Work Colleagues!

When I first became vegetarian, only one of my friends didn't eat meat (but did eat fish). My boss at the time, however, had an eleven year old daughter who had decided she didn't want to eat meat at a very young age and he and his wife had allowed her to go with it.  This was a brave decision given that it was the late eighties and vegetarianism was fairly uncommon as well as the fact that children need all the nutrients they can get and so the parents had to ensure she had a good, well balanced diet without meat or fish.

For my first Christmas as a vegetarian, said boss bought me a copy of their family bible - "No meat for me please!" by Jan Arkless.  It was a small picture-less paperback which proved to be invaluable as it provided recipes for the vegetarian in the family. Some 24 years later I still refer to my battered copy although many recipes are committed to memory from constant use.

Whilst working at the same company, I shared an open plan office with seven others; five girls and two men.  The girls provided teas and coffees each and every day whilst the two men never thought to put the kettle on!  We moaned about them all year but at Christmas would be rewarded with a miniature of brandy and a bottle of Babysham - happy days! They would also buy us a box of chocolates in the form of those lovely shell shapes - Belgian Duc d'O.  We all loved them although nobody could pronounce their name until someone in the office named them "duck doo".  Even the thought of bird droppings could not put me off them!