Jenny Liddle is a longstanding vegan- so we talked to her about what prompted the change so many years ago and asked her about raising her daughter on a plant based diet.
Jenny Liddle
Please tell us why and when you became a vegan.
I became vegan 17 years ago because of a deep belief in animal welfare, environmental issues and health concerns. It's been shown that eating 7 or more portions of vegetables and fruit a day can cut early death by 40%. Farming of animals is damaging to the planet - it's in the top three causes of all major environmental problems from local water pollution to global climate change. Just by farming animals we're taking away freedom - it's their life not ours. Even if they're farmed organically, we're still doing it!
You regularly post on your social media channels about vegan related news, so why is it important for you to do this?
I'm proud of being vegan, so it's lovely to be able to share things with my friends and hopefully our non-vegan friends will see them and maybe it'll get them thinking about veganism too. Several of our friends organise vegan festivals so it's nice to get everyone spreading the word.
I see your daughter has got involved with some vegan cooking too- so did you raise her as vegan or was that her choice as she got older?
We raised her vegan from birth although it is now her choice. We feel confident in this decision as The British Dietetic Association state that, '...well-planned plant-based, vegan-friendly diets can be devised to support healthy living at every age and life-stage.'[1] Our health visitor was also very supportive of our intention after reading the back-up information we gave her.
What events, groups, festivals would you recommend vegans to go to in order to mix with like-minded people and discover new information and foods?
The West Midlands Vegan festival, www.veganmidlands.org.uk, Exeter Christmas without Cruelty Fair, Viva Vegan Festivals (nationwide) and our Bristol vegans group - I strongly recommend joining your local vegan group, easily found on Facebook.
What is your favourite vegan feast to cook at home?
Cornish pasties, roast potatoes and mixed veg followed by an indulgent ice cream sundae.
You run an ethical PR, marketing, design and web design company, so how does the company message link in with your vegan lifestyle?
With www.excellart.co.uk we wanted to try and help companies, services and individuals that stood for the same things we do, so we decided to specialise in the vegan, vegetarian, ethical and not-for-profit sector. We can't promote something that we don't personally believe in.
Where are your favourite sources of vegan info? Do you have any magazines, websites, books or documentaries you can recommend?
We're all big fans of Dr Michael Greger, so we get regular updates from his newsletter. We also get The Vegan and The Vegetarian magazines. Our favourite film is Vegucated. And author, Vegan Sidekick is my hero - I have one of his books. When she was younger, our daughter Emily enjoyed the books, Herb the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass and Dave Loves Chickens by Carlos Patiño.
Is there a vegan in the celebrity world you have a lot of admiration for?
Roxy Shahidi who plays Leyla Harding in Emmerdale. She looks amazing, is a lovely person and is always working hard to promote the vegan lifestyle.
What vegan products can't you live without? Incognito Insect Repellent Spray (www.lessmosquito.com), the Qu-Chi acupressure band for my hayfever (www.qu-chi.co.uk), the Cisca Saltpipe (www.thesaltpipe.co.uk) and a Mr Singh's pizza - they make the best vegan pizzas in the UK (www.mrsinghspizza.co.uk).
How do you handle it when people challenge your lifestyle?
With respect for the other person's point of view and explaining why I'm vegan in a non-confrontational and positive way. But also with confidence (Veganism is a protected belief; since 1993, veganism has been explicitly protected as a human right under Article 9 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights[2]).
References
[1] conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/005.htm/2 The British Dietetic Association, 'Memorandum of Understanding between The Vegan Society and the British Dietetic Association', 12th March 2014.
[2] http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/005.htm/
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