ARDENT carnivore Holly Harrison tries to go meat-free after a recent study showed that plant-based protein to be healthiest.

IT was just a regular Monday morning when I kick-started my week by flicking through the day's national news.

Buried in the depths of the Daily Mail was a report saying vegetarians could expect to live more than three and a half years longer than a meat eater.

According to research carried out by physicians from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, even the tiniest amount of red meat could increase your chances of heart disease.

As a self-confessed meat addict this was terrible news.

Faced with an impossible dilemma I had to weigh up the benefits of a longer life compared to a happy one.

Do I change my lifestyle to gain a few more years but earn a life sentence as a vegetarian?

As a lover of life, I chose the moral high ground. I would not go gentle into that goodnight. I would live life to the full and not sacrifice a few precious years out of stubbornness and a love of bacon. I would stand up and fight. I would be a vegetarian.

But just for five days. After all, I had a birthday coming up and I knew a pulled pork roll was on the menu.

Monday

It's 11am - nearly lunchtime. As my tummy rumbles and my eyes glance towards the clock, I start to think about what on earth I'm going to eat.

"But what do you eat?", I cry with anguish to my vegetarian colleague.

"Cheese," she replied. "Or egg."

With a deflated spirit I went for a trudge round Marks and Spencer and finally came across a tiny pot of rice. I later discovered this was actually pasta. Regardless it was still quite nice.

For tea, it was more pasta: Pasta Puttanesca with homemade tomato sauce with slithers of courgette and a hint of chilli. I even made my own garlic bread. The verdict? Delicious. I enjoyed every mouthful - but it would have been nice with bacon.


Self-confessed meat addict, Holly Harrison, goes vegetarian for a week. This mushroom risotto is just one of the dishes she tried. Tuesday

By day two I was getting into the swing of it. For lunch I opted for broccoli and stilton soup and then made a mushroom risotto for tea. Again, this was really tasty. I was always a big fan of risotto - usually a lemon chicken version with a dusting of tarragon. But this meat-free dish was a definite rival.

Wednesday

Still raving over my mushroom masterpiece, I tucked into leftovers for lunch before the highlight of the week in the evening.

Another colleague (this time a sensible meat-eater) brought me a delicious vegetable chilli for tea. This was a taste sensation. With tender vegetables still packed with flavour and a tasty sauce with just the right amount of kick, this was a vegetarian delight.

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Thursday

By this point I was getting cocky. Three days done and I was genuinely starting to feel healthier. That lunchtime I confidently trotted up to the cafe in the Network Centre in Millom where I opted for a delectable feta cheese and sundried tomato panini with a delicious Greek salad. I was turning into a veggie pro.


Avid meat-eater, Holly Harrison, went veggie for a week but ate only chocolate one evening after discovering an empty fridge. Then my experiment took a serious nose dive. After a busy day in work, I made my weary way home. I trudged into my house like Old Mother Hubbard searching for some form of food. However, just like Old Mother Hubbard, I got to the cupboard (well, a fridge) and found it to be bare. By bare I mean I had a wide selection of ingredients consisting of an aubergine, half a courgette, some chocolate and a packet of bacon. Do I give in? Is it finally time for a bacon sandwich? After three seconds of soul searching I decided not to give in. I would be strong and eat chocolate – washed down with gin.

Friday

D-Day. My last day as a vegetarian. And a day I ate nothing at all. Fridays are always busy but this week I was faced with getting the car into the garage and finishing work at a reasonable time to complete a 200 mile journey.

Thanks to a busy afternoon and diversions on the M5, I finally rolled into my sleepy home village in Worcestershire a little before midnight. I sleepily stumbled into the house and greeted my parents before searching for my first meal of the day. Then, appearing
The final day. After five full days of being meat-free, Holly Harrison celebrates at midnight with a pepperoni pizza. out of the fridge like a mirage, was a pepperoni pizza. I glanced at the clock and realised that in just a few short minutes my time as a vegetarian would be over. As I heard the midnight chimes of the grandfather clock, I sunk my teeth into this meaty delight with a song in my heart and a single tear of happiness rolling down my cheek. I lie but it did taste amazing.

Conclusion

So what have I learned? I've learned that I do enjoy vegetables and some vegetarian dishes are really quite tasty. Despite this significant breakthrough I still firmly believe that each and every dish would be infinitely more delicious through the presence of meat. Man is a natural predator and all things considered, who am I to argue against hundreds of thousands of years of the status quo just to save a few extra years? In reality, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow so I would make each and every minute count and love my life as an unashamed carnivore.

CHILLI NON CARNE RECIPE


INGREDIENTS

One red chilli

2tsp crushed chillis

One ancho chilli

1/2tsp cumin seeds

1tsp paprika One bunch fresh coriander

Two garlic cloves 700g passata

Two mixed-colour peppers

Three tins of any of the following: cannellini beans, kidney beans, chick peas, butter beans or black beans.

METHOD

  • In a food processor, add the coriander stalks, chillis, cumin seeds, paprika, crushed garlic cloves and a few glugs of olive oil.
  • Mix until a paste is formed.
  • Add some olive oil in a saucepan and cook the paste on a medium heat.
  • After a few minutes, add the drained beans/peas, the peppers and the packet of passata.
  • Simmer for at least 15 minutes but ideally around 30 minutes on a low heat.
  • Serve with wild rice, naan bread and soured cream and sprinkle the coriander leaves on top.