In the first Vegan Pod episode of 2024, we're asking "is vegan cooking difficult?". A common stereotype is that creating vegan meals is complicated and time consuming, but is there any truth to this? As we approach the end of Veganuary, many people who are new to veganism will be deciding whether to continue the lifestyle or return to their old ways, and for a lot of people, convenience and ease can be a huge factor in this.   Vegan content creators and recipe developers, Madeleine Olivia and Johnny Morillo, join us for this episode to explore this subject and discuss how we can make veganism seem straightforward and accessible to those who might think otherwise!

In the latest episode of The Vegan Pod, and the final episode of 2023, we’re getting into the festive spirit and talking all things Christmas.   Whether you’re planning your Christmas day meal, assembling a gingerbread house, attending your works Christmas party or buying gifts – the holiday period can be tricky to navigate when you’re trying to ensure everything is suitable for an ethical vegan lifestyle!   So how can we embrace holiday traditions as vegans? What are the best swaps we can make to enjoy vegan festive food? How do we shop for loved ones whilst sticking to our vegan values?   Joining us to help answer these questions, are Louise Macbeth, owner of Beck Hall – England's first 100% plant-based hotel – and author and recipe developer Katy Beskow.       The views expressed by guests on The Vegan Pod are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society. 

In the UK, women are around twice as likely than men to be vegan – but why is this? That’s what we’re asking on the latest episode of The Vegan Pod. To help us explore the barriers that men face when it comes to living a vegan lifestyle, we’re joined by geographer, lecturer, and writer Dr Catherine Oliver and author, academic and spokesperson for Animal Rising, Dr Alex Lockwood.   The views expressed by guests on The Vegan Pod are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In the latest episode of The Vegan Pod, we’re discussing the importance of offering nutritious vegan food in public services such as schools and care homes. Despite the UK’s established and growing vegan community, we continue to face challenges in accessing healthy and nutritious food, with some public sector menus failing to consistently include a single vegan option. In this episode we’re joined by two guests to help us discuss this issue, both of whom are doing fantastic work in this area to support vegans and increase plant-based options within public services. Colette Fox joins us from ProVeg UK, where she leads its flagship programme ‘School Plates’, and Amanda Woodvine joins us from V for Life, a charity which aims to support, protect, and uphold the rights of older vegans and vegetarians.   The views expressed by guests on The Vegan Pod are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

The latest episode of The Vegan Pod explores the plant-based food market, asking whether the “vegan bubble” has really burst amid reports of drops in plant-based sales. We’re joined by Joe Hill, co-founder of One Planet Pizza and Rik Roberts, General Manager at Crack’d, to discuss highs and lows of running a vegan business, to celebrate their successes and to explore what the future of the plant-based food industry might look like.   The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In this episode of The Vegan Pod, we're asking “Should veganism be used as a vehicle for comedy?”. Does vegan humour reinforce negative assumptions about veganism or help to tackle them? How can we deal with non-vegans who choose to make jokes about the vegan lifestyle? This month we were joined by two long-time vegans and professional comedians, Chris Stokes and Ishi Khan, to help us answer these questions and understand whether it’s possible to toe the line between making people laugh and simultaneously raising awareness around such a serious issue. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In July's episode of The Vegan Pod, we’re exploring how protest laws are impacting the vegan movement and discussing how we can be effective activists in the current political climate. In this episode, our host, Rachel New is joined by Dr Alex Lockwood, spokesperson for the activist group, Animal Rising, and Dr Steve Cook, Associate Professor of Political Theory who’s research focusses on justice for nonhuman animals and the ethics of activism. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

Is it expensive to eat a vegan diet? That's what we're asking on June's episode of The Vegan Pod. Host, Rachel New, is joined by Vegan Punks, Dan and Jess and best-selling cookbook author, Katy Beskow, to help tackle the myth that it's costly to be vegan and discuss delicious ways to keep your food shop budget down! The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In May's episode of The Vegan Pod, we're celebrating Spring by talking all things gardening! Host, Rachel New, is joined by vegan gardeners Matthew Appleby and Danielle James, who help us understand how to make our gardens animal-friendly and offer advice on how to grow successfully whilst limiting our impact on natural ecosystems. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

April saw thousands of runners take place in the London Marathon, in this episode of The Vegan Pod, we talk to two vegan runners who completed this year's race! Host, Rachel New, talks with Matthew Fordham and Emily Goyal to hear their running stories, their experience of the race and how they've fuelled themselves for their training on a vegan diet. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In this episode of The Vegan Pod, we're asking "Do companion animals make vegans hypocrites?" For vegans, there can be a number of questions and concerns when it comes to taking on a companion animal, from the overarching question “is it vegan to keep an animal?” to questions around breeding and adoption, and, of course, what to feed them to keep them happy and healthy. To help us with this fascinating and important discussion, host Rachel New is joined by Veterinary Professor, Andrew Knight, and co-director of Vegeco, Damian Eadie.   The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

Happy Valentine’s Day! In this month's episode of The Vegan Pod, we’re talking love and asking - would you have a vegan wedding even if it meant losing guests?   Joining us on this episode, to discuss organising and hosting vegan weddings, we have Tomi Makanjuola, vegan chef, writer and content creator, who had her vegan wedding at the end of last year, and Sian Bowron, who’s been running her wedding planning business, Amythest Weddings, since 2012. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of the Vegan Pod 2023! January is a time for fresh starts, resolutions, and making positive changes for the year ahead. One thing lots of people are considering this year, is their environmental impact - a Vegan Society survey has found that over half of Brits planned to make a resolution this year with an environmental goal in mind.   Joining us on this episode to discuss low-waste living and veganism, we have Camilla Gaillardin, co-founder of vegan, zero-waste personal care brand, Milly & Sissy, and Gittemarie Johansen, sustainability expert and zero-waste blogger. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

Christmas is upon us and, naturally, in the latest episode of The Vegan Pod, we're talking all things foodie and festive! Host Rachel New is joined by Sandra McLaren-Stewart, Founder and Director of Saorsa 1875, the UK’s first 100% vegan hotel in the Scottish Highlands, and food blogger Vegan Olive. Together, the trio discuss the delicate business of hosting non-vegans at Christmas and the ever-increasing range of vegan seasonal goodies to appease their palettes. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In celebration of World Vegan Month, our latest episode of the Pod is exploring how veganism has grown and how it is experienced across the world. To help us on this cultural journey, host Rachel New is joined by Nadia Mckechnie and Saori Kondo, founders of Vegan Consulting Japan and Brighde Reed, co-founder of Vegan World Travel. As well as being the official trademark agent for The Vegan Society, Saori and Nadia are helping to raise the vegan profile in Japan while Brighde's worldwide luxury tours ensures vegans have an unforgettable experience with food aplenty. The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.

In October's podcast episode, we're celebrating Black History Month. Joining host Rachel New are chef Ngwafu Tansie, whose catering service Gwafuvegan specialises in West African food, and recipe creator and food photographer Livhuwani Tshikhudo, to share insights into how veganism ties into their cultures and some of their favourite ingredients and dishes to create and adapt.  

In honour of International Day of Peace, this episode is all about the practicalities and possibilities of achieving a vegan utopia.   Guest host Rachel New is joined by sociology lecturer at the University of Kent, Dr Corey Wrenn, and the author of How to Argue with Vegans, Benny Malone, to discuss how a global shift to veganism could benefit humankind, how realistic it is and what a vegan world might actually look like.  

In this episode, guest host Rachel New will be joined by Sascha Camilli, founder of the world’s first digital fashion magazine, and Shaun Packe, Global Sourcing and Sustainability Director at clothing and footwear brand Superdry, to discuss responsible fashion. They’ll be talking about how vegans adapt their wardrobes to align with their values and how brands are tackling the overlap between ethical and sustainable clothing.  

As the UK prepares to host the Commonwealth Games, we decided what better time to tackle stereotypes of ‘weak and unhealthy vegans’.   To get us in the spirit our guest host, Rachel New, is joined by vegan athlete, Lisa Gawthorne, and former Midlands boxing champion, Jamal Le Doux, to discuss all things fitness and vegan. 

Do vegans live longer than non-vegans? Is veganism the secret to living a longer, fuller life? Is it sustainable long term? Is it a suitable diet for older adults to follow? Plant-based dietitan Harpreet Sohal and healthy ageing writer Jane Thurnell-Read discuss this further with our host Francine Jordan.

Is extreme activism counterproductive to the vegan movement? Is there such a thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ activism? Sentient Media’s Ana Bradley and Think Like a Vegan author Emilia Leese join our host Francine Jordan to discuss this further.