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    Home

    About

    Kip at Waterstones Piccadilly
    Sort of like a grown up (photo by Claudine Cook)

    Hi. My name is Kip, or Catherine if you prefer, and I'm a messy cook. I love spending time in the kitchen and sharing my disasters and discoveries. Do not be fooled by nice food photos. A glance outside the edges of the shot would reveal chaos.

    I moved to England from Maryland (USA) in 2001 and have been here long enough to consider conversations about the weather interesting. I live in London and in non pandemic times I spend at least one month a year in Thailand. I am self-employed and my work consists of a range of projects from graphic design to food writing. I like to make stuff, and Messy Vegan Cook is fuelled by that enthusiasm.

    Other interests include travel, Thai language, books, cats, wine and other fermented things, cartoons, science, and play.

    I believe influencers should instead be referred to as "the influenced," given they are little more than mouthpieces for brands who pay them. If I write about anything on this blog, it's my voice you'll hear. I used to accept freebies to write about, but after it became increasingly clear the unstated contract was "we will give you free items for you to write nice things" I opted out of that racket.

    Messy Vegan Cook is a repository of vegan recipes, reviews and information, and a few of my own personal thoughts. The theme is predominantly Thai and most of my recipes have some Asian influence. My goal is to show it's possible to eat a varied and delicious diet devoid of animal-derived foods. I avoid the weight loss, detoxing, dieting language that creates body shame and guilt. I think the self help movement is damaging and only serves to make people feel like they aren't good enough. I am not a nutritionist so I don't make health claims aside from evidence-based research I have read.

    Readers who have been with me for the last decade know that the site was formerly Messy Vegetarian Cook. In 2009 I adopted a fully vegan diet, but I never changed the URL of this site as it didn't seem pressing to do so. But I do believe there is power in language and ultimately since dairy is unethical I no longer wished to show any support for non-veganism, whether implied or real. And so in 2017 I decided to officially change the name to Messy Vegan Cook. Finally.

    I am messy and not at all together. My flat stays moderately tidy only because my partner cleans. My kitchen is tiered with stacks of unheard of ingredients I probably won't touch for years. Things regularly fall out of cabinets when I open doors. I swear at them.

    I believe clutter is fine.

    Photography Gear

    In the past I have shot with a Canon EOS 450D and a Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 lens. Sometimes I used my Samsung Galaxy S5. I now use a Pixel 2. All photos are processed in Adobe Lightroom. My current gear includes:

    • Canon EOS 6D camera body
    • Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
    • Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Lens
    • Sony A6300 camera body
    • Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Retractable Zoom Lens (24-75mm focal length)
    • Manfrotto 055 Aluminium 3 Section Tripod with Horizontal Column
    • Manfrotto MK II 3 Way Head in Adaptor W/Retractable Levers

    Get in Touch

    • Follow me on Twitter
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    • Drop a note! Let me know what you think or make some suggestions. Either way, I'd love to hear from you.
    • Look at what I'm eating on instagram @Kippysnacks
    • Follow me on Pinterest

    Relationships and Disclosures

    • I'm a participant in the Amazon Europe S.à r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
    • I sometimes complement pages with Google Adsense to earn money to support the site and supplement my income (which is made 100% from internet based sales and advertising).
    • I'm a participant in the Zazzle and Cafepress affiliate programs.
    • I review restaurants and products from time to time, but never under a dishonest agreement (i.e. I will not accept payment, nor freebies to write a positive review).
    • I am a participant in the Foyles and Bookshop.org affiliate progams, so some book links may earn me a small commission.

    Primary Sidebar

    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

    More about me →

    • All recipes
    • Thai food + travel
    • General travel
    • Reviews
    • Food facts
    • Thai fried tofu with sweet peanut dipping sauce
    • Thai winged bean salad (yam tua pu)
    Vegan Thai Recipes
    Vegan Travel in Thailand
    Kippysnacks logo

    I run vegan Thai supper clubs at my home in East London.

    Think Like a Vegan

    Think Like a Vegan Book

    A thoughtful read for long time vegans and nonvegans alike, this is one of the best styles of arguing for and discussing veganism I have yet to find. Highly recommended reading.

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    All content on this site, including, but not limited to, text, recipes, and photographs are owned by Messy Vegan Cook and its contributors. No content may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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