Planet V

Yewfield is a vegetarian hotel, offering quiet accomodation (we were in a superior room but they also had self catering). The breakfasts were lovely and the surrounding area lovely for walking. To be honest I am not much of a walker yet was not short of things to do. Ambleside is full of walkers and walking shops (don’t go there for a shopping break!), a few nice pubs, wine bars and restaurants. It costs to park everywhere (local shops have parking disks to give you an hour free). All attractions cost (museums, galleries, national trust etc which is a bit annoying but it is so gorgeous I’d advise doing your own thing, we went off the beaten track north of Ambleside and found waterfalls, castles ..and did look for a stone circle which we never found but good luck if you try it!)

We ate at Fellini’s Ambleside, a Vegeterranean (Vegetarian Mediterranean) restaurant. It is fine dining and the food was stunningly good. 2 courses and a bottle of wine came to around £50. Fellini’s is owned by Yewfield (although you have to drive, taxi  or attempt to catch one of the few buses as Yewfield is around 4 miles uphill out of Ambleside and does not serve food apart from breakfast) and they also have 3 small cinemas. We did not go but peeped into the one at Fellini’s which was lovely.

We ate so well during our trip and did not once struggle for vegan food. Hawkhead has a few pubs, all quite expensive but the one we chose to eat at The Kings Arms, was great. Nothing strictly vegan on the menu but I asked and the chef came out to give me some options. I went with an aubergine and tomato bake which was really tasty and so much food I wondered if I should take up hiking immediately. Coniston is a beautiful place to visit, the Lake of course where the Bluebird and Donald Campbell saw their last day in 1967, is a sight to see and contemplate. It is still very unspoilt there and has a nice little bar called Harry’s where we had Italian food, cheaper than Ambleside and less touristy. By that I don’t mean bad, Ambleside is tasteful and you wont find junk food a-plenty like most places. Lots of unique artwork too.

We came home via Lancaster, a place I had wanted to stop at to see the sights. We visited the castle which until last year had been a working prison and went for lunch at Merchants 1688, a pub converted from a wine cellar only discovered under a shop in the 70′s. Veggie bean burgers and home made chips finished off the assault on my waistline.

This was a really nice break, leaving me de-stressed and content. Probably a good job I was straight back to teaching Yogilates on my return and a day on, with a houseful of screaming kids I am still feeling quite zen…..

Avoid!:

The Drunken Duck Pub (nearest pub to Yewfield) unless you like looking at mounted stuffed animal heads.

The tea rooms opposite Yewfield, down the hill a little unless you like Hunt Scum selling artwork and hunt calendars.

Otherwise, enjoy and if you don’t like things like the above, make yourself heard, even if people look down their noses at you! It’s not often I get away yet I intend to only stay in veggie and vegan places from now on whenever I can so keep you posted!

Here is the about information, taken from the companies website:

Goody Good Stuff is an all-new natural gummy candy range that is made with a plant derived bio-gum technology, which eliminates the need for animal-based gelatin, which most traditional gummy candies use.

Over the last 15 years, we have worked to develop a food technology, which allows us to remove the gelatine from Gummy candies while still producing a deliciously smooth and clear consistency. This makes our product range a first and only of its kind in the market. In addition, we have taken out all of the artificial colours and flavours and use only natural fruit and vegetable extracts in our range. Lastly, we have removed all of the other harmful food additives and possible allergens such as gluten, to create a truly all natural alternative, which is completely allergen free.

The sweets are currently available at a selection of stores including Waitrose and Holland and Barratt (full list here) and I would seriously recommend giving them a try. 4 flavours are vegan and 4 are vegetarian (these contain beeswax).

The vegan varieties are as follows (with our remarks added on!) not necessarily in order of yummi-ness!!

1.  Summer Peaches – these are just lovely and were the kids favourites, they are quite sweet and my six year old said they ‘tasted of strawberries’, in my opinion they do actually taste of juicy peaches (just having another one now just to check – hm, yep, definitely peaches!)

2. Sour Fruit Salad – My favourites by a long way (not that I wouldn’t eat all of the others in a second). These are like the usual fruit assortment segments you can get but nicer as they are cruelty free. There are different flavours in the pack and are stunningly good.

3. Sour Mix and Match – Both the kids and I like these, again, they come in different mixed flavours, they are more sour than the above, causing a little screwing up of the face upon eating which is great. Extremely nice.

4. Cola Breeze – Ah, just like the fizzy cola bottles I remember from being a child, although not quite as strong which is a good thing. Still some face screwing as the flavour hits the roof of the mouth but still gorgeous.

And for those thinking I’m endorsing these as I got some free sweets, incorrect, if they were awful I would tell you! I will be buying these for my kids in future, no more having to look at the back of the sweets everywhere I go to find out they have bovine extract in them, thank goodness!

What a treat, even at  £2.60

Here’s the link to LK Gourmet

I then treated them to lunch at Earth Cafe in Manchester, where we got some home-made grub which was lovely. Nothing glam or over the top, just proper food (£4 for a heap of good grub). I had chilli, rice and red cabbage and the kids had dhal and rice and a veggie burger…followed by hot chocolate (soya milk)….

I can but hope some of those folk will actually read a leaflet or look for a veggie or vegan recipe after sampling the food but if nothing else it was a great bonding time for me and the kids and an experience I hope they will repeat and remember as they begin to understand more about the values which will shape who they will eventually become.

The geese graze on and pollute the shores of Windermere

About 200 Canada geese are to be culled in the Lake District.

Rangers say the 1,000 geese in Windermere have been causing environmental problems by grazing and polluting the lake with droppings.

They insist the cull will be carried out “sensitively” using silenced shotguns, in spring when the geese start to nest.

The geese pair for life and, as the male and female will be in one place, the process will be less cruel.

This is from the BBC. I wrote to the Lake District National Park and asked for them to reconsider the cull, explaining that it was cruel and unethical, this was the response I received.

Dear Jill Cull

of Canada Geese on Windermere

Thank you for your recent correspondence on what we know to be an emotive and complex issue that is difficult to explain fully in a brief television or newspaper item. The management of any wildlife species is one which involves not only practical matters but inevitably raises the issue of a moral and philosophical standpoint for both organisations and individuals. The Geese Management Group is made up of representatives from government organisations, charities involved in scientific research and land management, and businesses. They have been managing the geese population on Windermere for a number of years using non-lethal techniques such as fencing and scaring, as well as egg oiling to control the increasing numbers of new birds. It is only after trying these techniques and identifying the limitations of their effectiveness set against the need to manage a delicate and complex habitat and landscape, incorporating the needs of both wildlife and humans, that the group reached the difficult decision to carry out a managed cull. If you would like additional information about the background of the work please visit Lake District National Park – Canada geese on Windermere where we hope you will find answers to your questions, along with links to other organisations that have related information. If you have any remaining questions please contact us again.

Steve Tatlock Lake District National Park Authority 01539 724555 www.lakedistrict.gov.uk

And this was my follow up reply:

Dear Steve,

I notice that there are no animal rescues or other such pro-animal groups in the management group. This is disgraceful and I will be telling everyone I know and will also be blogging to boycott the Lake District. Do you think you have the right to kill animals? Cull = murder. Pure and simple.

Jill.

Here are some emails if you could add your support and spread the word. Many thanks.

Pauline Richardson <Pauline.Richardson@lakedistrict.gov.uk>

HQ <hq@lakedistrict.gov.uk>

 D&B Link

Please read this snippet.

Jill Phipps was a dedicated and compassionate activist, who was heavily involved in the campaign against live exports through Coventry Airport. One fateful day, she blocked the lorries’ paths but they refused to stop and she was crushed to death in the midst of a protest.

On the 4th February we will remember Jill on the anniversary of her death for giving the ultimate sacrifice for these calves. We call upon Albert Hall Farms to cease involvement in this vile trade.

Join us and stand strong against live exports on Saturday 4th February!

Full Story Here

For those that can go and stand up for Jill’s rights as a free human being to protest, and the animal rights to dignity, please do so. I know I will certainly doing more from now on because fear is what keeps us in our place and I don’t want to be kept there anymore. To Jill x

I’ve not posted for a while, part laziness, part trying to figure out a few things in my life!

Things I have discovered since my last post.

1. Vegan and Veggie friends are so important. Not just because they don’t shovel meat down their faces but they most likely share other opinions and viewpoints. If they are compassionate about animals, likely they are compassionate about people too.

2. Support people and they will support you back. Let people down and karma will get you.

3. Stand up for what you believe no matter what. Whether that means complaning to a school about them teaching your child fast food songs or whether it means standing in a demo, knowing you are going to get in a heap of trouble.

Hope to get back up to speed with posts soon.

Controversy

In 2001, the company was sued by seven former employees, who alleged the company did not protect them from harassment by fellow workers in the workplace. The alleged harassment activity included the posting of swastikas and Ku Klux Klan graffiti, as well as rope nooses and Confederate flags. The incidents are said to have taken place between 1993 and 2000. The case was settled in May 2003, when the plaintiffs agreed to a $3.3 million out-of-court settlement.^[13]

Two shareholders filed lawsuits against Dean Foods and Horizon Organic Holding Corp. in 2003, alleging Dean paid too little in their agreement to acquire the company. The lawsuits, which sought class action status, also alleged neither company met their legal obligation to satisfy the interests of the Horizon Organic shareholders. Executives at Dean Foods said the lawsuits were without merit. Dean Foods settled with the shareholders in May 2007.^[13]

On May 12, 2008, Cornucopia filed a complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) declaring that Deans Foods restrained an abundant amount of their cows to an unhygienic feed yard in Snelling, California; federal organic regulations require such animals to be maintained in an organic environment with access to pasture and fresh grass. Allegations from the federal agency were dismissed.^[14]

The Dean Foods’ facilities in Colorado and Texas milk approximately 20,000 cows. These operations have been investigated by the USDA as a result of complaints filed by Cornucopia representing the family-scale farming community.^[14]

In 2009, the company was criticized and accused of being a monopolistic broker.^[15]

In the fall of 2009, Pioneer Press reported the Cornucopia Institute had made complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture accusing Silk producer Dean Foods and its WhiteWave Foods division of shifting their products away from organics without properly notifying retailers or consumers.^[16][17] According to the Star Telegram and other news sources, Silk brand soy milk was made using organic soybeans until early 2009, when Dean Foods switched to conventional soybeans while maintaining the same UPC barcodes and prices on the Silk products and replacing the word “organic” with “natural” on the Silk product packaging.^[18]

Foremost Farms USA, a cooperative of over 2,000 dairy farmers in several midwestern states, sold its Wisconsin milk processing plants to Dean Foods in 2009.^[19] On January 22, 2010, the US Department of Justice, along with the state attorneys general of Wisconsin and Michigan, filed a law suit and complaint that alleges the purchase created a monopolizing provider.^[20] According to a press statement released that same day, Dean Foods announced it was contesting the complaint.^[21]

Link to full article here.