Today sees the start of National Vegetarian Week and what better place to celebrate than at the renowned Henderson’s vegetarian restaurant and arts venue on Hanover Street?
Every day next week, they have organised tastings in their shop of wines, beers, marshmallows, raw food and spreads. Established in 1962, Henderson’s is now an institution in the Capital, offering quality vegetarian meals in its rustic and easy going atmosphere. Their café current exhibition is of production stills from Edinburgh shot film, The Space Between.
On 20th May, Henderson’s hosted the launch of a new booklet Nutrition for Older Vegetarians and Vegans produced by the charity Vegetarian for Life. They did this by offering a delicious afternoon tea that consisted of orange juice, celery with a hummus dip and oatcake, home made scone with jam and butter with a pot of tea. During the tea, customers had the chance to speak to VfL’s director, Tina Fox, and find out something of the charity’s aims.
Once a veggie...
Vegetarian for Life, a charity that supports older vegetarians and vegans and their carers, was started in 2008 and has as its patron the UK’s leading vegetarian cook and writer, Rose Elliot, who has played a key role in transforming the image, taste and popularity of vegetarian food. The charity offers courses in vegetarian cooking for care homes which of course will not only benefit those who’ve already made that dietary choice, but could be beneficial to non-vegetarians merely as a healthy, even if not an ethical option. Bield Housing, a Scottish charity, is already vegetarian friendly and a sister organisation, Trust Housing, is coming on board.
With an ageing population, and with over 5000 vegetarians in care homes in UK, and about 25% of care homes having vegan or vegetarian residents, the issue of ensuring the provision of quality food and a continuation of a chosen lifestyle for these residents is important if not paramount. Of course this applies to meals on wheels, lunch clubs and the dependency on home catering by carers.
There is a parallel here with older people who are gay finding themselves in residential care, at the mercy of outmoded attitudes and having to conform to norms that their personal life choice had rejected. A vegetarian in residential care can be faced with a lack of choice in their diet and a lack of consideration of their chosen way of life when they were less dependent and this is what Vegetarian for Life is addressing.