Mills shares Vegan cooking tips

Heather Mills demonstrated the art of vegan cooking today to help mark the launch of her new restaurant.

Paul McCartney’s ex-wife gave a live culinary “masterclass” inside a packed marquee at the Brighton Foodies Festival in East Sussex.

Mills, an animal rights campaigner, is preparing to open her own vegan cafe VBites at Hove Lagoon this July after refurbishing a former fish cafe.

Dressed in white, with a logoed apron promoting the name of her new venture, Mills chatted with the audience through a headset while busily chopping ingredients.

Commenting on some people’s perceptions of vegan food she said: “They just think that it’s boring nut roasts and lots of hippy people who they think haven’t washed for months but they do, but that’s not what being vegan is about.

“It’s about being animal friendly, saving the environment and the planet. The biggest contributor of global warming is the consumption of meat and dairy, but of course they are not going to tell you that.”

Dishes on the “masterclass” menu included leafy green and beefy (soy) stir fry, creamy nut korma with chicken (soy protein) and creamy sweetcorn chowder.

Audience members in Jubilee Square were given small plates of food to sample as Mills took several cooking related questions from the floor.

At one point Mills advocated the importance of green vegetables as part of a balanced vegan diet.

McCartney’s late wife Linda, who died from breast cancer in 1998, established a range of vegetarian food products. The pair were married for almost 30 years.

McCartney divorced Mills in a high profile court hearing last year after the couple married in 2002.

Other chefs demonstrating their skills during this weekend’s festival include Michael Bremner of Due South, Mike Dodd of Oki-Nami, a Japanese restaurant co-owned by DJ Norman Cook, Sam Metcalfe of Sam’s of Brighton and Sussex Young Chef of the Year Ben Goldsmith of Whites.

Food fans visiting the festival will be able to join food and drink tastings with industry experts, sampling champagne, cocktails, cheese and chocolate.

Foodies Festivals are scheduled to take place around country during the year with the next planned at Hampton Court Palace between May 23 and 25.