My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
In these times when people might want to cheer themselves up with an indulgent cake but there are no eggs available, this plant-based, chocolatey Victoria sponge is a great substitute and easy to make. It’s a recipe I use all the time and, although you can jazz it up by adding your favourite extra ingredients, …
Continue reading Chocolate Celebration Cake – (Plant based)…
I have big plans for lock down. The imposed isolation is for our own good and I’m going to try to turn the challenge into an opportunity. I will do my usual amount of walking and going to the gym, which is just a bike and a running machine and a mat upstairs, and I …
Continue reading A book and a bite: plant-based recipes to lock down to…
Imagine the scene. A woman walks into a restaurant. ‘I’m hungry,’ she says. ‘What’s for lunch?’ The waiter hands her a menu, and she peruses the list: chicken pie, omelettes, fish cakes, macaroni cheese, and several other choices. Then the waiter points to the specials board. ‘We also have beef stroganoff, tuna bake, sausage and …
Continue reading Frustrated are the vegans for they shall not eat (sometimes)…
I've just had an interesting conversation with a man who shovels poo for a living. More accurately, he has a machine which slurps waste from septic tanks and cess pits. Not the best job in the world, perhaps, but someone has to do it. On the plus side, it took him half an hour to stand …
Continue reading If a vegan diet is good for a septic tank, then it might just be good for us…
January isn't most people's favourite month. I've heard a lot of people complaining about it. It's cold. Christmas has gone and won't be back for a long time so it seems like there's nothing to celebrate. It hasn't snowed. It probably won't. A holiday to somewhere warm would be nice but.... So, with a brief …
Continue reading My top ten to bring us in from the January cold
People who love the taste of meat and then become vegetarians or vegans are admirable. The idea that you give up something you find delicious because of ethical beliefs or the idea that it is beneficial to your health is commendable. It's much easier for me. I've never liked eating meat. Some of my earliest …
Lots of people have asked me to blog about this year's Christmas dinner. I intended this year's Christmas feast to be a celebration of vegan food, with imaginative and delicious differences in each dish.But you know what happens, by half three you have had four gins and a couple of ports plus some dodgy homemade …
Continue reading Christmas vegan dinner… or eat your roux with a difference
It's something I hear quite often and I don't mind at all when people say it. 'It must be really hard being a vegan' 'You have to give up so much.' 'I could live without meat but exist without cheese? Never.' I can understand why people make these comments. I'm less anarchic than I used …
I went to the Crediton Food Festival this weekend because one of my stories had been shortlisted in the Crediton Writers' competition. It was pouring with rain, I'd eaten nothing for breakfast and I had to get up at five o'clock to make it on time. But it was certainly worth it- what a great way …
Continue reading Crediton Food Fair: a festival with great taste.
In a recent episode of Coronation Street, Cathy proposed marriage to widower Roy Cropper, who was so focused on Carla's post-wedding problems and the need to collect her in his car, that he brushed the would-be bride's pleas to one side. As Cathy moaned to her nephew Alex about what had happened, he tried to console her: …
That quintessence of dust 