FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

FRIENDS GAZETTE
Your articles look at moral reasons for being
vegetarian or vegan which is a very
interesting mix and unique . . .
Tim Barford - founder VegFestUK

DECEMBER 2016 - ISSN 2053-4426

UK and FRANCE - e-mail: friendsgazette@gmail.com

Help at hand as vegans and veggies face Christmas dinner ding-dong

IT MIGHT be ding-dong
merrily on high for most
people at Christmas but
for vegans and vegetarians it could well be a
ding-dong
of
a
very
different variety.
For arguments often arise over
why they choose to abstain from
tucking into a mountain of dead
animals and birds to celebrate the
birth of one of the most nonviolent personages of all time.
Ironically the holiday season of good
will is anything but for the animal
kingdom with Christmas, Boxing Day
and New Year tables groaning with
slaughtered once-living beings.
It's a time, therefore, when vegans
and vegetarians, some who may have

only recently swapped over, find their

principles tested to the limit in the face
of gentle and sometimes not so gentle
teasing as to why they aren't joining in
the fun - particularly at office dos.
With just weeks to go to the 25th
Sarah Cook, of the Vegan Society, told
FG: "[Vegans] can be exposed [to
teasing at Christmas time].
It depends what their relationship is
with their family. Its associated with
family and traditions and it can get
quite emotional.
The issue comes up as a petition has
been launched to protect UK vegans
from bullying when Britain gives up
the Human Rights Act as a result of
quitting the European Union.
PM Theresa May wants to kick off the
two year process in March next year.
Under the title: Ensure Bill of Rights
Affords as much Protection for Vegans
Go to page 3
as Human Rights Act,

Pirate Jim eyes

vegan treasure

Story inside

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

DEATH WARMED UP from page 1

the petition claims that vegan rights

in the UK are in jeopardy.
In the European Union, veganism
is recognised as a "protected belief"
under Article 9 of the European
Convention on Human Rights.
Within the UK, this is implemented
by the Human Rights Act 1998, the
petition points out.
By
protecting
vegans
from
discrimination and bullying, this
legislation makes it easier for vegans
to stay vegan - indirectly reducing
animal exploitation.
However, with the UK leaving the
EU, and the Government planning to
replace the Human Rights Act with a
Bill Of Rights, protection for vegans
in the UK is in jeopardy, it states.
The petition which has been
running since November 4 needs
10,000
signatures
before
the
government will respond. Deadline is
April 4, 2017. Both the Vegan and
Vegetarian societies have chat and
phone lines dedicated to bullying.
To chat to other vegans online click
here. To get contacts for the
Vegetarian Society click here.

SILENCE IS
FRUITFUL
NICE Catholic boy, Martin
Scorsese, got a verbal tap on the
back from the boss recently at a
special showing of his latest
movie Silence at the Vatican.
The movie tells the poignant and
dramatic story of 17th century
Jesuit missionaries in Japan.
Release is set for December 22nd.
According to Scorsese (and who
wouldnt believe the guy) Pope
Francis, who has read the book,
was all smiles at a private audience
and told him: I hope the story of
the film, knowing the book, bears
much fruit.

Help stop
trafficking

Charity seeks paid help as Christmas nears

I THOUGHT he loved me.
Thats the hollow phrase which drips
from the bloodied lips of many a
trafficked human being, whether male
or female, as their cherished dreams
and hopes come crashing down
around their ears in a nightmare of
violence and abuse.
Now a charity is offering to pay
6,000 a year for people who can
help them fight against the growing
and scandalous phenomenon.
Christmas time sees more crowds
on the streets of capitals and big

BLOODY NORA

SILKY-voiced songstress
Nora Jones may once have
faced an excruciating choice
between 'a vegan and a pot
head' but no matter: her
latest single will certainly
turn you on.
For the daughter of Indian
musical guru the late Ravi
Shankar and his American lover
Sue Jones is set for another hit
with Carry On, a cut from her
latest album Day Breaks.
In it Jones, a big raw food
head, croons in her own

cities, often oblivious to what may be

going on under their very noses.
Catholic charity the Medaille Trust is
looking to recruit in Birmingham,
Northampton, Clifton (Bristol) and
Leeds.
According to their figures there
were 2,340 potential victims in the UK
last year with sexual exploitation the
most common reason for trafficking.
There will be a minimum 16 hours
per week with some weekend work.
The job includes finding new donors
and providing management info.
Go to Medaille Trust to apply.
inimitable style presenting a
strong 12-song set that delivers
nine new originals alongside
covers of songs by Horace Silver,
Duke Ellington and Neil Young.
The autumn release album is
already selling big time and could
edge her towards her 10th
Grammy!
If you really must know who
she chose as her Man of the
Hour you'll be extremely
interested to hear she rejected
both preferring, instead, to
cuddle up with poodle, Ralph.

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

LOVED ONES DEATH

IS STILL A MYSTERY
MORE than twoand-a-half years
after the tragic
death of a
volunteer at a
spiritual centre
in Bedfordshire
close relatives
still dont have a
clue about how
their loved one
died.
Amrit Blaggan
RSSBs UK centre in Haynes Park, Beds.
died on April 6th
2014 at Adenbrookes
hospital Cambridge after an
incident at the Radha Soami
Satsang Beas (RSSB)
spiritual centre in Haynes
Park, Bedfordshire on April
4th, 2014, in which he was
reported to have suffered a
traumatic head injury.
He was flown out of the
Councillor Angela Barker who
represents the Haynes Park area.
park by emergency

Its tough. But until youre

in that situation no-one
really knows [what its like]."
And the 29-year-old who
By
works in security and lives in
Stephen
the family home in
Ward
Kidbrooke, south London,
added: "You cant bring him
helicopter and then taken to
back now.
hospital.
After repeated enquiries
He turned 57 on the 5th,
from this magazine and a call
the day before his death.
to the areas councillor,
An inquest was opened on
Angela Barker, Central
Friday, April 11, 2014 but
Bedfordshire Council
was put on ice while an
released a statement which
inquiry by Central Bedfordsays: Whenever there is an
shire Council was set up to
accidental (sic) death it is
establish the facts of the case. completely understandable
The councils report was
that relatives and loved ones
passed to lawyers in June
of the deceased would wish
this year, as reported in the
to have swift understanding
FG. But to this day no date
of how and why the death
for an inquest, which will
occurred.
delve into the facts of the
However, the authorities
death, has been given.
involved in follow-up
The RSSB group is headinvestigation processes must
quartered in India. Members
ensure that due process is
are strict lacto-vegetarians.
followed.
Speaking exclusively to the
As soon as we have a
FG, son Sukh Blaggan, who
clearer understanding of the
is not a group member, said: timing of the inquest, this
Its frustrating. One person
will be published on the
you look up to has gone.
councils website.

RELAX AND UNWIND WITH ROLLING RESTORATIVE YIN YOGA

89a Cronulla Street, Cronulla Beach, NSW, Australia. +61 409 700 511

A model strikes a
Yin Yoga pose

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

Italian delicacy in
killer bug warning
BOTTLES of an
Italian vegetable
delicacy have been
pulled from
supermarket shelves
amid fears they
could contain a killer
food bug.
The move comes as
the Italian National
Institute of Health is
conducting preliminary
investigations, into jars
of turnip top leaves
soaked in sunflower oil.
Known as Friarielle
the vegetable (see pic)
is marketed under the
brand name Italcarciofi
part of the Alvini
Company.
The UK Food
Watchdog the Food
Standards Agency
warned British

shoppers: If you have

bought the above
product do not eat it.
Instead, return it to
the store from where it
was bought for a
refund.
Botulism is a serious
form of food poisoning
and can be fatal. The
association between

the product and the

suspected botulism
cases has not been
confirmed. However, a
recall from customers
is being carried out as
a precautionary
measure.
Preliminary
investigations by the
National Institute of
Health in Italy suggest
the product could have
been associated with
three suspected
botulism cases in that
country.
Affected 1062ml jars
fall in batch/lot ITC339
with an expiry date of
05/12/2016.
Cupboards should be
checked for unused
items, the FSA always
warns.

Even Wonder Woman

fails to save Hillary
from poll slaughter
WONDER Woman
came to downtown
London last month
but couldn't do the
magic for Hillary
Clinton in her
forlorn bid to
become the next
US President.
Joslyn Penque a
US ex-pat living in
the capital donned
her handy Wonder
Woman costume
at the Democrats
Abroad knees-up
in a popular
Marylebone bar.
Unfortunately
she was the only
wonder woman in
the house and
despite turning
round and round
three times as
much as she could
just couldn't save

poor old Hillary

from complete and
utter political
annihilation.
Instead, as we all
know, Donald
Trump swept to
power in a surprise
victory which
stunned the world.

Joslyn in her WW cossie

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

Scientists split on efficacy of the tasty additive thats getting a bad press
PISSED off
with people
telling you not
to sprinkle salt
on your veggie
burger or soya
hot dog?
Now you can
take their usually
unsought counsel
with a hefty pinch
of the proverbial
and throw it, and their advice, right
over your shoulder especially if
they quote science!
For a new report has found that
boffins are almost evenly divided
about how bad, or not, this tasty
issue can be for you.
According to the Mailman School of
Health at Columbia University in the

USA which looked at 269 academic

reports into reduced salt consumption and lower rates of heart
disease, stroke, and death, they
found that while 54 per cent agreed
a substantial 33 per cent didnt and
13 per cent just couldnt make up
their minds.
Criticism of salt often comes
because too
much weight is
given to
negative reports
and not enough
to those which
do not agree or
cant decide,
researchers
decided.
Lead researcher
Dr Ludovic
Trinquart at
Columbia said:
Decision-makers
often must
choose a course
of action in the
face of conflicting,
uncertain
evidence.
Both the
misuse of
uncertainty and
the exaggeration
of certainty can
shape the
outcomes of
public health
decision-making
processes.
David Johns, a
post-grad
student at
Mailman, said:
There are two

almost distinct bodies of scholarship,

one supporting and one opposing the
claim that salt reduction will improve
clinical outcomes. Each is driven by a
few prolific authors who tend to cite
other researchers who share their
point of view, with little apparent
collaboration between the two sides.
As far back as 6050 BC, salt has
been an important and integral part of
the worlds history.
It was used as a part of Egyptian
religious offerings and valuable trade
between the Phoenicians and their
Mediterranean empire.
Even today, the history of salt
touches our daily lives.
It was highly valued and its
production was legally restricted in
ancient times, so it was historically
used as a method of trade and
currency.
The word salary is derived from the
word salt as is salad which began
with the early Romans salting their
leafy greens and vegetables.
Salt is one of the most effective and
most widely used of all food
preservatives.
Go to page 8
Dr Ludovic Trinquart

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

Everything Ive imagined here is what humans are subjecting animals to. Its
indefensible and Im embarrassed and ashamed by it. DAN RICHARDSON

AN ALIEN species arrives on

earth. This new and dominant life
form starts to exploit the planet
and assert its dominance over
mankind.
They discover that some of us make
pretty good eating.
Initially they just hunt us down one
by one and take what they need, but
soon some of the smarter
aliens realise that by breeding us
specifically for eating, in custom
made environments, they can use us
as a food source much more
efficiently. Human campaigners bleat
away about how cruel it all is, but the

dominant species, with their

superior intellect only hear an
unsophisticated and rather
irritating noise.
Unbelievably, some of the
aliens have an incomprehensible belief that the groundup bones and body parts of
some human beings contain
miraculous properties and that to eat
these affords them the invaluable
combination of greater intelligence
and a harder dick.
Meanwhile the alien species begins
to deplete some of earths natural
resources. Unfortunately, these are
the resources which sustain our very
existence - water and oxygen.
Humans cry out in furious uproar
that without water theyll die!
All to no avail.
These aliens also have holy books
that describe their origins.
The problem is, theres more than
one book, in fact, there are several and

Dan Richardson

each claims a different version of how

things got started for the aliens.
Anyway, as ridiculous and farfetched as this may sound, they fight
a lot with each other over whose book
is right. A glimmer of hope comes our
way when a few of those more
compassionate aliens notice this
lesser species (us) simply will not
survive if things continue the way
theyre going.
Sadly for humans though, the aliens
who actually make the decisions are
the same aliens who make a lot of
money from water, oxygen.
So theyre OK, but were screwed!
(Dan is an actor and passionate
environmentalist. Catch the full
version of this article on his blog.)

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

TAKE IT WITH A PINCH

Its industrial and other

uses are almost without
number.
The expression not
worth his salt stems
from the practice of
trading slaves for salt in
ancient Greece.
Its interesting to note
that salt making is key in
the history of the UK,
particularly in the
Cheshire area. And salt
making was (and still is)
important in Holland.
France has always
been a major producer of
salt and any discussion
of salt making and
distribution in France
includes discussion of
the gabelle, the salt tax
that was a significant
contributor to the French
Revolution. Salt lakes are
a fairly common sight in
the country.
The phrase: Siberian
salt mines, is
commonplace although
salt making takes place
in many places across
Russia.
Salt motivated the
American pioneers.

From page 6

The American Revolution

had heroes who were salt
makers and part of the
British strategy was to
deny the American rebels
access to salt.
Of course salt also had
military significance.
For instance, it is
recorded that thousands
of Napoleons troops died
during his retreat from
Moscow because their
wounds would not heal
due to the dire lack of
disinfecting salt.
Salt taxes long
supported British
monarchs and thousands
of British people were
imprisoned for smuggling
salt.
In modern times,
Mahatma Gandhi defied
British salt laws as a
means of mobilizing
popular support for selfrule in India.
The promotion of free
trade through the World
Trade Organization has
led to abolition of many
national salt monopolies,
for example, in Taiwan.
(source: Saltworks)

PRODUCT NEWS

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

Veggie wife gets her BUSINESS BRIEFS

hubbys Pulsetta going
A FREE-FROM entrepreneur
has advised others to protect
their ideas with a patent to
prevent them being stolen.
Dr Karsten Karcher, CEO and
founder of Pulsetta, produces
gluten free and free-from bread
made from pulses as well as a
range of sweet and savoury
snacks for the export market.
Pulsetta is now a successful
company exporting many of its
products outside the UK.
Said Karcher: In terms of
your ideas, I would always
say IP asset protection has to
come first. If youre not
protected, you could lose them.
Karcher was born in North
West Germany and came to the
UK to study. His interest in pulses
was sparked by his wife, a
vegetarian, who uses pulses as a
staple part of her diet.
He noted that non-Western
cultures used pulses such as
peas, lentils and beans, to make
flatbreads. This lead him to
create a risen loaf, more

Pompey goes VIP

PORTSMOUTH Vegan
Festival is offering VIP
tickets at its February show.
The tickets are on sale for
just 13. They offer fast track
entry and a goody bag!
Only 100 are available online. Standard entry is 3 on
the door (under 16's go free).

Melissas
passport to
sweet success
A LANCASHIRE sweetie
company has cracked
the US market thanks to
a link between the UK
and US governments.
Melissa Burton, owner of
Goodie Good Stuff, joined
the UK Trade and
Investments Passport to
Export, a programme that
helps exporting companies
grow their business
internationally.

VEGANICITY boss, Martin Betts, has

given a firm thumbs up to a recent office
move, despite teething problems.
The supplements company which is part of
Health Plus has operated out of premises in
East Sussex until recently.
Now its moved lock, stock and brown
plastic bottle to a new environmental awardwinning home just up the road.
Said Martin recently: Its taken us a while
to get here, and weve had a few teething
problems (phone system was playing up) but
after operating for three weeks Id have to
say it has definitely been worth it.

Karsten Karcher

commonly consumed in Europe,

from the same ingredients.
He soon realised this was no
easy task. The pulses needed
treating which made them wet
and heavy and thus prevented
the bread from rising.
This didnt dissuade him - in
fact, he saw it as a challenge.
He sought help from a good
friend and professional chef.
Combining a delicate mixture of
ingredients with a new and
inventive process, they created a
prototype loaf.
The result was a healthy and
tasty bread made from milled
pulses, free-from all 14 of the
major food allergens including
gluten, wheat and dairy.
Karchers patent has since been
extended internationally.
He has also created a range of
baked goods deriving from the
original specification.

Melissa used this to

attend the Winter Fancy
Food exhibition in New
York in 2009.
Now Goody Good Stuff,
based in Heysham, can be
found in US supermarket
giant Stop & Shop and is
set to take the American
market by storm boosting
its revenue by 280 per
cent into the bargain.
Melissa couldnt enjoy
the simple pleasure of
chewey sweeties because
as a vegetarian she
couldnt have anything
with gelatin in it.
But after meeting a food
scientist she was inspired

A MINERAL water
company which
contributes to
saving the planet is
advertising this
noteworthy fact
from the treetops and its ads.
Aquapax which
comes in handy little
paper cartons
became almost a
Branching out fashion item at a
Neil Tomlinson.
recent VegFest show.
The company is the brainchild of alternative
entrepreneur Neil Tomlinson.
Said Tomlinson: I've been allocating one per
cent of my company turnover to the earth
charity 1% for the Planet for over a year now.
SUCCESSFUL exhibition organisers are
set to break into the trade market with a
business orientated show next year.
VegFest will be hosting the UKs first
dedicated vegan trade show at Olympia,
London on Friday, October 20th, 2017 with the
aim of helping independent vegan businesses
attract buyers and media coverage.
Details of the show are set to go live on the
VegFest website from March.

to adapt
her recipe
to come
up with
the
sweetie
without
using the
dreaded
gelatin.
Melissa,
who
hasnt
Vegetarian Melissa Burton couldnt use gelatin in her product.
only got a
sweet tooth but can also
from UKTI in San Francisco to
spot a juicy offer when she help identify useful contacts in
sees one went on to
the US.
commission an Overseas
To arrange a face-to-face
Market Introduction
meeting with the UKTIs team
Service (OMIS)
click here.

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

With a
little help
from our
FRIENDS
FRIENDS GAZETTE is a free and independent online magazine/newspaper and we intend to keep
it that way.
To do so we need the support of advertisers.
Our current clients include some of the top
producers in the vegan-vegetarian world from
spring water to vegan marshmallows.
We dont believe in touting for testimonials,
many of which end up being paid for in some
way or other. So here are a few compliments for
our readers (and advertisers) to enjoy which
have come our way, without asking, in the
course of every-day business. Thanks everyone.
SW

TASTY OPPORTUNITY
FANCY tucking into the latest
veggie and vegan products for
free? If youve got a discerning
palate and can string a
sentence together you could be
one of our independent product
tasters. Start by writing to
friendsgazette@gmail.com
telling us why you can do the
job and why you should join us.

FRIENDS GAZETTE

I believe that the FG is of a very high standard and I

would like my brand to be associated with it.
Mordechai Chachamu - Nutural World

Your market - our readers

Perhaps I could offer a selection of our products to

Friends Gazette for you to review.
Julian Lucas Plamil Foods

Real journalism - not puffs

News - not propaganda
Exclusive stories - from a team of
dedicated reporters
Investigative reports - you just
wont find elsewhere
Human interest - the stuff of life
Selected advertisers

Happy to see the result of our collaboration as a whole

now!
It looks great.
Caroline de Filipis Bute Island Foods
Your articles look at moral reasons for being
vegetarian or vegan which is a very interesting mix
and unique . . .
Tim Barford - founder VegFestUK

For our 2016 media pack simply email:

friendsgazetteadvertising@gmail.com

Have seen the advert. Looks good and I'm enjoying

reading the articles.
I have given it to my dad to read. Thanks again.
Lady Hummingbird - vegan jewellery

THE VITAL
ALTERNATIVE

Thanks for the ad. It looks good. We are always happy

to do business with Friends Gazette.
Salique Khan - Diwanas Brick Lane

10

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

JOHN AND MARION SCOOP

FG PRIZE
Bette
r

luck

r
merrie
ore the
The m p for FG
u
queue

next

time

visitors

for no

t so lu

cky tr

io!

LUCKY winners, John and Marion James from Sidcup in Kent couldn't believe their luck when
they scooped the FG Heavenly Hamper. "We're flabbergasted," said Marion. "I forgot about it
and we got a surprise call. (l-r): Fernie Schwartz, John, Marion and Steve Ward FG editor.

IT WAS a toss up whether Dan Richardson (see pic

below) or FGs Heavenly Hamper was more tasty, but
the dilemma didnt put the crowds off as they flocked
to the i-magazines stand to sign up for a chance of
winning more than
250 worth of vegan
goodies in time for
Christmas.

Think you can

pops in.
hardson e 10
Dan Ric
g
a
le on p
See artic

The FG offer on the third

floor of the massively popular
London Vegfest held in the Olympia
Do r
Exhibition Halls proved more
rie (
left)
and
than a match for the
Fern
ie w
competition.
e
l
co
new
read me
Staffed by
e rs
operations manager,
Fernie Schwartz and
freelancer Dorlon Dutton
(known as Dorrie for
short) visitors found a
warm welcome and a
helpful smile awaiting them
as they signed up in their
hundreds to receive the
Friends Gazette and be in with
a chance to win the hamper.
A wide spread of goodies
overflowed from the Frenchbought wicker basket complete with
lid and self-locking mechanism.
These included packs of Sheese
from Bute Island Foods; pure fresh
mineral water from Aquapax;
delicious choccie bars and snacks
from Plamil; life enhancing vitamin
supplements from Veganicity all
topped off with a seasonal fruit
cake from our very own veggie
chef, Rosemary Leach. (See her nut
loaf recipe on the next page).

11

tell a feature
story from a
road crash?
A road crash

We pay well for

tips and copy;
write in to us at:
friendsgazette@gmail.com

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

WE TASTE
YOUR STUFF

Rosemarys
Christmas
knockout
NUT LOAF WITH
CARROT
INGREDIENTS
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

2 oz marge (vegans use 'Pure')

1 onion, finely chopped
9 oz carrots, coarsely grated
4 oz cashews
4 oz walnuts
4 oz wholemeal bread
1 teasp dried herbs
2 teasp lemon juice
1 teasp honey
2 teasp yeast extract
6 tablesp water
stock cube or equivalent

METHOD
Cook onion slowly, do not colour, in
marge for five minutes.
Then add the carrot and cook for
another five minutes.
Process nuts and bread together to
make fine crumbs.
Add the herbs.
Make a stock of lemon juice, honey,
yeast extract, stockcube and water
(water to be hot).

Generic picture

Add more seasoning to taste.

Squeeze excess liquid from vegges
to remove fat.
Mix all ingredients together and put
in greased ovenproof dish about two
pint size and cook in a preheated oven
at 180 deg or gas mark 4 for about 45
minutes.
I once used a 439g tin of chestnuts
in water in place of cashews and
walnuts but added a few walnut pieces
for crunch.
This works and may be a less
calorific alternative.

GRAVY
A heaped teaspoon of smooth peanut
butter (or alternative); a rounded
teaspoon of tomato puree from a
tube; a teaspoon of yeast extract;
gravy granules (mixed in enough
water for one portion).
Heat together until thick enough,
add more peanut butter or granules to
make a good consistency; multiply
these ingredients by the number of
diners.
Making more? Go easy with the
yeast extract, just play it by ear.
You can always add a slug of sherry
or similar at Christmas.
RL

BEAT BREXIT WITH VEGGIE

COOKING TRIPS TO FRANCE
One-on-one tutoring
Buy veggies fresh
Help with language
Direct train London-Avignon
Approved accommodation
Contact us initially at
friendsgazette@gmail.com

12

DELICIOUS, great combination

and have to be tasted to be
believed were just some of the
comments our nibblers fedback to us on our latest tuck-in
extravaganza of Saf products.
The comments come from our
dedicated team who relentlessly
taste, test and comment on the
products submitted to them without
fear or favour.
Healthy snacks in the form of
vegetable and fruit crisps have been
on our supermarket shelves for a
good few years now.
First only available at selective
health stores, usually independent
ones, packets of mixed veggie
crisps and their fruity counterparts
can be found on almost any
supermarket shelf these days and
now you can even find pastilles.
So what were Safs overall
results? Generally impressive with
some excellent scores.
In fact two out of four products
tested chalked up full marks.
PRODUCT: Kale Crisp
MARKS: 5/5
COMMENT: Delicious
PRODUCT:Coconut Fruit Pastilles
MARKS: 5/5
COMMENT: Great combo of fruit
and coconut; the coconut flavour has
to tried to be believed. Incredibly tasty
and weirdly minty at the same time!
PRODUCT: Cereal Bar
MARKS OUT OF FIVE: 4/5
COMMENT: Could be crunchier
PRODUCT: Seaweed Crisp
MARKS: 2/5
COMMENT: Too soggy
Friends Gazette is happy to taste
and review any vegan or vegetarian
product free-of-charge. Our readers
give an independent, objective view.
Contact us in the first instance on:
friendsgazette@gmail.com

FG est Charlie et bien les autres - December 2016

FRIENDLY
FEEDBACK

STOP PRESS
Miso fails hygiene test

What do you think? Write to us at

friendsgazette@gmail.com

Good to see you

Heavenly idea

IT WAS good to see you at

the VegFest in London.
(Heavenly Hamper
Sept/Oct 2016).

YOUR HAMPER idea was

great. (Heavenly Hamper
Sept/Oct 2016).

Im disappointed that I didnt win the

Heavenly Hamper but it didnt matter.
That show gets better and better
each year and is a beacon of light for
all the lost souls who try and change
their eating habits.
I dont envy them, especially with
Christmas coming up.
Its the worst time to make a
change.
Peter Shiel, Richmond Park

I saw you at the VegFest show and

couldnt help notice how many people
had gathered round your stand.
Even though I had to queue up I
put my name down for your mag.
I dont really expect to win, as I
never win anything, but it was a great
idea, plenty of good stuff to eat and
something the opposition could never
have thought of in a million years.
Sharne Waterbrook, Croydon

JUST BETWEEN
FRIENDS

We like to get it right,

first, now and always

Comment from the editor

SOME READERS may well

have heard the news that
the Italian city of Turin is
becoming vegetarian.
In fact we were
overjoyed when the tip
from an enthusiast
Gazeteer came to our
notice.
But on closer scrutiny
disappointment soon set in.
For it turns out the
woman whose brainchild
this, at first astonishingly
positive idea is, turns out
to be somewhat of a
contradiction in terms.
For Chiara Appendino,
Turins new mayor whose
job it will be to usher in a
number of veggie
initiatives, is, in fact, a
leading member of the
Five Star Movement.
Thats the eurosceptic,
ambigious on migration,
unsupportive of parental

ORGANIC miso specialists,

Source Foods, is pulling one
of its low salt products
because it doesnt comply
with food hygiene
regulations.
The affected item is
Organic Solo Low Sodium
Sea Salt Sweet Brown Miso.
In a statement UK Food
Watchdog the FSA said the
company was unable to
demonstrate that an
adequate food safety
management system is in
place or has been in place
historically for the
manufacture of the
fermented product, thus
failing to comply with food
hygiene regulations.
Affected items are 213g,
240g and 500g glass jars.
According to the FSA
Source Foods has contacted
customers to recall all of the
above products.

rights to LGBT Italians, Five

Star Movement.
For those reasons a
glowing report in our
alternative pages couldnt
be a runner.
Sorry bout that, Chiara!
BEING A VEGGIE aint
easy. It means, among
other things, watching what
you eat, saying no at dinner
parties and having a chat
with the chef at a restaurant
before the meal is served.
For us hardened oldies its
a way of life, a stance which
has become second nature pretty much.
While we make a decision
to follow our principles
every time we eat, every
meal we have and, for
some, every action we take,
the decision itself can be
automatic, reflexive,
normal.

13

AT FRIEND'S Gazette we
believe in getting it right.
We go the extra mile to
ensure our journalism is
accurate, fair and balanced.
A well-known journalistic
anecdote, something which
is supposed to be hanging
in the newsroom of a certain
leading tabloid which shall
remain nameless, is the call
to Get it first, Get it fast, Get
it right.

While adhering to all three

principles its the last which is
most important to us.
So, if there's anything that
causes concern, a spelling,
quote or comment we'd like to
hear from you. Just email us
at: friendsgazette@gmail.c
om.
FG is registered with the
British Library and operates
under the UK Press Code of
Practice.

But for newcomers it

may not be so simple. For
them a battle may have
just begun - especially at
this time of year.
Bullying is not a new
thing. These days it might
happen over the internet
or by text message, but
its no less scary. (see p1)
Vegan and vegetarian
groups are aware of this
and can and do help.
Click here and here to
make contact.

ADVERTISING IS paid for

and thats it. All our
advertising is ethical, as far
as we know, and we
recommend each and every
advertiser to our readers or
they wouldnt be included and, yes, we are selective.
But if youre ever passing
through that great and
wonderful city down under,
or better still if you happen
to live there - try Omshanti
Wellness, one of Sydneys
hidden gems!