I got four leeks and lots of kale at my allotment today.
There’s still a number of leeks left; definitely enough to last us until spring.
My pond is filled with leaves and I had this idea that I’d pull them out until I actually tried. They’re frozen in! I took this video of it.
Bandit Bakery has started making vegan croissants and we got a couple this week to try. They are hands-down the best vegan croissants on the planet.
It’s Veganuary this month which is a campaign run by a non-profit organisation to encourage veganism. I’m vegan every month of the year so it doesn’t really apply to me but the numbers are growing and growing every year. This year more than half a million people have signed up.
Some people may not know that vegetarianism is very old. It was practiced and promoted by ancient Greek philosophers thousands of years ago. Veganism is not quite so old and was originally driven by animal welfare in Britain.
Britain is a world leader when it comes to animal welfare which makes me proud to live here. The RSPCA is the world’s oldest animal charity and nearly 200 years old and was formed before there was even a society for the prevention of cruelty to children. Indeed some of the same people involved with animal welfare were embarrassed by the absence of a children’s charity and started the NSPCC. I abhor violence towards animals in the same way I abhor violence towards children. Both enrage and disgust me.
There isn’t enough land on earth for humans to eat as much meat as the typical western diet. This is what is driving the enormous growth in veganism today as it’s the single biggest action an individual can take to reduce their environmental footprint. Add to this the benefits to health of eating more plants and the benefits to the animals who want and deserve freedom from torture, slavery, and death just as much as humans do. There’s not a single negative thing to say about swapping meat for plants so if you want to try it and you missed Veganuary you could always try it in February or just do what I did and make it forever. It was the best decision I ever made.
rachel.blog 
I wonder, did you see the proposed changes to the highway code introducing a hierarchy of road users putting cyclists at the top. As you’d not mentioned on your blog – though I may have missed it – and I’d have guessed you’d be one of the first I thought I’d mention it. https://www.which.co.uk/news/2022/01/new-2022-highway-code-changes-are-you-aware-of-the-new-rules/
I did see them and probably should blog about it. I haven’t been writing as much about cycling lately but from what I’ve read of this change it looks really good. I imagine there’ll need to be some education though as I can’t see all motorists obeying the new rules.
It’s always good news to hear about people eating less meat. I bake a lot of croissants, it has taken me a while to get consistently good at making them with butter so I think it’s time to start looking at how I can make it work with vegan butter.
That’s very clever of you to make croissants. I’ve always thought they were hard to make. Let me know how you get on with making them vegan.
One of the best things I ever did was to go vegan nearly twenty years ago. It hasn’t been a smooth road, though, because the role models and ready-made vegan foods were thin on the ground, plus I was crap at knowing how to smoothly navigate being the only vegan almost everywhere I went – lol! I knew too much about the awfulness of how animals got onto someone’s plate to ever be a comfortable dinner companion, even when I said nothing 😄 I, and veganism, have come a long way since then 🙂
It was so much harder being vegan 20 years ago. The lack of food options was part of it but also the lack of vegans and the general non-acceptance by others. I still find it hard to sit at a table with lots of people eating animals. I don’t think that ever gets easier.