About Katie



Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Katie and this is my introduction to my veggie kitchen and what my blog is all about. I turned vegetarian at the age of 10, after one of my sisters' attempts to go veggie failed miserably. I thought, 'I can do better than that!' and decided to have a go myself. It wasn't just that competitive streak that led me to make that big decision, though. I had also started to become more interested in animal rights, and more aware of the cruelty that animals suffered at the hands of humans just for us to have meat on our plates. To me, this seemed wrong. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about what I was actually eating, and eventually, I couldn't get past the idea that this was just the flesh of a dead animal that I was putting into my mouth. The thought made me feel sick. To me, it was no different to eating a human arm or leg - and if the thought of that doesn't sound too appetising, well, you understand how I felt looking at the chicken breast on my plate. So that was that, I became vegetarian.

I was lucky enough to have very supportive parents, who adapted meals for me, and actually started eating more vegetarian food themselves, as a result of my new diet. And when I moved away from home at 18, to start uni, I realised I was going to have to learn to cook, too! Armed with a couple of my mum's recipes and packets of Pasta 'n' Sauce (my parents were supportive, but clearly didn't have that much faith in my ability to cook edible meals!), I set off on my journey into the veggie kitchen. I ate a lot of pasta and pesto that first year, but I also started experimenting and cooking proper meals from scratch. A couple of years later, on my year abroad in Germany, I found myself having the added challenge of cooking with unfamiliar brands and ingredients, whilst at the same time being asked to run classes on Scottish cookery at the school I was working in. Suddenly, this whole cooking malarky really felt like an adventure! And each year, I grew to enjoy it more and more.

I am by no means setting myself on a pedestal and saying I'm the best cook in the world (I'm not!), or that I know the most about nutrition (I don't!), but I do love to cook, and I really love to write - and I was inspired by reading other food blogs. And so many people ask me 'what do you eat?' when I tell them that I'm vegetarian. So I decided to start Katie in the Veggie Kitchen to share my recipes and food-related tips. I should 'come clean' here and admit that I am not strict on cheeses and wines, ciders, etc. being vegetarian. Much as I don't love the idea of how some of these products are made, I am afraid I just find eliminating them from my diet one step too far. So if you are a stricter vegetarian than I am, this is my disclaimer: you may find ingredients in my recipes that you don't agree are vegetarian. I hope that you will be able to adapt such recipes to your own requirements and still enjoy my blog.

I aim to blog about recipes I love, new recipes I try out, vegetarian products, local restaurants and cafes, and the 'tools of the trade' that I buy for my veggie kitchen. I hope that people enjoy the recipes and reviews, and that I inspire you - vegetarian or not - to try some of these ideas and cook your own delicious vegetarian meals!

Bon appetit!

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