NVW Share Toolkit

18th - 24th May

Toolkit

nationalvegetarianweek.org

Introduction to Share At the Vegetarian Society we are all about telling people why being veggie is kinder to animals, to the planet and to our health and, of course, how delicious the food is. We’ve been supporting people to enjoy a vegetarian diet since 1847 and during National Vegetarian Week each May, we get to host the biggest celebration of vegetarian food there is.

This year we want you to join in and make the party bigger! National Vegetarian Week 2015 is sponsored by ‘Nothing But’ and we’re asking you to Share. Share your favourite veggie food, share your favourite recipes, share your passion and share your time. We are encouraging people to get together and cook for each other, for friends, colleagues, for the local community and for good causes.

The Share toolkit is intended to be an inspiration and guide, with tips, ideas, recipes and information to help you get started. We hope it answers most of your questions but if you need more help, then give us a shout.

Good luck with your event and happy sharing.

Lynne Elliot CEO of the Vegetarian Society

Sponsored by

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Contents Page 3-4 Page 5

WHY SHARE? HOW TO USE THE TOOLKIT

Page 6-10

SHARING WITH FRIENDS Cooking together • Barbecues • Children’s parties Themed parties • Meals out • Potluck lunches

Page 11-17

SHARING WITH LARGE GROUPS The serious stuff • Street parties • Allotment parties Pop up restaurants and supper clubs Simple chilli and Cajun spiced potato wedges Apricot chocolate fridge cake

Page 18-20

SHARING FOR GOOD Mulligatawny soup •

Page 21-25

SHARING WITH COLLEAGUES Time for sharing • Vegan parcels

Page 26-28

SHARING SKILLS Talks and discussions • Introducing vegetarian cuisine Sharing your cookery skills

Page 29-30

TELLING THE WORLD Sharing online • Sharing with the media

Page 31-33

BUSINESS SHARING Getting involved • Tips for caterers How your business can support NVW

Page 34-39

MAKING IT HAPPEN Budgeting • Statutory guidance • Planning your event Insurance • Food hygiene and preparation Food allergies • Health and safety Getting help with your share

Page 40 Page 41 Page 42

WHY VEGGIE? FINDING MORE RECIPES FUNDRAISING

Soda bread •

Chocolate brownies

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Why share?

“What’s involved? Nothing more complicated than ordinary people cooking for each other, eating together, and getting to know each other” It’s a universal truth: Food always tastes better when it’s shared. People have broken bread together since… well, since there were people. The need for sustenance is what first brought human beings together, joining forces to hunt, gather and grow. But amid the pressures and isolation of modern living, a few inspiring people have turned again to the power of food to bring us back together. Food sharing initiatives are on the rise in Britain and across the world.

What’s involved? Nothing more complicated than ordinary people cooking for each other, eating together, and getting to know each other.

Food sharing schemes show that going out to eat doesn’t have to mean sitting down in a restaurant. Sometimes it’s about eating free burgers grilled in the park by Michelin starred-chefs, piling into a Somalian family’s house to try their home cooking, or enjoying blinis dispensed from a basket dangling from a window. All are happening in Finland, where the wildly successful Restaurant Day initiative turns Helsinki into a big restaurant and makes guerrilla chefs of its citizens.

On set days throughout the year, DIY cafés pop up on river barges, shops, old railway lines and homes all over the city. The chefs are very creative, and it’s common for them to charge just enough to cover costs, or ask that people recite a poem or bring a used toy as payment.

When Restaurant Day organiser Timo Santala got the idea for a bicycle-based bar in 2011, he had no intention of starting something like this. But it spread like wildfire, and has taken place in 68 countries. “There’s a new sense of community in the air, and so many delicious dishes,” he says.

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In the UK, the Casserole Club is a food sharing scheme on a more intimate scale. Developed

by FutureGov, the programme matches willing cooks with people who live alone, often elderly or in poor health. The cook makes an extra portion of a meal and delivers it to their diner, strengthening community ties and inter-generational links. Kate, in Tamworth, is a cook in the Casserole Club run by Staffordshire County Council, bringing meals to her neighbour Jeanette, who is 85. “It works both ways,” Kate says. “She doesn’t see anyone else but carers on the day I bring her a meal, and we enjoy each other’s company. I feel like I’m giving something back.”

Like the sound of this?

Then you might be ready to start sharing. We’ve made it easy, with the information you’ll need to share food and some great ideas to get started. Whether you’re planning an annual neighbourhood street feast, a workplace bake-off or a share for those in need, there’s no limit to what you can do.

Inviting someone new to eat with you is the first step in what could be a fulfilling and enriching new experience. A community that eats together is a strong community – and friendship adds flavour to life. Let’s all get out there and savour it.

Kate Feld, food writer

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How to use the toolkit We hope you’re as excited as we are about the opportunity to come together and share food during National Vegetarian Week 2015. This toolkit sets out to give you the ideas, tips and guidance you need to get involved.

Whether you’re an individual, group or business, planning a small event, a big day out or just sharing food with a neighbour, you’ll find resources here to help.

We have advice on sharing food with friends, colleagues, your local community and those in need, as well as sharing your skills and promoting your event. If you own a retail or catering business and would like to show your support for National Vegetarian Week 2015, see the business sharing section on pages 31-33. For practical tips, see pages 34-39 for information on planning, budgeting and insurance, and the advice you need to help make your event safe, enjoyable and inclusive.

We’ve compiled this guide to offer inspiration and practical advice, and to help you find official guidance. It doesn’t contain everything you’ll need, and you should make checks with the relevant authorities as part of planning your event. Some information in this document is based on current legislation covering England, so if you’re running an event in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, please check to see if different guidance applies.

This toolkit will evolve with contributions from readers. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in the toolkit or if you have questions or feedback about it, drop us a line at nvw@vegsoc.org or call 0161 925 2000.

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Sharing with friends Whether you’re lighting the barbecue, getting together for a potluck lunch or having a party for the kids, eating with friends is a great way to start an adventure in food sharing. It’s easy and relaxed, and a natural way to bring people together.

Life is busy, and friends don’t always see each other as often as they’d like. Give everyone an excuse to gather around the table and they’ll be happy to chip in with a couple of extra chairs, spare cutlery or whatever you need to help get everyone fed, watered and settled in for a serious catch-up.

Sharing a meal with friends and family is easiest when it’s low-key, but a little bit of planning helps everyone relax on the day.

If you’re organising things at home or at a hired venue, have a good idea of who’s coming, where you’re going to put them and what they’re going to eat. Getting everyone to bring a dish means that the meal will grow effortlessly to fit the crowd, but you know your friends well enough to identify their particular talents, which may lie more in the areas of washing up, platejuggling or furniture-shoving than in bringing pudding for eight.

When everyone shares the workload, you’ll be much more likely to repeat the experience, and coming together to have fun and enjoy good food is something worth doing again and again.

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Cooking together Many hands make light work, but communal cooking demands a different approach to working solo. Use our top five tips to help make sharing the cooking just as enjoyable as sharing the results:

1. Great venues for cooking together include community centres, schools or church halls as well as someone’s home. If you can, have a look at the kitchen beforehand so you know what the facilities are like, and what extras you need to bring – sharp knives will usually be on the list.

2. If your kitchen is small, consider working in teams. One group works together on prep, then the next team arrives to cook everything. Don’t forget to assign a couple of people to do the washing up.

3. We all have habits in the kitchen, and people don’t all cook the same way, but that’s not a bad thing. As long as everything is clean and safe, it doesn’t matter if someone cuts the carrots differently to how you’d do it, or reaches for thyme instead of rosemary.

4. Divide the kitchen jobs according to your friends’ skills and enthusiasm. You’ll be able to find a job for everyone, even if it’s keeping the cooks supplied with tea and coffee or bringing supplies in from the car.

5. Cooking together should be enjoyable rather than stressful. Use the time to catch up with your kitchen comrades, share recipes or just turn the radio up and chop along.

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Barbecues Barbecues come in all shapes and sizes, but from a couple of disposable trays to an all-modcons gas-fired model, they all offer the uniquely appealing chance to cook and eat outdoors.

The ultimate moveable feast, they allow you to choose a location that’s easy for friends to gather at (check whether barbecues are allowed at your chosen spot), and a veggie barbecue is brilliantly inclusive. Juicy grilled field mushrooms, slabs of herbed halloumi and your favourite bought veggie burgers make great mainstays and go well with a zingy slaw, corn on the cob or a crisp green salad.

To keep everyone safe, make sure you keep children and pets away from the fire, have a means of extinguishing flames and put the barbecue out completely when you’ve finished, as well as taking your rubbish home. Food should be kept out of the sun and shouldn’t be out of the fridge for more than two hours. Be just as wary of rain and wind as of strong sun; either way, make sure there’s some shelter available.

To cook effectively on the barbecue, wait until the flames subside and the coals turn white. You can control the heat by carefully moving the coals or adjusting the height of the rack, and keep heat in by lowering the lid. Don’t crowd the barbecue: aim for a steady flow of food rather than trying to have everything ready at once.

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Children’s parties Children’s parties don’t have to be saved for birthdays and they are a great chance to get kids (and their parents) together to work off some energy and socialise outside nursery or school. It won’t break the bank: for the same cost as a day out at a play centre or family attraction, you can club together and hire a community venue.

The party

A theme (anything from superheroes to a favourite colour, toy or book) will give you something to focus on if you want to get creative with decorations, games and even a cake. Plan activities and prizes around the theme and, to keep costs down, draft in parents to help with party games, a scavenger hunt or a five-a-side football match.

The food

Children share differently to adults, and you might be concerned about younger ones going straight for the sweet stuff. Head this off by passing around sandwiches, vegetable sticks and dips from a big platter first and letting them get stuck in before bringing out the fruit, cakes and sweets. A potluck system can work well here. If you’re buying sweets and snacks, visit www.vegsocapproved.com for a list of products approved by the Vegetarian Society.

Themed parties Great for an intergenerational group or for grown-ups only, themed parties are good fun and sharing food provides a natural focus. You can take inspiration from just about anywhere nostalgia for a ‘70s or ‘80s do complete with a retro buffet, a grand murder mystery evening with a multi-course banquet and complex characters, or a board game, cards or film night with handheld snacks. If inspiration for a theme eludes you, have a flip through the calendar for big events or seasonal celebrations coming up: from Eurovision to Chinese New Year, there should be something to enthuse the most reluctant of guests.

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Meals out Q&A: Eating out Why eat out when we could eat in?

Sharing lunch or dinner in a restaurant means you don’t have to share the labour – there isn’t any. It’s also a chance to support venues which really value their vegetarian customers.

Where’s best?

Members of the Vegetarian Society Food & Drink Guild have strong veggie credentials (find them at www.vegsocapproved.com). Look out for restaurants with dedicated vegetarian menus, or just call somewhere you fancy and ask what they can do for a group.

What can we order to share?

Eating out is a great chance to try food you wouldn’t or couldn’t make for a crowd. Sharing platters, tapas and small plates are ideal, but big family-style dishes you can all dig into are very sociable (and fashionable) too.

Who’s paying?

You all are, hopefully. Work the money out beforehand and be clear about how you’ll split the bill, tip staff and pay for extra drinks or food. If one of you is a member of the Vegetarian Society, then the whole group can benefit from discounts provided by a number of restaurants across the UK. See www.vegsoc.org or call 0161 925 2000 to find out more.

Potluck lunches Potluck, Jacob’s join, bring and share, fuddle… whatever you call them, potluck meals are a simple way to share and are brilliant before or after a meeting, group walk or evening out.

Everyone brings some food to share; you can assign each person a dish or course, or make it a collection of culinary greatest hits, allowing each cook to show off what they do best. You might end up with three potato salads, but if they’re all delicious, complaints are unlikely.

Themes for your potluck Curry night: Try a couple of curries starring different vegetables and spices, dal, breads or rice, salads and relishes and, for dessert, a plate of ripe mango with lime wedges.

Just pudding: Cake clubs, where members bring a homemade bake to try, are hugely popular. At a pudding potluck, everyone brings something sweet, and any non-bakers look after fresh fruit, cream or ice cream to eat alongside.

A French affair: Go Gallic with good baguettes and radishes with

butter and salt, followed by a caramelised onion tart with green salad and a walnut dressing, vegetarian cheese and fruit and lemon tart or tiny chocolate pots.

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Sharing with large groups Sharing food with large groups is a bigger commitment than laying on lunch for friends, but higher numbers give guests the chance to meet new people, and big events can really bring a community together. It’s quite rare that lots of people have the chance to eat sociably as a group. When was the last time you sat down with more than ten people?

The group

You could decide to share with people you already know; taking social activities, colleagues, neighbours and fellow parents or grandparents into account, you probably belong to more large groups than you think. But there’s nothing to stop you organising an event for lots of people who you don’t yet know.

The event

Fun and busy, with lots to do, large scale events are a good chance to meet like-minded people. Consider a vegetarian festival or a big food giveaway, handing out great vegetarian food to passers-by in a town or city centre. If you have seasonal fruit or veg grown locally, you could throw a lunch to celebrate it, asking local restaurant chefs to contribute ideas or do demos.

Big picnics, in which everyone brings their own food to a park or green space, are a great idea for summer. Whatever you choose, make sure your event is welcoming and friendly, and ease the organisational pressure by assigning volunteers jobs on the day and delegating where you can.

The food

One large pot of food, with a few easy-to-serve accompaniments to make it special, can go a long way. For inspiration, hit your local markets and street food stalls to see what can be done with limited facilities.

Appealing to everyone might be tricky, but you can keep your event inclusive by sticking with relatively conservative dishes. The time of year, weather, location and kitchen facilities will also dictate what you can serve.

Large groups can be messy eaters. Appoint someone to tidy up, make sure the food stays looking good and bring new dishes out periodically so that it’s all fresh. Bins (including recycling) are a must.

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The serious stuff Preparing and serving food for a large group means doing things right. Think about food safety, health and hygiene (for more detailed advice see pages 37 and 38) and remember to find out whether you need to buy insurance.

For more details about licenses, permits and road closures, as well as general organisation for large scale events, the Government’s Organising a voluntary event: a “Can do” guide (find it on www.gov.uk) is invaluable.

Once you know what you need to do to hold your event – for example, getting permission to set up a stall in a local square – contact the relevant authorities as soon as you can. It can take some time to arrange.

Think about your budget (see page 35) and, if possible, ask sympathetic local businesses to get involved.

If you feel you need to see how feeding large groups is done before your event, consider volunteering. Soup kitchens, lunch clubs and charities will welcome an extra pair of hands, especially if you can commit to attending a number of sessions.

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Street parties If all you know about your neighbours is which house they live in, street parties provide an opportunity to get to know them and other people in your local area. There’s a long tradition of holding sit-down teas on big national days or to celebrate royal occasions, but there’s no need to wait for Prince Harry to get married to break out the bunting.

Five steps towards a successful street party 1. Street parties are all about working together, so visit your neighbours (or do a leaflet drop) to gauge interest, put together an organisational committee and choose a date.

2. Closing your road for the event shouldn’t be difficult unless it’s a busy thoroughfare, but the emergency services will need access. Start the process by entering your postcode at www.gov.uk/apply-hold-street-party.

3. Design your dream event, then work out what’s possible. Would you like to have live music, a treasure hunt, a circus skills workshop, a veggie cook-off? There are lots of ways to keep guests entertained and provide a reason for the whole family to turn up.

4. Draft your neighbours in to help make it happen. You’ll need to think about funding and donations, seating and shelter, decorations (bunting is compulsory), food and drink, equipment hire and promoting the event.

5. On the day, make sure everyone has a role to play. If guests don’t know each other, working together on a small task breaks the ice. And have a plan in place for clearing up before the road reopens.

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Allotment parties If you’re an allotment holder you’ve already got access to fresh, seasonal produce, a green space to share it in, and like-minded neighbours. Allotment parties are a great chance to meet people on the plots near you and discuss plans for the season ahead.

If facilities on site are limited, you could share food with a tasting session to compare different varieties of, say, tomatoes or peas, with a seed swap afterwards. Or ask everyone to bring a dish made with their homegrown produce. If you also hold a working party to get jobs done on site, a meal will be even more welcome.

To widen the guest list and get more people interested in growing their own, ask allotment holders to bring friends and family or make it a community open day.

Q&A: Pop up restaurants and supper clubs What is a pop-up?

Temporary restaurants or supper clubs that pop up in people’s homes, at festivals or in more unusual locations are still a big food trend. Restaurant Day, which started in Finland, encourages ordinary people to open a restaurant for one day only. It hasn’t taken hold in the UK yet, but its website (www.restaurantday.org) is an inspiring resource.

Why should I hold a supper club?

It’s fun, an opportunity to try out more adventurous dishes, show off your skills and play at being a restauranteur for the night. It’s also a chance to bring people together.

Who’ll come to eat?

That depends on you. You might want to invite friends to the first one, then widen the net for future evenings via social media. Supper clubs are often blogged about, so search online to see how different models work.

Do I charge?

Many supper clubs work on a donation or pay-what-you-think basis, and once you’ve covered your costs you could donate the rest to a charity, such as the Vegetarian Society.

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Simple chilli Ingredients

Serves 40 Cooking time 50 minutes Preparation time 20 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil 4 large onions, finely chopped Vegan 8 cloves of garlic, crushed 4 tsp mild chilli powder 4 tsp ground cumin powder 4 tins chopped tomatoes 2 tins kidney beans, drained and rinsed 200g bulgur wheat (leave out if making a gluten-free version, but add extra sweetcorn) 200g sweetcorn, frozen (optional) 2 courgettes, chopped 2 carrots, thinly sliced 4 peppers, chopped 4 tsp dried oregano 2 vegan stock cubes, dissolved in 2 litres of boiling water 4 tbsp sundried tomato paste

Optional extras:

30g jalape単o chillies 40g vegan dark chocolate, grated

Method 1. Gently fry the onions in a large pan for 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, chilli powder and ground cumin powder, then continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

3. Add all of the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. To give your chilli a little extra kick, top with sliced chillies and some grated chocolate.

Serving suggestions:

Rice (brown, white, basmati - whatever you fancy) Crusty bread Tortilla chips Cajun spiced potato wedges

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Cajun spiced potato wedges Ingredients Large potatoes (allow 1 potato to serve 2 people) Vegetable oil Cajun spice mix

Cooking time 55 minutes Preparation time 5 minutes Vegan

Method 1. Slice the potatoes into wedges and par-boil for 5 minutes.

2. Roast them for 20 minutes on a baking tray with a little oil.

3. Sprinkle on the spice mix and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Don’t forget to turn them occasionally.

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Apricot chocolate refrigerator cake Ingredients For the cake: 200g dark chocolate* 200g butter or Tomor vegan margarine* 4 tbsp golden syrup 2 tbsp milk or soya milk* 500g vegan digestive biscuits, crushed 200g dried apricots, chopped 100g roast hazelnuts or almonds, chopped

Serves 40 Preparation time 90 minutes (including chilling time in the fridge)

Cooking time 15 minutes

Can be vegan*

For the topping (optional): 300g dark chocolate*

Method 1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over

a saucepan of hot water (the water should not touch the bowl).

2. Add the butter or vegan margarine*, golden syrup and milk or soya milk* and stir.

3. Remove from the heat, then stir in the

crushed digestive biscuits, apricots and hazelnuts. Mix well.

4. Line a shallow baking tray (approximately

25cm x 40cm) with parchment paper.

Spoon in the chocolate biscuit mixture, press down well and chill for 1 hour.

5. Optional: Melt the remaining chocolate in

a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. When melted, carefully spoon over the cake and spread evenly. Return to the fridge until set.

6. Cut into 40 pieces and serve. Will keep for up to three days in the fridge, in an airtight container.

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Sharing for good Sharing food, and all the benefits that come with it, is hugely positive even if you stick to feeding friends, neighbours and colleagues. But cooking for people who really need it, whether that be making an extra portion for someone who can’t cook for themselves or feeding charity volunteers, can be really fulfilling.

The simplest way to share homemade food is to make more of it and give the extra to someone who might be struggling to make their own. Close to home, this could be an elderly neighbour, working parent or friend who’s having a tough time, and it doesn’t have to involve more than a friendly knock on the door and an exchange of Tupperware. But if sharing food develops into a chat, a recipe swap, a new friendship or a bit less loneliness, that’s a result. There are also more formal ways to do your sharing: try one of these five.

Five ways to share for good 1. Join an initiative like Share Your Meal (www.shareyourmeal.net) or Casserole Club (www.casseroleclub.com), which connect home cooks with recipients in a clear, structured way.

2. Contact your local volunteer centre to find out which groups in your area might benefit from sharing food on a one-off or regular basis.

3. Start a Free Cakes For Kids (www.freecakesforkids.org.uk) group where you live, and help willing bakers make birthday cakes for children whose families find it difficult to provide them.

4. Use food sharing to raise money for a good cause. Cake sales are the classic way to do this, but you could hold a veggie food swap or barbecue with donations welcomed. For more ideas and information visit www.vegsoc.org/fundraising/events.

5. Volunteer to join the kitchen team at a hostel, lunch club or local charity, or to donate an extra treat for guests to take away with them after their meal. Contact NCVO (www.ncvo.org.uk) for information about volunteering and visit www.do-it.org to find out about volunteering opportunities in your area.

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Mulligatawny soup Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil 3 onions, chopped 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 6 small potatoes, peeled and chopped 4 celery sticks, chopped 3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped 2 tbsp vegan curry paste 450g red lentils 3 litres vegan stock 60g coconut cream 4 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Method 1. Heat the oil in a large pan and

sautĂŠ the onion, then add the vegetables, apple and curry paste.

Gently cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add the lentils, stock and coconut cream.

3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Using a hand blender whizz the

soup and adjust the seasoning if required. Add the coriander leaves.

5. Serve with a splash of soya cream and a sprinkling coriander leaves.

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of

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Serves 40 Cooking time 30 minutes Preparation time 10 minutes Vegan

To garnish:

A splash of soya cream Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Soda bread Ingredients

Makes 4 loaves (40 servings) Cooking time 50 minutes Preparation time 20 minutes

900g wholemeal flour 900g plain flour Can be vegan* 4 tsp salt 4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 200g butter or Tomor vegan margarine* at room temperature, cut into small pieces 1200ml plain yoghurt or soya plain yoghurt* A little extra milk or soya milk*, if necessary Extra butter or Tomor*, for serving

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

Baker’s tip: if you find it difficult to knead the bread in one go, simply divide the recipe in half and bake in two batches.

2. Mix the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter or Tomor* with your fingertips.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add the yoghurt* and mix thoroughly. The dough should be dry, but if too dry add 1-2 tbsp of milk or soya milk*.

4. Turn the dough out onto the worktop and knead for 2 minutes. You will be surprised

how all the loose flour is incorporated into the dough! It should be dryish and crumbly but hold together. (Add a little more milk or soya milk*, if necessary.)

5. Divide into four loaves, form into rounded shapes and place each on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a floured knife, make five deep cuts into the dough to form the sections (creating a star in the centre of the bread).

6. Place in the oven, making sure you leave enough head space above it for the bread to

rise. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 190C/Gas 5 and continue baking for a further 25 minutes. The bread should rise quite a lot and the cuts open out.

7. When cooked, remove from the oven and cool on wire trays.

8. To serve, slice each section then cut each piece in the middle so that each loaf will serve 10.

This bread can be frozen once cooked, otherwise it should be eaten on the same day as it has been made as it goes stale very quickly. Once thawed, placing it in the oven for 10 minutes will reinvigorate the bread.

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Sharing with colleagues You can choose your friends, but you can’t pick your colleagues. What you can do, though, is get to know them and strengthen team bonds by sharing food. Even if it’s only five minutes over a paper plate of Alex from admin’s coffee cake, or a mug of soup during a cold day on site, you’ll make new connections and cement existing ones.

During shooting for the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, its star Mark Rylance arranged surprise snacks for the cast and crew, including a visit from an ice cream truck. You might not be able to get an ice cream van into the office lift, but facilitating time out can boost workplace morale – and that should increase productivity, too.

Workplaces vary from vast buildings to a café table for one. Here’s how to share food with your colleagues, however many there are:

The mega-company

Big workplaces offer rich pickings for food sharers. Existing social and sports clubs could easily be persuaded to share food (smoothies for the running club, tapas for the Spanish class) at their usual event, or you could pit your team against another in a lunchtime sarnie-off. If there’s a member of staff in charge of extracurricular activities, ask them for help.

The average office

Many medium-sized businesses support a charity, and sharing food to raise funds for them is a good way to start. To widen the appeal of your event, combine it with a non-food activity such as a clothing or book swap. Having the boss on side should help take-up.

The lone wolf

If you work alone, remotely or in an isolated location, you might feel like you have no colleagues at all. Social media is your friend here: you could use it to plan a meet-up with other freelancers over lunch, or even arrange a virtual coffee-and-croissant break with added networking.

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Time for sharing Finding time for your share Want to know how your food share could fit into a day at work? Take your pick from these tasty timeslots.

6am-9am: If you’re coming off a nightshift or bracing yourself for a day at the coalface, now’s the time for a weekly breakfast club. Organise a spread of veggie sausage sandwiches, cereal, toast and toppings or ready-made pancakes and plenty of tea or coffee.

11am: Time for a break. Set up a holiday snack station, encouraging your colleagues to share the weird, wonderful and often comically named foodstuffs or recipes brought home from holidays.

Noon – 2pm: Potluck lunches work well as drop-in affairs. If you want to be sure of a good

spread, ask everyone to write down what they’re bringing on a list in the staffroom, and confirm via email at the start of the week. Don’t be too ambitious – stick with what your workplace kitchen can accommodate.

3pm: Got a meeting? Trump the usual packet of biscuits with a platter of cut fruit for everyone to dip into.

4pm: Counter the afternoon slump with a charity bake sale, with a theme to add variety if you plan to hold them often. Don’t waste any uneaten slices; leave them, with a note, for the next shift or the cleaning team to share.

6pm: If you have official Friday evening drinks (lucky you) commandeer them to add a civilising food element. Or suggest your team heads out to share an early dinner and some old-fashioned out-of-workplace bonding.

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Vegan parcels Ingredients

Serves 15 (makes 30, so that’s two each!)

Preparation time 30 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes

1 packet of Jus-Rol filo pastry 40g vegan margarine, melted

For the filling:

150g basmati rice 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp soya sauce 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped Salt and pepper to taste

Vegan

For the toppings (optional): 30g sundried tomatoes, chopped 30g olives, chopped 30g gherkins, chopped 30g sundried tomato paste

For the sauce (optional): 30g mango chutney 30g sweet chilli sauce 30g mango chutney 30g hoisin sauce

Method 1. Cook the rice in a large pan of water for approximately 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly.

2. While the rice is cooking, gently fry the onion in the oil for five minutes then add the garlic and paprika. Cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the cooked rice, soya sauce and thyme. Fry for another 5 minutes. The mixture should be fairly dry. Season with salt and pepper as required.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

5. To make the parcels, slice the filo into 60 squares. Dab a little melted margarine on 30 of the squares, then place a square on the top to form a star. You have to work quite quickly as the pastry can dry out.

6. Place a little rice mixture in the centre, then add one of the toppings - or a combination of several.

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7. Add a blob of any one of the sauces - or a combination of several.

8. To wrap the parcels, carefully gather the edges of the pastry together to form a money bag shape then give them a little twist.

9. Sit the parcels on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and dab with a little melted vegan margarine.

10. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

11. Serve with any of your favourite dipping sauces

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Chocolate brownies Ingredients

Serves 16 Preparation time 35 minutes Cooking time 25 minutes

225g dates 60g wholemeal flour Vegan 2 tsp baking powder 3 tbsp cocoa powder, sieved 100g vegan margarine 1 very ripe banana, mashed 75g pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped (optional) 1 tsp vanilla essence Vegetable oil, for greasing

Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and lightly oil a baking dish.

2. Place the dates in the medium saucepan with just enough water to cover them. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft.

3. Once the dates have cooked, drain off the hot water, and run them under a cold tap to cool.

4. PurĂŠe the dates. (A hand blender works well for purĂŠeing.)

5. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, then set aside.

6. Cream together the dates and the margarine with a fork, until light and fluffy.

7. Stir the flour mixture into the date and margarine mixture.

8. Add the banana, nuts (optional) and vanilla essence.

9. Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with a spoon.

10. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the brownies start to come away from the sides of the dish.

11. Allow to cool in the dish, cut and serve.

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Sharing skills It’s not just sharing food that’s satisfying. Passing on skills and knowledge, about cookery and beyond, extends the sharing spirit and helps communities to thrive. With so much to discover about enjoying a vegetarian lifestyle, there’s a wealth of opportunities to pool what you know and learn from others too. We’re not always great at recognising our own strengths, though, so follow our guide to identify and harness the skills others would love to learn from you.

Are you: A keen shopper?

If you know where to find the freshest spices, most abundant veg displays and widest variety of vegetarian cheese or wine, put together a simple walking tour of your favourite local shops.

Speak to retailers beforehand to see if they’d offer your group samples or talk briefly about their favourite veggie suppliers.

An experienced cook?

Spread the word in record time by showing a small group (friends, family or a club) how to plan and cook a simple veggie dish, then challenge them to go away and do the same for another group. If you create your own dishes, collect your favourite recipes into a booklet or digital document and distribute it after the event.

Well-connected?

Know a veggie business owner, a friend who knows their way around vegetarian make up and skincare, a wine enthusiast who could lead a tasting or a parent who understands which meat-free recipes are a hit with kids? Ask them to share their knowledge at an event and offer a meal in return.

A great host?

Being able to make guests feel happy and comfortable is a real skill. You’re the glue that holds an event together and you’ll be able to make anything work, so pick an event, from a film evening to a clothes swap or reading group, and start sharing.

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Talks and discussions Starting the conversation You’ve got a great speaker, a receptive audience and bags of goodwill. What more do you need to facilitate a successful talk? Well, your venue should be as friendly and welcoming as possible; look at community centres, libraries, faith venues and schools or colleges. Check what audio equipment, seating, catering and insurance arrangements they have. If you’re going to be discussing the benefits of going veggie, remind yourself of the facts at www.vegsoc.org.

You’ll need someone to introduce your speaker, keep them to time and manage questions from the audience.

Discussion groups are generally smaller and less formal, with a chance for everyone to listen and then have their say. You can host these in venues such as cafés or bookshops, but you’ll still need someone to guide the debate. Make sure everyone knows what to expect and, if you want your group to run for, say, six sessions, have the whole programme of topics planned in advance.

Introducing vegetarian cuisine Want to tell the world about the benefits of being vegetarian?

We quite understand. An introduction to vegetarian cuisine is an inspiring thing to share. By talking about your life as a veggie and answering questions about a meat-free diet, you’ll get a chance to refresh your knowledge of veggie nutrition, encourage tentative vegetarians to take the plunge and show how great the food can be by talking about (or even cooking and sharing) your favourite dishes.

You could offer an introduction to vegetarian cuisine to established groups, as part of a big community event or pop-up dinner, at a food stall or at work. Rope in some like-minded friends for moral support and see www.vegsoc.org for free downloadable resources.

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Q&A: Sharing your cookery skills I can cook, but would anyone want to learn from me?

Yes - you don’t have to be a celebrity chef to have something to offer. Learning how to cook well every day, whether it’s meals for one, veggie baking or healthy batch cooking, can make a huge difference to someone’s life.

Who could I teach?

Social clubs, colleagues, strangers, friends… anyone who needs to eat should be able to cook. When planning, think about your audience. Are they experienced cooks looking for new inspiration, or absolute beginners? Are they already vegetarian? What do they want out of the session?

How do I find the right facilities?

If you want to teach a larger group how to make hot dishes, you’ll need a well-equipped kitchen. School teaching kitchens are perfect for this and hire rates can be very reasonable.

Allow time for prep and washing up.

What’s the difference between a demonstration and a lesson?

In a lesson, students will expect some hands-on time, alone or in pairs. Demonstrations allow an audience to see how it’s done without getting their hands dirty. It’s easier to find a venue for a demo, because only one or two people cook.

What are my legal obligations?

If you’re not a food business and your event is amateur and not for profit, there’s no legislation to satisfy. As a matter of good practice, though, you should assess possible risks (such as slips or burns) and take steps to avoid them. You should also maintain good standards of food hygiene and safety (see page 37), and know what’s in the food in case your guests have allergies.

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Telling the world If you’re putting on a great event you’ll want everyone to know about it. Whether you favour posters and leaflets or like to keep things digital (a bit of both probably works best), think about promoting your event in three stages: before, during and after.

Before

People can’t come to your event if they don’t know it’s on. Posters and flyers (at the venue, in local shops, and anywhere potential attendees might see them) work, especially if they’re well-designed and distributed in good time. You can order free promotional packs from www.nationalvegetarianweek.org, and also download a pdf of our NVW poster to adapt for your event.

Have a clear, good-quality image of the poster that you can link to online, and add your event to online listing sites, the Vegetarian Society’s forums (www.vegsoc.org/forums) and our What’s Happening calendar (www.nationalvegetarianweek.org).

Tip: Double-check information (particularly the date and time) before posters and leaflets are printed. Contact your local council to see whether you need a licence to hand out flyers in town centres.

During

As the event unfolds, social media comes into its own. You can send updates as things happen, but prep useful links (to online recipes, speakers’ websites or social media feeds) in advance.

To broaden your reach, if you’re planning an event for National Vegetarian Week 2015 use #nvw15. Try not to bombard people with too many updates.

Tip: Most smartphones take decent images for social media purposes, but if you want pictures to help publicise future events or send to the media, use a camera. Remember to get permission from people before you take photos.

After

Continue the conversation by offering public thanks to your guests and speakers, and share details of money raised for charity. Ask attendees to vote on their favourite dish of the day using their business cards or via email, then contact them to share the result and a recipe.

Tip: Make sure that you store people’s contact details securely.

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Sharing online You don’t have to see a person face to face to share with them, and even food sharing can take many virtual forms. As well as communicating about your event, you could write about or photograph your favourite recipes, share images of great veggie restaurant food or even review new vegetarian products or recipe books. See our tips for reviewing veggie meals when eating out at www.vegsoc.org/tripadvisor.

Encourage discussions and comments by asking your audience lots of questions. Pictures really help with promotion, so check out online free photo editing tools such as www.picmonkey.com.

If you want to create something really dynamic, ask a chef to lead a live cook-along online.

Everyone cooks from the same recipe at the same time, following instructions issued by the chef, who can answer questions and troubleshoot along the way. It’s manic, and you might get onions in your laptop, but sitting down ‘together’ afterwards to eat the same dish, and posting images as you go along, is great fun.

Sharing with the media If you’re raising money for charity, holding an unusual food sharing event or doing something worthwhile for your community, your local newspaper or radio station may want to cover it.

Here are our top tips for contacting the media: 1. Give them plenty of notice by sending a brief press release, letting them know who you are, what you’re planning, where, when and why.

2. If you’re working in a team, decide which of you is happy to talk about the event to the media.

3. Supply full contact information and respond to queries as quickly as possible.

4. Explain why you’re doing what you’re doing: what’s the aim of the event?

5. Offer to provide pictures of your own, or invite them to send a photographer on the day.

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Business sharing Getting involved If you’re a business which sells or serves vegetarian products, National Vegetarian Week is a great time to highlight your commitment to your vegetarian customers. Here are some ideas to help you share.

For retail:

Let customers know you’re participating by holding in-store sampling sessions and creating a special NVW display. To increase impact, download the editable NVW poster and order free promotional packs from www.nationalvegetarianweek.org.

Once the shutters are down, hold a sharing lunch or supper for your staff or suppliers. Use social media to let your followers know what you’re up to and remind them to come in during National Vegetarian Week.

Make a donation of your star veggie products to a local food bank. Bulk business donations help these services continue.

Boost your veggie and vegan range by inviting guest suppliers to showcase their products with you during May. It’s a good way to experiment with new lines and support smaller local producers.

For caterers:

Create a dedicated menu of family-style veggie dishes for groups to share during National Vegetarian Week or, even better, throughout May. Let everyone know by adding it to the online events calendar at www.nationalvegetarianweek.org.

If you have a café or restaurant, consider joining the Suspended Coffees scheme (www.suspendedcoffees.com), which allows customers to pay for a hot drink for someone who needs it. Edinburgh’s Meal On Me project (www.mealonme.webs.com) is another great inspiration.

Donate your expertise to a local charity which shares food with the vulnerable. See Manchester’s Not Just Soup project (find them on Twitter @notjustsoupMCR) for inspiration.

Identify menu areas which could be more veggie-friendly, update them and then shout about it.

Using a veggie cheese to finish a risotto, adding a few new vegetarian bottles to the wine list or rejigging your pastry recipe are all small changes which could really widen your appeal.

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Tips for caterers If you’re a caterer who’d like to lend your skills for a sharing event, it may help to brush up on the basics of catering for vegetarians. Our top five tips are: 1. If you’re just serving one meat-free dish, consider adding a second, vegan-friendly dish for maximum versatility.

2. If you’re using bought-in ingredients, look for products with the Vegetarian Society Approved logo. They are meat-free, contain no GMOs and use only free-range eggs.

3. Be conscious of hidden animal-derived ingredients in everyday foods; check labels for cochineal, animal fat and gelatine, and be aware that cheese is sometimes made with animal rennet - for example, Parmesan cheese is never vegetarian. (See page 40 to find out what vegetarians do and don’t eat.)

4. Use good working practices to ensure that dishes intended for vegetarians and vegans are not cross-contaminated with meat products (see below).

5. If in doubt, call us on 0161 925 2000 for friendly expert guidance, or see the Help for Caterers pages and Veggie Aware factsheets at www.vegsoc.org.

Avoiding cross contamination Making your menu 100% veggie is the simplest way to avoid cross-contamination. If that’s not possible, keep vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as separate as possible during preparation, service and storage. This might mean using separate fryers or barbecues, cooking and serving utensils, chopping boards and serving platters. Label food clearly and keep an eye on any areas where guests are serving themselves to make sure utensils don’t accidentally get mixed up.

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How your business can support National Vegetarian Week This year’s food sharing initiative offers plenty of opportunities for your business to support National Vegetarian Week. Whether you’re a small business or a big player with a caring side, you could: 1. Offer practical support to a local food share, from photocopying leaflets to providing a free space for a community event, or giving staff the afternoon off to wash up, serve or cook at an event.

2. Join forces with your local council to start up a Casserole Club (www.casseroleclub.com) or similar scheme in your local area.

3. Make it easy for employees to hold a workplace food share by chipping in for new office crockery, cutlery or a microwave.

4. Encourage your corporate social responsibility team to add veggie food sharing to their list of activities for May. If employees already volunteer in the community, could they share food there? Turn a patch of outside space into a herb or veg plot and encourage employees to tend, harvest and share what’s grown.

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Making it happen Want to turn your food share from feel-good theory into satisfying reality?

It’s not difficult, but putting on an event will require planning, preparation and common sense.

Food sharing is one of humanity’s most ancient habits, but thankfully there is plenty of excellent guidance available for doing it in a modern setting – and there’s not as much red tape as you’d think. We’d advise taking a look at:

Organising A Voluntary Event: A ‘Can Do’ Guide

This six-part government publication (find it at www.gov.uk) is a comprehensive guide to holding a community event, covering everything you need to think about.

The Big Lunch

The Eden Project’s Big Lunch encourages neighbours to have lunch together once a year and is a great source of information for organisers of street parties, barbecues and garden gettogethers. If you’re planning a community event, the resources at www.thebiglunch.com will help.

London Events Toolkit

With more people, traffic, rival events and complications than elsewhere, Londoners face a particular (but by no means insurmountable) set of challenges when it comes to events. At www.londoneventstoolkit.co.uk, there’s a vast amount of advice and guidance – and a lot of it is relevant outside the capital too.

Streets Alive

Bristol-based Streets Alive was a pioneer of street activities for promoting community cohesion and runs www.streetparty.org.uk.

Here you’ll find lots of ideas for parties (complete with bunting) and advice on road closures, insurance and, for when closing a road isn’t possible, street meets on private land.

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Budgeting Even if you’re only buying a packet of paper plates, it’s likely that your food share will incur some costs, and essential that you plan for them. These are the things you need to think about:

Income

How much money do you need to run your event and where will it come from? It could be self-funding, via a kitty or potluck system, or you could ask for donations from individuals or businesses, or fundraise in advance. The Vegetarian Society has some small grants available for National Vegetarian Week 2015 events; see www.nationalvegetarianweek.org.

Outgoings

Depending on the size of your event, you might need to hire, buy or pay for a number of things: food, obviously, but also equipment or venue hire, entertainment, permissions and licenses, insurance and admin.

Accountability

Keep careful notes of what is spent and when, and if your group or event is large enough consider opening a separate bank account to keep your event’s funds separate from your own.

Contingency funds

You need to make sure you have some extra money available in case of unexpected expenses or emergencies – the general rule is 6% of your total budget expenditure, but this will vary depending on your event.

Statutory guidance There’s a lot of statutory guidance for food preparation and running public events. You are unlikely to need an in-depth understanding of these requirements for a one-off amateur event (see the resources on page 34) but if you decide to run regular public events or go professional, you’ll need to read and understand: Food Safety Act 1990 General Food Regulations 2004 (SI 2004 No. 3279) General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 Licensing Act 2003 EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation 1169/2011

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Planning your event Whether you’re cooking for friends or closing a road for a street party, planning is essential. A well-planned event is safe, flows smoothly and is more likely to be fun for everyone involved. A lot depends on the nature of your event (we’re not suggesting a spreadsheet for your potluck lunch) but you should consider:

99 99 99 99

Waste disposal, including recycling and litter collection

99

Sound and noise control (you or your venue may need a PRS licence to play music: see www.prsformusic.com)

99 99

Accessibility

99 99

Safety contacts and access to a telephone for emergency use

Toilets and handwashing facilities Licences and permissions from your council (if needed) Letting local businesses and neighbours know what you’re planning

The audience and age range of guests at your event (children will require adult supervision)

First aid

Insurance Questions to ask By law, you don’t have to buy insurance to cover voluntary and community events, but you may want to make sure you’re covered in case something goes wrong. If a council or landowner requires you to have public liability insurance, you can query this and possibly sign a disclaimer instead. But to understand what cover your event already has or may need, ask yourself: If you’re hiring a venue, does it have public liability insurance? Are your event and activities covered?

If you’re hiring equipment, is insurance included and what are the conditions? What about businesses which are providing services, such as rides or amusements?

If you’re holding the event in your home or garden, does the public liability section of your home insurance policy cover you?

You could also visit www.abi.org.uk to read the Association of British Insurers’ guide Celebrate!

An ABI guide to planning an event.

36

Food hygiene and preparation Common sense and good planning will help ensure that the food you share is safe. Here are the basics of good kitchen practice:

You

If you’re handling food, wear a clean apron and clean clothes, tie back long hair, remove jewellery and wash your hands (and any equipment you’re using) frequently in hot soapy water.

Cleaning

Tidy and clean as you go to help avoid cross-contamination. You’re aiming to remove kitchen debris and also destroy bacteria, so choose antibacterial cleaning sprays and handwash.

Cooking

Always make sure food is cooked properly before you serve it – don’t rush it, even if people are waiting to eat.

Keep food out of the fridge for the shortest amount of time possible and keep raw and readyto-eat foods apart.

Chilling

If food is to be refrigerated, cool it down as quickly as possible at room temperature (decanting big batches into several shallow containers will speed this up) before refrigerating.

Serving

Make sure you know what’s in the food so you can provide information about allergens (see page 38).

Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

Avoiding cross contamination

If your menu is 100% veggie you won’t have to worry about cross-contamination with meat or fish. However, make sure that any equipment used is thoroughly cleaned. You will need to change the oil in fryers if they’ve been used to cook meat or fish.

Further resources:

See the Food Standards Agency’s Catering advice for charity and community groups providing food at www.food.gov.uk

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Food allergies Have you seen detailed allergen information appearing in restaurants? This is to satisfy new legislation, which requires food businesses to give customers information on allergens. These rules won’t affect your food share if you’re an individual providing food on a voluntary and occasional basis, but it’s good practice to know about handling allergens. It also helps make your event inclusive, safe and welcoming.

A vegetarian menu means you won’t need to worry about allergens such as crustaceans, fish and molluscs. However, you should be aware of these potential common allergens: cereals containing gluten, eggs, peanuts, soya, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and lupin products.

Make sure you know what’s in the food you’re serving (cooking from scratch makes this easier) and use clear, specific labelling. Nominate someone to explain the ingredients of dishes to guests if they ask.

Avoid cross-contamination by storing ingredients containing allergens in separate sealed containers, away from other ingredients. Clean thoroughly between preparing allergencontaining dishes and other foods, and use separate serving utensils.

Health and safety When you’re planning your event (see page 36), you’ll need to think about safety. Depending on the size of your event, you should: Assess the risks of somebody being harmed by a hazard or having an accident, and take steps to control that risk to make the event safer. Slip and trip hazards are common areas of concern. Keep a record of potential hazards and your actions to reduce them.

Assess fire risks and minimise them. In practice this might mean using a barbecue safely, or checking that your venue has up-to-date fire safety equipment.

Make first aid arrangements. Contact your local authority’s Safety Advisory Group, which provides advice to event organisers. They may want to know about your event, even if it proves to be too small for them to get involved.

Further resources: See www.londoneventstoolkit.co.uk and www.hse.gov.uk

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Getting help with your share You don’t have to share alone. If you have a great idea for a food share but lack the facilities, manpower or skillset to make it happen, just ask for help.

Need a venue?

Have a mental ‘walk’ around your area, noting the buildings you pass - schools, places of worship and sports halls are all committed to their communities and many have facilities to hire. Local businesses may be amenable and some supermarkets now have free community meeting spaces.

Need funding?

The Vegetarian Society has some small grants available for National Vegetarian Week 2015 events; see www.nationalvegetarianweek.org. Some local authorities also have small grants available for community activities.

Need to spread the word?

Social media is a cheap and effective way of promoting your event, but don’t be afraid to ask your local newspaper, radio station or website to get involved, too. Sharing food can be a good story.

Need some extra hands?

Contact your local volunteer centre (there are national services for Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, too), who may be able to point you in the direction of groups who are willing to help or be helped.

Volunteering England’s Good Practice Bank (at www.volunteering.org.uk) is a useful guide to working with volunteers. It’s also worth checking out www.do-it.org, where you can advertise volunteering opportunities.

Need some like-minded foodies?

Find out about vegetarian or vegan groups in your area (you can see a list of Vegetarian Society affiliated groups at www.vegsoc.org/localgroupsmap). They may already be planning a food sharing event for National Vegetarian Week or be able to work with you on yours. They’re also likely to know some cracking recipes.

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Why veggie?

Going veggie can help you feel good, both about the food you eat and its impact on people, animals and the planet. Eating a meat-free diet has never been easier, with chefs vying to make truly creative use of seasonal vegetables, fruit and pulses, and supermarkets putting the most delicious food trends on the shelf in a wide range of vegetarian products.

Vegetarian food is ideal for sharing because it’s naturally likely to be vibrant, varied and good for you – anyone who’s tempted can feel free to get stuck in. And because many of the building blocks of a good vegetarian diet are inexpensive, sharing doesn’t come at a prohibitive cost.

The Vegetarian Society defines a vegetarian as someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with, or without, the use of dairy products and eggs. A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or by-products of slaughter.

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40

More recipes If the recipes in this toolkit have whetted your appetite, there are plenty more where they came from. At the Vegetarian Society we love good food and have a wide range of ideas for eating veggie whatever the occasion. Here’s how to find them: Search our online recipe database at www.vegsog.org/recipes. To find something that’s just right for sharing, you can filter your results based on meal type, dietary preference, cuisine, ease of preparation and occasion.

Download our recipe app, available free from Google Play, Apple and Amazon stores. It’ll bring a wealth of veggie recipes to your smartphone or tablet, and allow you to save your favourites for quick reference in the kitchen.

Come to the Vegetarian Society Cookery School to learn new skills and dishes from one of our accomplished tutors. Courses include Flavours of America, Contemporary Bread Workshop, Regional Indian Cuisine and The Gluten-Free Veggie.

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Fundraising Get involved We’ve given you the tools, so let’s share! We hope this toolkit provides you with everything you need to know about holding your own food sharing event. If you’d like to continue to share with us, there are lots of ways you can help our charity inspire the next generation of vegetarians.

Get fundraising The Vegetarian Society is a charity that inspires, educates and supports vegetarians across the country. We receive no government funding. Any of your shared meals, bake sales or meet-ups can help keep wonderful events, like National Vegetarian Week, going. Find out more about all of our fantastic work on our website (www.vegsoc.org) and share some good food for a good cause. Don’t forget to contact us if you are thinking of raising money for us, so we can give you some hints and tips on the best way to make a difference.

Get active Would you like to be a veggie champion? Fancy challenging yourself or your friends and joining in with a run, walk or jog for charity? If you have enjoyed sharing food, you can also share in the fun of raising funds for the Vegetarian Society. If you’re raring to go, there’s a whole variety of challenges that you can get involved with on our webpage www.vegsoc.org/fundraising/ events.

Get going If any of these ideas spark your interest, please contact us on support@vegsoc.org, visit www.vegsoc.org/fundraising/events or call us on 0161 925 2000.

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 0161 925 2000

/thevegetariansociety

@vegsoc

#nvw15

www.nationalvegetarianweek.org / www.vegsoc.org

The Vegetarian Society, Parkdale, Dunham Road, Altrincham, WA14 4QG Patrons: Rose Elliot MBE, Jerome Flynn, Mary McCartney, Sir Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney and Wendy Turner Webster Registered Company Number: 959115 (England and Wales) Registered Charity Number: 259358 Š The Vegetarian Society 2015