River Cottage

Hugh's latest book, River Cottage Veg Every Day!, has hit the shelves.

"This is a vegetable cookbook," says Hugh.

"Whether or not it’s a vegetarian cookbook depends perhaps on your point of view, and your food politics," he adds.

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"It’s not written by a vegetarian, or with the intention of persuading you or anyone else to become a vegetarian.

"But in the sense that not one of the recipes here contains a scrap of meat or fish, then it is indeed quite strictly vegetarian.

"If you've seen my shows and read my books, you may be feeling a bit baffled to find yourself reading an article written by that notorious carnivore Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about the joys of eating less meat.

"I can appreciate that.

"But I really have been eating a lot less meat lately and I'm feeling almost evangelical about persuading other people to do the same.

"Let me be clear: I have not become a vegetarian, nor do I think I ever will.

"So the dialogue I'm keen to begin with other meat-eaters is not about vegetarianism, it's about vegetables.

"I would love to persuade you to eat more vegetables. And thereby to eat less meat – and maybe a bit less fish too.

"Why?

"To summarise, we need to eat more vegetables and less flesh because vegetables are the foods that do us the most good and our planet the least harm.

"Do I need to spell out the arguments to support that assertion? Is there anyone who seriously doubts it to be true?

"Just ask yourself if you, or anyone you know, might be in danger of eating too many vegetables.

"Or if you think the world might be a better, cleaner, greener place with a few more factory chicken farms or intensive pig units.

"We eat too much meat in the west – too much for our own health and far too much for the welfare of the many millions of animals we raise for food.

"I believe that factory farming is plain wrong – environmentally and ethically.

"So it saddens me to say that, despite some recent significant gains in the UK on poultry and pork welfare, the problems associated with the industrial production of meat are, globally speaking, as bad as ever.

"I still believe in being a selective omnivore, casting a positive vote in favour of ethically produced meat and sustainably caught fish.

"However, I now understand that in order to eat these foods in good conscience, I have to recognise, control and impose limits on my appetite for them.

"To that end, over the last 18 months or so, I have undergone a sea change in the way I cook: it began as an exercise, but it became nothing short of a small revolution.

"It is now the case that most of the meals I eat contain no meat or fish. And I can tell you, with my hand on my heart, that I eat better than ever."

River Cottage Veg Every Day! on Amazon for less than half price >