It’s Veganuary, and, by no coincidence, this month the ‘Be the Change’ campaign encourages us to ‘eat a largely plant-based diet, with healthy portions and no waste’ in an effort to reduce the carbon impact of our meals. Read on to find out about some of the plant-based swops, substitutions and specials the Sustainability Team is enjoying.
Sara, Climate Action Officer Intern: “I am challenging myself to a low carbon diet by trying Veganuary this month. This is a winter quinoa salad I made with quinoa, roasted vegetables (roman broccoli, carrots, onions, brussel sprouts), seeds and beetroot dressing. Quinoa is a great versatile food to use in lots of dishes.”
Alice, Environmental Supervisor for Circular Economy: “I’ve discovered this smoked tofu is incredible in a stir fry – I add turmeric, peanut butter, soy sauce and a bit of honey for a satay vibe!”
James D, Sustainability Manager for Utilities and Carbon: “My favourite low carbon meal is a “beef” and ale pie made with Quorn and mushrooms and vegan puff pastry but adding beef stock to keep the authentic taste!”
Faith, Communications and Events Intern: “I use a ‘Lucky Iron Fish’ when cooking to make sure I’m getting enough iron. I put the iron fish in a meal for 10 minutes whilst it’s cooking to infuses the dish with a lot more iron in an easy-to-digest form. I got mine online and I love it!”
James R, Sustainability Manager for Transport: “Hardly a new discovery and not much of a challenge because it’s so tasty but I love oat milk in my morning flat white.”
Hannah, Sustainability Communications Projects Officer: “This looks really sad but I’m still working my way through the stacks of vegan cheese I bought for Christmas. I genuinely can’t tell the Cathedral City Vegan Cheese on Ritz crackers! I also love Violife’s Greek White as a replacement feta – it’s better, IMO!”
Tristan, Green Labs Analysis Officer Intern: “South Asian cuisine is a delicious, low carbon staple for me. Take for example, Rajasthani cuisine and the Jain diet. Did you know the Jain diet excludes all animal products, but also avoids root-vegetables pulled from the ground in an effort to minimise harm to living plants? It’s fascinating to see food overlap with spirituality and ethical values, and something we should strive more towards in the UK!”