A Vegetarian Guide

“Eating locally and in season while on a vegetarian diet is not that difficult. It only requires a little planning.”

By Jenny Methven

I love food – growing it, cooking it and eating it! Vegetarians do like their food. I have now been vegetarian for over thirty five years – from the times when a cheese salad was the only thing available to you if you went out for a meal.

Back in the early 1980’s I learned far more about the importance of the different elements of a vegetarian diet when I completed a Cordon Vert in vegetarian cookery run by the Vegetarian Society. Having a well balanced diet is important – too often people decide to become “vegetarian” and exist on a diet that is anything but healthy or interesting.

Over the last few years I have become increasingly conscious of issues around food security, greenhouse gas emissions from farming – particularly intensive animal farming – and food source. The food riots of 2008 highlighted the issue of basmati rice being exported to the West from Asia while the locals went hungry, convinced me of the need to be more mindful as well as more environmentally aware.

Moving to Fife and finding out about the Fife Diet crystallised a lot of those ideas and made me think how, as a vegetarian, I could live on locally sourced vegetarian food – as much as possible. For example

• I mix barley and spelt grains and wheat berries for risotto style dishes and for winter salads
• I use oats and other grains for vegetarian ‘sausage’ rolls
• If I use rice I use the Arborio rice from Italy.

Pulses are the more difficult issue – many, like lentils are from Turkey or even further afield. These are important for protein and some compromises have to be considered.

Beans are often transported long distances but could be grown much more locally and dried – but you do need the space for growing and drying. The field bean and quinoa trials that Fife Diet are running are important in the search for what can be grown locally in this part of the world. More work needs to be done with the growing and milling of local wheat and other grain: similarly with nuts as an important source of protein. I am trialling two hazel nut varieties!

My approach to a vegetarian Fife Diet is not to wear a hair shirt or to make things too difficult. I operate the 80/20 rule ie 80% sourced locally and 20% (at most) sourced elsewhere – ideally within the UK and Europe. As more becomes grown locally we can hopefully reduce this 20%.

Looking at a locally sourced diet raises issues for everyone, not just vegetarians – food has to be treated with importance. Planning is essential at different levels.
Consideration must be given to:

• what you grow,
• where you grow – outside, using a polytunnel, glass house or windowsill,
• whether it will be eaten fresh, dried , frozen or stored in some other way

This is a work in progress where a system of trial and error is important. Be patient. It’s worth it.

SPRING

Breakfasts Home made muesli with oats, raisins, dates and seeds, yoghurt and fruit
Juices Beetroot and carrot
Lunches Spanish Omelette. Use any seasonal/leftover vegetables – Use only organic eggs
Main meals Seasonal vegetable crumbles with oat topping. Mushroom stroganoff, Asparagus with cheese and tomato
Desserts Fruit pancakes. Bread & Butter Pudding. Rhubarb Crumble with oats
Quick food Parsnip and potato cakes with salad
Salads Mizuna, spinach leaves, mustard
Other… Home made breads – a mix of spelt, white and wholemeal – all year

SUMMER

Breakfasts Muesli – as before blueberries grown in a pot , strawberries, raspberries
Juices Cucumber, lemon and strawberry
Lunches Various soups including fresh pea soup, Home made basil pesto on potatoes. Potato gnocchi
Main meals Vegetable tarts. Barley, mushroom & sour cream bake. Courgette, tomato and cheese bakes, stuffed marrow
Desserts Rhubarb and strawberry shortbread
Quick food Spinach & ginger pasties
Salads Rocket, lettuces, tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, broccoli, potato salad. Add herbs.
Other… Rhubarb chutney, flavoured oil with chilli etc. Collect coriander seed & other herbs

AUTUMN

Breakfasts Porridge – made from oatmeal and some rolled oats
Juices Apple & carrot
Lunches Potato, onion and caraway soup, carrot pate/mushroom pate
Main meals Potato, cheese, onion and cider bake. Cauliflower, pea & potato curry, Broccoli Bake. Chilli bean hotpot with spelt grain or barley
Desserts Blackberry tart. Apple fritters
Quick food Homemade bean burger
Salads Coleslaws, beetroot
Other… Plum jam and chutney

WINTER

Breakfasts Porridge with honey and cream for special occasions, Irish potato bread with scrambled (free range organic) eggs
Juices beetroot
Lunches Lentil soup, spiced pumpkin soup, parsnip and coriander soup
Main meals Spelt grain and barley risotto Brussels sprout stir fry, Cabbage, mustard & potato casserole
Desserts Meringues or roulades with fruit frozen in the summer
Quick food Vegetarian ‘sausage’ rolls made from grains and split peas/peas
Salads Spelt grain with onion and cabbage and sprouted seed salads