JLife’s Evangeline Spachis meets Alex Connell, the principal tutor and chef at The Vegetarian Cookery School, part of The Vegetarian Society.
How did you become a vegetarian?
I became a vegetarian when I was studying philosophy and I was introduced to lots of new ways of looking at the world. To cut a long story short, the argument put forward was: are animals so different from humans that we can do what we want with them or are they closer than commonly thought? If they are closer, should we extend some of the rights we give to fellow humans to non-human animals? I fell on the side of ‘better to be safe than sorry’ and decided pretty much that day to give up meat.
That was 22 years ago. I don’t feel I have missed out on eating meat and would consider myself to be quite healthy – I’ve completed four marathons and enjoy regular long distance runs.
Did you always have a desire to work with food, or did your conversion to vegetarianism facilitate this?
I have always been interested in cookery. One of my earliest memories was making pastry ‘snakes’ with jam on them at home. They don’t seem that appetising now but it was my first experience of the pleasures of cooking. As time went by I regularly cooked for the family.
On leaving home I was able to bring all of the elements of cookery together: shopping, budgeting, cooking and of course, sharing. When I was lucky enough to get a job at The Vegetarian Society that combined my passion of food and vegetarianism together, I had found my dream job.
After seven years, I decided I wanted to further develop my catering skills and worked in Devon, Bolton and North Wales. I’m now back at The Vegetarian Society Cookery School as the principal tutor and I think the experiences outside of the society really helped my understanding of catering.
You have created a number of courses for young people at The Vegetarian Society Cookery School. How important is early education to you?
We have created a range of courses for young people such as our ‘Kids in the Kitchen’ and ‘Vegan Ventures’ and we also visit catering college students. All our courses aim to give a better understanding of why someone may want to adopt a vegetarian diet and how to get the balance right. I think it is very important to be introduced to more ethical ways of eating, even from an early age.
The ‘Cordon Vert’ Professional Diploma course is a must for chefs who want to learn about vegetarian cuisine. Is there still a long way to go in terms of encouraging today’s chefs to try alternative ingredients and recipes?
Our professional course attracts chefs from across the world which reflects just how popular vegetarian food is becoming. Restaurant owners can no longer offer poor alternatives: it’s simply bad for business. Some chefs are a little reluctant about embracing the changes but these are few and far between. Catering is a fluid industry, embrace the change!
Can you give our readers a run-down of some of your ongoing campaigns?
We are about to launch our new ‘Unstuffed’ campaign – it’s about inspiring people who are making New Year’s resolutions to think about going meat-free. ‘Unstuffed’ is a five-week vegetarian meal plan, with breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts and snacks. It’s the best-tasting New Year’s resolution. If you know anyone who may be interested get them to visitUnstuffed.org.uk and sign up. ‘Unstuffed’ goes well with our ‘Light, Healthy and Easy’ course or our ‘Introduction to Vegetarian Cooking’ – all our courses tend to reflect a healthy ethos using a broad range of ingredients.
Coming up next year, National Vegetarian Week 2016 runs from 16th– 22nd May and we are planning to use it celebrate food, traditions and those special dishes.
Food has a special place on everyone’s table and can evoke great memories of places, people and events – keep a look out at The Vegetarian Society website for more updates.
The Jewish Vegetarian Society also continues to have a strong following throughout the world. Is it a priority of yours to work with religious organisations and faiths on the virtues of vegetarianism?
We work with many groups including faith groups, other charities, businesses, schools, social groups etc. Any platform to promote, support and encourage vegetarianism is explored.
For more information about the cookery school and the work done by The Vegetarian Society, visit Vegsoc.org.uk.
