My longstanding friends were utterly shocked to find out I was now a vegan. One, I have never been a huge fan of fruit or veg (and at times due to my stomach issues been advised to avoid a large majority of them). Two, I also hate avocado and mushroom (it’s a texture thing) - I know right? Imagine a blogger and a vegan that doesn’t like avocado. Three, I was always someone who adored a medium rare steak. But something shifted significantly and I just felt a responsibility to protect the planet for the next generation.
Making the switch was not as hard as I envisioned. I was lucky that I had a circle comprising of many people who had been vegan for a number of years. From going out for dinner I had a consistent stream of education on the subject and saw how they never seemed to feel a sense of lacking or sacrifice with their decision and thoroughly enjoying their food.
"It’s funny, something really just clicked for me and I hear this is often the case"
The only difficult thing at the beginning was putting a bit more thought into planning meals and dining out with friends. I did the transition fairly gradually because I knew for me that was the way I’d be able to eventually make it a sustainable and permanent way of life.
I was very surprised just how easy I found it to swap out my cow’s milk and replace it with rice, oat and almond milk. Every week another high street chain restaurant is introducing vegan dishes to their menu, and the supermarkets are really upping their game too.
The great thing about veganism is that it encourages you to experiment with your cooking and you end up finding new ways to cook things and making them taste completely different. I now eat lots of mushrooms as they are a fantastic replacement for bacon in a carbonara, for instance. We eat homemade (and now bought) vegan pizzas, we have vegan roasts on the weekend, such as a Wellington or nut roast. Also, traders are always more than willing to share how they make their dishes, because for them the more people eating and enjoying vegan food, the better.
"The only hardest part has been some of the reactions I’ve had"
I have always been a bit wary of posting that I’m vegan because it’s actually difficult to ensure you are 100% vegan (there’s lots of hidden ingredients, or products given alternatives names that make them less visible on labels) and people on the internet are always trying to find ways to catch people out. All I can say is that you can only do your best, don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake or have a wobble.
Sophie Eggleton
