My sister has gone vegan all of a sudden, without warning. I do admire the conviction and strength of character necessary to undergo such a big dietary change. It is a noble, ethical choice and one that doesn’t come easily, either. Once fully embraced, the new way of life informs all day-to-day decisions and corresponding behaviour, as there are no more animal products of any kind for the consumer.

Knowing my sister, she would have renounced lamb chops a lot more easily than her collection of leather jackets and suede boots!

To this day the notion of veganism is about as foreign to the mainstream
public as an ancient Sanskrit text. The overall curiosity it inspires stems
from that one fundamental question: “If you don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs and
honey, then what can you eat?”

This same query has driven one of my newest food challenges: to create sensational, nutritionally balanced Italian meals that both vegans and omnivorous alike can enjoy, free of judgement or guilt.

The biggest surprise came when I realised that even when you remove all animal products out of the cookery equation, it’s still possible to devise recipes (for many different occasions) that offer the same type of satisfaction to the palate. This is usually where pulses, legumes and root vegetables take centrestage; when accompanied with a few Italian pantry staples (think extra virgin olive oil), they shine in their wholesome, glorious simplicity.

In all honesty, I am not about to turn vegan anytime soon, however I can say I appreciate what it stands for. I also thoroughly enjoyed introducing the concept into my family kitchen where my children were able to quietly absorb it, and learn a lesson about other people’s food choices at the same time.

Here’s my vegan recipe for lentil, sweet potato and chickpea stew.