About Messy Vegan Cook

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:

Get in Touch

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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
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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.