My awesome bike and veggie Chinese takeaway

The best thing about these dark days is how awesome my bike looks. https://videopress.com/v/d5vI6fFI?preloadContent=metadata If you're looking for a good Christmas present for someone who likes to eat a lot of plants then I recommend The Veggie Chinese Takeaway Cookbook. Who doesn't like Chinese takeaway? I made the hoisin sauce today then used it in… Continue reading My awesome bike and veggie Chinese takeaway

The future of meat

Eating animals poses a major global health risk and the costs are enormous and they’re not borne only by the meat-eaters themselves nor by the animals but by everybody on the planet whether they eat meat or not. I say this because we’ve seen this over and over again that epidemics and pandemics have come… Continue reading The future of meat

A bumblebee, extraordinary changes for the UK, and thoughts on mother’s day for the most abused of all mothers

I got stung by a bumblebee yesterday for the first time in my life. Since all our usual Saturday activities were cancelled I took the opportunity to do some gardening and as I put on my gardening gloves I felt a sharp prick. Thinking it was a spider (I'm terrified of spiders and yes I… Continue reading A bumblebee, extraordinary changes for the UK, and thoughts on mother’s day for the most abused of all mothers

A vegan’s blood test results

I recently had the Well Woman blood tests done by Medichecks. There's nothing wrong with me but now that I'm 44 I thought it would be good to start monitoring things like cholesterol since there's a family history of it. I also like to check my HbA1c regularly for diabetes. Since I don't have any… Continue reading A vegan’s blood test results

If I ruled the world …

If I ruled the world ... everyone would become vegan. Let me explain why. The fires in the Amazon rainforest are tragic but this is the cost of livestock farming. The fires were deliberately lit to clear the land for crops and cattle grazing. Most of the crops grown on the planet are used to… Continue reading If I ruled the world …

New vegetarian restaurant in Aberdeen

Inn at the Park hotel near Duthie Park now has a vegetarian restaurant. It's a hotel/pub/restaurant all in one and the restaurant part of it has gone all vegetarian as of 1st August 2019. I don't know the particulars of the change - it never used to be veggie - but I suspect it's just… Continue reading New vegetarian restaurant in Aberdeen

Mishmash of crochet, forceful vegans, ISIS brides, and made in China

I've been a little quiet recently which does not mean I haven't had a lot to say. I've just been busy. All my spare time lately has been spent crocheting. I've become obsessed with socks and have made so many now and even designed my own pattern for crochet socks which I've put up for… Continue reading Mishmash of crochet, forceful vegans, ISIS brides, and made in China

How to be a healthy vegan

Climate change is spawning a mass vegan movement in a way that concern for animal welfare never did. Animal Liberation was written in 1975 and until the last few years, veganism was a fringe movement with a bad reputation. Its impact has been small and slow. But this has changed with rising concern for the… Continue reading How to be a healthy vegan

Scones, tomatoes, fires, and pain relief

I woke up this morning excited to start my day. As Ben would say, "Don't worry, you'll get over it", I'm sure I will. I got up and made some vegan scones with a Scottish twist by adding oats. I love oats and they're so good for you. The scones are delicious and the perfect… Continue reading Scones, tomatoes, fires, and pain relief

Vegan haggis with whisky sauce

After our visit to Glenfiddich last weekend I was inspired to make a vegan whisky sauce to go with vegan haggis. All the supermarkets here sell vegetarian haggis and there are two main brands to choose from - Simon Howie and Macsween. Both are very good. Last night we had Simon Howie's haggis which contains… Continue reading Vegan haggis with whisky sauce

It’s not all or nothing

I've recently started drinking oat milk drink. I usually drink soya but Ben recently went dairy-free at home and prefers oat drink so I thought I'd give it a try. It's delicious. I'm addicted and prefer it to soya now. I like that oats are grown widely in Scotland and so I feel virtuous buying… Continue reading It’s not all or nothing

A plant-based diet and the protein myth

Some people have missed the memo because I still hear the myth that meat consumption is necessary for protein. It's like the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism. Despite evidence to the contrary it continues to spread around the blogosphere, like a zombie that never dies. At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy… Continue reading A plant-based diet and the protein myth

Eating stinging nettles

Spring is here and the nettles are growing again so I decided it was time to make a meal out of them. Most people know that stinging nettles are pesky green plants that irritate the skin when you touch them. What you probably don't know is that they're a nutritious source of iron, calcium, potassium,… Continue reading Eating stinging nettles

Emotional attachment to a place and good bread

Have you ever felt an emotional attachment to a place or even a landscape? A feeling of belonging when you go there even when you've never been there before? I feel that way about Scotland and to a lesser extent, England. It puzzles me a bit because the environment I grew up in was so… Continue reading Emotional attachment to a place and good bread

Nutcrafter Creamery Vegan Cheese

Today I was feeling particularly decadent and bought myself some vegan cheese from Nutcrafter Creamery. Foodstory sell some of their artisan cheeses and I got the Aged Smoked Chipotle. It's not cheap at £8.50 for 190g but it was oh so worth it. The main ingredient is cashews. The nutrition information doesn't make much sense.… Continue reading Nutcrafter Creamery Vegan Cheese

VPud – vegan black pudding

I tried the world's first vegan black pudding this week. It's made by a firm in Lancashire called The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company. It was delicious! It's made mostly with oats and pearl barley, two of my favourite foods. They use beetroot to give it a deep red colour. It's very easy to make:… Continue reading VPud – vegan black pudding

Vegan banana choc chip muffins

Is there anything more delicious than banana and chocolate mixed together? This has always been my favourite combination for a muffin. These are very quick and easy to make and they're also a great way to use up elderly bananas. Ingredients 2 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 6 tablespoons water 1/4 cup vegetable oil… Continue reading Vegan banana choc chip muffins