potatoes and peas (vegan) and the night before my partner cooked a vegan curry. Tonight’s dinner will be fish and chips and then tomorrow we will have pasta in a tomato sauce with chopped up sausages.

I am fortunate that I have an incredibly respectful partner who is open to trying new foods. The thought of having parts of a dead animal within my house saddens me. My fridge and freezer contain a vast array of meat alternatives along with fresh fruit and vegetables. Veganism is on the rise partly due to the message getting across through social media so people are more aware of what is on their dinner plate and how it got there. Suppliers have cottoned on to this and in most big supermarkets the vegetarian and vegan sections are notably increasing to meet the demand. You can even buy vegan tuna (TUNO) in tins in a variety of flavours which is handy when you are out and about.

So, in conclusion, it really is easy to cook meat free these days without your taste buds suffering, although since going vegan my waist line has been affected due to my increased love of food!!