Go Vegan (Like the Easter Bunny)

The Easter bunny is vegan: he’s an herbivore, so he doesn’t eat any animal products at all. He doesn’t even drink milk. In fact, if you think about it, you’ll realise that humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another animal. Our bodies aren’t designed to consume milk beyond infancy, which perhaps explains why up to 60 percent of us worldwide are lactose-intolerant.

At Easter, we’re surrounded by images of cute animals and new life. So isn’t it ironic that so many people celebrate Easter with food that is produced by exploiting and killing animals? The egg industry generally tosses live baby male chicks into the meat grinder when they’re only a day old. Fluffy little lambs may be sent to the abattoir at the tender age of 4 months. And wide-eyed calves born to cows used for their milk are torn away from their mothers’ sides as soon as they’re born and often end up being shot or shipped across the English Channel, chained up in a terrifying, small dark crate before being killed for veal.

Make sure there’s no dark side to your Easter celebrations this year by avoiding eggs, dairy products and meat. You can get some helpful tips in our free vegan starter kit.

And for those of you who pledged to go vegan for Lent, give yourselves a massive pat on the back, with these delectable chocolate concoctions:

• Thorntons’ classic Dark Chunky Egg (£6.50) is an example of affordable and yummy vegan chocolate on the high street. If you want to make it extra-special, you can even get a message iced on the side.

• Made from organic rice milk, Moo Free’s Easter Bunny Bar (69p) is the perfect bite-sized gift – or you could just eat it yourself, of course! Available at Waitrose and many health-food shops across the UK.

• Chocolate doesn’t get much fancier than Booja-Booja’s Champagne Chocolate Truffles (£25.00) – as an added bonus, they come in a beautiful hand-painted wooden box. Order online or find your nearest supplier.

• Montezuma’s organic Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs With Almond Praline (£5.49) are making our stomachs rumble just by looking at them! Get your hands on them in shops in London, Brighton, Winchester or Chichester, or order online.

• The only kind of animal a vegan is OK with eating is one made from dairy-free chocolate! Hotel Chocolat’s luxurious Dark Bunny Lick (£1.95) fits the bill perfectly.