— Rachael Connelly and Natalie Littlewood contributed with this report
Lincoln’s vegetarians and vegans showed that there is more to their diets than lettuce leaves and lentils on Saturday, November 6th.
The third annual Veggie Fayre was held at Trinity United Reformed Church in Lincoln, with the aim to promote vegetarianism and raise awareness of animal rights issues and abuses.
The event featured stalls from local and regional vegan and vegetarian businesses, as well as cookery demonstrations and nutritional advice. With more companies than before sponsoring the day, and an increase in the number of stalls, there was plenty on offer.
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— Pictures by Rachael Connelly
Linda Wardale, Group Coordinator for Vegan Lincs and Lincolnshire’s Local Contact for The Vegan Society and The Vegetarian Society, said that the fayre had attracted a good range of people.
“It’s not just vegetarians and vegans [who come to the fayre] but, meat eaters as well who want to look for alternatives and cut down on their meat intake.
“These food fayres are great because you can try things and it is a way of showing people that you can be vegan and you can have great cakes, and great food”, she says.
Linda believes that the rise in visitors to the fayre represents an increase in the profile of vegetarianism as a whole, saying: “We had over 500 people attend last year, but this year …seems to be an awful lot
busier”.
She believes that “even in the last twelve months”, more and more people are considering a vegetarian lifestyle for various reasons.
“People are becoming more health conscious and more aware of the environment and of course of the animal welfare side of things.
“There is a change. People’s attitudes are changing and they are being made more aware because there is more information around.”
If you fancy a taste of vegan food, try one of Viva’s delicious recipes – a perfect alternative to Supernoodles.
Almost Instant Noodles
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 500g/1lb 2oz noodles
- 450g/1lb carrots
- Bunch chopped parsley
- 1-2cm/½-1 inch cube fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- Shoyu (soy sauce) to taste
- Mixed seeds: ½ cup: sunflower/pumpkin/sesame
- Fresh or dried chilli
How to:
- Boil kettle.
- Put noodles into a pan and pour enough water over them to cover well.
- Bring back to boil for 2-3 minutes until soft. Drain.
- During this time, peel and chop garlic and ginger and fry very gently (almost just warming) in a frying pan.
- Add shoyu and mixed seeds.
- Grate carrots and put aside.
- If you use it, chop chilli (only use a little to start with) and add, or else a pinch of chilli powder.
- Stir in noodles, season with salt and pepper then add grated carrots and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.