SO what happens if you share your home, and more particularly your kitchen, with someone who doesn't share your commitment to eating only plant foods?

What if they contaminate your pans with dripping slices of steak, or stock the fridge with raw meat, or fill the house with the odour of frying bacon?

For those who have chosen a vegan diet for health reasons, it might not be too much of a trial. For the committed animal rights supporters, this situation might be unpleasant and distressing.

Perhaps it's not surprising that many vegetarian and vegans want to live with others who share their culinary preferences - and increasing numbers of people are actively choosing vegetarian-friendly households.

In a survey by online housing agents Fasthomes.org, 67per cent of respondents said they had problems finding a vegetarian-friendly home, giving reasons such as a lack of properties available (51 per cent) and other tenants not respecting the foods they can't eat (35 per cent).

Fasthomes have investigated the rental market for individuals who are vegetarian and perhaps looking for a house or room that accommodates their dietary requirements. They've taken figures from spareroom.co.uk from the beginning of August, to find just how many properties available to rent in British towns and cities are ‘vegetarian-friendly’.

It turns out that in London, Harrow (55) has the highest number of vegetarian friendly households to rent, while Manchester (31) is far and away the best city outside London to live in if you want to rent a vegetarian-friendly home. Birmingham and Bristol are next, with 20 properties advertised.

And what about Swindon?It turns out there were four vegetarian-friendly properties to rent in Swindon at the time of the survey.

That doesn't sound too bad. Swindon is fast becoming a great place to live for vegans. We have a Vegan Festival, and a growing list of places where you can eat excellent plant-based food.

I share a house with a carnivore - my husband's French, a nation famous for their love of a coq au vin or beef bourguignon. Fortunately love conquers all, and while he often eats plant food dinners, we don't argue when he dines pork sausages when I'm having vegan variety, and dining out he often takes the opportunity to dine on steak, served, of course, 'bleu'.

Just as long as he doesn't eat foie gras.