Herts and Essex High School sisters Madi and Nancy Attfield launch vegan map of Bishop’s Stortford to help diners navigate the town’s food and drink landscape

Two sisters are established to put Bishop’s Stortford on the map for vegans.

Madi Attfield, 14, and Nancy, 12, both students at Herts and Essex Higher University, are working with social media to recruit restaurants, cafés and takeaways for their task to persuade far more people today to check out a plant-based mostly diet regime.

They had been impressed to act soon after taking part in Bishop’s Stortford’s Local community Weather Accumulating very last November, held to coincide with COP26, the United Nations Climate Transform Conference in Glasgow. Their vegan map job is just 1 motion system to arise from the forum.

Nancy and Madi Attfield at The Sourdough Toaster in Eat 17. Picture: Vikki Lince (54155231)
Nancy and Madi Attfield at The Sourdough Toaster in Try to eat 17. Image: Vikki Lince (54155231)

The ladies have set up an Instagram account and produced a QR code to immediate diners to retailers across the city that supply foods, snacks and drinks suited for vegans.

So considerably, 7 corporations have signed up, with a indication in their windows to display participation, and lots of a lot more have been approached to sign up for the girls’ culinary crusade.

Madi commenced her very own vegan journey in January 2021 as part of Veganuary, a month-prolonged initiative to really encourage people today to handle climate modify and animal welfare by eliminating meat from their menu. She was a person of additional than 500,000 people who pledged to try a vegan food plan and she has in no way seemed back.

The girls outside Buffalo Joe's in Church Street. Picture: Vikki Lince (54155227)
The women outside the house Buffalo Joe’s in Church Street. Photo: Vikki Lince (54155227)

But she is an advocate, not an evangelist, and keen to strain that any addition of pulses and vegetables and any reduction of meat and dairy intake are measures in the correct course – and that even a modest adjust can make a significant distinction.

“I wished to produce a vegan map to open up plant-based consuming to everyone,” stated Madi. “I want to take away the stigmas about staying a vegan: that it is not just vegetables and you would not die of protein deficiency!

“I want people today to realise we can continue to use a plant-primarily based eating plan to conserve the world with out the entire planet committing to Veganuary. You should not get me mistaken, it would be good if the total globe went vegan. Is it heading to happen? No. It truly is fully ok that you are not vegan. There’s an intense to slicing out animal merchandise but you will find also a midway point.”

Her have relatives is proof that compromise can function. Madi has absent the total hog but Nancy is a pescatarian who eats fish – as is father Jake – when mum Paula from time to time eats red meat.

Town Centre, Bishop's Stortford. Sisters Madi 14 and Nancy 12 are creating a Vegan map of restaurants in Bishop's Stortford. They are pictured with some of the businesses that have signed up. .Pic: Vikki Lince. (54155225)
City Centre, Bishop’s Stortford. Sisters Madi 14 and Nancy 12 are developing a Vegan map of dining establishments in Bishop’s Stortford. They are pictured with some of the corporations that have signed up. .Pic: Vikki Lince. (54155225)

As section of final year’s Veganuary, additional than 800 new vegan items and menu alternatives were being introduced in crucial campaign international locations, and Madi wishes to make sure Bishop’s Stortford performs its aspect in 2022.

She claimed: “The vegan map could likely begin someone off and introduce vegan food stuff. It may possibly be the initially vegan meal you have ever tried using.

“By consuming foods from a neighborhood café – which supports their business, way too – you’re most likely to delight in the food and avoid a catastrophe in the kitchen when you attempted to make a thing out of your universe from scratch. Or, if you’re prepared to brave the kitchen, the enterprises can inspire you or you have a system that could help you obtain an easy recipe. Ideally it can encourage people today in 2022 to test some thing new and display people today vegan can be delicious and very simple.

Madi and Nancy at Greens Organics in Market Square. Picture: Vikki Lince (54155226)
Madi and Nancy at Greens Organics in Industry Square. Photo: Vikki Lince (54155226)

“The map also produces an straightforward way for individuals who currently are vegan/vegetarian and flexitarian/pescatarian and many others to discover a spot to eat with no the stress of discovering an on the web menu or winging it with fingers crossed.”

Madi was specifically keen to promote corporations that offer drinks with dairy-free of charge milks and interesting meat-free meals devoid of charging extra and adding a “vegan tax”.

The seven now on her map are Smoke BBQ Kitchen area in Hockerill Street The Pizza Men at Millars Three, Southmill Road Espresso Household in South Avenue Buffalo Joe’s in Church Avenue Veg Heads and The Sourdough Toaster, which equally operate from Eat 17 in Potter Street and Environmentally friendly Organics in Market Square.

The sisters at Veg Heads in Eat 17. Picture: Vikki Lince (54155229)
The sisters at Veg Heads in Try to eat 17. Photo: Vikki Lince (54155229)

Madi said: “I am hoping this can encourage regional firms to incorporate additional plant-based mostly options to their menu and take a look at new recipes to provide an even superior assortment of vegan food to Bishop’s Stortford. I am impressed by the possibilities that are currently out there, and considerably extra is to appear!”

Her Instagram account, @veganmapstortford, also features her individual recipes, in particular utilising leftovers to create dishes as food squander is one more big contributor to the climate unexpected emergency.

The girls have drawn up a survey below.