Terry the Turkey

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Vegans and animal lovers all over the UK and the world have been surprised by the new #TerryTheTurkey advertising campaign employed by phone company Vodafone in the lead up to Christmas 2015.

The advert is a unique concept for a TV commercial.

The short film shows a family having a turkey living with them, jumping through time to highlight how the bird is growing larger as the seasons change.

Just when the viewer thinks the winter snow and a trip to the garden shed is a sign that Terry is to be killed and plated for Christmas dinner, the twist emerges to show the family have used their Vodafone-powered technology to source a nut roast recipe thus saving the life of the family turkey.

Great news, right?

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Photo: VodafoneUK

I didn’t find many like-minded people online when I voiced my concern that this advert was problematic in that it was still using live animals for the purpose of profit-making dressed up as entertainment.

Many of my Facebook followers expressed the opinion that this advert was a positive message, yet after reading their insights I still thought it was more loaded than just the nice message of saving the life of an animal.

I decided to find out a little more about the ad-making process and reached out to the people who made the #TerryTheTurkey advert.

Following is a short Q&A I carried out via email with Vicki Maguire. Vicki is the Deputy Executive Creative Director at Grey London, the agency charged with devising the Vodafone Christmas campaign.

Vicki kindly took time out of her extremely busy schedule to answer the following questions I put to her:

1. Your advert has given a lot of compassionate people something to smile about as it shows a turkey being given a second chance at life when a family opt for nut roast. How was the concept first devised? Was it inspired by any vegans in the office or by a team member’s personal life perhaps?

Christmas is the season of goodwill. Vodafone’s technology brings people together. We thought we’d take a different tack.

Our dad uses technology to rear a turkey, by the time Christmas comes around he’s part of the family. Sometimes technology gets bad press for making people self obsessed. This ad demonstrates that couldn’t be further from the truth.

We were sitting around talking when Howard, a guy in our team, told us a story of how a friend of his had become vegetarian when his family found a live chicken. I think there’s something about being that close to an animal that brings out your protective instincts.

A couple of us are vegetarian and two are vegan, but non of us are having turkey this year! Our Director Kevin Thomas is a die-hard veggie, that’s why the script appealed to him.

2. What a lot of people don’t know is that Terry is actually played by eight different birds throughout the advert. Did all of these animals come from the same place? How did your team source the turkeys for the campaign?

We picked an accredited British breeder who had turkeys at various stages of development. The story goes from young Terry to fully mature Terry. I’ll be honest and say I used to think turkeys were ugly, but now I love them. They are actually very smart and they love playing football.

3. The happy ending for the eight Terry turkeys is that they are now all living a life of peace on Farm Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Warwickshire. How did the team decide where the turkeys would end up?

As soon as we picked up the phone to Farm Animal Rescue we knew they were the ones to give our Terrys a good home. Their love for their charges really shines through!

4. Even though the advert has only been live for a few days, the online reaction has been phenomenal. Apart from helping your client raise awareness for its brand, is there anything else you hope for from #TerryTheTurkey campaign?

We’ve been blown away by the reaction to the campaign. It’s funny when you see it in an ad break also selling turkey for £3 a kilo. It makes you think about what really matters at Christmas.

In all seriousness we are having nut roast! A turkey is for life, not for Christmas.

Watch the video above and let me know what you think in the comments.

I am grateful to know the turkeys used in the advert now live in a sanctuary and that many people are being exposed to the idea of compassion for animals.

However I am staunchly opposed to the use of live animals in entertainment and advertising, especially when the animals in question have been sourced from a professional breeder. Buying or sourcing animals from breeders creates demand and puts money into the pockets of people profiting from commodifying animals.

What do you all think? Does the good done by the #TerryTheTurkey advert outweigh the negatives or as vegans should we always have a strong stance against the use of animals in advertising?

Would your opinion be different if the product being sold to us via the advert was actually a vegan product (such as the nut roast) and not a phone service?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Vegan jellies

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A lot of great food and drink happened to me in Leeds during my recent trip north, including this cup of gorgeous fruit tea with vegan jellies.

I was walking through a small shopping arcade when I was shocked by the sight of the ‘v’ word. You know that little thrill mixed with panic you experience when you see ‘vegan’ written somewhere unexpected?

iocha bubbletea is an independent bubble and fruit tea outlet in Leeds city centre. Their collection of vegan jellies for adding to the teas is extensive and the servers were only too happy to indulge my need for conversation. I was so excited, I chatted them up for ages about how fab their shop was while they just smiled and made drinks for customers.

store frontvegan signiced tea with vegan jellies

Do you have a favourite bubble tea shop in your area?

You can follow iocha bubbletea on Twitter and Instagram.

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Tofurky is here

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I am super happy to have Tofurky roasts in the UK.

Yes, we have had a few stores carrying the Tofurky feast for years but you would have to pay over £30 for the pleasure of that product.

This new version features the roast with herb gravy and retails in the UK for just £9.99 (recommended).

Check out the photos below and click here to view an article about the roast featured on the Metro website. (It would be fantastic if you could also use the sharing tools on that site to spread news of the story. My friend Deni wrote the article and I cooked the roast that is pictured – we would love for it to be seen by lots of people.)

Tofurky Roast with Herb Gravy Tofurky cutaway Deni eating Tofurky On WFM shelf

The new Tofurky roast with herb gravy is available in Whole Foods, Planet Organic, As Nature Intended, Holland & Barrett and many independent health food stores. Just ask the person in the shop to get it in for you! I also picked one up in Vx in King’s Cross.

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Massive vegan menu

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I have never been to a non-vegan restaurant that caters for vegans quite like FED by water in London.

Their separate vegan menu is huge. Check out the video below showing one page of starters, two pages of pizza and calzone, one page of pasta dishes and one page of salads. All vegan!

Read more

Wot no egg?

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Post by:

josh panel

I’ve blogged before about the Fleet River Bakery just behind Holborn station, so was delighted when a recent leaving do for a work colleague took the form of an afternoon tea in the space.

Among the omni offerings on the table, the bakery had made vegan mini-sandwiches and wraps but the pride of place went to the delicious looking vegan chocolate cake in the middle of the spread. Omni colleagues were shocked when they saw me tucking into a̶ slice two slices of the cake as they said they would not have guessed that it was vegan. Why do omni people think that all vegan cakes are some sort of sad, wholemeal affair with the consistency of a week-old granary loaf? The cake had the perfect combination of being both rich but not too heavy, and it was so nice to see a vegan cake taking centre-stage at a non-vegan event. Good vegan food changes minds and is a form of activism.

As you might have guessed, I subsequently had several conversations with colleagues about how to make a vegan cake and what was wrong with eggs!

Get to the Fleet River Bakery soon and try and get your laughing gear around that delicious chocolate cake they have there!

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Food for displaced people

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It often feels like we are being asked for money and donations continually via the Internet. There are so many people and animals in need of assistance, it is little wonder that we find ourselves feeling bombarded by requests.

The important thing to remember when we see another campaign imploring us to donate is that we are being asked to help because the majority of us are in the position to help.

Even if it is a few pounds, most of us can spare something at the end of the month.

You know where this is going, right? You are about to get hit up for money.

I am asking you to join me in supporting this crucial campaign to get hot vegan meals to the displaced people currently living in camps in and around Calais, France.

My friend Emily Runc of Rupert’s Street has joined forces with a small team of street food traders to cook and deliver hot vegan food to refugees. Read what she has to say below:

In September, a group of us headed out to Calais to serve hot food to the refugees in the camps. Following on from the success of this first visit, a group of street food traders known as Street Aid UK is planning a return trip in January and we are desperately trying to raise funds to make this happen. We are going to provide hot food and also supplies to help the displaced population cope with the unimaginable circumstances they find themselves in.

Through the pain and suffering they have endured, to be forced from their own countries, the struggle and hundreds of miles traveling to bring themselves to safety, and the living conditions they are still forced to endure, these people still managed the strength to show us kindness during our visit. We must do what we can to give them a little comfort during the harsh winter.

Our group of street food traders needs to raise £10,000 in order to return to Calais for 4 days in January from the 14th – 18th, where we will be supplying hot meals and taking much needed supplies such as sleeping bags, tents, coats, building supplies and basic cooking equipment to displaced people in the camp.

OK. This is where we help.

I know we can get Street Aid UK to their goal is no time at all. If every person reading this gave £10, the target would be reached in a matter of hours.

I know we want to do the right thing, but we often need some encouragement so I’m going to set a challenge.

Fat Gay Vegan’s challenge for Calais

Put one item back from your shopping basket/trolley/cart this week and donate the money saved to the Street Aid UK Calais drive. So simple.

Examples:

  • One Vego bar = £3.49
  • A tub of Booja Booja ice cream = £5.99
  • A glass of wine in tibits = £6.50

You can see how easily we could reach the target if we all sacrificed just one purchase this week.

To make it more interactive, I would love for you to post a comment below telling us what you have given up this week and how much money has been donated to the Street Aid UK fundraising drive.

Let’s do this. Let’s show compassion for people in dire circumstances by helping Emily and her group deliver hot vegan meals and crucial supplies.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW

Thank you.

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Vegan schools

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Check it out!

I was asked by the Metro online to give my opinion on a school in the USA transitioning to only vegan food being served by its canteen.

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As you can see from the screen shot above, the story was featured prominently on the front page of the website. It has to date been shared more than 8,000 times and is still listed on their trending story list.

You can see the story by clicking here.

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Money raised

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Wow.

I know I put on some rollicking events, but even by my standards this week’s comedy fundraiser in the south London neighbourhood of Balham was a real good time.

Thanks to the generosity of the performers and food sponsors Fry’s Family Foods, my event raised just over £1000 for Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary. Yes, £1000! (£1005.45 to be exact)

Guests laughed heartily at the joke telling of our host Carl Donnelly and the impressive line up of talent he assembled for the night. Eddy Brimson was a real crowd favourite, as was Jake Yapp with his explanation of the stages of being vegan. Lou Sanders was outrageous in the best possible way, while I can’t thank Wendy Wason and Chris Martin enough for stepping in at the last minute when two of our original line up dropped out.

These comedians donated their time and talent to ensure this night was a massive fundraising success, so please take a moment to click on each of their names and thank them for supporting animals.

Can we talk about the food for a second?

Fry’s really made things special by serving hundreds of their brand new Rice Protein & Chia Nuggets, as well as trays and trays overflowing with their famous Sausage Rolls. Every single guest was also offered one of the new Falafel Burgers, served in a soft bun with aioli and fresh rocket.

Check out my superstar sister-in-law Sophia dealing with food hosting duties on the night.

Those burgers were delicious!

Tammy Fry Kelly of Fry’s Family Foods was on hand to welcome guests and let them know a little more about the company and the new range. You can click here to see some of the products we served on the night.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this night a huge success.

If you would like to help the rescued animals of Hugletts, please visit this fundraising page and give what you can.

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