Vegetarian food supremo has 'veg with edge' (From Swindon Advertiser)

Vegetarian food supremo has 'veg with edge'

1:00pm Monday 6th July 2009

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A FORMER Swindon college student set aside a high-powered publishing career to found a successful vegetarian food business.

Elizabeth Leath, 38, started supplying Tesco with her hand-prepared Pick Me brand of meals, billed as “veg with edge”, last September, and now Sainsbury’s customers can try the dishes, too.

Originally from Stanton St Quinten near Chippenham, Elizabeth studied hotel and catering management at Swindon College in her teens, then took a European Business Studies degree at Hull University before moving on to a successful 16-year career with some of the biggest companies in publishing.

She lives in Herne Hill, South London, with husband Stuart and daughters Mayes, six and three-year-old Soran.

Some 17 years after becoming a vegetarian while still a student, she remembers the moment vividly.

“Stuart and I shared a flat, and I was cooking a chicken for Sunday lunch when I realised I didn’t really like the taste of chicken, or cooking it.

“It was then that I decided to give meat a miss.

“Later, when I went to my parents’ house for Sunday lunch, I used to hide meat under my fork!”

Stuart, however, remains a committed carnivore, enjoying the taste and texture of meat, and it’s as much for people like Stuart as for anybody else that the Pick Me line of meals is intended.

Elizabeth explained: “We wanted to develop meals that people could eat and not feel they were missing out on flavour and quantity without meat.”

The genesis of Pick Me came a little over two years ago.

Part of Elizabeth’s work in publishing meant regular lunches with a businessman whose interests included the Mrs Beeton cookery name.

Inevitably, the two discussed food and Elizabeth revealed her thoughts about creating a new line of vegetarian cuisine. The businessman was so impressed that he is now the silent partner in Pick Me.

Elizabeth added: “One of the things that’s different about us is that most other vegetarian options are pretend meat.

“If I’m not eating meat, I don’t want to pretend I’m eating meat, so for me the idea was always that vegetarian food could stand on its own.”

Pick Me currently has a chilled line, sold by Tesco, and a frozen range, which is the one available at Sainsbury’s.

Varieties include Cheeky Chunky Chilli, Vegalicious Masala, Shepherd’s Pie (billed as ‘Without the Sheep’) and Kicking Jungle Curry. The frozen range costs £2.49 and the chilled £3.29.

About a decade ago, Elizabeth and Stuart took a year out to tour the world, picking up a few culinary ideas along the way, and some of these ideas, such as boosting the taste of chilli by adding a little cocoa powder, have made it into the Pick Me Dishes.

All Pick Me products are free of genetically modified ingredients, artificial preservatives, flavourings and colours.

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