To be or not to be … a vegetarian

... or somewhere in between!

Anything goes these days. I've been a vegetarian for many years, in excess of 30. Back in the day it was not easy. Believe it or not I've known people who said they didn't eat meat but always indulged in a bacon buttie at the weekend – I jest not.

I now realise that I've disliked meat since I was a kid – in the 50s and 60s you didn't say no – meat has always been expensive – look at the famous protected recipes like a Cornish Pasty, or Mexican food - there is a very small meat content simply because nobody had money for expensive ingredients.

I've been at dinner parties and so embarrassed because I had to announce that I didn't eat meat – even though the host had been to my home and had apparently forgotten – then after the excruciating time of cobbling what she thought was “vegetarian” - then ladled gravy made with meat and bacon over my vegetables – hmm.

I am happy to report that we've moved on a pace since then and now we've swung the other way - there are so many versions of the classic “vegetarian” it's difficult to keep up. You can be a flexitarian – semi-vegetarian, those who eat mostly veggie but occasionally eat meat. A Pescatarian – abstain from eating animal flesh with the exception of fish. A stepping stone may be to a veggie.

In my world, 35 plus years ago a vegetarian was pure and simple – I didn't eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind but did eat eggs and dairy products – in other words a lacto-ovo-veggie. Lacto – milk – ovo - egg ergo a Lacto-ovo veggie.

Are you confused yet?

Coming up we'll do some veggie stuff, to suit every style of vegetarian!