When I was a kid, I had no interest in food whatsoever. My mother had great difficulty getting me eat anything, and I used to pick at my food and never really enjoy it. Then when I was fifteen, I announced to my mother that I had decided to become vegetarian. To her eternal credit, she said that was fine but she was buggered if she was going to cook separate meals for me, so I'd have to learn to cook for myself.

So I did. And I developed an interest in food, which I've never tired of. I enjoy preparing food, and eating it too. I'm not an evangelical vegetarian - I don't even mind cooking meat for other people if that's what they really want - but I do enjoy the challenge of preparing meals that are so nice that meat-eaters prefer them to their usual fare!

I like entertaining, and have a garden that's just about large enough for a small barbecue. This is something that has been known to surprise meat-eaters: yes, you can have a great barbecue without meat being involved.

Eating out is rarely a problem; Bristol has over 200 restaurants, the vast majority of which cater well for vegetarians. There are so many books available that I'm not bothering to include any in the bibliography - it would be too much like hard work - and the links I've included really do only scratch the surface.

Click on one of the links below for veggie basics, and my meal of the month recipe. Click on the WWW Links button above for other web links about vegetarian food.

• Veggie basics - my quick guide to coping if you're a new veggie, or are a meat-eater who needs to know how to cope with those awkward veggie friends!
• Meal of the month - a new recipe every month. Or quarter. Or whenever I get round to updating it.