OK, I admit it. The moment someone tells me I have to do something or must buy something my hackles rise and a deeply buried desire to rebel and do the opposite  rises up in me.  This probably explains why I have such an irrational dislike of  “meat free Mondays“.

I agree with the general  assumption that most of us eat too much meat and dairy, and that this contributes to health problems and climate change, what I find heard is the concept of deliberately choosing a meat free day. Maybe it’s because I was brought up in the 1970’s, when meat free meals were part of the weekly menu. In our house, there was always fish on Fridays, chips and egg on Saturdays – perched on our knees while we watched Morcambe and Wise or the Generation Game – and followed by a tub of ski yoghurt * . Not  forgetting  the soups made with whatever was cheap at the market.

I don’t have a problem with vegetarianism either (I was vegan for years), so having thought about it long and hard I have to admit it’s just the need to rebel that’s the issue.

So, for any of you contemplating  eating less meat, here’s a list of my favourite meat free meals, the ones we eat regularly in our house, but never on a designated day of the week. Some are meat and dairy free, some just veggie. I haven’t given the recipes here, use a search engine or sit down with a cuppa and your favourite recipe book and gather some inspiration.

1. Chick pea and potato curry
2. Pasta bake (pasta shells, tomato sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, ground nuts and a drizzle of olive oil)
3. Cous cous with roast butternut squash and hot peppadew peppers
4. Leek and potato soup with home made crusty bread
5. Red onion and red pepper ommelette with home made oven chips
6. Hummous, guacomole and crudites with a cold beer and a good movie
7. Home made falafel served with rice salad and chilli salsa
8. And the old standbys: beans on toast, baked potato and beans, cheese on toast and my all time favourite -  a bag of chips – eaten out of newspaper sitting on a harbour wall looking out to sea.

* If you are of a “certain age” did you find yourself transported back to the sofa singing along “Ski, tastes natural and so good, just like you knew it would. Lalala la la?