Philippine Tatler – August 2019

(vip2019) #1
Asa child,Maryknewherfamilywasdifferent—and
notjustbecauseherfather,Paul,wasaBeatleandher
mother,Linda,wasafamousphotographer.No,little
MaryMcCartney’sfamilywasdifferentbecausethey
were...vegetarians.
“WhenIwasveryyoung,mymumanddadsatusdown
andsaidtous,‘We’vemadeadecisionthatwe’regoingto
becomevegetarian.It’syourdecisionifyouwanttoeat
meatwhenyou’reout,butwewon’tbecookingmeatin
thehouse,’”shetellsTatler.Andwhilethatmightnotseem
likeacontroversialdecisionnow,thiswasthe1970s,when
fewerthan0.5percentofpeopleintheUKabstained
frommeat.Today,thatfigurehasrisentoabout 14 per
cent—thanksinnosmallparttotheactivismandwork
oftheMcCartneys.“Mymumanddadwouldchallenge
eachotherandsay,‘Whatarewegoingtocooktofillthat
gapinthecentreoftheplatewherethemeatwas?’”Mary
recalls.In1991,Lindasolvedthatpuzzlebyestablishing
LindaMcCartneyFoods,whichproducespreparedmeals,
includingvegetariansausages,burgers,meatballs,andpies.
Thebrandwasanimmediatesuccessandby 1995 Linda
andPaulweresocloselyassociatedwiththevegetarian
movementthattheyhadguestrolesonseasonsevenofThe
Simpsons(ep.5:“LisatheVegetarian”).
ThesameyearasthatSimpsonsepisode,Lindawas
diagnosedwithbreastcancer.Threeyearslater,in1998,
shediedattheageof56,leavingbehindfourchildrenand
herflourishingfoodcompany.Mary,hersiblingsandher
fatherknewtherewasonlyonethingtheycoulddo.“We
madethedecisiontocarrythecompanyon,”saysMary.
“Themainaimwasalwaystoprovideaffordablemeat-
freemealsolutionstopeople,andtheneedforthathadn’t
goneaway.”
Maryplayedakeyroleinthecompanyfromthe
beginning.“I’dworkedwithmumonhercookbooksand
thefoodrangefromveryearlyon,”shesays.“Whenshe
waswritinghercookbooksI’dhelpeditthem;I’dhelptest

therecipes;we’dbrainstormideastogether.Andwiththe
company,Iwasatthelauncheventand,daytoday,Ihad
contactwiththepeopleworkingonit.I’dgotothefactory
andhelpwithproductdevelopment.”
ThebrandisnowownedbyUSfoodgiantHainCelestial
Group,buttheMcCartneysremainheavilyinvolved.“We
stillworkonnewproductdevelopment,branding,social
media,brainstormingideas,”Marysays.“Idirectedthe
LindaMcCartneyFoodsad‘It’sCooltobeKind’atthe
beginningofJanuaryatHackneyCityFarminLondon.”
WiththeMcCartneys’guidance,itremainsoneofthemost
successfulmeat-substitutebrandsintheworld,withannual
salesof£26.7million(roughlyUS$33.57million).
Maryisnowusingtheknowledgeandskillsshe’s
developedovertheyearswithLindaMcCartneyFoods
toguideanothermeat-substitutecompany.InMarchthis
yearitwasannouncedthatMaryhadinvestedinGreen
Monday,theHongKong-basedsocialenterprisefounded
byDavidYeung—thecompanydevelopedOmnipork,the
world’sfirstplant-basedreplacementformincedpork.She
isalsoadvisingGreenMondayonmultipleaspectsofits
business,whichcurrentlyincludeGreenCommon,achain
ofplant-basedsupermarkets;RightTreat,theoverarching
brandbehindOmnipork;andtheGreenMondayRestaurant
Programme,whichsupportsrestaurantsofferingveggie-
friendlymenus.
“IwasintroducedtoDavidacoupleofyearsagoby
amutualfriendofourswhothoughtwe’dhavealotin
common,”explainsMary.“Andshewasright—we’revery
like-minded.Sowestayedintouchandwouldsendeach
otherarticlesandupdates,thenIsaidtoDavid,‘I’dreally
liketobeaspokespersonandhelpspreadthemessage.’”
GreenMondaywasanaturalpartnerforMary,who—along
withherfatherandsister,Stella—hasbeenafaceofthe
MeatFreeMondaymovementintheUK.
Amazingly,Mary’sworkwithbothLindaMcCartney
FoodsandGreenMondayaremerelysideprojects;like
hermother,she’sanacclaimedphotographer.Knownfor
havingaparticulartalentforportraits,Maryhascaptured
everyonefromQueenElizabethIItoRihannaandOrlando
Bloomformagazines,newspapers,andherowncoffee
tablebooks,suchasherrecentreleasesTheWhiteHorse
andParisNude.
“I’vealwaysworkedonmyvegetarianandveganfood
projectsandphotographyseparately,butInowwantto
marrythemtogether,”saysMary.“SoI’mnowworking
onanewbook;it’scalledCookingForArtists.Icomeup
witharecipeandIcookitandtakeittoanartistintheir
studioandwesitandeattogether,thenItakeaphotoof
themandwritedowntherecipeandananecdotefromthe
dayforthebook.I’veprobablydonehalfadozenartists
sofar—SirPeterBlake,DavidHockney,CindySherman—
someamazingtalents.”
ThatprojectistakingMaryaroundtheUSandtheUK,and
soon,shehopes,herworkwithGreenMondaywillbring
herbacktoAsia.“I’veneverreallyspentmuchtimeinthis
partoftheworld,soit’sagreatexcusetocomehereand
explore.I’llbeback.”

Photographer Mary McCartney has


long been a passionate advocate of


vegetarianism—and now she’s spreading
the message in Asia

BY OLIVER GILES

We C a n


Work it Out


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life / Health

92 philippine tatler. august 2019
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