What have you got planned for the year, apart from training for the 2014 Winter Paralympics?
Do you have 20 pages? Downhill ski racing training takes up 50 per cent of my time, but I have many plans for VBites, my vegan restaurant near Brighton on the beach. It’s a restaurant that doesn’t harm animals, the planet or people’s health. It’s been a big success and we plan to franchise it around the world.
I also have exciting plans for my vegan food firm The Redwood Wholefood Company, which I am very proud to say has been rated the most ethical vegetarian food company in the UK [by The Good Shopping Guide]. We already distribute to 18 countries, some of which I visit on my ski circuit, and have plans to expand.
When you’re training, how important is it to eat healthily, and what do you typically eat as part of your vegan diet?
A healthy and balanced diet is absolutely vital when training. Before training, I eat Redwood vegan ‘duck’ for protein, steamed with spinach or broccoli. Afterwards, I chug down a massive pea protein smoothie that I fill with avocado, berries, banana and soya milk. To snack, I have vegan ‘tuna’ on rice cakes in the car home. For dinner I have Lincolnshire-style sausages with red onion gravy and mash and steamed kale and roasted carrots covered in French mustard.
What are your favourite fruits and vegetables and how do you like to eat them?
I’ve always loved roast potatoes and they’re still a weekly favourite. Maris Pipers are the best. I love all veg, especially green ones such as kale, spinach and broccoli, steamed or sautéed with vegan broth or coconut oil, mustard or balsamic. As for fruits, I tend to stick to bananas, mangoes, berries, apples and pears.
What challenges have you had to overcome business-wise, and what have been the highlights of owning VBites?
It’s hard work but rewarding. We like to challenge misconceptions of veganism. It’s about being animal friendly, saving the environment and the planet. Often people don’t have a great opinion about veganism and the easiest way to change people’s minds is through great-tasting food.
What advice have you got for other food suppliers, vegetarian or otherwise?
Be as ethical as possible - ethics should be the cornerstone on which every business is founded.
What can be done to encourage people to eat more fresh produce?
You have to think creatively. I funded a programme in the Bronx, New York, to introduce vegan food to underprivileged families. Little by little, by swapping like for like - McDonald’s burgers for vegan burgers - we are helping to get obesity down. With a healthier diet we are also trying to help reverse type 2 diabetes - all with plant-based burgers, ‘fish’ and ‘chicken’. So exciting!
Tell us about your cookbook.
It’s called LoveBites - it’s a celebration of wonderfully wholesome recipes collected from around the world (proceeds go to charity). I’ve always had a love affair with food. I first embraced a vegan diet rich in vitamins, minerals and proteins when I was injured in a motorcycle accident in 1993 to help the healing process. To begin with I found it difficult to make the change to a plant-based diet a permanent one because I missed my old recipes. But I soon found that it was really easy to change to an environmentally friendly diet and recreate meat-free versions of traditional family favourites without giving up on great-tasting, satisfying food. That’s what the recipe book is all about. -
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