Keri Bainborough
How did you become vegan or move towards this way of life?
I became vegan in 2014. At the time, I was living on my in-law’s beef farm. I have always grown up on farms and most of my family and family friends are farmers of both livestock and crops. One of the cows in our beef herd had mastitis and rejected her tiny newborn calf and so we raised him with bottled milk and kept him in a stable next to the horses and close to our house. We called him Marmite and I grew very fond of him. He used to play in our garden and chase the cat and dogs and would even come running when you called his name. For a while he roamed the farm on his own, sleeping in his stable at night, until he was old and strong enough to re-enter the herd. A few months after he rejoined the herd, I learned of Marmite being sold and sent to the feedlot and slaughterhouse and at that moment, it was like I had received a kick in the gut. Everything I knew and believed around food came crashing down around me, and I could no longer separate the sentient beings on our farm from the food on my plate. I have not touched meat since that moment. I was a vegetarian for about a week, but very quickly realised that I was going to give up eggs and dairy and all other animal products, as they are also the result of the same cruelty. I have been vegan for five years now. During this time, I have created a vegan guidebook called A Guide for Wildflowers, and have helped hundreds of people to begin their vegan or vegetarian journeys. I moved to Cape Town in 2015 and in 2017, I became a mom to a little girl.
What year did you become vegan?
2014
Are there any foods you enjoy now that you wouldn’t eat or hadn’t tried before?
Tofu scramble! Tofu anything, actually! I don’t think I had ever eaten tofu before I went vegan.
What is your favourite meal or snack?
Lentil dhal and buddha bowls – I’m not much of a snacker, to be honest.