Does Anyone Remember TV Cook, Sarah Brown?

This is really interesting. I have ever so vague memories of Sarah and had to look her up. She does seem very familiar. No doubt my mum will be able to tell me more about her. I used to be a meat eater before becoming a pescatarian before becoming a vegetarian... and now I'm vegan. It's been a slow process getting here but I really can't see me going back to consuming animal products. As several people on here have said, it's brill that you had a show that focused on veggie food as far back as the early eighties. From what I understand, Sarah's was the first. I don't watch much TV these days (unless it's kids stuff with my little ones) so I don't know if there are any more cooking shows aimed at non-meat eaters but it would be great if they did.

I don't know this show at all. So either we didn't have Sarah Browns cooking show in America or I just don't remember it as I would of been real little at the time. I'm not a vegetarian or vegan or anything like that. I don't eat much in the way of red meat but I do like chicken alot so being a vegetarian isn't an option for me. LOL. But I know lots of people these days are vegetarians or want to be but don't no where to start. I could be wrong but I don't really know about any vegetarian cooking shows that are on now, so it's pretty awesome that this lady got started with a show like this nearly forty years ago.

Even though Americans are familiar with some British chefs, Sarah Brown is not one that I've ever heard of. I don't think my mom would of either so I guess she wasn't big in the States. But just following on with the comments that everyone else has made, it is really cool that even in the early eighties, you had a TV chef that was introducing vegetarian cooking to people who probably didn't know a whole lot about it. And despite the fact that vegetarianism isn't so unusual today, I think we could still do with more shows like Vegetarian Kitchen. I know people who would love to go vegetarian or just eat less meat and fish but they don't know where to start and feel that they would have a limited choice when it comes to meals. Like the guy in the video clip who said he went back to eating meat because he was just eating salad and shivering! Shows like this one would really educate people and show that you don't really have to completely miss out on your favourite meaty dishes because there's tons of meat-free substitutes available. And even if you didn't want to go down the substitute road, there's still like a zillion meat-free meals you can create that are just as delicious, probably more nutritious, and you wouldn't miss meat at all. It's just that people don't know about them.

I believe I may only have been a toddler when this series first aired so I don't remember it at all. Especially as my family left England while I was still tiny. But I think a show that introduces you to a cuisine that a lot of people may not be familiar with, especially one that is generally quite a lot healthier, is never a bad thing. In our household, we love our fish and meat too much to ever go veggie full time. But if the kids weren't such fussy eaters, I would gladly have more meat-free mealtimes.

I do remember Vegetarian Kitchen. It was actually my first introduction to vegetarianism as a young child. From what I understand, Sarah Brown's was the first vegetarian cooking show to be broadcast on British TV and it was as educational about vegetarian diet and lifestyle as it was about the actual recipes. I think the garden buffet in the clip from Egg Yolk highlighted this point very effectively. I'm not a vegetarian but I do aim to eat a lot less meat for a variety of reasons, so I definitely have more of an interest in TV cooking shows like this one than I did as a child. So if the Beeb ever want to repeat Vegetarian Kitchen or any of Sarah Brown's other TV cooking shows if she had any others, than that would be brilliant. I don't see any cooking shows aimed solely at a vegetarian audience like Sarah's was and if that's the case then I'm very surprised considering how many people are going meatless these days.

And I'm surprised that no one here has mentioned it so far but WHERE IS SARAH BROWN??? Where is she these days and is she still involved in creating vegetarian recipes? I for one would love to know what she's up to these days.

I spent a lot of time in Southern California where they do the best vegan and vegetarian food. Which is contrary to my experience of a recent visit to the midwest where I was shocked by the lack of choices for non-meat options in restaurants. So it's kind of cool that there was a cooking show from back in the eightie's that didn't just cater for vegetarians but also aimed to educate those who didn't have much knowledge of this particular cuisine. I feel like there's no excuse not to know now because the vegan/veggie movement is a lot bigger now than it was then.

Yes Egg Yolk thanks for that fabulous clip and for refreshing my memory. Sarah is certainly a lot more smilier than I remember her to be. And what I wouldn't give to be invited to a garden lunch party like that! Even though I'm not a vegetarian 😁 I am a gardener though and I was totally in awe of Colin Spencer's garden. Stunning! I also agree that vegetarianism/veganism is more than just a diet form. It's a lifestyle, a movement but definitely more than just food on a plate.

And I'm beginning to have severe doubts about the way I've pronounced tzatziki and ratatouille my whole life! 😂😂

Thank you, Egg Yolk! That was an absolute pleasure to watch - so early eighties - and it was lovely to catch a glimpse of Sarah again. I'm just sorry that there was only ten minutes of it.

I especially liked the visit to the cookery writer's home. My goodness - no way could I do all those dishes for so many people! But it was a good indication of just how much variety there was in veggie cuisine, and judging by a lot of his guests comments, it doesn't look as though many people were missing meat.

And as for the young man who reckons you can't eat Chinese food if you're vegetarian, yes dude - you absolutely can!

Thanks again for sharing, Egg Yolk. 💗

I do indeed remember Sarah Brown's vegetarian Kitchen. It was broadcast at a time when being veggie was unfairly seen as a fad and not taken as seriously as it is today. I'm mega excited because I've managed to find a snippet of the show. It's only around ten mins long but it was a joy to watch. Even if I'm not a veggie girl myself! I really hope I'll be able to find the whole series.

Vegetarian Kitchen

Some good points here, everyone! I was only a kid in the eighties but even I remember how hard it was for a lot of my vegetarian friends who couldn't eat meat - mainly because of religious reasons - to find suitable meat-free options. So it's no surprise most of them had to bring in a packed lunch. Those who grew up in vegetarian households were of course much more knowledgeable than the rest of us when it come to veggie cuisine and knew just how varied it could be. But if you were a meat-eater who had a veggie friend coming over for dinner, it could be a bit of a struggle.

Oh and I remember people thinking it was OK to serve fish and even CHICKEN to a vegetarian... because it wasn't meat. 🤔Thank goodness times have changed.

As for the 'just pick it out' comment, at a family gathering where my mum had cooked a rice dish that contained meat, my uncle had neglected to say that his new girlfriend was a vegetarian. So my mum and aunt rather helpfully told her that she could just leave out the pieces of meat!

As I said, thank goodness times have changed. I also think more people (including my mum and aunt) needed to pay more attention to Sarah Brown's TV show and then, not only would they have not made such comments, but they wouldn't have feared the vegetarian who came to dinner (great movie title right there!!!)

Yes I also have very vague memories of a TV chef called Sarah Brown as well. I'm guessing she couldn't have had many series commissioned otherwise we'd remember her better.

I'm guessing the reason why she wasn't the veggie Delia is because veggie cooking probably wasn't as big then as it is now. And they probably can't repeat the show because vegetarian/vegan cooking has come a long way so those recipes are probably quite dated.

To hazard a guess!

As someone who remembers the eighties quite well, it's true to say that if someone back then revealed that they were a vegetarian it was quite a talking point. It wasn't uncommon for vegetarians to go out to someone's house for dinner and just be given salad, or told to help themselves to the side dishes. And thankfully we have a better understanding of vegetarianism today and would never utter the phrase "Oh thats Okay... Just pick out the meat and you'll be fine." 😂

About Sarah Brown, I do have very hazy memories of a TV cook by that name but don't know a great deal about her. My mum in law might have a better idea as she has always been obsessed with TV cooking shows.

I wasn't around back then but as someone who's vegan I think it's amazing that there was a cooking show that focussed on non-meat cuisine that early on. It shows how ahead of it's time it was because from what I know, not eating meat back then was considered a bit bizare. Today though loads of people are vegetarian or vegan and we could do with more shows like that.