Conflicting influences: Vegetarianism vs Carnivorism

Growing up, I had a vegetarian mother and a father who wouldn't eat a meal if it didn't involve some sort of meaty component. I don't ever remember being particularly encouraged to sway in either one direction, but these influences during my childhood enabled me to learn how to cook from both perspectives. I do believe the contrasting diets I witnessed helped shape my adult appreciation for a wide variety of foods which fall under both categories. 

My parents divorced when I was a baby, so this meant that whilst I shared my childhood between two separate worlds, I also had two separate diets. This division seems to clearly define my food memories into two classes. Despite thoroughly enjoying meat, for some reason my favourite and most memorable childhood meal was one of my mother's vegetarian creations. I'm not sure if it was because I was a mummy's girl or just because the food she cooked was so darn yummy.

Favourite meal: Spaghetti with 'Mummy's Special Sauce' (Not just any sauce, oh no.)
 

 
My mother actually quite comically named the sauce this herself. Ideas of grandure, or perhaps just an attempt to excite me into eating it? Spagehetti is pretty simple, whereas obviously the recipe for the sauce was much more complex and secret.

OR SO I THOUGHT. As it happens, the title and secrecy of 'Mummy's Special Sauce' was another childhood myth, probably up there with the tooth fairy or Santa.
When my mum wrote down the ingredients for me as a teenager so I could cook it again, it turned out to just be bolognese sauce with Quorn mince instead of beef.
However this simple recipe has always been my staple, because it's still edible if only a few of the main ingredients are available- which has come in very handy at university!


One of the most dominating issues in the vegetarianism debate is that of raising a child as a vegetarian, and the child's right to choice. I was never raised as strictly anything, yet I have been given a large appreciation towards vegetarian cooking and I believe all children should experience meet free meals. Here is a very cute video by a young chef demonstrating how to make a healthy macaroni and cheese: