Have a Veggie Merry Christmas!

© iStockPhoto / sylvanworks

I love Christmas! This is the second year I have lived in London and been able to experience all the festivities – the lights on Regent Street, the brilliant decorations on Carnaby Street, the chestnut sellers on Tower Bridge – shall I go on? Because I can, trust me!

But, of course, there is a sadder side to Christmas. More animals are killed to be eaten on Christmas Day than for any other day of the year. Turkeys, geese, pigs, chickens – the list goes on. Every one of these animals will have been violently slaughtered, and most will have spent their entire lives in confinement on factory farms – and for what? Eating the corpse of a tormented animal does not equate to the spirit of the season, and neither does cruelty to animals promote Christmas cheer. So why do people do people feel the need to stuff themselves with as much dead flesh as they can? Whatever the reason, there is no excuse.

Nobody needs to eat meat on Christmas Day or on any other day! There are so many scrumptious and compassionate foods on the market: for example, wonderful vegan roasts  are available from Redwood and Tofurky, and there are so many vegan sausages, bacon and other products for sale that the options are limitless! Here are some of my favourites for you to try: for sausages, try Fry’s Traditional Sausages, and if you fancy wrapping them in a bit of “bacon”, you can pick up some Streaky-Style Vegetarian Rashers from Redwood.

And for dessert, there’s no need to forgo the Christmas pudding! Every possible seasonal treat is taken care of: try Tesco-brand mince pies and Co-op after-dinner mints, which are all vegan. Co-op are even labelling their champagne and wine to show which are suitable for vegans, making it even easier to celebrate a cruelty-free Christmas. So come on – this year, let’s spread a little cheer for animals too!

With Christmas dinner all taken care of, you’ll have more time to sit back and watch naf Christmas films (unless they’re James Bond films starring the hero of our foie gras campaign, Sir Roger Moore).

Happy “Vege-mas”, everyone!