Parmigiana at Henderson’s
The best thing about only eating animals I kill myself is being vegetarian most of the time.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with a book title like ‘Ethical Carnivore’, that people will presume I spend most of my time eating meat.
But I’m really not that good at shooting and fishing. Also, learning about livestock farming in the process of writing the book has made me appreciate where meat is from, and therefore want to eat better quality and less.
Apart from occasional game and a freezer-ful of venison I am slowly working my way through, I am mostly vegetarian. It has made me feel healthier and I’ve really enjoyed learning to make more of vegetables.
At the start of the project I popped down to my favourite restaurant in Edinburgh, Henderson’s, to learn how to make delicious vegetarian salads.
Henderson’s of Edinburgh
The cafe was set up by a friend of my Granny’s Janet Henderson who was inspired to be vegetarian after visiting Austria in the 1930s.
Even back then it was not a new idea. Communication with vegetarian cultures like India means that we have been exposed to the health benefits for centuries. Historic figures from Percy Shelley to Gandhi were vegetarian. But in Scotland it was still pretty radical!
As a farmer’s wife Janet had access to fresh vegetables from the farm in East Lothian. She was also inventive with recipes as a time when most people served vegetables boiled. She set up a salad bar in 1962 that soon became popular with office workers and artists alike.
Today Henderson’s is an Edinburgh institution, famous for its salads. I helped to make up some popular dishes and serve them out.
Making salad at Henderson’s
The salad bar at Henderson’s
Serving salad at Henderson’s
Meat alternatives are also a good option for cutting down on meat. I met Hilary and Alberto of Sgaia Foods at Stockbridge Farmers Market. These two young Italians have been making ‘mheat’, as they call it, out of wheat protein, soya, herbs and spices.
I went along to their warehouse in Paisley to see how they do it.
Hilary and Alberto of Sgaia Foods
Perhaps because of their Italian heritage, Hilary and Alberto have a real sense of food culture. Each batch of mheat is made individually and with real love and care.
The making of mheat
The ‘mheat’ is pre-cooked and sold in chunks of ‘steak’. ‘Vegan butchers’ Hilary and Alberto are also working on sausages, burghers and even salami.
Preparing mheat
I made mushroom alla piastra with mheat steak and while it wasn’t the same as meat, it was delicious. I think it could certainly make a cheap and ethical alternative to meat every night of the week.
Mheat mushroom alla piastra
I realise these blogs have been somewhat scattergun in their approach during my time as an Ethical Carnivore.
Many of the photographs and stories are too good to put online. Or do not suit the format of a blog.
However it has been helpful to occasionally communicate with the outside world whilst writing a book. For example to celebrate all the vegetarian food I have been eating! I hope to continue blogging but the best bits are saved for the book.
I don’t want to give anything away but… I think that one of the most important things I have learned is to appreciate meat. And for me, that means eating less.
As ever, I would love to know your views on eating less meat.
