Food News, with Christine Rutter

THOUSANDS of people refuse to cut the throat of a living creature to put food on their plates.

It is the by-product of a humane, caring, sharing 90s - or is it?

This meat-free lifestyle actually had its roots more than a century ago at the time of the industrial revolution when you would have expected people to be more concerned with poverty and child labour than animal oppression.

And even more surprising, for those who see veggies as middle-class southerners, the vegetarian movement's origins stem from gritty, industrial Lancashire.

James Simpson, the son of a 19th century mill owner from Lancashire, was the pioneer of the vegetarian movement in Britain which later had worldwide significance.

The Vegetarian Society, now in its 150th year, owes its existence to James, whose family owned a calico printing factory near Accrington.

James's tireless campaigning led to the foundation of the society and he encouraged working class radicals to take a more romantic view of nature and animals.

A new book entitled 'A Guiltless Feast' by Salford councillor Derek Antrobus reveals that James spent considerable sums of money helping the cause to develop in its early days. Father-of-four and strict vegetarian Derek said: "James was the driving force behind the movement. He suggested it be established, moved the resolution, became its first president, financed it and was its chief propagandist. He travelled here and abroad and the international vegetarian organisations were set up as a result of his visits and work."

He added: "A lot of vegetarians are considered modern eccentrics but there is a very long and noble history to vegetarianism which seems to have been more prevalent in late 19th century than today.

"The book gets rid of the cloth cap image of the North West and shows it as the home of a radical, enlightened, progressive movement."

During a meeting to create the society James was elected as its first president. He was deacon of the Bible Christian Church and his son was clerk to the Salford Hundred Court.

James (1812-59), who lived on Foxhill Bank, Accrington, was a major figure in Liberal politics and was also prominent in many other moral campaigns.

His enthusiasm for vegetarianism was mainly as a result of attending the Bible Christian Church in Salford, established by Rev William Cowherd, whose congregation had to take a vow not to eat meat.

Mystical theories more than 2,500 years old claiming all life possessed a divine spark, were imported to Britain by poet John Byrom. These ideas were transformed into a popular movement by James at a time when the population was receptive to innovation. When James died in 1859, his father-in-law William Harvey took over as president.

And Harvey's sister Martha actually wrote the very first vegetarian cookbook!

'A Guiltless Feast' is available, priced £4.50, from Robin Culpin on 0161 736 9448.

Cheese makers collect the prizes

WHEN Jean Butler first tried her hand at making cheeses in her Lancashire farmhouse kitchen three decades ago, she never imagined it would become a family business supplying customers worldwide.

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, run by Jean, her daughter Gillian and son-in-law Colin, has gone from strength to strength.

Not only have they recently picked up a silver award at the British Cheese Awards in London and scooped first prizes at Nantwich Cheese Show, they also supply to Marks and Spencer stores worldwide.

Jean puts the company's success down to keeping traditional methods. "The quality is so high because Butlers have resisted the temptation to apply mass production methods. By keeping the traditional methods, the cheese is creamy with a strong, pepper taste and a spicy finish that lingers."

Cheese production began on the farm in Inglewhite, near Preston, in 1969 with two cheese being made each day. Today Butlers has 45 employees and makes 200 cheese a day, seven days a week, using over ten million litres of milk a year.

Jean's husband Tom and son Andrew tend the Fresian cows which supply the milk and student daughter Christine works in the dairy during university breaks.

Even Jean's grandsons Matthew, eight, and Daniel, six, help out after school for extra pocket money.

Gillian, who has worked as a food technologist in Holland, said: "It is very much a family-run business. I liken it to a football team - we have always got to keep the squad up to scratch."

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