Free Press Column: How to make Veganuary work for your family without relying on junk food

Veganuary, another shallow social media-driven trend or are you on-board to save the environment or improve your health?Whatever the reason, different diets in one household can become a big problem when it comes to mealtimes and if you’re going veggie or vegan for the planet or your health, you can’t make every meal a vegan sausage roll from Greggs or the new KFC Vegan Burger.

How do you cope with the new veggie or vegan in a house of omnivores? It’s not easy and there is unavoidably more washing up to do!

Is it possible to get a zero-waste healthy meal together for differing diets without breaking the bank or using every pan in the house?

Two omnivores, one vegetarian and one omnivore periodically trying to be vegetarian.

These are the four to whom I cater on a daily basis.

At first, I spent a fortune on halloumi and Quorn but they cost more than meat and nearly always come packed in single-use plastic.

My vegetarian also objected to Soy owing to its environmental impact.

Once I’d rediscovered the humble bean, I never looked back.

Scicluna Deli in Doncaster has a huge choice of dried beans, far more than you can get tinned in the supermarket, and with a little trial and error, you can find the right bean for the right dish and all you need to do is pre-soak them overnight before cooking.

Take your own container to fill but let them know before you start filling! Lots of market stallholders will let you take your own containers for veg, fish, and meat, and some will give you a discount too.

Check out my bean recipe on the photos of this article I make a bean-based slow-cooked shin.

Washing up tally: One frying pan, one small pan, one slow cooker, one chopping board, one knife, two wooden spoons.

You can use the same principle for loads of other dishes. Why not try Butter Bean Stroganoff, Chilli con Cannellini (beans) or Bean Bourgingon?