Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tina Campbell

Martin Freeman reveals why he has quit being a vegetarian after 38 years

Martin Freeman has opened up about his decision to turn his back on being a vegetarian after almost four decades.

The Sherlock actor, 52, says he opted out of consuming meat as a teenager because he was “never comfortable” with eating animals.

He changed his mind however after becoming concerned that meat replacements are “very, very processed” and that the switch has enabled him to enjoy having “what I like”.

Speaking to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett on their Dish podcast while tucking into an Italian bolognese, he explained: “I've come off being a vegetarian. I started being a vegetarian in like January 1986.

“I was never comfortable with the idea of eating animals. So I've not had a really good bolognese since then - my mum was a pretty good cook. 

Martin Freeman isn’t a fan of ‘very processed’ meal alternatives (PA Archive)

“So this is the first proper bolognese maybe I've ever had for 38 years...”

Discussing the substitutes available, he added: “So I always had veggie stuff - it's really lovely. But I always had veggie sort of replacements and stuff.

“I think in the last several months, it's really new going back to being an omnivore, just sort of eating what I like.

“It's a funny one, because I like meat replacement things, but my reservation about them is that they can be very, very processed and I'm trying to eat less processed food.”

The Hampshire-born actor went on to admit that he had missed out on the “good, honest staple” of dishes such as bolognese for “decades”.

Reflecting on what his taste buds have since been enjoying becoming reacquainted with, he said: “Scotch egg was one of the things, I thought, ‘It's a free country, I can do what I like’.

“And also, do you know the other thing - a pork pie with the jelly and all that s***.

“A bit of mustard on a pork pie - oh man. It's food of the gods,” he declared.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.