There's a first for everything! This ex-vegetarian (brought up veggie) had her very first steak and kidney pie recently. I was very hungry and polished off the lot! I'm still not sure about the metallic taste of the kidney if I'm honest but my justification was that it's 'good for you' and I always like to try something at least once before dismissing it. I took a picture because I'm still trying so many new things, so like to get a little snapshot of each memory! The pie was very flaky, steak succulent and the chips were lovely and crisp. There is no significance in the slightly ritualistic looking t-shirt - I just had this on at the time. 


I don't tend to judge people for their dietary choices, because people make these choices for a wide range of reasons. I personally stopped being vegetarian at 18 (roughly) because I was, for my own tastes, a bit too lean. My parents (who continue to be vegetarian), were very supportive. I much prefer a few curves on myself, so continue to eat meat. Ironically, I worked in a kitchen, cooking non-veggie food until this time. The first meat based dish that I ate was spare ribs from the BBQ, cremated by a boyfriend's dad! I don't eat huge amounts of meat or fish these days, just what I need in order to stay as healthy as I want to be. I love cooking  but have in the past cooked semi raw chicken, boot-tough rabbit and mostly salt turkey balls (don't ask)! I've tried supplements, dairy free, vegan food and cutting out fish too! What works for me is a balanced diet and yes I have improved my dishes - mainly thanks to the culinary skills of Ben Thomas, who has helped this team member to not cook the fridge. 

I identify as a woman and I do feel that certain foods are really important for me to consume, in order to get the nutrients that I need. When I started working with Ben, I was very self concisous about my looks and underconfident when it came to exploring this new meat-eating world. So I opened up and we discussed how best to approach and work on this. It was really important that I felt healthy before embarking on modelling and performing - a world that would become very body-centric for me! 

One thing I would say is that in my opinion it's not acceptable to sneak different foods into people's meals because you personally feel that they need it. Many a coffee shop has decided to give me caffeinated coffee and not decaf, dairy and not oat milk. This isn't great for me and can ruin a day potentially, but for some people the consequences can be catastrophic and life-changing. Not being vegetarian is my choice and freedom of choice is very important to me. I try to respect people's choices and in particular what they choose to chow down on!