SOCIAL MEDIA HOTSPOTS: Where to Create Content in Wakefield

We’re often in search of that instagrammable ‘door’ because when you’re always snapping social media content, you tend to look for hotpots.

We headed to The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield which has a whole social media trail…

An international artist’s angel wings spray painted on the walls of The Riding’s Shopping Centre is where our instagram tour of The Ridings Shopping Centre begins.

Artist Collette Miller reminds us :“We are angels of this earth” in her stunning wings modestly homed near Greggs bakery. As you enter The Ridings you can grab a perfect insta and eco-friendly outfit from the glamorous Wakefield Hospice Shop which is more of a boutique and a far cry away from the norm ‘rummage style’ charity shop.

You can then grab a bargain for your home ‘back drop’ from TK Maxx or even some unique ethical skincare products or plant-based snack to fuel your visit, plus you’re right by the instagrammable tree bar. If you’re then lucky enough to stumble on to one of the regular markets held inside The Ridings, you can grab a stunning house plant which is on trend at the moment.

That’s not forgetting just a few more steps away you’ve already hit your pit stops at Grind Cafes who serve awesome hot drinks, snacks and instagrammable milkshakes (I’m talking Oreo cookies!). Right by MADE in Yorkshire shop and the famous arm chairs in the food court “Yorkshire King” or “Queen”.

Next up is Wakefield Antiques Centre which was a delight for my Tiktoking kids not to mention buying a vintage bargain for the home or grabbing that perfect social media snap prop or you can discover an independent design and furniture at Created in Yorkshire. As well as some eco-living cleaning products.

Then onto Boots to grab the latest beauty or haircare trend or if it sweet treats are you’re thing you can’t miss the ‘candy’ and Haribo (from nearby in Pontefract where the HQ is based) from Reel Cinema as well as the cute seats. And if you’re with little ones, get a snap of them in the toy cars which act as trolleys for your shopping haul bags. Before heading down to one of the Art House’s many creative spaces – so not only are you getting a unique snap but you’re supporting local talent too.

⁃ Don’t forget to capture some music and talent on the community space where The Ridings is literally written on the floor before heading down to the lower ground…

⁃ There, you can use the Little Free Library as a phone box back drop or promote book swapping… or both.

⁃ Before shooting a colourful snap in The Yard which is made up of awesome art work from Wakefield College students.

⁃ Here, you could even have a respite with a game of table tennis or table football.

⁃ If you need the toilet, take a selfie in the mirrors where there’s great lighting around the mirrors!

⁃ Our Sparkle Studio Content Creators HQ is down here too. Here, you can book a slot at our studio to create content, blogs, vlogs, co-work or use our instagram wall and podcasting suite.

⁃ You could even get your logo or favourite photo or quote printed at the T shirt shop nearby as you leave The Yard area.

⁃ Before heading onto Superdrug for more beauty supplies.

⁃ You can get your brows and lashes done just outside in the centre of the mall.

⁃ Don’t forget nails too as there’s a nice nail salon opposite Card Factory.

⁃ Then grab a novelty gift or prop for the home and a pic from CardFactory who are also based locally, before heading back up to Poundland for a positive affirmation pad or journal.

⁃ We then purchase some heels from Shoezone to match our new charity shop find outfit from the Hospice shop previously.

⁃ Or if you’re in need of some more vintage outfit inspo head to Morgana for your perfect rock chick look or a fitted vintage dress.

⁃ As well as a gorgeous scent to boot from The Perfume Shop or Bodycare opposite (that’s not forgetting the Body care recycled plastic vases in the car park upstairs).

⁃ It’s time to fuel up again this time grab a bite to take home from Arrow Fresh – From the instagrammable Doh Boy donuts to delicious fudge and cake slabs of deliciousness, all from local suppliers.

⁃ You could create your own home platter with a cake ‘prop’ treats from Cake Box too which is also a central unit.

⁃ Don’t forget to grab a blinging phone case along the way before doing that ‘shopping haul’ vlog inside Primark.

⁃ There’s plenty of flowers and benches too if you’re shopping til your dropping or want a flower filled photo en route throughout the shopping centre.

⁃ Then it’s on to our final pit-stop at Ruby Lou’s who are always up for participating in a Tiktok or two. Make sure you also grab yourself one of their delicious home-made Belgian waffles and ice cream which is great for the ‘grid’ too and supports a family run business.

⁃ Then you’re back up to the Angel Wings.

⁃ Even if/where you park your car, there’s an instagrammable flower wall made up of plastic vases from Bodycare’s recycling.

⁃ If it’s open too, the mini rooftop allotment by Grow Wakefield is a perfect vlog spot when the weather is ok.

⁃ Plus from up here you can get a birds eye view of the City Centre.

Which ever way you enter The Ridings and follow your route around, there’s plenty of opportunities for that picture perfect pic.

Where do you love going for your social media snaps? We love all the insta opportunities @ridingscentre…Here’s just a few of our best… from Creative Spaces to Collette Miller’s Angel Wings and an array of shops. #instafriendly #instagramhotspots

By Sophie Mei Lan

https://sparklecommunications.co.uk / https://yorkshirefamilies.co.uk

Floatation therapy: The new wellbeing workout for Mind and Body 

As I pulled down the lid of the floatation tank, I nervously immersed myself into my first Floatation Therapy ‘wellbeing treatment.’ 

Floatation therapy can help our bodies to heal from working out or the aches and pains of being hunched all day. It can help with losing body fat, athletic recovery and most of all reduce stress and feelings of anxiety or ‘overwhelm.’ 

Our mind impacts how we hold our body and vice versa which is why I am an advocate for holistic health therapies which are far from ‘airy-fairy,’ they are a super-charged way of slowly transforming us. 

“You’ve got to be right in your head before you sort the rest out,” explained Float Space owner Pete Sullivan.  

That said like many my mind tends to work much more like that of an energetic whirlwind than a Float Space experience. 

But that’s something wellbeing-convert Pete understands as he previously pedalled the lonely role of an “overweight” freelance graphic designer. 

His personal transformation began with working on his mindset.

Pete replaced the stressful stimuli of eating at a seldom-screen with a healthier lifestyle finding much of his influence of thought from UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s popular podcasts.

As they say in many Eastern philosophies that ‘we are what we consume’ which is not just ‘we are what we eat.’ We become what we listen to, see, think, eat and any sensory input we regularly consume. 

It was in this motivational podcast that Pete discovered float therapy aka Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy, which has unlocked him into the world of wellbeing, “I tried floating purely from a mindset angle, yet soon discovered there was so much more I was getting out of my sessions that I decided to delve deeper.” He has found through floating, breathwork and working on his mind, that he was able to transform his life, career and lose the “excess” he carried both in his body and his cluttered brain. 

 “I now fast intermittently, eat two meals a day and only between 12pm and 8pm,” explained Pete who like many has previously always felt “forced into losing weight,” but is now much happier and healthier as the huge benefits he discovered from floatation therapy prompted him to share this treatment which had transformed him. 

What is Floatation Therapy? 

It’s a water-based therapy where you are in an enclosed tank for an hour of treatment. 

The tank contains water that is as saturated as it can be with Epsom salts and is around body temperature, very much like being in the Dead Sea. 

As your mind and body float, it is beneficial to try and focus on breathing and mindfulness whilst doing it. But the setting, ambience (music at the start and end and optional coloured lights) and water help to alleviate tension all over so that we relax and our brain reaches the Theta state. 

Our brain waves; Alpha, Theta and Beta: 

• Alpha: The ‘power of now’ consciousness 
• Theta: Sleep and deep meditation 
• Beta: Our awake brain wave 
• Gamma: Our fastest brain wave 

There are many benefits of floatation therapy however, such as: 

• Helps increase athletic or injury-based recovery.
• Lowers chemicals associated with stress.
• Helps lower anxiety, effectively turning off the fight or flight response.
• It can help combat chronic pain especially for those with back problems, arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
• Improves sleep and sleep patterns by lowering stress and adrenaline levels and increasing serotonin production.
• Improved Creativity, Visualisation, Meditation and Mindfulness.
• Floatation as a technique or therapy has been around since the 1950’s and has been used by many well-known celebrities to help with anxiety, depression, athletic performance and creativity.

My first Floatation Float Space experience: Review 

Whilst it’s lovely being able to float at night so you can go to bed after, for a lot of us that may or may not work. So, I had visited Float Space in Doncaster during school hours. 

This new wellbeing hub is a tranquil hidden gem off the hustle and bustle of the main road. 

Whilst sitting in the waiting area, reading some of Pete’s favourite books about the healing properties of fungi and breathwork, I opted for a green tea over a tempting coffee so that I could follow the aqua coloured flow of this newly constructed business. 

Once in the locked room, after careful instruction previously from Pete, I opted for the ‘full experience’ of entering the tank without any clothes on (although swimwear can be worn if that makes you feel more comfortable). And I even closed the tank and turned off the lights once the relaxing music had finished. 

Far from feeling claustrophobic as I had feared, I felt weirdly at ease. Initially it was challenging to simply ‘close off’ my mind but as any good Yoga convert knows, start with the breath, the ‘pranayama.’ 

Palms open as my body floated in the water I focused on my Yogic diaphragmatic breathing techniques from belly to neck and inhale through the nose and then a slow nasal exhale and a release using the same technique. 

I wasn’t sure how I would fair for 55 minutes in the dark and in silence before the ending music turned on. This was definitely a workout for my Gamma brainwave state which normally spends these hours blasting in as much work as possible before I pick up the kids. 

The time literally sailed by. It took several times to keep focusing on conscience breathing before my Theta State truly kicked in. 

You can even have a nap. Depending on what you need, you’ll feel. 

Meditation is a conscious sleep so to speak, which is the power of Yoga Kriya. 

After initially stepping into the tank with trepidation, I then didn’t want to leave the tank when the ending music chimed in to rouse me back into the physical world. 

But school run and family duties called so I quickly grabbed a shower, unsure of how I was going from this tranquil flow state and back to reality. 

I felt calmer all evening despite the odd ‘trigger’ of standard family bickering. But I ate slower, I felt calm yet energised and wondered if it would impact my sleep as Pete had alluded to. 

But as soon as I made my way into bed, I normally spend a few hours writing or studying and struggling to sleep. I felt myself just need to close my eyes. I didn’t wake until the next day. I felt amazing albeit with some stray salt clinging to my ears. This for me was one of the most powerful of the benefits I felt from just one treatment. 

It’s recommended to go at least once a month for a ‘float,’ and it’s not expensive either and great value for what you get. It costs £35 per person for an hour float although I’d give yourself a couple of hours so you can wind down, shower after floating and prepare yourself to return to the ‘real world.’ 

If you have a busy mind like me and struggle to ‘switch off,’ I challenge you to treat yourself to an hour’s float and let me know what benefits you discover. 

It’s not hard to see why it is already frequented by teams of sportspeople, wellbeing pros and everyday cluttered minded people. 

Go to Float.Space and follow this awesome volcano family business that has the potential to boom nationwide @UKFloatSpace

The Cat and the Canary – escape the screen for a comedic Agatha Christie thriller – Review

• There’s nothing we love more than a break from working at the screen to elope to a night at the theatre.
• Have you heard of the Cat and Canary… a lovely murder mystery for older generations of our Yorkshire Family at Leeds Grand Theatre in this light-hearted take on this crime thriller. 

Building on the phenomenal decade-long success of The Agatha Christie Theatre Company, Bill Kenwright’s Classic Thriller Theatre Companypresents their latest chilling whodunit comedy thriller The Cat And The Canary, at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 November 2021.

This new adaptation of the murder mystery by John Willard, which inspired three classic movie versions, features an all-star cast including international superstar Britt Ekland (The Man with the Golden Gun, The Wicker Man), pop sensation Anthony Costa, Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street), Marti Webb (Evita, Tell Me on a Sunday), Gary Webster (Minder), Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier) and Eric Carte (Bouquet of Barbed Wire).

Premise: Twenty years after the death of Mr. West, his descendants gather to learn who will inherit his vast wealth and the hidden family jewels. Within moments, the heritage hunters turn into prey. Walls crack open, shadows loom, and dark secrets are revealed.

Who is The Cat? His movements soundless, unnoticeable, and his vengeance swift! Who will feel his horrible grasp next?

The Cat and the Canary is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 November 2021

Book online at leedsheritagetheatres.com or call 0113 243 0808

Cast

Returning to the production is silver screen and Bond-girl legend Britt Ekland, whose numerous films include The Man with The Golden Gun with Roger Moore, The Wicker Man with Christopher Lee, and Get Carter with Michael Caine.

Britt stars alongside singer-songwriter, actor and former member of the internationally successful 00’s boy band Blue, Antony Costa, and Tracy Shaw, best known for her long-running role as Maxine Peacock in Coronation Street. They are joined by West End leading lady Marti Webb, whose credits include Evita and Tell Me on A Sunday; Gary Webster, who played Gary Costello in Family Affairs and Ray Daley opposite George Cole in ITV’s Minder; Classic Thriller Theatre Company veteran Ben Nealon, who played Lt. Forsythe in the drama series Soldier Soldier, and Eric Carte, who played Geoff Roberts in two series of Bouquet of Barbed Wire. The cast is completed by Priyasasha Kumari, Martin Carroll, Jack Taylor and Clara Darcy.

Creatives

The Cat and The Canary is director Roy Marsden’s fifth Classic Thriller Theatre Company production. Other credits include the West End premieres of Agatha Christie’s A Daughter’s a Daughter at the Trafalgar Studios and Noël Coward’s Volcano at the Vaudeville Theatre. As an actor, he is well-known to television audiences as Inspector Dalgliesh in the long-running P.D. James series.

Adaptor Carl Grose was, until recently, co-artistic director of Kneehigh Theatre. His numerous plays and adaptations include book and lyrics for The Grinning Man, which Tom Morris directed at the Trafalgar Studios in 2017. Designer takis’s diverse international credits include In the Heights, Gifford’s Circus and the Royal Opera. Lighting Designer Chris Davey’s work includes Witness for the Prosecution at London’s County Hall and Touching the Void at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Dan Samson is resident Sound Designer for The Classic Thriller Theatre Company. West End credits include Heathers at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Evita at the Dominion Theatre.

Leeds Heritage Theatres

Leeds Heritage Theatres is Leeds Grand Theatre, City Varieties Music Hall and Hyde Park Picture House. A charitable trust, together we are united by a single cause; to bring people together, create the extraordinary and provide a positive environment in which to entertain and educate.

Leeds Grand Theatre

Built in 1878 by architect George Corson, Leeds Grand Theatre is a major milestone in Victorian design; famed for its sumptuous interior, plasterwork and other decorative features.

Seating 1466 at full capacity, the auditorium provides a home for performances of all types, including its resident companies Opera North and Northern Ballet. Since its Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council supported ‘transformation’ in 2006, the theatre has hosted the best of the West End and other touring productions, including large musicals, drama from the National Theatre, comedians and music. The theatre played host to the world premieres of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s, The Girls (2015), and Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical (2017) and Band of Gold (2019).

Education

Our learning and engagement programme – including our Youth Theatre, curriculum-linked schools’ workshops and training provision of placements and apprenticeships – enables young people from across the city to access the arts, be creative, build confidence and develop skills using the rich resources of our heritage venues.

Website: www.leedsheritagetheatres.com

Insta/Twitter: @leedsgrandls1

Facebook: @leedsgrandtheatre

BUSINESS IS BEAUTIFUL: LEEDS MODEL’S MISSION TO HELP OTHER DISABLED MODELS 

LEEDS MODEL’S MISSION IS TO HELP OTHER DISABLED MODELS… Here is her start-up to success story which inspires us all to innovate and create a soulful business.

• “MISFIT” LEEDS MODEL IN REMISSION IS ROLEMODEL TO OTHERS
• A young model who has twice been diagnosed with Cancer is championing other disabled models to get into the industry.
• Leeds’ Amber Manning, 24, has set up her own business to help other alternative models gain coverage and acquire an agent.
• “I can’t physically model a lot of times so it gives me pleasure to introduce others who dream of some of the opportunities I have had.” 

The long NHS waiting list may be familiar to many at the moment, but for one young Leeds woman in remission from cervical cancer, these waits have become excruciatingly familiar after Melanoma treatment in her teens. 

Rather than wait for a letter to drop through her doorstep deciding her fate,  Amber Manning, 24, has focused her energy on helping others. 

Amber who was born in Armley and lives in Horsforth, had started making her way up the modelling industry before being diagnosed. 

She said: “If I thought about my brain tumour, moles and deteriorating health conditions, it would all feel too much. 

“I was working as a model which I still do on the days I am well enough but often I am all too weak to even walk. 

“So I choose to use my mental energy to help other models with disabilities and diverse backgrounds break into the industry.” 

Amber was ‘exploited,’ in the industry when starting out as a model empathises how hard it is to navigate this murky world. 

“Not only is there not a lot of obvious opportunities for alternative models, but you can end up in challenging situations as people exploit your vulnerability.” 

The 24-year-old who has previously been featured in magazines set up her own business during Lockdown acting as the link between new models and modelling agencies and publications.

“I literally buzz off seeing someone else’s success. I have not even decided on a name yet but have nearly 30 models in my group. 

“I was jumping around the house yesterday as one model has been featured in 9 publications. It gives me so much joy to use this agonising waiting game to be focused on the future for the talented men and women I represent.” 

Amber who dreams of appearing in Vogue is determined to pursue her business alongside her own career as a model. 

“I can’t physically model a lot of times so it gives me pleasure to introduce others who dream of some of the opportunities I have had.” 

You can find out more about Amber @laura_h_wilkinsonxx And get in touch with her by calling: 07958359133

BUSINESS STORIES BLOSSOM FROM ADVERSITY: A Kaleidoscope of hope amongst our diverse communities 

From the stallholders showcasing their ethical Lockdown-made products to the woman in remission from Cancer setting up a model agency whilst waiting for treatment, there are so many stories of optimism amongst our communities.

With the cold dark nights closing in and only the full moon offering some light, it’s easy to feel gloomy in business and life.  

Our founder Sophie Mei Lan writes…

If you’re on the long NHS waiting list for surgery as many of us are, time may feel even slower at the moment at home and at work (or the hybrid life as I live) as you live by the next posted letter, only to see it’s your energy bill going up instead. But the more I am getting out of the house and meeting humble humans, I can’t help but feel hopeful as there are so many people striding ahead despite hurdles in recent times. People such as 24-year-old Amber Manning who I recently chatted to, inspire me to follow my belief that patience is a virtue, giving us space to create. Rather than ‘wait’ and trundle on, Leeds model Amber has used her time in remission from Cervical Cancer to set up an agency to help other “disabled” and alternative models. And with the opportunity the online world offers to start a business with little investment other than passion, Amber said that while she struggles to attend photo shoots these days due to her health, she wanted to give others this opportunity to thrive. 

“I literally get a buzz off seeing others do well, I literally get energy from some of my models doing so well.”

She said: “If I thought about my brain tumour, moles, and deteriorating health conditions, it would all feel too much.” Instead, she chooses to use her time in the waiting rooms and ‘on hold,’ to go on Instagram and link up other local models who are in need of a boost.” 

It is these transformational stories of Yorkshire folk which keep prompting me to smile and enjoy this ride. 

Even last week alone I’ve been working with other business owners as part of a School of Social Entrepreneurs programme designed to elevate each other as well as chatting to the many ethical businesses I met at The Ridings’ Vegan Fair many of whom had blossomed from adversity. 

“I gave up art when my mental health deteriorated,” explained one stallholder but then when I started drawing again, this was key to my recovery,” said Lucy Kenyon the artist chatting to me whilst displaying her captivating hand drawings which she had freely created to help ease her mental turmoil during isolation. 

It is this kaleidoscope of colours that make up the patterns to weave so many of our fragmented communities together. 

I finished my week floating high at FloatSpace where I discovered another gem of a human, behind the start-up company that treated me to my first flotation therapy treatment. The owner had combatted his own demons thanks to the power of such floatation tanks where you’re immersed in soothing salty water as you relax into the dark silence of the next hour’s therapy. 

A perfect metaphor for my creative freelancing spirit who normally fears the dark cold nights and wants to hibernate. 

The more people I meet online and in person, the more I am stumbling across this abundance of light and hope who opt to share their own journeys to wellbeing. Those who have a soulful desire to help others. Read more from Sophie at https://mamamei.co.uk / https://sparklecommunications.co.uk

Photo By Gary Kenyon

Artist Lucy Kenyon and our columnist Sophie Mei Lan 

9 ways to run an eco-friendly business: Top tips for your business #COP2021

With more millennials looking for purpose-based activities over the ‘new accessory’ – not only can becoming carbon-neutral help the planet but also your business too.

After all, we all love businesses with shared values and it can really help foster relationships locally and internationally (if you work online) as we offer a hybrid model to clients. 

Obviously, a lot of businesses are digital-first nowadays and it can seem easier for solely digital businesses to track their footprints and reduce them too. But there are a number of ways all businesses can try and reduce their carbon footprint, such as going paperless, walk-to-work initiatives, signing up to carbon-neutral sites and, making pledges to offset their footprint e.g. planting a tree. 

Whilst the digital world can still be harmful to the environment it doesn’t equate to the save on the planet that ‘going digital’ offers. 

9 ways to run an eco-friendly carbon-neutral company: 

– Human-generated energy: Some gyms for example are cycling to better health for themselves and the planet. There are a number of machines to help you run your gym effectively and even use human power – a renewable and clean energy source.

Energym, for example, has developed retro-fitted devices that convert existing gym equipment into clean energy generators.

https://energym.io/

– Ban single-use plastics 

– Paperless admin: go digital where possible 

– Encourage recycling or digital correspondence 

– Save on electricity and gas where possible and reduce your own bills too 

– Charity challenges to help with environmental charities 

– Incentivise healthy eating, moving, and living with challenges 

– Reduce travel: From carpooling to walking or using public transport where possible  

– Encourage team building activities outdoors and maybe even ones that help the local area or even a clothes swap 

Evaluating our systems, processes, and travel costs to the planet will not only save us money but help change our impact on the planet.

Read the full blog on https://ad-venture.org.uk/ or go to Sparkle Up North (Featured Stories)

VEGAN FOOD AND PRODUCE: VEGAN FAIR ANNOUNCED DURING #COP26

From Vegan donuts at Arrow Fresh to an eclectic mix of plant-based snacks from TK Maxx and an Oat Milk Lattes from the Grind cafe, throughout The Ridings alone you can go on your own sumptuous plant-based trail. With a renewed focus on the power of plant-based produce to help reduce our carbon footprint with COP 21 well underway. Now The Ridings Shopping Centre is playing host to its first Vegan Fair.

Vegan Market Co is holding its first market in Wakefield with a variety of ethical, sustainable and environmentally-friendly produce on Saturday 10th November from 10.30am – 4pm. 

That’s not forgetting the hand-crafted creations at Created in Yorkshire including Love 2 Grow cleaning products or the designs at Made or the charity shops offering a stylish alternative to ‘fast fashion.’ 

Here Sparkle Up North Magazine Founder and friend of The Ridings Sophie Mei Lan, who has transformed from a life-long Vegetarian to a Vegan in recent times, shares how she can still enjoy family favourites and traditional dishes whilst being more conscious about the planet.

Food as communication to connect communities and save the planet

My daughter announced to me recently “I’m Vegan mama,” shortly followed by her little sister asking what’s “Vegan” I’m going to be that.

Inside I quietly leapt with joy, as I’m Vegan too and whilst it’s increasingly popular, it’s still one of the most ridiculed diets by many with food labels so concerned by the stigma they rarely use the term Vegan in favour of ‘plant-based.’ 

If we all led a more more plant-based diet however, or had a Vegan day each week, then we could massively reduce our carbon footprint. 

What we consume not only impacts our overall health but the world too, we only need to turn to COP 26 briefly to hear this. 

My daughter is following wider trends at the moment whether it’s because it’s en vogue or she’s become more environmentally conscious, it’s a way of connecting with her friends and, I can’t deny being chuffed. 

It is also her way of expressing her own changing attitudes and values because I’ve always given her the option as my parents did with me but I never felt I was lacking as we enjoyed an array of cuisines which they separately ‘re-translated’ from their own backgrounds. 

 

From Sunday Dinners to home comfort food, the real staple of nutrition is feelings our grub can evoke which is why I know many meat eaters struggle with ‘giving up’ meat and fish. Yet if we look at ‘adding in’ a larger variety of plant-based food, suddenly it’s not a restriction but a conscious effort to feed ourselves well and in turn even just one meta-free day a week can help the planet. 

People often assume that as a largely Vegan and Vegetarian family, we will all be on a bland lacking diet, but you only need to pop to my Dads’ home in Sheffield to see the colourful array of recipes from Bosh brothers to Deliciously Ella cookbooks alongside his own recipes. 

We still devour Sunday Dinners, I love making Christmas Dinner and, as my sister announced via WhatsApp, last week: “Get in chips, scraps and mushy peas…oh and put the kettle on,” for when she arrived in Yorkshire for her first post-lockdown trip from New York after two long scraps-free years. We all knew the journey to the vegan friendly chippy would be worth it for her familiar ‘comfort food’ joy. 

It was also via social media that I had slathered over my Aunty’s Chinese and Malay dishes, to which I too had such a pining to return to Kuala Lumpur where the other half of our family reside. We have fond memories of delicious street food which comprises of Chinese, Indian and Malay cuisine which is largely Vegetarian. 

Through WhatsApp cookery classes from KL via my Aunty who creates food for those in need in her community, she shows her love via creating lavish feasts solely for them unable to afford to feed themselves. 

I too have been able to feel connected with her from my humble home on a Sunday morning as my mum and I cook along with her. 

Granted my daughters still don’t remember their last trip to South East Asia nor did they fancy trying my moon cakes which are popular during the mid-autumn celebrations that I used to love as a child because that’s the thing with food – it is all relative. We can create and reimagine dishes, gatherings and again the staple is the routine of sharing something with one another. 

Not only can this reduce food waste but by consciously coming together, sharing meat and dairy free recipes and dishes, we can reduce our consumption which is a major factor in climate change. A simple step, but a powerful one. 

Universally food can be a vital tool for communication and connection, not only for our own personal memories and our community but by being more conscious about what we consume, we can positively impact the environment too. 

Read more from Sophie about plant-based family life at https://yorkshirefamilies.wordpress.com or Vegan ideas at https://mamamei.co.uk