What you’ll find on this site
On this site, you’ll find a variety of thought-provoking essays on veganism delving into ethics from a leftist perspective, offering fresh and unconventional takes on what it means to be vegan
There’s also events, talks, interviews and press, and vegan recipes and cooking tips too
You can also follow my writing on my Substack
Who am I?
I’m Emilia Leese, an author, re-wilder, and podcast host exploring the intersections of ethics, food, and our relationship with the natural world. After a twenty-year career as a corporate finance lawyer, I now channel my strategic insight into vegan advocacy and ecological restoration, the latter with the award-winning BirchfieldHighlands.org. I’m the co-author of Think Like a Vegan: Embracing ethics in a plant-powered world (available in hardcover, paperback and audiobook) and host the podcast of the same name. I edit a magazine and split my time between London and the Scottish Highlands
Essays
In my essays, I primarily write about veganism. I hope to challenge you to think about your daily ethical decisions relating to animal use. Anyone can understand the concepts underlying veganism because they’re all based in the simple concept of fairness
I also write about travel and film, two big passions of mine
Events
I speak with hundreds of people each year giving talks to organisations and groups such as the Animal Rising, Arihanta Institute, Vegan Legal Network, Aurora Philosophy Institute, Animal Rights Show, and the American Vegan Center; at conferences, such as International Animal Rights Conference, PHAIR, Climate Healers’ V-COP, Marx in the Anthropocene, IFE, Plant Based World Expo, Nairn Book & Art Festival; and vegan festivals, including Féile Vegan, London VegFest, the Scottish Vegan Festival, Vegandale Food Drink Festival, Himalayan Vegan Festival, Istanbul VegFest and more
Food
With respect to food, my primary focus is on making Neapolitan and Italian dishes, many of which are inherently or traditionally vegan. I’ve also learned lots about Scottish and British food and you’ll find lots of recipes for traditional dishes here
My dishes are generally manageable and without many specialised ingredients. Most of the ingredients I use are easy to find in local supermarkets (at least in the UK). Unless they come from the garden or a farm, I buy all my fruits and vegetables from my two neighbourhood fruit and vegetable shops
I’ve prepared all the dishes (unless otherwise stated) and these are all my photos. I assert legal and moral copyrights over my written and photographic material
Love love love your posts. Many of my farm customers are vegans. I am growing a lot of Indian veggies
this summer and I wish I could do a blog like yours. But alas, I am computer illiterate. Your food looks so yummy! Binhnam
Thank you so much, Binham!! I am so glad you wrote. Please keep me posted about your farm and maybe send me some photos. I might be able to include them here or feature them. I’d love to do that. What you’re doing is inspiring and fantastic (and a lot of hard work). Good on you, my friend!!
Hello! I wondered if I could use your Cock-a-Leekie soup recipe in a round up of recipes I’m doing for St Andrews Day please? I would use the picture but full credit and link back to your site would be included. Thanks!
Hello Susan, I’d be delighted if you did use it. Go ahead and then let me know when it goes up! Thank you. All the best, Emi
Brilliant, thanks very much! I stumbled on your blog through a mutual friend (Elizabeth Brown) and am enjoying it!
Ah that’s excellent! Elizabeth is a lovely person. I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog.
Great blog Emi! Look forward to reading many more posts:)
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy it. Let me know if you try any recipes!
I preordered this book from my local independent bookstore so early it just took months and months to get it. I’ve just started reading the part about Massachusetts legislation and the cage size for chickens. It did go through, and I work at Trader Joe’s in Massachusetts even though I live in Vermont. It did pass, and the 1st thing people complained about was the fact they couldn’t get white eggs eggs. It was hilarious as if it really matters. We also apparently can’t carry pork products if the pig lived in a tiny crate. Like you said, these are futile attempts to slow or stop the production. People might even feel better about buying more if they think they’re ‘humane.’
Hello Johanna
first things first: Thank you!! Thank you for ordering in advance and waiting until its release in North America at the end of January. I also know there have been paper shortages, so books are getting delayed. Thank you for reading and for your comment. And I’m thrilled to hear from someone on the ground in Massachusetts. I was hoping to. You make an interesting point about buying more if they’re humane – that possibility hadn’t occurred to me. It’s also interesting to me to see the well-known animal welfare charities who support these types of legislation. This was a good summary of them https://eu.thegraftonnews.com/story/news/2021/12/27/bill-update-standards-egg-pork-products-ma-signed-into-law/9018682002/
Thanks again for reading and contacting me. I hope the book continues to be thought provoking for you.
All the best,
Emi
Good essay today in Counterpunch. My wife (environmentalist) and I are vegans, recently moved to Norwich. I’m a professor, columnist for Counterpunch and author of The Cry of Nature: Art and the Making of Animal Right (Reaktion , 2015)
Hello and thanks for commenting.
I’ve just read some of your work. Well done, of course.
And welcome to the UK. Good to have more people onside – ethically and politically.
Also, I just saw the Counterpunch piece! It hadn’t yet come up for me!!