The Vegan Pod

Happy Valentine’s Day! In this month's episode of The Vegan Pod, we’re talking love and asking - would you have a vegan wedding even if it meant losing guests?   Joining us on this episode, to discuss organising and hosting vegan weddings, we have Tomi Makanjuola, vegan chef, writer and content creator, who had her vegan wedding at the end of last year, and Sian Bowron, who’s been running her wedding planning business, Amythest Weddings, since 2012. 

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of the Vegan Pod 2023! January is a time for fresh starts, resolutions, and making positive changes for the year ahead. One thing lots of people are considering this year, is their environmental impact - a Vegan Society survey has found that over half of Brits planned to make a resolution this year with an environmental goal in mind.   Joining us on this episode to discuss low-waste living and veganism, we have Camilla Gaillardin, co-founder of vegan, zero-waste personal care brand, Milly & Sissy, and Gittemarie Johansen, sustainability expert and zero-waste blogger.

Christmas is upon us and, naturally, in the latest episode of The Vegan Pod, we're talking all things foodie and festive!   Host Rachel New is joined by Sandra McLaren-Stewart, Founder and Director of Saorsa 1875, the UK’s first 100% vegan hotel in the Scottish Highlands, and food blogger Vegan Olive.   Together, the trio discuss the delicate business of hosting non-vegans at Christmas and the ever-increasing range of vegan seasonal goodies to appease their palettes.  

In celebration of World Vegan Month, our latest episode of the Pod is exploring how veganism has grown and how it is experienced across the world. To help us on this cultural journey, host Rachel New is joined by Nadia Mckechnie and Saori Kondo, founders of Vegan Consulting Japan and Brighde Reed, co-founder of Vegan World Travel. As well as being the official trademark agent for The Vegan Society, Saori and Nadia are helping to raise the vegan profile in Japan while Brighde's worldwide luxury tours ensures vegans have an unforgettable experience with food aplenty.

In October's podcast episode, we're celebrating Black History Month. Joining host Rachel New are chef Ngwafu Tansie, whose catering service Gwafuvegan specialises in West African food, and recipe creator and food photographer Livhuwani Tshikhudo, to share insights into how veganism ties into their cultures and some of their favourite ingredients and dishes to create and adapt.  

In honour of International Day of Peace, this episode is all about the practicalities and possibilities of achieving a vegan utopia.   Guest host Rachel New is joined by sociology lecturer at the University of Kent, Dr Corey Wrenn, and the author of How to Argue with Vegans, Benny Malone, to discuss how a global shift to veganism could benefit humankind, how realistic it is and what a vegan world might actually look like.  

In this episode, guest host Rachel New will be joined by Sascha Camilli, founder of the world’s first digital fashion magazine, and Shaun Packe, Global Sourcing and Sustainability Director at clothing and footwear brand Superdry, to discuss responsible fashion. They’ll be talking about how vegans adapt their wardrobes to align with their values and how brands are tackling the overlap between ethical and sustainable clothing.  

As the UK prepares to host the Commonwealth Games, we decided what better time to tackle stereotypes of ‘weak and unhealthy vegans’.   To get us in the spirit our guest host, Rachel New, is joined by vegan athlete, Lisa Gawthorne, and former Midlands boxing champion, Jamal Le Doux, to discuss all things fitness and vegan. 

Do vegans live longer than non-vegans? Is veganism the secret to living a longer, fuller life? Is it sustainable long term? Is it a suitable diet for older adults to follow? Plant-based dietitan Harpreet Sohal and healthy ageing writer Jane Thurnell-Read discuss this further with our host Francine Jordan.

Is extreme activism counterproductive to the vegan movement? Is there such a thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ activism? Sentient Media’s Ana Bradley and Think Like a Vegan author Emilia Leese join our host Francine Jordan to discuss this further.