Monday 5th April

My final blog!  Easter has been and gone, Lent is now over.  It’s been a fantastic few weeks, a real voyage of discovery.  I’ve tried so many new recipes and have explored some really challenging issues.  Now I think it’s time to reflect on what I’ve learned and find a way forward.

The first thing that I learned is that a strict vegan life isn’t one you take on lightly.  To do it properly requires massive motivation and a lot of personal organisation.  Forward planning is essential.  If you find yourself unexpectedly out over a mealtime you’ll likely go hungry, unless of course you carry a pot of emergency hummus at all times.  You’ve also got to really plan your shopping – no popping round the corner for bread and milk, there won’t be any you can have.  The other thing you need is a pretty thick skin.  People just don’t get it and you’re likely to be labelled an extremist (or perhaps just a bit odd).  I think this explains why vegans have a reputation for being angry – I always blamed it on hunger and anaemia, now I think it’s the result of years of being misunderstood and unheard.

I’ve also learned that aside from the animal rights/welfare arguments (of which there are a great many), there are a huge amount of compelling environmental reasons for choosing not to eat/use animal products.  I knew about emissions from cows, food miles, the inefficiency of processed meat and diminishing fish stocks.  I didn’t know about deforestation, destruction of habitats, poisoning of water sources, degradation of land areas and a hundred and one other items of gross concern.  This is a real personal challenge.  Once you know something is destructive, how in all conscience can you continue to support it?

I’ve learned that a vegan life is perfectly healthy, satisfying and enjoyable. Yes there are many things you can’t eat but there are plenty more that you can.  It’s opened up my eyes to a whole new world of beans, seeds, nuts and pulses, things which I’ve never really bothered to learn how to cook properly as there has always been plenty of food choices without them.  But now I do know I feel like there’s a whole new vista of opportunity.  The children are young enough to accept new foods with interest and curiosity rather than suspicion and I have every confidence that they will learn to love beans and pulses as a part of a broad healthy diet for the rest of their lives.  Raising them to appreciate a wide variety of food is something very important to me.  It will make it easier for them should they choose a vegetarian or vegan diet for themselves when the time comes.

During Lent I’d anticipated hunger, tiredness, boredom, grumpiness, even possible nutritional deficiency.  It’s been a revelation to me that I feel so incredibly well.  The food I’ve eaten has been fresh tasting, bursting with nourishment, easily digested and full of flavour.  It’s made me aware how much salt and fat I was eating, even though if you’d have asked me 6 weeks ago I’d have denied both outright.  I’ve always thought of cheese as a healthy choice.  I don’t now. 

So where do I go from here?  The arguments are compelling, the food is great, why on earth would I go back?  I’ll tell you why – because I don’t live in a little bubble.  The rest of the world I live in does not eat or live like this.  Yes, we are called to be light to the world and live by example but we are also called to be salt, and if we place ourselves on some ‘Greener Than Thou’ pinnacle we marginalise ourselves, lose our relevance and therefore our influence to our peers.  This became strikingly clear when we had a dinner party a few weeks ago.  My guests admitted at the end that they were genuinely concerned that I would force my veganism upon them.  They were honestly relived to have had a choice.  The result – they tried everything and appreciated the vegan dishes for the delicacies they were.  If I make myself awkward (as it would surely be seen by people who don’t know or accept the arguments), will invitations for meals dry up?  Will people no longer want to come to us?  I don’t want to take that chance, friends and family are too important.

I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to the green ethics of food it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.  Fossil fuel consumption is a huge issue and I seek to reduce our use but that doesn’t mean I won’t ever drive or put the heating on.  I think organic vegetables are a good thing but that doesn’t mean I won’t buy non-organic if that’s all I can afford (or all that’s available).  Buying second hand is a great principle and habit to be in but if one of us needs some specific thing at a specific time I won’t make us go without.  Consuming meat, fish and dairy are not the best environmental choice but they can be useful parts of a healthy balanced diet, and eating them even if only sometimes certainly makes life a whole lot easier.

That said I won’t go back entirely.  Simply by drinking my coffee without milk I reckon we’ve saved about 3 pints a week and actually I’ve grown to prefer it that way. It’s a small but significant reduction.  I now have a whole host of alternative lunches so cheese on toast will stay as a rare treat.  I don’t miss meat so will save it for special occasions or when invited out.  A vegan meal a day no longer seems like a challenge and is a way of life I will now embrace.

Here at Pye Towers we have developed some great Easter traditions.  Easter, we feel, is under celebrated.  Representing, as it does, the keynote speech of the party conference as it were (or, in hubby’s terms, the Christian FA Cup Final), we think it deserves a bit of a party.  So yesterday we held our annual Easter Feast for all the family.  A splendid buffet adorned our table.  We served cheese, gammon and chicken but also bean burger bakes, couscous, rice, vegan breads and hummus.  And the centrepiece of the whole table was a vegan Simmnel cake.  It seemed fitting somehow and was, if I may say so myself, brilliant.  And there I think is a summary of the culinary future of the Pyes.  Vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous in beautiful harmony.

Lent is a time when we remember the testing, fasting and struggles of Jesus.  What better way to mark it than by a fast and ethical struggle with an issue that is of great concern to the wonderful world He made.  This, you see, is the start and end point of my faith and also my motivation for living green.  I can’t believe this is all here by chance.  And once I credit it to the glorious and almighty Father how can I then treat it with contempt and disrespect?

Thursday 1st April

How strange.  All Lent has passed thus far without an inkling of struggle, yet suddenly this week it’s all become a bit testing.  Whether it’s sleep deprivation due to restless children, impending assessment deadlines for my OU course, tiredness from a run of ridiculously busy weeks or the knowledge that Easter Sunday is almost here I don’t know but I have suddenly developed a hankering for high calorie fatty stuff like cheese on toast and lasagne.  I’ve learned over these last few weeks that it’s pretty difficult to eat badly as a vegan (unless of course you go for chips and baked beans every day), and if anyone knows a fat vegan I’ll be astonished.  So what to do when the comfort food cravings kick in?

The answer was found in the blog I listed last time (see Links), where I found a list of Top 10 Vegan Treats.  The news that most dark chocolate is in fact dairy free can only be compared to a ray of bright sun shining through parted storm clouds.  It was as if heaven itself had spoken. Now in my ordinary life chocolate holds little fascination but, truth told, it’s been a bit of a life saver this week.

It seems timely at this time of trial to have a little reminder of the environmental arguments for veganism.  Here is what I found:

• Using animals for food (or clothing) is unnecessary.  We can manage perfectly well without.
• A typical US diet emits 1.5 tonnes more CO2 per person per year than a vegan diet
• Global livestock industries are responsible for 18% global greenhouse emissions.  That’s more than the global transport sector, even including planes.
• A plant based diet requires only a third of the land and water of a typical western diet
• Animals eat far more protein than they produce.  How wasteful to use land to grow food for animals which then feed people when we could just use the land to feed the people directly.
• This is a growing concern because as the demand for meat increases globally, so does the demand for land to feed them with and rear them on.  This is leading to vast areas of deforestation, which means less absorption of carbon dioxide as there are simply fewer trees to do the job.
• Animals require lots of water too, and that’s something which is also in increasingly short supply.  Apparently it takes 300 gallons of water to feed a vegan for 1 day, 1200 for a vegetarian and 4200 for a meat eater.
• Animal farming and growing crops for animal feed are a major cause of water pollution.
• It is estimated that a third of all fossil fuels used in the US are used in animal food production

And this is merely the tip of the iceberg.  Check out the links below and see for yourself the scale of the problem.  This is really challenging stuff.  We can cut our domestic fossil fuel use all we like and feel jolly smug about it but if we continue to eat the way we always have are we not being hypocritical?  Turning down the heating is only one part of the solution.

LINKS

Sources for environmental reasons for veganism

http://www.goveg.com/veganism_environment.asp

http://www.vegansociety.com/Become-a-Vegan/Why.aspx

Lisa Pye

Saturday 27th March

Sending out a big cheer for the veggie Chinese on Bletchley’s Queensway!  We went there for tea on Friday night.  Me, my long time vegetarian friend, our 2 non-veggie husbands and our 4 eat-everything children.  And what a feast we had.  Never before have I been in a restaurant that states items as ‘not suitable for vegans’ (of which there were in fact only 2).  I was totally spoilt for choice.  I heartily recommend the mushrooms in veggie oyster sauce – mmmmmm!

This restaurant prides itself on offering a wide range of fake meat and fish items.  You name it, they do a veggie version of it, made of soya.  I tell you, it’s impressive.  They really are all different!  

However I was sent a very interesting article this week about the relative environmental impacts of eating meat, soya, quorn and pulses.  This whole soya question is a tricky one.  So much land (forest in particular) is being cleared to make room for soya plantations on a massive scale.  This deforestation has a direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions – the trees which soak up so much carbon are simply no longer there.  So it’s not as straightforward as thinking vegan = eco-friendly.  The arguments are altogether more complex.

I’ve had a few other questions this week which I thought I’d share with you:

1. Have you saved on your food bills?

A:  There are a few pennies in the food pot at the end of the pay month which never happens, so maybe we have! 

2. Have you lost weight?

A:  No.  But then I have been like a kid in a sweet shop with all these new recipes and I have definitely eaten more than I normally would.

3. Aren’t you hungry all the time?

A:  No.  It pays to be clued up about nutritional balance.  I’ve been taking care to combine my pulses and grains for complete proteins and I think that helps.  Also I think it’s partly psychological.  I did struggle with feeling hungry when I tried being veggie before and my husband maintains he’s hungry if he doesn’t eat meat.  Since reducing the amount of meat in my diet over the last few years I’ve found I no longer notice a difference if I eat it or not.  Perhaps the body becomes accustomed to a certain way of eating.

The other common question about a diet high in beans is far too personal to be answered here so if you are that curious you can just ask me yourself.

Finally I’d like to share a little snippet from a dear friend of mine whose daughter asked her ‘Mummy, what are vegans?’ Her answer?  ‘Thin, hungry people with brittle bones’.  Hmm, not a line the Vegan Society will be rushing to adopt!

Links:

A very interesting monthly blog from a Christian Vegan

http://theveganchristian.blogspot.com/2010/03/vegan-goodies.html

Soya/quorn/meat/pulses article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/feb/15/ask-leo-tofu-bad-for-environment

Veggie World vegetarian/vegan Chinese restaurant

http://www.veggie-world.com/

Saturday 20th March

Wow, Easter is only 2 weeks away!  Can’t believe how fast this Lent is going!  Last year I gave up coffee and believe me, by now I was not fun to be around.  This year however I’m having a whale of a time!  Perhaps I shouldn’t admit that, isn’t Lent supposed to be a period of fasting and personal sacrifice?  I’m eating like royalty!  I’m having a great time and I’m not sure that 2 weeks is enough time to try all the recipes I’ve earmarked. 

A few questions keep popping up so I thought I’d take the time this blog to let you know my answers to the top 5:

1.  How are you feeling?

A:  Brilliant!  In all honesty I can say that I feel absolutely great.  People tend to ask in a kind sympathetic tone, as if they expect me to be suffering in some way.  But, I’m pleased to say that I feel fighting fit and full of beans.  Well I suppose I am full of beans…

2.  Aren’t you desperate for some meat?

A:  No!  In fact meat is what I miss the least.  Probably because I didn’t eat that much meat before this experiment began so it’s not been difficult to cut it out.

3.  What are you missing most?

A:  Boiled eggs.  Really want eggs!!!!  Second would be fish, particularly salmon and smoked mackerel.  I’m surprised how little I miss cheese, thought that would be tough but I haven’t minded not having it.  Not missing milk, finding black coffee perfectly acceptable.  Honey is surprisingly tricky to avoid, it keeps cropping up in unexpected places.  I’m not really a chocolate eater so I’m not missing that.

4.  What’s the point of doing this?

A:  To seek a more sustainable way of eating that fits easily with family life.

5.  Are you going to carry this on?  (or, you’re not carrying this on, are you?, depending who’s asking).

A:  well now there’s a question.  I’m more content eating this way, I feel more at peace.  But cooking differently for the rest of the family rankles (although they are all being brilliant and are trying everything with enthusiasm).  And I don’t know how to suddenly change the rules for anyone kind enough to ask us round for a meal.  So my answer to this one has to be a pass for now.  I’ll let you know at the end of Lent.

That said, we had a great dinner party last night.  I cooked Indian, which I reckon is the way to go if you’re cooking for vegans and non-vegans at the same time.  We had a great time.   The various meat, fish and vegan dishes sat happily side by side on the table and the guests tried everything.  It was so nice not to have to keep my own dish separate and feel like the odd one out.  And we had some great conversations!  No sarcasm, no mocking, just interest.  Just maybe it wouldn’t be so weird to continue…

Lisa Pye

Tuesday 16th March

I’ve got a confession.  I am an avid trolley watcher.  I love seeing what everyone else is buying.  Nosy I know but very illuminating.  What I’ve learned over the years and what is becoming increasingly evident as Lent goes on is that most people don’t eat the way this family does.  You’ll have noticed by now that I’m a bit of a healthy food obsessive and it has to be said that my trolley full of lentils, beans and veg stands out a bit amongst the salty, fizzy, fatty processed lines around me.  Now I realise I am in danger here of mounting an uncomfortably high and smug horse and I do not mean to sound like an arrogant snob, I’m just fascinated by the ways of the world around me.  I discovered recently that the average trip to a café for coffee and cake now delivers 8 times the amount of calories it did 50 years ago.  When, how and why did our environment become so obesogenic?  And when, how and why did we decide that a diet of processed fat, salt and sugar was a good idea not just for us but for our kids?  I simply don’t get it.

But it’s not just about our health, is it?  It’s about the health of our planet.  People moan and groan about recycling, the phasing out of conventional lightbulbs and the price of petrol but generally they accept these measures as necessary (well, some do).  Yet tell anyone the way they eat harms the planet and you get laughed out of the shop.  People don’t accept the arguments and I don’t know why.  Maybe telling people to watch what they eat is just a little too personal.  Or maybe it’s just easier to pretend we don’t know the facts.

We went out for dinner for a friend’s birthday last week and, other than a plain jacket potato, my only option was a spicy bean burger (which I’m not 100% sure wasn’t bound with egg in all honesty).  It ground my nerves more than a little to have this greasy processed excuse for food while surrounded by delicious looking sea bass and juicy steak. It was a testing experience!  Now I’m not necessarily saying that restaurants should do any different, I realise that these days there are a hundred different dietary requirements to meet.  (Those of you who were involved in our conference last November may recall the long, long discussion of what to feed the no gluten, no meat, no dairy, no egg, broccoli-and-pepper allergic delegates…).   It just drove home the point once again that vegans are a rare species, and I’m impressed by the ethical will of anyone that would choose  something substandard and unpleasant in place of a healthier and tastier non-vegan dish.  I now understand why you get specialist vegetarian/vegan restaurants – it must be the only place you get a decent choice.

Anyway, some good meals here this week I’m pleased to say.  I’ve been experimenting with egg replacer again and think I have perfected the bean burger recipe.  I also did a blind taste test of vegan/non-vegan fairy cakes using the egg replacer and none of my 6 victims could choose between them on the basis of taste.  Fair enough they hadn’t risen quite as well but they certainly weren’t as flat as a pancake and tasted great.  I made a lovely Moroccan lentil stew which goes very well in a jacket potato.  I’m going to use the leftovers in a lasagne so I’ll let you know how that turns out.  I’ve also been working my way through a small vat of ratatouille (very versatile – goes with pasta, rice, couscous, lovely side for a nut roast or beany burger or stick it in a lasagne), and a large batch of tomato and basil soup.  If anyone’s tried any recipes or has any to add I’d be pleased to hear from you.

Lisa Pye

Wednesday 10th March

A triumph this week in the Vegan House of Pye!  Good old Delia Smith came to the rescue of my usual Sunday ‘what on earth can make up for the lack of roast chicken?’ dilemma with her wonderful nut loaf recipe.  Hubby even ate 2 bits (though with the added comment of how it was particularly delicious with the chicken), and our lunch guests seemed to enjoy it too.  It made a great cold lunch the next day with salad and pickles as well.  Very useful, I think this may become a new regular menu item.

My other big success this week was a tofu stir fry.  Now I’ve always been slightly frightened and deeply suspicious of tofu, since the one and only other time I tried it I found it so utterly vile I threw it away.  I bought a box at the start of Lent and have been trying to pretend it’s not in the fridge ever since.  The packet proudly announces that the Japanese have been using tofu for over 2000 years.  I dread to think what we were eating 2000 years ago in this country. I would like to think we have moved on, and the thought of eating something so ancient and unfamiliar did not fill me with joy.  Still, I steeled myself and gave it a go.  It was surprisingly nice!  The children loved it (though that may have been something to do with the brown sugar in the marinade)!

My delight has been slightly tempered however by the whole soya/hormones debate.  I’d heard rumours before that soya contains chemicals similar to oestrogen and that it can cause all sorts of hormonal type problems.  There seems to be particular concern over giving it to children.  I’ve been looking online and, as with most things, there are a thousand different opinions on the matter.  Science seems divided.  Yes it seems soya does contain phytoestrogens but there seems some disagreement over whether they are helpful or harmful.  There is evidence that soya consumption is linked with reduced ‘bad’ cholesterol and reduced rates of certain cancers.  Others link soya with increased rates of some cancers and hormonal disturbances.  Other sites speak of the environmental damage caused by the farming of soya and how forested areas are cleared to make way for giant mono-cropping plantations. It would take months to trawl through the wealth of material and I can’t say I’ve made up my mind yet.  It’s right however to remember that hormones occur in animal dairy products, especially non-organic ones and phyotoestrogens are found in other plant foodstuffs too.  ‘All things in moderation, except moderation’, is perhaps a wise principle to employ.

Finally, it seems my poor kids are still totally confused about the whole vegan thing.  I thought they’d got it until Rebecca announced she wanted ‘only vegan food from now on please’.  I was rather surprised seeing as how she’d just eaten a large helping of roast chicken.  ‘You’re giving up chicken then?  And sausages?’, asked Steve.  ‘No, but I’m only having vegan gravy and vegan custard now.  I’ll still eat the meat’.  Charlie’s still got absolutely no idea either.  Breakfast conversation this morning went something like this – me: ‘here’s your porridge Charlie’, Charlie: ‘NO!  I wanted vegan’, me: ‘it is vegan, it’s made with oat milk’.  Charlie: ‘NO!  I wanted it made of vegan.  Is this made of vegan?’.  Me: ‘ummm, yes, I suppose so’.  Charlie: ‘well I can’t see it.  Is it mixed in?’.  Poor chap. Life’s confusing when you’re 3.  Or 32 for that matter…

Lisa Pye

Thursday 4th March

Right, I’m retracting the statement I made at the end of my last blog about people being generally interested and supportive having experienced an affront which amounted to nothing short of discrimination on Sunday!  We went to a bring and share lunch at church and I was happily ensconced at the end of a row with my very tasty fruity cashew couscous when I was greeted by ‘ergh, are you eating vegan food?  Then stay there on the end of the row!’.  ‘Vegans are people too’ I replied.  ‘No they’re not, they’re second class citizens and should be treated as such’, I was told.  Well, how rude!  I refrained from telling him what he could do with his chicken drumstick but it took some self control, I can tell you.

Talking of self control I was very sorely tempted by a hard boiled egg this week.  I’d made it for my daughter’s lunch box and found myself looking at it with far too much interest.  ‘No-one would ever know’, I thought. It would have been the perfect eco-crime; devour the egg then compost the evidence.  Still, a deep breath, a quick prayer and all was well.

It did get me thinking though about what the environmental consequences of egg production might be.  Here’s what I discovered:

• It takes 1.8kg of grain to produce 12 eggs. 
• The grain is likely to have been transported some distance to reach the hens.
• Chickens produce a lot of ammonia which is linked to acid rain.
• Chicken farms, free range or otherwise, generate a lot of waste which can pollute land and rivers.

If anyone knows of any others I’d be pleased to hear them.

Thanks to everyone who sampled my egg and dairy free bakes at the Christian Aid/MKCEG event last night.  The banana loaf seemed to be the favourite so I’ve put the recipe up for you.

Lisa Pye

Sunday 28th February

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a great wealth of wonderful and delicious food available to vegans but when you start trying to make your usual food into vegan food the problems begin.  I’ve been talking with one of my vegetarian friend about this and she agrees.  To my mind there is nothing in the slightest bit appetising about a food called ‘soya chunks’, or ‘chicken style pieces’.  In fairness my experience of these delights is limited and I know that many vegetarians and vegans love their meat replacers.  For me though I think I’ll stick to the nuts, beans and pulses.  Proper honest food, none of that processed nonsense…

That said, by Thursday this week I was beginning to hanker after something I could properly chew.  Many of my meals thus far have been casserole type affairs or beany sauces.  Delicious and filling, but sometimes you just need something a bit more, well, solid.  So I made our family favourite pizza (where would I be without my bread machine?) but topped with the disconcertingly titled ‘mozarella style dairy free alternative’.  Fair’s fair, it wasn’t that bad.  The problem was more psychological than anything.  It took quite some effort for my mind to accept that the unfamiliar stuff on my plate was not going to hurt me!  But then in my ‘normal’ non-vegan life I am deeply suspicious of anything that is processed, contains a long list of ingredients or that my grandma wouldn’t recognise as food, so it’s not suprising that I was cautious.

Time to confess a bit of a failing this week.  We had workmen in the kitchen one evening till 6.30. It was a school night, we needed the kids in bed around 7, we hadn’t eaten, we’d had a really long day out, been on our feet all day so in a moment of weakness we ended up at the chippie.  Now I know I could have just had chips but I was ravenous (the butter bean spread wrap from lunch seemed a distant memory…), so I had fish.  Oh the shame!  So I have spent a little time since reminding myself of some of the environmental reasons why fish is off the menu for many people:

• Depending which website you look at, around 75% of major fish species are thought to be at critical levels because of overfishing
• Large fish populations are down 90% from 1950s
• Trawler nets are weighted at the bottom which causes immense damage to the ocean floor, destroying the habitat for many species
• Fish farming is responsible for intense local pollution and the spread of disease.  Escaping farmed fish spread this disease into the wild
• Farmed fish are fed on wild caught fish, so the farming of fish actually increases rather than reduces the demand for wild caught fish
• The freezing, shipping, processing and transporting of fish and fish products requires large amounts of CO₂ emitting energy

It’s not a pretty picture, is it?

On the plus side I’ve been keeping properly vegan not just one but 3 meals a day almost every day so I’m feeling quite proud of myself.  I invented a spread (see recipes) quite by chance, I’ve had chilli bean pasta, refried beans with jacket potato and root vegetable soup amongst other things.  I’ve been rigidly declining all offers of biscuits and cakes at toddler groups and drinking my coffee black when out and about.  I’ve also been having some really good conversations with people.  I anticipated ridicule and the rolling of eyes but in fact most people seem genuinely interested.  Thanks guys!

Lisa Pye

Monday February 22nd

4 years ago I decided that I would go vegetarian.  I’d thought about it for a while, since beginning to hear in the media about the horrors of factory farming.  Discovering that meat production was contributing to global warming added to my concerns.  I lasted a year.  I’d wanted to cut down the amount of meat we ate as a family but because it was just me it didn’t really make a whole lot of difference.  So I decided to try a new tack.  Despite my husband’s anxieties I decided the only way was for all of us to eat less meat but also eat better quality.  That’s when I began making a proper effort to find free range and organic meat.  I think it’s been good.  We eat a much wider range of foods than we did even 2 years ago, and my children are not conditioned to expect meat in every meal which I am particularly happy about.

During this time I realised that a vegetarian or even vegan diet isn’t necessarily the most eco-friendly option.  If you replace your locally produced free range meat with a diet of highly processed, over packaged meat replacement products you clearly don’t gain much in carbon savings. Not that anyone who goes veggie/vegan for environmental reasons would do that.  Simple, home cooked, vegetable based cooking seems to be the way to sustainable eating.

We aren’t really a meat and 2 veg family these days so it’s not so far been difficult to make my hot meals vegan.  Yesterday’s red lentil and root vegetable curry was great and, now I’ve discovered that soya yogurt works in the bread machine, next time I’ll make a real feast with naan bread and raita for dipping.  We had friends over for lunch today who enjoyed my vegan fruit crumble.  No-one would try the soya milk custard but I can vouch for it being really good.  Next time I won’t tell anyone it’s vegan and see if they spot any difference!

One thing I’m noticing is just how many store cupboard items contain some kind of animal product.  My fruit and fibre has honey in it, the fig rolls contain whey (from milk), even the vegetable bouillon lists lactose in its ingredients (though surprisingly both my custard and gravy powders are ok).  Veganism is hard core!  But then if you believe in something enough you will inconvenience yourself for that cause.  This is challenging for me.  I believe Fairtrade is right and good but I will accept a non-fairtrade coffee at someone’s house.  I believe factory farming is wrong but I will sometimes buy non-organic ham for hubby and kids’ sandwiches (the food budget doesn’t get any bigger but the prices do, as do the childrens’ appetites…).  I think there are many issues around overfishing, fish farming and trawler nets but I will buy tinned tuna for a quick and healthy meal.  Maybe I am wrong, maybe there should be no room for compromise on these issues which I feel strongly about.  I am confused!

Lisa Pye

Thursday February 18^th

I seem to have somehow confused my children entirely.  Despite explaining what a vegan does and doesn’t eat to my 5 year old she continues to ask ‘is this vegan?’ about every consumable item she comes across.  My son on the other hand at tea tonight asked me ‘are vegans extinct?’, as if they are some kind of separate sub-species.  I feel we may have to go over this several times before Lent is out.

Anyway 2 days in and all is well.  I’m relieved to have discovered that oat milk is perfectly acceptable in coffee.  We’ve been using it on breakfast cereal for a while (makes excellent porridge) but I’ve never dared try it in coffee before.  I’ve also tried soya cream cheese (bit sweet perhaps but nice and creamy) and have baked flapjacks using vegan spread.  My best discovery yet though is soya yogurt (I bought alpro-soya plain), which is wonderful!  It’s thick, creamy, not too sweet but not tart either.  Delicious with a few drops of vanilla extract and/or some fruit.

I’ve been playing around with the bread machine to find some new dairy free recipes.  See right for today’s effort which turned out very well and was a lovely accompaniment to some cabbage and potato soup.  And I’ve had mixed bean and cashew nut risotto and chilli bean pasta for my main meals.

I’ve been looking at some interesting blogs from Christian vegans.  One particularly good point talks about the ‘Jesus ate fish’ argument, which I have always used to justify my meat and fish consumption.  They point out that eating line caught fish from a wild lake or sea is a world away from a trawler fished mackerel or a farmed salmon.  The two just don’t compare. See http://www.helloveggie.org/journal/christian-vegan.html  Lots to think about here.  It always fascinates me how people who read and believe the same Bible can draw from it such varied conclusions on moral and spiritual issues.  I don’t know all that many Christians who consider the environmental impact of their food and shopping habits, even if they are eco-minded in other ways.  Curious how reluctant we are to change habits with which we are so comfortable.  Or maybe people just don’t accept the validity of the arguments.  I wonder which…?

Lisa Pye

Tuesday 16th February

So here we are at Shrove Tuesday. Tomorrow begins my Vegan Lent Adventure! I’ve armed myself with a borrowed copy of a vegan cookbook and emailed the only vegan I know for some tips. I’ll let you know what he says…

Anyway, let me remind myself why this is important.

1.Friends of the Earth reckon that meat and dairy production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is a combination of emissions from fertilisers used to grow animal feed, animal gas (ok, wind…), and the indirect impact of deforestation (land cleared for the growing of crops)
2.As the world becomes richer we will demand more meat so this figure is set to rise
3.Nitrous oxide (from fertilisers) and methane (from cows) are far more dangerous to the planet than carbon dioxide.

And this is quite aside from any ethical qualms about raising meat (factory farmed or otherwise), for slaughter, the ethics of disposing of unwanted male chicks in egg production or the environmental and ethical issues around factory farming and intensive fishing.

The issues are vast and wide ranging and I’ll attempt to explore them in more detail as Lent goes on, but my primary motivation for this experiment remains to seek the most sustainable way of living in all areas of our family’s life.

My family’s reactions to this experiment are: Hubby - horrified, daughter (5) - curious, son (3) - happy as long as some form of dinner arrives on the table. My compromise is that I’ll try each vegan recipe before I serve it to the family. I’m not trying to force anyone’s hand here.

About us. The 4 of us live a pretty quiet Bletchley life. Hubby works, I’m home with the kids. I shop and cook, hubby and kids are gracious enough to eat what they are given. I’m no Nigella but I’m not awful either. In the name of compromise and family cohesiveness we currently eat a range of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan meals in fairly equal proportion.

Over the next 40 days I’d like to discover some new family favourite vegan recipes, to try some new foods, to find a milk substitute for my coffee and to answer the burning question – what on earth does a vegan put in a sandwich?

Tips, comments, questions and challenges will be gratefully received!

Lisa Pye

Thursday 11th February

We all know that meat and dairy consumption is a thorny issue for environmentally conscious people but just how do we go about changing the habits of a lifetime and move towards a more sustainable diet?  This Lent I’m going to make at least one of my meals each day vegan.  I’m sure I’ll find challenges but hopefully I’ll also find lots of ideas for reducing the carbon footprint of our family’s food not just for Lent but forever.  You can follow my journey here.  I’d love comments, questions, challenges and suggestions so please do get in touch.

Lisa Pye