DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T… ...make a fortune from baking

Hannah Carter was determined to make a difference with her cakes

- FRANCES LEATE

Browsing the bakery section in the supermarket, I stop at the shelves stacked with cakes and other baked treats. All the cakes seem to contain eggs and dairy products, but then I spot what I’m looking for – a vegan lemon drizzle cake. Smiling to myself, I watch as a woman picks one up and puts it into her shopping trolley and I can’t help feeling a wave of delight. Just a few years ago, I was creating the recipe for that cake in my kitchen. And now, seeing the finished product on shelves, and people actually buying it, I’ve never felt more proud of what I’ve achieved.

I haven’t always been vegan, but in November 2016, I watched a film on Netflix called Cowspiracy – an environmental documentary investigating the effect the meat industry has on the planet. The documentary revealed one grim statistic after another, including the fact that livestock and its by-products account for at least 32,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, at a devastating cost to the planet.