food & Drink
little butter in those moments.” Egg and butter-fuelled work trips aside, “more and more people are eating vegan and are up for experimenting,” says Cotton. Hence Happy Vegan, which she says is for “vegans; people that have never tried vegan; and those like myself, who eat a lot of vegan food but want to learn more,” - and that’s regardless of the motivation behind your decision. “We all have a better understanding these days of how food affects us, and also how our food choices affect the planet,” adds Cotton. “Whenever you decide to eat vegan, whether it be for a month or once a week on a Monday, it’s still going to be beneficial to you and the planet.” In terms of the recipes, “fun and easy” is her mantra - so don’t expect to have to go shopping for a vast array of new ingredients, or for a specific vegan larder. Tere are cauliflower steaks and tofu fingers, tomato dahl and vegetable koſta wraps, plus the odd recipe that might raise a few surprised eyebrows. Take her blueberry and cannellini bean tray bake with tahini and maple syrup icing, Cotton’s way of tricking her kids into eating more protein. And she is particularly proud of her veggie black bean sausages. “I was dead-set on creating my own kind of homemade banger,” she buzzes. “Tey’re packed with flavour and so easy to make.”
“WE ALL HAVE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING THESE DAYS OF HOW FOOD AFFECTS US”
Cotton spent a lot of time in LA in her 20s, and ate at a lot of vegan restaurants while there, so she’s found it really exciting to see so many restaurants closer to home increasingly adopting the ethos, or at least offering more interesting vegan options. She’s all about making it a lifestyle that’s more accessible, especially at home, even getting her kids involved in the kitchen. “I cook with the kids a lot,” she says. “Tey luckily love it, but it’s mainly cakes they enjoy making! Banana loaves, choc energy balls - Honey’s fave - chocolate cake... Tey love it all.” It echoes memories she made as a child herself; she recalls making jam tarts with her Nan Ruby, ones that were “super gooey with a rough crust!” However, Cotton understands that not everyone finds cooking enjoyable, and it can feel even more daunting if you’re trying vegan recipes for the first time.
Her advice - particularly if cooking is something you find stressful - is to “keep trying to cook from scratch for fun”, and to “put great music on, take your time if you can, and be proud of what you created”. Ultimately, it’s about finding what works for you. “If you don’t eat enough or eat too much sugar, or binge on a certain food too much, you’ll of course feel rubbish,” she explains. “Eating in a balanced way can be challenging with how fast-paced life is, but if we have fun cooking and try new stuff, and notice how we feel aſter eating certain things, we have a better chance of having more energy and a better mindset.” >>
“MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
ARE EATING VEGAN AND ARE UP FOR EXPERIMENTING”
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