The rise and celebration of the UK vegan-based diet

London is the number one vegan-friendly city in the world, according to vegan food app Happy Cow and has topped the list for the last four years, in line with the capital’s embrace of the vegan-based diet. Central London is flying the flag for veganism with 350 fully-vegan establishments and remains a global trendsetter in the diversity of plant-based offerings

With an abundance of frozen and processed vegan food now available in all major supermarkets, it seems that the veganbased diet is here to stay. However, there is a growing demand from restaurants and customers, for chefs to cook more vegan food from scratch. This is where the CNM Vegan Natural Chef Course comes in.

The CNM Vegan Natural Chef CourseThe multi-award-winning College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM) was featured in the March issue of Food & Drinks Matters and we were so impressed, that we wanted to find out more about their exciting vegan cooking course that has taken the nation by storm.

The diploma is designed as a three-part course, helping all students, from complete beginners to existing chefs to discover how to become a successful vegan chef. With 520 hours of cuttingedge theory and practical lessons and 100 hours internship in real-life kitchens, this nine-month diploma has been designed for students to become plant-based vegan chefs from all walks of life. It is offered as an in-person course and online for international students.

The diploma first started in 2017 and has helped supply the UK with next-generational vegan chefs, to meet the growing demand for premium veganbased cuisine cooked from scratch, using only the finest, organic, seasonal ingredients.

Meet Sharon Gardner: Passionate lecturer and plant-based Hackney chefSharon is an inspiring lecturer, full of passion and drive for her CNM teaching role. Starting in 2020, she began teaching the vegan diploma theory module online during the pandemic and has now moved to teaching the London in-person classes from Friday to Sunday. We found a gap in her busy schedule and caught up with her to find out more, “We have huge demand for our vegan diploma courses and what’s really amazing is that our students aren’t just London-based but travel from Kent, Bristol, Bournemouth and even further afield. Such is the powerful reputation of CNM that there really is nothing else on offer in many major cities across the UK.”

“We have two course intakes per year, in February or September and have a real mix of established chefs, looking to learn more about vegan food and complete beginners. What makes our course rich and exciting, other than the course content is the truly diverse nature of our students. We attract many students with dual-heritage or second or third generational backgrounds and they bring rich stories of vegan cuisine from around the world.”

Made in Hackney: The plant-based community cookery school Made in Hackney is a charity with a difference: everything is plant-based. Hackney usually makes the headlines for its social inequality, with almost half of the borough’s (43.4%) children living in poverty after housing costs, making it the worst performing in North London. Established in 2012, the school pledges to drive positive change in the community, with nutritious, plant-based food at the heart of it.

Sharon has taught classes for Made in Hackney on many occasions, teaching plant-based lesson with a variety of participants including local school children inviting students on the CNM Vegan Natural Chef Diploma Course to carry out their 100 hours internship at the charity.

“Our students love the energy and vibrancy of the project, and knowing that it supports the local Hackney community in so many ways is powerful on many levels.”

“We recently had a class of local 10/11 year old in the Made in Hackney kitchen and they were amazed at the vegan burritos and cookies we made in class. Making cooking fun and inclusive, brings whole generations together.”

What does the CNM Vegan Natural Chef Diploma Course cover?The diploma covers how to become a successful vegan chef, understanding how the body systems work and to build a vegan chef career after the course. Students will learn to cook healthy, nutritious plant-based meals from scratch, and the importance of using locally-sourced organic produce.

With a vegan-based diet now known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, help the gut flora, be heart-healthy, support healthy blood sugar control, reduce the risk of developing cancers, through to its anti-inflammatory properties and supporting healthy skin and hair, many people are adopting vegan-based diets to control chronic fatigue, weight issues through to eczema and IBS.

“Many of our students want to find out more about the link between vegan food and reducing or eliminating many ailments or illnesses but also how it plays a role in preventative health.”

Why study at CNM?The multi-award-running college has won the prestigious IHCAN Education Award for Best College consecutively over a three-year period from 2021 to 2023.

That’s not all.

“A total of 80% of CNM graduates are working as chefs, working in retreats, restaurants, teaching, recipe writers or bloggers and it is wonderful to hear of all their success stories.”

“Our students are encouraged to design meals for real-life scenarios. We advise our students to keep a note book, jotting down ideas for recipes and developing a trial and error approach to vegan cooking in their own time. We want our students to not only leave with a qualification under their belt but a zest and passion for vegan cooking, often with an international twist.”

What’s next?The world is changing. In 2020, all top ten UK restaurants/food-to-go outlets had at least one plant-based choice and in 2022, 58% of British adults enjoyed at least one plant-based dish in their diet, according to The Vegan Society.

With an estimated 2.5 million vegans across the UK and a growing number of flexitarians (23% of Brits). The growing vegan-based diet is definitely here to stay.

To find out more or to book onto The CNM Vegan Natural Chef Diploma Course today, please see the link below: www.naturalchef.com/vegan-natural-chef-diploma-course