Meatfreed: How to have a plant-based and waste-free Christmas!
Emily sat down with Patrick Huang, Co-Founder of MeatFreed - a plant based initiative and community. Patrick talks about what this initiative is all about, and how to eat plant-based around the festive period…
Illustration by Katie deLusignan.
Who are you, what is MeatFreed, and why did you decide to start it? What are the goals of MeatFreed?
MeatFreed has been developed by me and Mike Morris. I am a former consultant with IBM and have worked on a number of tech start-ups. Mike comes from a completely different background having worked in advertising and film and television for many years. He’s also a film producer and produced The Inbetweeners Movie, one of the most successful UK films of all time. Mike and I met in June 2021 on the Launchpad Programme at Falmouth University.
I have been interested in doing something to encourage the more general adoption of plant-based diets since my wife started to experiment with veganism recently. She was having difficulty finding really good menu options when we were dining out or cooking at home. She also found limited opportunities to connect with others like her on her plant-based journey.
Initially, we spoke to a number of students at Falmouth University in Cornwall, and we were amazed by their positivity about reducing meat consumption for themselves, their friends and their families. Many of them wanted to do this in response to climate change but not exclusively so as some were motivated by animal welfare or their or their loved ones’ health.
Whatever the motivation and however much or little you do, the facts about meat consumption suggest that you should do something.
So MeatFreed was born: a way of incentivising students to become more ‘meat mindful’ by offering them incentives to choose plant-based whether eating out or cooking at home and to create a powerful community to help effect change. MeatFreed is trying to build a membership of 1 million by 2024. In a few short weeks working on MeatFreed in Cornwall we have already signed up nearly 800 members - that’s more than 10% of the student population. If we can build on that across other universities and colleges in the UK then we will easily beat that target.With a million members, we will have real leverage to offer many more incentives to members as well as an opportunity to drive change and increase the range of plant-based options available to everyone.
It’s almost the holiday season. Do you have any plant-based tips or traditions at Christmas which you’d like to share?
As a time to get together with family and friends for fun and feasting it’s a great time to think about rebalancing our diets to reduce meat consumption and increase plant-based.
Many families have long-established traditions at Christmas and during the holiday season. It’s not the most environmentally friendly tradition, but Mike always got his children to write out a list of all the things they wanted for Christmas and then throw it on the fire so the smoke would go up the chimney to Father Christmas - not that they ever got anything on the list as his children often remind him. They still write and burn their lists, even though his kids are in their twenties!
On Christmas Eve Mike would also get his children to set out a carrot to feed the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh……. and of course a small glass of whisky for ‘Santa’.
My parents moved from Taiwan to the States and our family were the only ones in the USA until I was close to joining uni. For many years, we spent Christmas together as our small family. Then, a couple of my relatives and their families immigrated to the States.
With relatives living close by, the new family tradition that I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to gather all of our family and extended family together.
Although we did not give gifts like what the traditional American family does, our Christmas tradition was to gather everyone together and enjoy quality time. We typically had a meal with many dishes across cuisines and culminated with playing mahjong, a traditional Chinese game. I learned how to play mahjong like many children, watching their parents and grandparents play. We still continue this tradition with all of our families coming together for Christmas and enjoying delicious (and now more plant-based) food with mahjong. We typically mix both Chinese/Taiwanese cuisine like Peking duck and American cuisine like green bean casserole.
We tend to go consumer crazy, not just at the Christmas sales or on Black Friday. Over 270,000 tonnes of food is wasted every Christmas Day including over 2 million turkeys! Many recent research projects have highlighted the benefits to the planet of reducing your meat consumption. Researchers at Oxford University have calculated that avoiding meat and dairy could reduce your personal carbon footprint by an astonishing 73%.
Things are changing - meat consumption in the UK was down nearly 18% in the last decade but it’s still a long way short of the 30% reduction that The National Food Strategy has called for in the next ten years.
That is a very inefficient way to generate protein to feed the world. Never mind that all that grain requires land, extra energy to harvest it, chemicals to fertilize and protect it from pests. Cattle are also a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times as damaging to the environment as carbon dioxide. So, even small changes to your diet can have major impacts on the planet.
Given the facts, you could do a lot, or just do a little but you probably should do something. So, as well as encouraging your friends and family to join the MeatFreed community, choose your Christmas recipes wisely, eat less meat and use your leftovers creatively!
Eating plant-based can often be expensive. During Christmas, an already expensive time of year for many, how can people eat less meat while not breaking the bank? / How can people eat plant-based on a budget (at Christmas)?
We have partnered with local restaurants to share budget-friendly plant-based recipes for Christmas. And if you don’t have time to cook at home, you can dine with them and receive a discount when choosing plant-based just by showing your MeatFreed membership card.
Sloth and Sparrow
Andre and Angie started Sloth and Sparrow after a month of Veganuary prompted them to continue exploring more delicious vegan recipes. Sloth and Sparrow started with comfort vegan food as a food truck out of Penryn. With their signature fried chick’n burger made out of seitan, they continued to grow in popularity. Sloth and Sparrow is now a fan favorite especially with Falmouth University students based out of Falmouth’s High Street.
Sausage rolls are a classic Cornish treat and Patrick has enjoyed a few from the local pasty shops around Falmouth when he first arrived. But, Andre’s version with Sloth and Sparrow is just as flaky on the outside and hearty on the inside with the huge added bonus of being 100% vegan! Get your fix of hearty and filling ‘sausage’ roll with Andre’s take.
KinnAsia
Lhong, originally from Thailand, learned how to cook from her mother and grandmother and started developing a passion for cooking and sharing with others. She enjoys eating and experimenting with cuisines across Asian cultures. Although tofu is a typical protein for vegetarian dishes, Lhong wants to showcase how Asian spices and flavours can add more to vegetarian dishes. KinnAsia is a favorite for Asian dishes based out of Falmouth’s High Street.
We love the warmth and flexibility with Lhong’s winter curry recipe. Patrick was even surprised by the method of cooking curry and the simplicity in which anyone new to Asian cuisine can try this simple recipe. Tackle the cold with winter curry and use this recipe with any type of vegetables and carbs from noodles to rice to bread (we recommend a crusty bread like a baguette).
The Pirate and the Geisha
The Pirate and The Geisha is an enchanted rustic coffee hut in the magical woods of Penryn. It specialises in raw vegan cake and medicinal drinks such as the Dandelion Chai Latte or Mushroom Macaccino. The owner Shilly has lived in Japan and Australia and was inspired to create a Japanese style garden with decking that looks like a ship! 100% plant-based and well worth hunting down this hidden secret spot.
We are a sucker for sweets and this boozy chocolate orange truffle recipe hits the (sweet) spot! We are excited that The Pirate and the Geisha offered this delicious and rich recipe for Boozy Chocolate Orange Truffles.
Want to learn more, or share your own plant-based recipes that you enjoy during the festive period? Head to www.meatfreed.com/recipes-members where you can register for MeatFreed, submit your ideas and enter to win loads of fantastic prizes!
Thank you to Katie deLusignan for her beautiful illustration. You can find more of her work on her Instagram @myhandsmadethese.
Patrick Huang
Patrick is a co-founder of MeatFreed. Patrick is originally from the States with 6 years in management consulting at IBM’s consulting practice and more than 15 years of supporting early-stage startups. After completing a MBA, he worked for a social impact startup for 5 years in various leadership roles and he continued to support other startups after. Patrick is recognized as one of TechRound’s UK BAME 50 under 50 tech entrepreneurs for 2021.
Mike Morris
Mike is a co-founder of MeatFreed. Mike has more than 30 years of experience in advertising, media from film to TV to digital, and events. Mike has held various leadership roles such as the former director of Channel 4’s commercial businesses, former director of Saatchi and Saatchi, a founder/director of Taste of London and T4 on the Beach. Mike produced The Inbetweeners, one of Channel 4’s most successful movies.