The pros – and cons – of being vegan

There are a lot of cons to being a vegan. No longer can you sink your teeth into a bloody steak, have a hangover-beating bacon sandwich, or eat a mountain of Mac and cheese.

No four cheese pizzas or roast chicken dinners. No ice cream sundaes – the thing I miss most.

It’s difficult go out for dinner, and even if you find somewhere that’ll give you some falafel and hummus you can forget about having pudding.

When you tell someone you’re a vegan, 9 out of 10 times you get ‘the look’ and the same incredulous questions over and over like: “But how do you LIVE without cheese?!”

But there are a lot of pros.

Vegans have a significantly lower fat diet than non-vegans (unless all you eat is chips).

The environmental benefits are enormous; it takes a lot less land to produce vegetables than it does to rear cattle.

It’s cheaper. When your trolley is full of pulses, vegetables and fruits it usually works out as less expensive than meat and expensive dairy products.

You’re forced to become more creative. Having to find a way to make a chocolate mousse pie with zero cream or eggs is a challenge but not impossible!

I went vegan due to a killer lactose intolerance but it’s definitely an added extra that nothing is being killed or mistreated so I can eat.

I spend the majority of my time baking and hoping to make the elusive desserts that are indistinguishable from ‘normal’ puddings. Key lime pie? Banoffee cupcakes? Brownies, tarts and six-layer cakes with edible glitter and peanut frosting? I’ve made them all, and they’ve all been devoured and enjoyed by non-vegans and vegans alike.

So here’s an easy recipe for my Pumpkiningeradamia cupcakes for you to try. The oil is the replacement for eggs, and vegan margarine is next to the butter in most supermarkets nowadays.

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