PRESS UP CHALLENGES: 1 MILLION IN 10 YEARS - AND 100 IN A MINUTE

[This needs updating with the past month's efforts, but I just wanted to get my latest achievement out there.]

I've been concentrating, over the past week, on increasing the number of press ups I can do without stopping, aiming towards my secondary goal of doing 100 inside one minute. On Monday of this week, over the evening, I did sets of 70, 75, 80, 85 and 95 - reverting to sets of 35/30 up to 1000. On Wednesday, I did 80 initially, then, surprisingly, my second set resulted in... 
Ta Da.....100. 

I wasn't timing it, but, since I generally do my press ups at the rate of 2 every second, it was most likely inside the minute. Obviously, there's room for improvement, so I'm resetting my goal to be able to do 110 inside one minute. Must insert a caveat, here: this was achieved with the towel, which I use to assess how low my press ups are, was fully rolled up, so my press ups are easier. From now on, I need to unroll the towel gradually, so that, in the end, my forehead will be just hovering above the floor.

Sunday 4th August 2019

Today I was filmed doing my 1000 press ups in the centre of Bristol, by 'Friendsnotfood', an animal rights activist film-maker. It took me just under 40 minutes, as usual, but I found it a bit more difficult, doing it in the sunshine. I moved to some shade about halfway through.

And a couple of weeks ago I was filmed mucking about on the London Tube doing some chin ups.

I filmed 40 press ups - about 4 times, to try and get it right - uploaded it here - and now it refuses to play! Back to the drawing board :(

Very strange - I'll try again, of course, but in the meantime, I've managed to upload it to Facebook - so here's a link to that.

Number 2 in the series - My Fitness regime. My 9kg kettlebell routine. (Once again, the above video won't work on here, so I've linked it to my Facebook page.)

Every 3 days I do my kettlebell exercise: 
20 reps of the nine different exercises you see me doing here. Then repeated once more. The whole exercise takes less than 15 minutes, with a 5 minute gap between the two routines.

[Still not working - I'll post it on Facebook, then link to it from here. My kettlebell film on Facebook]
The story behind this challenge:
I turned 80 in September 2017, and, to provide some motivation to keep pushing myself, I decided I would challenge myself to see if I could complete 1 million push ups between my 80th and 90th birthday.
I worked out that if I did 2000 a week, 700 every other day (2000 x 50 x 10 years), I would reach my goal. 

However, after I'd begun, I thought I needed to get some 'in the bank' as it were, just in case I had an accident or something, and couldn't do the push ups for a while. So I upped my total to 1000 every other day. I've now been going just over 6 months - when my total was around 70,000. So my target is so far well within reach. At my present rate of progress, barring accidents, it's possible I could achieve 1 million p/ups in well under 10 years - I did 14000 in March 2018, for instance.

27th September 2019 - currently aiming for 10,000 a month

Oh, and I'd also like to be able to do 100 perfect press ups in 1 minute - that's my immediate goal.

20/1/19: I've now settled on a weekly routine, prioritising my press ups. So, Sunday - press ups; Monday - chin ups; Tuesday - kettlebell exercise; Wednesday and Friday press ups, with Thursday and Saturday being rest days.

As an aside, another reason I'm doing this is to show that vegans can be strong and fit into old age - should I ever get there! ;)


13th March 2019
Progress report:
I've now managed 107 press ups inside one minute - 100 flat out, rest, then another 7 before the minute was up.

And, starting off with sets of 35, then going down to sets of 30, I've done my 1000 press ups in 32 minutes 11 seconds.

[Caveat: I have a rolled up towel on the floor, which I touch with my forehead on each dip. It's probably about 7-8cm thick. Gradually, I've been unfolding the towel - so my press ups are closer to the ground. Which is why, last time I tried it, I only managed 87 press ups in one minute.)

My cumulative total now (4/8/19) stands at 221,000.

My efforts have come to the attention of a wider audience - here's an article about my 1 million challenge. It's been picked up by Plant Based News, and Somerset Live, an online newspaper - and I've even got a mention on the Great Vegan Athletes Facebook page, which is crazy!

INCREASING ONE'S HAPPINESS

[This is just a draft, ATM. Needs more work, but I want to get it out there.]

Dear fellow activists, if you’re feeling down, ATM, things are getting on top of you, feelings of anxiety are coming to the fore, etc, here’s something that may help. 

It’s so easy to put too much pressure on ourselves - we want to do more for the animals, but if we burn out in the process that doesn’t help them. It’s difficult, but we have to try and take a more detached view of things. What helps me to do this is a book I think very highly of, “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. I recommend you get hold of a copy as soon as you can.

It’s an explanation of scientific, peer-reviewed methods which are proven to increase one's happiness. Sonja was a student of Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology. He took the view that psychiatrists had only ever used psychology to treat ill patients - but what if we didn’t wait for people to become sick, but used psychology to create optimistic people who were resilient? 

Sonja’s book explains that we all have a basic level of happiness that we’re born with: that’s 50%, which we can’t do anything to change; then, there’s a 10% component, which relates to our circumstances - it’s not easy to change that 10%. But that leaves 40% we can change, and she details 12 happiness increasing activities that have been proven to work. 

My favourite method is ‘Savouring the moment’. So, I’m in the Cube, it’s already cold and there's a lazy wind blowing (one that goes straight through you instead of around you), my hands are freezing, and I need to blow my nose. But: I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with some wonderful people - I can see one of our group talking to someone, perhaps getting out a card - whatever. And I savour that moment, because I’m part of something so important, so worthwhile, that I wouldn’t want to swap places with anyone. And I pity those members who didn’t, or couldn’t, for whatever reason, make it to the Cube. 

And I use it in adverse circumstances - so, I’m in a traffic jam, and I really don’t want to be late - but, I’m comfortable, I’ve got some decent music on - and I’ll get there, in the fullness of time. So, once again, I can savour that moment - and in this case, it prevents me from feelings of annoyance, etc, and I can physically feel happier. In situations like that, I often force myself to smile, even though I don’t feel like it - and that always improves things.

That’s just one technique: There are 11 more happiness increasing exercises in Sonja’s book; she recommends you choose the 3 or 4 that most appeal to you, and practice those. 

I’ve been described, by Alan Hutchison, Senior Lecturer in Happiness at Winchester University (yes, there is such a subject) as the happiest bloke he knows. One of the reasons for this (apart from acquiring a whole new 2nd family of ARAs in the past year) is that I actively work at increasing my happiness and well-being

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE - How easy is this?

[12th November 2012. There's a doubled-up recipe + pics at the foot of this post.]

The recipe:

Vegan chocolate cake

Ingredients:

175g sugar

25g cocoa powder

175g self raising flour
25g vegetable oil - or unsweetened apple puree

250g water

Method:

Measure the sugar and the cocoa powder, and mix them together. The sharp edges of the granulated sugar breaks up the clumps of cocoa powder, so sieving is not necessary. Add the flour and mix, then add the oil and water. Stir, initially with a dessertspoon, and then with a whisk, and pour into a prepared 20cm (8") cake tin.

Bake at 175C for 30-35 minutes.

Or: Use a silicon cake form and place in the microwave (800w) for 6 minutes. In my experience, not only do you get a quicker cake, but the cake rises about 25% higher in the microwave.

(It's also possible to make an excellent gluten-free version of this cake.)

The story:

Anybody who's taken a look at some of the bread conversations I've had on here will know I'm not a cake maker - bread's my thing.

Whenever anyone asks me if I make cakes I always tell them there isn't time - there's always another bread I haven't made yet!

However, it was the birthday of both my daughter and my son-in-law this week, and there are bound to be plenty of cakes when we meet up tomorrow. And none of them will be vegan.

Apart, that is, from the one I've just made!

I followed this recipe here:

And tweaked it slightly.

It was a bit of a faff, since each step is on a separate page - unless you sign up, which I didn't want to do. And it's in cups, which I've weighed off into gms for the next time I make it - which I will.

166g s/raising flour
30g cocoa powder
198g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
80g sunolive oil
250g water
2 tsps vanilla extract

Stir the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, mix together and pour into 2 18cm (7") lined cake tins. (I placed 354g of batter in each tin.)

Bake at 175C for 20 minutes.

I shall sandwich the cake with the vegan chocolate spread I made yesterday:

And probably spread a bit on top - just to finish it off!

Update, Sunday 31st July:

As I said I would, I 'iced' the cake with a little chocolate spread.

And it went down very well, I must say - much better than I thought it would. My mother-in-law said loudly, "But it's actually very nice!". Everyone at the party who had a taste thought it was lovely and moist - and I had to answer several queries as to the recipe and how it was made.

This was undoubtedly a success - and it's now firmly in my repertoire. This from a guy who'd only ever made one cake in the last 20 years prior to this!  

I'm beginning to wonder if we've been conned all these years into thinking that cakes naturally have to contain eggs and butter (or marge)? Clearly, they don't!

I have asked all my friends on Wildfood for  their opinion. There's a variety of opinions on there with some agreeing with me.

I decided to forgo the salt and the vanilla:  I never use salt in my sweet bread recipes, and I see no place for it here; I couldn't detect any vanilla flavour, but others may.

3 days later. I ate the last remnants of the cake - and it was as moist and lush as when it had just been made. I did think of seeing if it would keep into a 4th day - but who keeps chocolate cake for four days?

(Well, my mother might - she used to extol the virtues of her madeira cake - "It'll keep for a fortnight!" she used to announce to all and sundry. And every time we went home and we were served cake, she felt she had to make good her claim. The damn cake was always well over a week old! In every other respect she was a decent cook. Well, I suppose we all have a chink in our armour!)

3rd November.
After telling my colleagues at my Thursday care home about my cake-making, I was prevailed upon to make one for the residents.

Since we needed a large cake, I doubled up the recipe:
330g s/raising flour

60g cocoa powder

400g sugar

160g sunflower oil

500g water

I left out the salt - decided it wasn't necessary - and the vanilla extract  - didn't have any, and didn't miss either of them! The cake, took about 35 minutes to cook.

I have to admit I was pretty bowled over by the size and appearance of the cake when it came out of the oven:

If you're going to make a cake - may as well make a big one!

That's Melissa's hand applying the chocolate icing

10th November.

The cake tin for last week's cake was borrowed from the care home next door - but this time it was decided we should make fairy cakes:

The doubled up recipe actually made 2 dozen of these. Thought at first we hadn't put enough batter in each one 

But when they came out of their cases and were iced - the size was just right! OK, the icing's not very neat - but that didn't affect the taste one iota!

Friday 16th December.
I've been making this cake weekly since I first made it - and today I made a chocolate log with it:

The cake was too thick so I knew it would split. But using the hints I picked up from Eric Lanlard last weekend (cut off the first 2 cm from the edge you're starting to roll from and place it on the edge if the cake and roll up around it) and those I received from Jemma the chef at Longrun (trim the side of the cake - this is where it gets crisp and prevents even rolling), we managed it.

Next time I'll divide the batter between two Swiss roll tins - and then it won't split! To keep it vegan it was spread with jam. I need a vegan filling for next time.

Monday 26th December.
Wanted to make a couple of Yule logs for the family - but I'm far away from my scales, so I did these with the original cup measurements in the link above.

I used a coffee mug to measure with and made enough to fill two Swiss roll tins and make three large cup cakes.

One was filled with sweet chestnut puree (the puree was mixed with some sugar and soya cream) and the other was consumed as it was - everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm planning to cover the cake with melted chocolate. I'll post a pic when I do.

MY SPEECH AT THE BRISTOL MARCH FOR THE ANIMALS, 2019 + INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL GREEN

I was highly honoured to be asked to speak at the Bristol March for the Animals 2019 - even more so when I found out I was to be the last speaker. Not only that, I was on the same 'platform as Juliet Gellatley, founder of Viva.

Have to say I was very flattered when Juliet asked if she could have her picture taken with me. It was a wonderful day - and this was the highlight!

Here's my speech in full;

"My name’s Paul; I’m 81; I’ve been vegan for 15 years - and I’m on a mission!

A mission to prove that, on a vegan diet, you can be fit, healthy and strong, well into old age - should I ever get there!

More about that in a moment - a little about me, and how I became vegan. I gave up meat in the early 2000’s, because I wanted to avoid Mad Cow Disease - and it took me 2 years before I realised the truth behind the dairy and egg industries, and all the blinkers came off, and I went vegan - or should I say plant-based, for it was another 14 years before I became fully vegan. 

Fast forward to April last year. On the 28th of that month I attended my first Cube of Truth, organised by my good friend, Steve Clout - and on that day, my life changed forever! I’ve been a regular attender at Cubes all over the SW ever since - and I became an AV organiser a couple of months ago.

Now, I want to make up for lost time and do as much as I can. Not only that, I feel tremendously guilty about the animals that suffered on my behalf in the years before I gave up animal products. We here are all aware of the absolute torture and suffering that farmed - and other animals - go through, but of course not everybody does. So it’s incumbent on us, not just to go vegan, but to become a vegan activist. As Einstein said, “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.” It’s often said that being vegan is the least anyone can do - I would argue that being a vegan activist is the least anyone can do.

In my opinion, standing behind a mask in a Cube of Truth is one of the easiest way into activism. Whilst standing there you will hear the conversations going on around you, and you’ll begin to think to yourself - “I could have said that,” and it’s not long before you’re engaging with the public yourself. People will tell you that there are two parts to a Cube - there’s standing in the Cube - very important, this is what makes people curious and brings them in - and there’s the outreach, where other activists will generally educate people on the ways of veganism. But there’s a third, I think vital, component which comes after the Cube is finished - that’s the social bit, where you wind down, swap stories with like-minded folk, and generally get to know each other better. - and make lifelong friends. I would urge anyone to join us in a Cube of Truth - you’ll find us on Facebook. If you’re nervous about joining the Cube - and everyone is nervous to begin with - why not just come along to the after-Cube get-together? You’ll be welcomed with open arms by people you will grow to love and respect - I can guarantee it. I happen to be the oldest AV organiser in the world and my friend Mira Lubin, who is 14, is the youngest. It doesn’t matter what age you are - I’m living proof that of this. It’s never too late to become a vegan activist! So you need to ask yourself, “What’s stopping YOU from becoming active?

My good friend, Alan Hutchison, Senior Lecturer in Happiness at Winchester University - yes, there is such a subject - maintains that I am the happiest bloke he knows. And I ask myself - just why is it that I feel so happy almost all of the time? Well I think it’s down to two reasons: Firstly, it’s the complete fulfilment I get from being an Animal Rights Activist, and the difference I feel I’m making ; Secondly,  I get to hang out with the most amazing group of people, whom I call my 2nd family. I now have friends all over the South West, from Plymouth and Barnstable to Cheltenham and Swindon - committed, caring, dedicated friends, and I consider myself so fortunate to have met them. I reckon I’ve had more hugs in the last 14 months than I had in the 80 years before that. So my message again, is: It’s not just, “It’s never too late to go vegan” - it’s never too late to become a vegan activist. 

Back to my mission - which is to prove that, as a vegan, you can be fit, healthy and strong, well into old age: A  couple of years ago, I raised some money for a couple  of local charities in Taunton by doing 1000 press ups in an hour. (It’s a lot easier than swimming the channel, or riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats!) Wanting to maintain the level of fitness I’d reached, I set myself the challenge of doing 1 million press ups between the ages of 80 and 90. I figured 100,000 a year, or roughly 8000 every month would do it. But, wanting to get ahead of the game, in case of ill-health, or holidays, I started doing sets of 1000, 2 or 3 times a week. It takes me roughly 40 minutes to do each set - 25 press ups every minute, and so far I’ve done over 200,000, 21 months into my challenge. At this rate, I’ll finish the 1 million 2 or 3 years early - then I’ll have to look around for another challenge. Maybe I’ll take up marathon running or something.

My name’s Paul; I’m 81; I’ve been vegan for 15 years - and I’m on a mission!"

I decided to leave this out of my speech:

[A word about my encounter with arthritis: Before I gave up meat, dairy and eggs, I suffered from osteoarthritis, which went into remission when I went plant-based. However, after several years, when my mantra then was ‘I don’t want another animal to die so that I can live’, I ate a couple of chicken breasts which were about to be thrown away. Immediately, my arthritis flared up again, and it took a couple of months for it to die back down again.]


More on my story here in Vegetarian for Life.

Here's an interview I did .with Michael Green, after the March

BREADS AND CAKES FOR VEGAN ACTIVISTS (PLUS OTHER IDEAS I HAVE OCCASIONALLY)

These are some of the cakes and breads I've taken on my CubeofTruth adventures.

In this post:

Chocolate cake 

Summer fruit sponge cake (haven't shared this yet, but I intend to - it's just gorgeous)

Spicy fruit soda bread

Pizza
2 'instant' sweets for afters (well, ready to eat in just a few minutes):
    Chocolate or ginger cake

    Banana fritters (with savoury variations)

Chocolate cake

Ingredients:

175g sugar

25g cocoa powder

175g self raising flour
75g vegetable oil - or unsweetened apple puree

250g water

Method:

Measure the sugar and the cocoa powder, and mix them together. The sharp edges of the granulated sugar breaks up the clumps of cocoa powder, so sieving is not necessary. Add the flour and mix, then add the oil and water. Stir, initially with a dessertspoon, and then with a whisk, and pour into a prepared 20cm (8") cake tin.

Bake at 175C for 30-35 minutes.

Or: Use a silicon cake form and place in the microwave (800w) for 6 minutes. In my experience, not only do you get a quicker cake, but the cake rises about 25% higher in the microwave.

Note: I now make all my cakes in the microwave - only 6 minutes as against 45 or so minutes of oven time.

Here's the whole story, with links to the original recipe, a gluten-free alternative, vegan chocolate spread, and more.

Monday 15th April 2019
Breaking news: This is so good, nearly half the cake has gone already - and it's still warm!

Summer Fruit Sponge variation

Ingredients:
160g self raising flour
140g sugar
25g olive oil
250g fruit puree*

Method as above - 6 minutes in the microwave.

*Fruit puree consisted of 100g dates, soaked overnight; 100g frozen blueberries; 100g frozen summer fruits; 1 banana; 5 stewed prunes and water. All blitzed in my NutriShot blender.

Next time, I think I'll add a separate amount of soaked/stewed dates instead of some of the sugar.

Spicy fruit bread

I'll post the recipe in here when I get time, but here's a link to an online soda bread recipe.

For a spicy fruit bread, instead of adding salt, add 1-2 tsps of whatever sweet spice you've got - mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I always add 1/2 tsp of ground cloves, as well; 1 dessertspoon sugar, 100g sultanas or raisins, and 100g chopped dates. 

[More to come]

Pizza

Ingredients:

200g (1 mug) strong white flour 

1 teaspoon bouillon powder

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon curry powder

4 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

125ml (1/3rd mug) lukewarm water

1 rounded teaspoon fresh yeast or level teaspoon of dried yeast

Topping:

Rich tomato sauce

Nutritional yeast (notch)

Sliced tomato

Several sliced mushrooms

Method:

1. Place the dried ingredients and the s-d-tomatoes into a mixing bowl. Stir the yeast into the sauce until it’s dissolved (dried yeast takes a little longer to dissolve than fresh) and add it to the flour. 

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with a knife, starting with the yeast, cutting through the dough. When it gets too stiff for the knife, use your hand to squeeze the mixture together. As it forms into a solid mass, keep turning it over and pressing it down to pick up the flour at the bottom of the bowl – but make sure it stays soft. Don’t be afraid to add more water to keep it soft! When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by stretching the dough out, folding it over, stretching it out and so on and so forth. Do this until it is smooth – and stop before you get fed up!

4. Prepare your baking sheets, take the dough out of the mixing bowl and place it on your worktop. Divide the dough into 1 or 2 equal pieces and form each piece gently into a cob shape. Have plenty of flour to hand and liberally scatter flour over the dough and worktop. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough to the size of your baking sheets. 

5. Spread the pizza base(s) with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with nooch. If the nooch gets soaked up a bit and the sauce shows through, add a bit more nooch. Place slices of tomato and mushroom on top and sprinkle with herbs and black pepper.

6. Leave them to prove until the dough has become puffy at the edges.

7. Place in a hot oven, 220C, 425F or gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, turning round halfway through if necessary. When they're done the pizzas will lift up all along one side when you check underneath, using a palette knife. The bottom should be browning from the edges.


2 quick puddings:

Chocolate or ginger cake

1. You want cake? You can be eating some in around 6 minutes of thinking of it:

In a cereal bowl place 4 dsps each of sugar and self raising flour - to this add a teaspoon of either cocoa powder or powdered ginger and stir. (You can always this adjust amount the next time you make it.) Then add around 6 dsps of water and one of oil (I use olive oil, 'cos that's all I have, but rapeseed or other oils will be fine.)
Now stir the mix thoroughly and microwave for 2 minutes. Now you have cake.

Banana fritters

Put a frying pan, with a little oil on to a medium heat. 
In a jug, place 1/2 cup of self raising flour and a dsp of sugar. Add enough water to make a paste - stir this to remove all the lumps. Then add a little more water to make a thick batter.
Slice a banana lengthways, then cut each slice into 2 or 3 pieces. Put the banana pieces into the batter and turn them over to coat both sides. Using a fork, lower each piece of battered banana into the frying pan and adjust the heat - you need it to be medium to high. Turn the banana over after a couple of minutes and fry the other side. You're looking for a golden brown on each side.

Variation: Exactly the same method can be used to make battered mushrooms. Except you would use salt (or half a vegetable Oxo cube) instead of sugar. And battered sausages.

Notes. Both these can be made with gluten free self raising flour.

TOWARDS A VEGAN WORLD - Information as I come across it

As you can imagine, I get an enormous amount of info about the multifarious benefits of a vegan, or plant-based, diet. As I come across it, I shall post it on here:

"Meat is ridiculously inefficient' says British philosopher, Ray Monks. Not only meat - dairy, eggs and fish are also wasteful. Just to take one example: 

"A person who doesn't eat meat or dairy indirectly consumes nearly 600 gallons water per day less than a person who eats the average American diet (National Geographic, 2015). Per day!"

Gary Francione, Honorary Professor (Philosophy) at the  University of East Anglia, asks why the Green Party and Extinction Rebellion are ignoring the vegan solution.

A VEGAN DIET AND FASTING - BOTH CAN HELP TREAT ARTHRITIS

(21/10/14)
Often, when there's not a lot on the box and I have time to kill, I google the word 'Fasting' or 'plant based diet', followed by a condition, or an activity or somesuch.

I saw my GP last week for something minor and I just happened to mention that my arthritis had been in abeyance for several years. It was just a throwaway remark along with all the other subjects we'd been discussing.

But later I began to think about this, and realised that my arthritis, which had steadily been getting ever so slightly (but significantly) worse - until I stopped eating meat and dairy foods and became a vegan. Since then, while there has been no real improvement in my condition (apart from the amelioration of pain I gained from acupuncture), it hasn't deteriorated in the slightest. In fact, apart from the swelling in most of the joints of my fingers, it would be difficult to tell I had arthritis at all!

So I searched for  'Plant-based diet and arthritis', and found this article which more or less explains why my arthritis has been stable for the past ten or so years. And why fasting, in conjunction with a plant-based diet is beneficial.

Here's the story of someone who has benefited from giving up meat, dairy and eggs.

It's well worth looking through all the success stories on the 'Forks over Knives' website. 

It seems to make perfect sense to me. Thoughts, anyone?

THE EASIEST PASTRY YOU'LL EVER MAKE - and it's vegan!

A Thai chilli non carne pie!

The other half ended up in the freezer

As a vegan, I often find myself thinking out of the box, and here's a pastry which uses no milk, butter, marge or lard. Consequently, there is no need for that tiresome technique known as 'rubbing in' which is supposed to make something like 'breadcrumbs'. 

No need, either, for resting the pastry in the fridge - this is a 'quick pastry'. Or for 'baking blind' - there's no need for any of that faff. Instead, the ingredients are mixed into a dough - kneaded for a few seconds to distribute the ingredients properly - then rolled out and popped into a pie dish. If there is an easier method, I'd like to hear of it!

VEGAN BREADMAKING AND COOKERY COURSE

I'm planning to run a 5 or 6 week course somewhere in Taunton, starting in September. Here's where I shall post all my planning, as details become finalised.

I mean, I don't have a venue, yet, so... 😀

It'll be primarily about bread - but the content would be determined by the students. I'll plan the first session, but after that, it'll be down to the students to choose what we make next. If the decision is, let's make a lentil and potato stew, we can do that - and then make bread pasties and stuffed parathas with the leftovers. 😉

To give you an idea about some of the breads we can make, here's a link to a previous course I ran at The Planet. I'd do it there again, but Wendy is getting so busy, I'm reluctant to add to her workload.

Who is this course for?
Anyone who wishes to improve their cooking skills. I'd really like a mix of vegans and non-vegans. As to how many I could fit on the course, well that would depend on the venue - as would whether children can come or not.  The optimum number for me is 8.

Purpose and cost:
Primarily, I'm doing this to raise money for a TV for the Taunton branch of Anonymous for the Voiceless. We've raised £150, so far, towards a target of £400. As for how much to charge, I'm still thinking about this - obviously, I have to break even, but beyond that, any money raised would go to AV.
At the same time, I don't want anyone not to be able access this course because of cost. 
So I'm thinking of just asking for donations, ATM. 

[More]

A WEEK'S MENU FOR A VEGAN

(Well, it started out as a weekly menu, but I've since added to it, and I shall add more, I'm sure!)

Breakfast:

Cereal with a plant based milk - or fruit juice makes a nice change

Porridge – made with water - is a good standby.  I like mine with blackstrap molasses – although I no longer draw faces and yachts on the porridge as I did when I was younger! (Still do with the grandchildren on occasion! :-) )

My wife has hers with sultanas (soaked overnight) and banana. (Ugh!)

I only have porridge about once a week - my usual breakfast is spicy fruit naan, covered with mashed banana:

However, I often skip breakfast these days.