My Road To Veganism

I come from a big meat eating family, where meat including offal, tripe, black pudding and cow heel were served alongside milk, cream, cheese and yogurt.

I saw a news clip about BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) better known as Mad Cow Disease and was horrified dead animal parts were ground up and made into cattle feed.   The most upsetting part was watching a cow stumbling and swaying, unable to stand up, with a terrified look in her eyes.   I stopped eating red meat initially, then all meat and fish went out the window, then one morning, dipping a toast soldier into my boiled egg, I felt physically sick and the rest as they say is history.   It took time obviously, what to do about those non vegan items in the wardrobe and kitchen cupboards and with no internet, nothing like the vegan products we have these days, I shopped at health food shops and a local co-operative.   

I became a life long member of The Vegan Society and their Animal Free Shopper became my bible, it went everywhere with me.   A highlight was receiving The Vegan Society magazine through the letterbox, I read it from cover to cover, it was such a great source of information and still is.

Family and friends thought I had gone completely bonkers, that it was a phase I was going through, a fad, attention seeking and I am sure some of this will resonate with others reading this post.

In 2022 veganism has never been as popular, people are more aware and information is easily accessible as to the horrors of animal agriculture.  We have supermarkets competing with each other, as to who can bring vegan products to market and eating out is so much easier.   And so my blog came into being, with restaurant reviews of my dining experiences and to share my favourite recipes.

My only regrets are not going vegan sooner, eating animals in the first place and not making a note of the exact date I cooked that boiled egg, so what better day to celebrate my vegan anniversary than World Vegan day on the 1st November.