Richard Makin, blogger and creator of School Night Vegan, recently launched his new book: Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan. He came to Waterstones in Hastings and explained to FIONA MCGARRY what all the buzz was about.

It’s exciting that you are launching your book here, but does it have any connection with Hastings?

School Night Vegan, which is the blog version of this book, started at almost exactly at the same time as I moved to Hastings. I got married, closed my previous business and moved to Hastings in the same week – and somehow survived. I feel that maybe this book and my life in Hastings are two parallel lines.

In the introduction you say you aren’t a chef or a blogger – you used to make and sell ice cream. Can you say a bit more about how you got started?

In London, I could feel there was going to be a [street food] wave. I loved ice cream – still do, so I bought a little Piaggio van – did it up, started making ice cream from scratch and then selling it. That was my first introduction to working in food. It wasn’t vegan, but it was an important step in becoming a vegan; just seeing that much milk, cream and eggs going into something – I was like “This is outrageous!” I shared production premises with a vegan street food company, and they basically kept me alive for four years on Vietnamese vegan food.

You describe yourself as “an experimental vegan food scientist” – so you deconstruct recipes.  I love the way you take classic recipes, some quite old-fashioned, like Lancashire hotpot and Manchester tart (my personal favourite) and you veganise them. What made you choose them?

They’re just dishes that I love and that have always been a huge part of my life. I don’t think there’s any bigger connection emotionally than the connection between nostalgia and food. And when you go vegan, or if you try to cut down on animal products, you sometimes feel a bit like you’ve been pushed out to sea – you’re no longer able to tap into those ‘it’ll do’ recipes you can make off the top of your head … and it’s terrifying. 

For a lot of people, the feeling of having to say goodbye to those dishes you love because they’re not vegan makes the whole thing more daunting. For me it was all about trying to reclaim them. I feel like I’m solving a problem – I’m cracking a code. It’s only a matter of time before you can crack a Manchester tart – the campest tart in the world!

Is the book aimed at vegans?

That’s a question my publishers asked very early on in the process. The answer is: yes, it is for vegans, definitely. But also, it’s trying to do something outside the box, something a bit different from what people expect vegan food to look like, so I guess I’m trying to appeal to non-vegans as well. 

A lot of vegans treat veganism as a cult and feel that you have to stick to the rules perfectly, but I think it’s better to have 100 imperfect vegans than one perfect vegan. The whole point of this book is to make it seem fun. Even with the revamp that it’s had in the last five or 10 years, vegan food can be boring and earnest. There are so many vegan cookbooks out there that are like crushed linen napkins – unachievable lifestyles that are threatening to so many people. And I thought, “Why is no one having fun with vegan food? Why is no one laughing about how absurd it is?”

Someone described you to me as “of the Ottolenghi ‘multiple flavour bomb’ school of cooking” with lots of ingredients. Is that fair? What are your top flavour bombs?

By all means compare me to Ottolenghi – whenever you want to! I have to dial everything up to 11. You’ll find quite a lot of miso paste in the book, and marmite. I’m trying to make a powder that tastes like cheese that I can sprinkle on popcorn, on crisps, on toast. I just bought some dried sushi vinegar powder from the Asian supermarket up the road – that’s my next flavour bombing video.

Some recipes are simple, but others are quite complex – where would you recommend a novice to start?

The book itself has a handy tool: there’s a level rating 1,2 or 3 [for each recipe] We wanted to be completely transparent and honest: a lot of recipes aren’t easy. I think that’s okay – it’s how we appeal to vegans. This is a book for beginners who are experimenting with vegan cooking, but it’s also for people who’ve been doing it for years and want to step up their game– how to make vegan cheese and that sort of stuff.

So, use the handy rating guide if you’re terrified. But I really love the Fettuccine Alfredo. I figured out that you can blend an entire tin of cannellini beans with soy milk so it’s nice and smooth and it acts really well as a savoury cream sauce. That’s a good, simple one to start with.

What about the ‘building block’ recipes?  – I was intrigued by the recipes involving seitan – but can you persuade me that they’re worth trying?

The building block recipes are at the back of the book; this is the section for experienced vegan cooks – people who know what seitan is. The purpose is to show that it’s wonderful and rewarding to create your own meat. The first time I did it I couldn’t believe it. It felt like alchemy. Your ingredients look like you’re making bread and you end up with … beef. That’s the creativity of vegan cooking that most people don’t get to explore. It’s also nice to know exactly what’s in plant-based meats – you know that everything in there is completely natural, and it’s actually a lot cheaper to make yourself.

What advice would you give to people who want to stock up their store cupboard with vegan ingredients?

Although you may be tempted to go straight in and go “Yeah, this is my lifestyle from now on,” take your time. Buy a small jar of something – if you like it, stock up later. 

Don’t be afraid to play around – I’m really keen for people to do their own takes on the recipes in the book. Didn’t everyone’s mum or nan have a cookbook that was ripped and had bookmarks and bits of chips hanging out of it? I wanted this book to feel like a scrap book. I want you to get stuck in and become familiar with all the recipes and the ingredients.

Check out Richard’s recipes on schoolnightvegan.com

Hastings Midsummer Fish Festival is back for a fifth year. The event takes place on 23 and 24 June on the Stade open space, with tickets costing £1 in advance or £2 on the gate (under 18s go free).

Deputy Leader Kim Forward, Lead Councillor for Tourism and Economic Development said, “The Midsummer Fish Festival was introduced by Hastings Borough Council after the success of the Seafood and Wine Festival and Herring Fair and is part of a summer of great events on the Stade. It’s a celebration of local seasonal fish, food and drink producers, and great live music. There will be a great selection of food and drink from local restaurants, street vendors, bakeries, and wine producers. The FILO brewery will be there, as well as other local brewers and wine makers, and there will also be delicious gifts to take home. Our local fishing fleet will be showcasing their skills and getting messy with fish printing.”

The music line up at the festival will open on Saturday with the beautiful sounds of The Hastings Sinfonia, as well as performances throughout the day including Steve Didge and new talent, Lucy; a rare special appearance from The Gail Edmunds Band; four piece dance and party band, Octavia; Spanish and salsa rhythms from Los Twangqueros and closing the day is The Martin Blackman Band.

Sunday kicks off with some traditional songs from the Sound Waves Shanty Crew as well as great selection of modern covers from The Cover Ups. Mad Jacks Morris will provide us with acoustic sounds and traditional dance, followed by some country music from The Hay Stingers, while The Rocking Ambassadors will close the weekend’s entertainment with some jumping and jiving!

There will be cooking demonstrations in Classroom on the Coast, the unique seafood training kitchen based within the Stade Hall over the weekend. CJ Jackson, CEO of the Billingsgate Seafood School will be there on Saturday at noon and 2:30pm, and Sunday’s demos will be from Wild Feast and new local St Leonard’s restaurant, Farmyard. All demos are free and can be booked on the day on a first come, first served basis.

Children can also be entertained in the Stade Hall where there will be craft activities of a fishy nature, as well as free face painting.

The Midsummer Fish Festival was set up to promote Hastings’ Fishing Fleet, so after enjoying the festival fun, why not take a wander round the net huts, speak to the Fishermen’s Protection Society and get inspired to buy and cook with locally caught, seasonal fish.

Wristbands for the whole weekend cost just £1 in advance from the Tourist Information Centre in Breeds Place (on the seafront, by the fountain), or £2 on the gate. Under 18s go free.

For more information see: www.visit1066country.com/fishfestivals

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