My personal vegan journey started with me becoming lactose intolerant when I was a teenager, although I now realise that was because I’m not a baby cow! At the time, there weren’t so many alternatives and it had a pretty big impact on me having to rediscover food and my relationship with what I consumed.
I quickly became hooked on Alpro soya strawberry milkshakes — I even now have a tattoo of a soya milk carton! This change led me to discussing dairy-free alternatives with vegan friends and acquaintances and learning more about it all. I always loved animals, but never made the connection as a child or understood the pain and cruelty that animal agriculture causes. When I left home for university, I found myself purchasing less and less meat over time, until I realised I was a dairy-free vegetarian and that if I just cut out eggs I could become vegan! This was six years ago now, and I gradually phased out any non-vegan make-up and clothes. It’s been amazing watching veganism grow into mainstream culture and finally finding delicious cheese alternatives in most stores.