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A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Italian waiter refuses to serve woman her cappuccino until she finishes pasta The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’

An Italian waiter has gone viral after a video of him refusing to serve a customer her cappuccino until after she finished eating her pasta was posted on social media. The clip was posted by Nadia Caterina Munno, a cook, author and influencer known as The Pasta Queen on Instagram earlier this week. It shows her and her friend Cat Sullivan dining at a restaurant in Milan, when Sullivan asked the waiter for a cappuccino while still eating her pasta. The man serving the pair appeared shocked at her request. In Italy, it is common to only drink cappuccinos before 11am, and espressos after dinner. It is also frowned upon to pair cappuccinos with pasta dishes. The waiter asked Sullivan: “With pasta? After pasta. Are you sure?” When she answered in the affirmative, he walked away and remarked: “This hurts so bad.” The clip then shows Sullivan sipping on her wine with her empty plate in front of her. The waiter then arrived to clear her plate and place her cappuccino in front of her. Sullivan thanked him, but added: “But I just finished my pasta?” “I am sorry we are slow… we made sure to delay as much as possible so you wouldn’t eat your pasta with cappuccino,” the waiter confessed with a smile, with both Sullivan and Munno bursting into laughter. Later, Munno revealed that the request was a prank on the waiter, adding: “I can’t believe that I am even involved in this prank.” She captioned the humorous video: “In Milan with my friend Cat and a traumatised waiter.” Some found the waiter’s strict adherence to Italy’s unspoken food rules hilarious, but others were less than pleased with his customer service. “I feel so uncultured right now, because I would actually be annoyed. If I’m a paying guest, give me what I want, within reason of course,” one person wrote. Another said: “The customer is always right. Mr waiter [sic] has no business telling her what not to drink with her pasta.” However, several people defended the waiter, with one person explaining: “Losing a customer is not the end of the world in Italy. The waiter’s job is to give the customer the best experience of how the chef wants his food to be experienced. “So if you don’t like it, you can leave and the world does not revolve around you.” Others chimed in with their own experiences of ordering food in Italy that is deemed outside of the norm. “My boyfriend wanted to order pasta Bolognese in Venice and the waiter denied the order,” one commenter wrote. A second shared: “I once had a very nice gelateria employee in Rome refuse to give me the first flavours I ordered because they wouldn’t go well together.” Read More I couldn’t climax, so I let ‘big testosterone’ take me for a ride John Goodman reveals he’s lost 200 pounds as he makes red carpet appearance Kelly Osbourne criticises Prince Harry for ‘whinging’ about the royal family The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’ Celebrity chef bans vegans from his restaurant

John Goodman stunned fans as his weight loss was made apparent over the weekend, but his journey didn’t “happen overnight”. The Big Lebowski star, who turned 71 on 20 June, recently attended the 2023 Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco on Sunday (18 June) where he debuted his slimmed-down figure on the red carpet. In photos from the event, Goodman looked sharp in a navy blue double-breasted suit and khaki pants, which he paired with a yellow tie, brown loafers, and round-framed sunglasses. The actor’s transformation is the result of more than a decade of hard work, after he reportedly started working on his health back in 2007. In a new interview with Rolling Stone published on 17 June, Goodman revealed that he has lost a total of 200 pounds, ever since he first revealed to David Letterman in 2011 that he was “pushing 400” pounds when he was at his heaviest. “I’d get off of Roseanne every spring. I’d lose 60 pounds every spring [but] I’d gain it back and then some, every year,” he told the late-night host at the time. At the start of his journey, Goodman hired health coach Mackie Shilstone who helped him to give up sugar and work out six days a week. The actor, who’s been open about his struggles with alcoholism in the past, also stopped drinking after checking into a rehabilitation center in 2007. “It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your a** and figure out what you’re going to eat next,” he said in an interview with People in 2010. “I wanted to live life better.” Five years later, Goodman’s health coach revealed to the New York Post that the Roseanne star had lost 100 pounds through a combination of diet and exercise. Goodman unveiled his 100-pound weight loss transformation at the premiere of his film Trumbo in 2015. “This didn’t happen overnight – it’s been an ongoing process,” Shilstone told the Post. He introduced Goodman to a “Mediterranean-style eating plan,” which heavily leaned on a diet of fish, nuts, olive oil, vegetables, and fruit. The Monsters, Inc actor also racked up 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day, along with getting in some miles on the elliptical bicycle and treadmill. At the time, Goodman’s then-100 pound weight loss took around two years. In an interview with ABC News, Goodman revealed that he decided to make a change to his habits after he would look in the mirror and not like what he saw in his reflection. “I just got tired, sick and tired of looking at myself. You’re shaving in the mirror and you don’t want to look at yourself. It gets dangerous,” he told ABC’s Peter Travers in 2016. Goodman also explained that his weight loss journey was made easier after he “just stopped eating all the time”. “I’d have a handful of food and it’d go to my mouth,” he said. “In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack of Bud or whatever and just go back to my old habits.” “Then this time I wanted to do it slowly, move, exercise. I’m getting to the age where I can’t afford to sit still anymore. And it gives me the energy to work, ‘cause work is very draining.” These days, John Goodman has been busy balancing his ongoing health journey with his many roles in television – reprising his role from Roseanne as beloved father Dan Conner in ABC’s The Conners, and televangelist patriarch Eli Gemstone in the HBO comedy, The Righteous Gemstones. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Goodman detailed that he stays active by “getting out and walking the dogs” amidst his busy schedule. Before production began on The Conners in 2018, Goodman said he spent much of his time boxing too. “I was boxing up until then and I haven’t been able to do that since Covid because I’m lazy,” he shared. “I haven’t been exercising, but I’m going to start a routine again this summer where I can get some stuff done. I’ve just let everything go just because I haven’t had the energy because of the jobs.” The iconic Hollywood actor also opened up about his past struggles with alcohol and “anger as a younger man,” which he admitted was “fuelled by fear”. “But I was probably born an alcoholic,” he joked. “But most of the anger’s gone. If I don’t watch the news, I’m cool.” Read More Glastonbury 2023: Gates at Worthy Farm to open today as new ‘secret set’ announced Extraction 2 viewers spot ‘ridiculous’ blunder in Chris Hemsworth sequel ‘What in the wingardium leviosa?’: Emma Watson shocks fans with ‘levitating’ dress What are the symptoms of laryngitis and how long does it take to recover? What is egg freezing and how does it work? Regular napping could be good for brain health, research suggests

Sanjay Aggarwal’s now-booming business was based around a family heirloom: a 100-year-old spice mill. He started selling spice blends with his mother in 2012 almost by accident. “It wasn’t meant to be a business,” the 40-year-old admits. “It was only started as a retirement hobby for my mum. What started off as a silly little idea, so to speak, just grew. We started online and moved after a few years to selling in shops.” Spice Kitchen has been wildly successful, and now Aggarwal is adding another string his company’s bow by writing a cookbook. Above all the success, he’s really just appreciated spending time with his 72-year-old mother, Shashi. “She’s incredible – she’s a whirlwind. She was born in Kenya and raised in India, so she’s got a really eclectic mix of culture. And she’s a real spice expert – we’ve got a 100-year-old spice mill in our family that’s travelled the world and I’ve got it here now; we started the business using that.” Aggarwal says it felt “natural” to work with his mother, after helping his parents run their Birmingham shop when growing up. But he’s “learned loads” from her during their new venture. “It’s certainly made me realise how entrepreneurial my mum is, how creative she is… I’ve been really impressed by how similarly we think.” He says: “We’re certainly closer for it. It’s got the ups and downs and challenges that everything has, but we’re still talking!” While there are plenty of flavour-packed Indian dishes in the new cookbook – including coriander and tandoori fishcakes, chickpea curry and tarka dal – the recipes have a decidedly global outlook. Think fish tacos, jerk-inspired pork, crispy duck with pancakes – and Aggarwal credits this to growing up in the diverse city of Birmingham. “I was born and brought up there, so for me, that was all I knew. But for my mum, it was very much a big influence on her,” he explains. When she came to the UK as a young married woman, “her cuisine and culture was all very Indian” – something that soon changed. “My mum has really seen that development of food and culture, and that cosmopolitan nature of Birmingham. It’s had tidal waves of immigration – my mum being one of them from India – and from West Africa and Asia and all different places. She’s witnessed that, when she came to the UK.” Aggarwal recounts how in the early days of living in Birmingham, Shashi would grind her own spices – you couldn’t buy blends at the time – which “reminded her of home and made her less homesick”, but then her palate expanded. “She’s vegetarian, but got to try all these amazing different sorts of vegetarian food from all around the world, be it Middle Eastern, Chinese or Japanese or whatever. Some of those things weren’t accessible when she first came, but were as time went on – and my mum’s very experimental. “She’s a real foodie. She loves trying new things and experimenting – probably more than anyone else I know. I think she’s quite unique, because I think a lot of people from cultures where they’ve got a really strong food culture – certainly like Indian culture – a lot of my aunts and uncles, they don’t really eat or experiment outside of Indian food. They find it quite scary, not very flavoursome, or quite bland. But my mum really gets it – she’s got a really deep palate, and she can really appreciate different cultures.” This love of different cuisines means both mother and son are quite free with the way they cook– and they want other people to be the same. For example, if you’re making a frittata and you don’t have any Italian seasoning, Aggarwal says: “Try it with Mexican [spice blends], try it with jerk and you could still create something amazing. Don’t be afraid to experiment.” One of the more unusual combinations he’s tried? Mexican spices in a shepherd’s pie: “It actually tastes amazing in there. We’re just trying to get people to be a bit more free thinking and adventurous. What’s the worst that can happen?” Aggarwal says he’s often asked how to make an “authentic” dish – a question he struggles to answer. “It’s very difficult to understand what they mean by that – what is the meaning of authenticity? I’m a second-generation British-born person… Food has evolved over time. We wanted to make sure the dishes [in the cookbook] were authentic in terms of linking back to the original recipes and what they’re all about, and especially the blends being as authentic as possible – trying to respect the tradition. “But we’re also trying to say, we can only take our take on things. I can take my take on things and my mum can take her take on things – and things have changed over time.” That’s why Aggarwal advises against getting “too hung up on authenticity, because there is no way of achieving it”. Instead, he recommends taking a dish you like and “play with the flavours a little bit” to “make it your own”. ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A video claiming to show food going to waste at Starbucks has gone viral, despite the company previously pledging to donate all unsold food. Aidan Stockin, who works at the coffee chain, alleged that throwing away “perfectly good food” has become common practice at Starbucks. In a clip that has been viewed 2.2m times and liked by more than 189,000 viewers, the 23-year-old showed food waste allegedly left over at the end of his shift. “It’s not just one restaurant, it’s all of them,” the biology student from Massachusetts told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “I’ve worked in several over the past seven years and every single one says that they have a food donation service, then turns around and throws out a substantial amount of food daily. “It made me feel sick to be forced into throwing out so much perfectly good food when the homeless shelter is 10 minutes down the road.” In the video, he began by showing a shopping cart being filled with different packaged food items. He then revealed another trolley filled to the brim with pastries, before showing a picture of all the alleged waste in total. Users have taken to the comments to share their reactions, with many left upset and confused. “Nooo why can’t they donate it,” one viewer asked, while another said: “I would legit cash app you right now for those chocolate croissants.” “Just call your local Salvation Army to pick it up,” someone else suggested, while another viewer claimed the food waste should be “illegal”. In 2016, Starbucks announced its “FoodShare” programme, where it said it would donate unsold food from 100 per cent of the US stores. In 2020, it was alleged that Starbucks locations were throwing away unsold food, as investigated by the New York Post. According to Aidan, food is allegedly still being thrown away in 2023. Referring to the incident in the TikTok, he said: “The exact same scenario happened with our savoury sandwiches two days prior, in which two full carts were thrown away. In total, five carts were thrown out in less than three days. “I felt trapped and conflicted because if it were up to me, I would have loaded the food into the back of my car and drove it straight down to the homeless shelter.” Jam Press contacted Starbucks for comment. A company spokesperson said: “At Starbucks, our goal is to donate 100 per cent of approved to donate food, including perishable items like salads and sandwiches, furthering Starbucks resource positive commitment to reduce waste by 50 per cent by 2030. “Since 2016, Starbucks has been committed to supporting hunger relief through its innovative Starbucks FoodShare food donation program in partnership with Feeding America, Second Harvest Canada and other hunger-relief organisations. “Expanding our efforts to rescue food and divert from landfills is key to helping us reach our aspirations. We have developed a process which enables us to donate our fresh, ready-to-eat food items in addition to the pastries that we have been donating for years. Our commitments and FoodShare programming are carried out in company-owned stores. We encourage our licensed store partnerships to include Starbucks donations in their existing food waste reduction and donation programs.” Read More How can you save money on your wedding food? Woman praised for telling guests not to eat the food at her sister’s wedding 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

John Goodman showed off his dramatic weight loss transformation over the weekend, but his weight loss journey didn’t “happen overnight”. The Big Lebowski star, who turned 71 on 20 June, recently attended the 2023 Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco on Sunday (18 June) where he debuted his slimmed-down figure on the red carpet. In photos from the event, Goodman looked sharp in a navy blue double-breasted suit and khaki pants, which he paired with a yellow tie, brown loafers, and round-framed sunglasses. The actor’s transformation is the result of more than a decade of hard work, after he reportedly started working on his health back in 2007. In a new interview with Rolling Stone published on 17 June, Goodman revealed that he has lost a total of 200 pounds, ever since he first revealed to David Letterman in 2011 that he was “pushing 400” pounds when he was at his heaviest. “I’d get off of Roseanne every spring. I’d lose 60 pounds every spring [but] I’d gain it back and then some, every year,” he told the late-night host at the time. At the start of his journey, Goodman hired health coach Mackie Shilstone who helped him to give up sugar and work out six days a week. The actor, who’s been open about his struggles with alcoholism in the past, also stopped drinking after checking into a rehabilitation center in 2007. “It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your a** and figure out what you’re going to eat next,” he said in an interview with People in 2010. “I wanted to live life better.” Five years later, Goodman’s health coach revealed to the New York Post that the Roseanne star had lost 100 pounds through a combination of diet and exercise. Goodman unveiled his 100-pound weight loss transformation at the premiere of his film Trumbo in 2015. “This didn’t happen overnight – it’s been an ongoing process,” Shilstone told the Post. He introduced Goodman to a “Mediterranean-style eating plan,” which heavily leaned on a diet of fish, nuts, olive oil, vegetables, and fruit. The Monsters, Inc actor also racked up 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day, along with getting in some miles on the elliptical bicycle and treadmill. At the time, Goodman’s then-100 pound weight loss took around two years. In an interview with ABC News, Goodman revealed that he decided to make a change to his habits after he would look in the mirror and not like what he saw in his reflection. “I just got tired, sick and tired of looking at myself. You’re shaving in the mirror and you don’t want to look at yourself. It gets dangerous,” he told ABC’s Peter Travers in 2016. Goodman also explained that his weight loss journey was made easier after he “just stopped eating all the time”. “I’d have a handful of food and it’d go to my mouth,” he said. “In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack of Bud or whatever and just go back to my old habits.” “Then this time I wanted to do it slowly, move, exercise. I’m getting to the age where I can’t afford to sit still anymore. And it gives me the energy to work, ‘cause work is very draining.” These days, John Goodman has been busy balancing his ongoing health journey with his many roles in television – reprising his role from Roseanne as beloved father Dan Conner in ABC’s The Conners, and televangelist patriarch Eli Gemstone in the HBO comedy, The Righteous Gemstones. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Goodman detailed that he stays active by “getting out and walking the dogs” amidst his busy schedule. Before production began on The Conners in 2018, Goodman said he spent much of his time boxing too. “I was boxing up until then and I haven’t been able to do that since Covid because I’m lazy,” he shared. “I haven’t been exercising, but I’m going to start a routine again this summer where I can get some stuff done. I’ve just let everything go just because I haven’t had the energy because of the jobs.” The iconic Hollywood actor also opened up about his past struggles with alcohol and “anger as a younger man,” which he admitted was “fuelled by fear”. “But I was probably born an alcoholic,” he joked. “But most of the anger’s gone. If I don’t watch the news, I’m cool.” Read More John Goodman weight loss: Fitness expert explains how actor lost 100lbs Scientist behind Ozempic says drug can make life ‘so miserably boring’ What to know about prescription drugs promising weight loss What are the symptoms of laryngitis and how long does it take to recover? What is egg freezing and how does it work? Regular napping could be good for brain health, research suggests

Ireland’s Our Living Islands program will pay for housing rehab on its beautiful but sparsely populated islands.

Last week the firm was ordered to withdraw all imported frozen food of animal origin.

A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Missing Glastonbury? Here’s how to have a festival feast at home Four berry sweet recipes that go beyond strawberries and cream Can you whip up the perfect burger in just five minutes?

Getting a case of laryngitis is an unpleasant experience and can happen to anyone. But singers are more prone to the throat condition and the latest performer to have come down with laryngitis is Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. The band were forced to cancel a concert in Dublin that was scheduled for Thursday (22 June), and their appearance at Glastonbury this weekend has also been thrown into doubt. In a statement, the Arctic Monkeys said: “Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis and, following medical advice, has been ordered to rest.” According to the NHS, the illness can sometimes come on suddenly, but can be linked to other illnesses, such as colds and flu. It occurs when the voice box or vocal cords in the throat become irritated or swollen. It’s an uncomfortable illness, but can usually be treated at home or with help from a pharmacist. Here’s everything you need to know about laryngitis. What are the symptoms? Laryngitis can sometimes come on without warning and patients feel the worst during the first three days. The main symptoms are a hoarse voice or sometimes losing your voice; an irritating cough that doesn’t go away; always needing to clear your throat; and having a sore throat. In children, there can be additional symptoms including a temperature of 38C or above; losing their appetite; or having difficulty breathing, but this last symptom is rare. How long does it take to treat? Most people recover from laryngitis after one to two weeks, and don’t need to see a GP. The NHS advises treating the condition by drinking plenty of fluids and gargling with warm salty water, if you are an adult. You should also try to rest your voice as much as possible. This means speaking as little as you can, and if you must, do not talk loudly or whisper as both can strain your voice. Keeping the air moist is also helpful in treating laryngitis. You can increase the amount of moisture in the air by putting out bowls of water. Be aware that central heating and air conditioning can make the air drier. Staying out of smoky or dusty places will also help, as well as avoiding smoking cigarettes. You should steer clear of caffeine or alcohol as they can cause dehydration. Pharmacists can help with treating the symptoms by providing paracetamol or ibuprofen, cough syrup, gargling solution, or lozenges to soothe the throat. When should I see a GP about laryngitis? You should see your GP if your symptoms do not improve after two weeks, or if you keep getting laryngitis or problems with your voice. The GP may carry out some procedures to try and figure out what is the cause, including looking inside the throat with a small mirror, wiping a cotton bud around the back of the throat to be tested, and arranging a blood test. You may also be referred to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist if the condition keeps occurring. If it is very painful or you are finding if difficult to swallow, you should call 111. If you or your child are having difficulty breathing, you should call 999 or go to A&E. Read More I couldn’t climax, so I let ‘big testosterone’ take me for a ride ‘What in the wingardium leviosa?’: Emma Watson shocks fans with ‘levitating’ dress Harry and Meghan ‘Duke and Duchess of Dior’ rumours untrue, report says What is egg freezing and how does it work? Regular napping could be good for brain health, research suggests Dramatic rise in the number of women freezing their eggs

New figures show a dramatic rise in the number of women deciding to freeze their eggs. A report from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HEFA) found that egg and embryo freezing are now the fastest growing fertility treatments in the UK. Egg freezing and storage saw a 64% rise between 2019 and 2021 – increasing from 2,576 cycles to 4,215 completed. What is egg freezing? It’s where a woman’s eggs are extracted and frozen immediately for fertilisation at a later date. Gynaecologist Dr Larisa Corda said it’s a “means of helping preserve fertility for the future”. Freezing the eggs at the point of extraction means they avoid the decline in quality that’s associated with ageing. “It essentially means that a woman becomes her own egg donor later in life, when she decides she wishes to have children,” she said. What’s the process? “It involves the same sort of procedure as the first part of IVF, where a woman takes injections to stimulate her ovaries, to encourage follicles to grow and lead to egg maturation over several days. “After that, the eggs are collected via a simple surgical technique using a needle placed into the vagina and then into the ovaries, to aspirate the eggs which are there,” Corda said. The daily injections (usually for eight to 11 days) involved in the first part of the process is to encourage the ovaries to produce more eggs. “They may be uncomfortable and lead to side-effects like bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, headaches and other hormonal symptoms, such as breast soreness and changes to your mood,” she added. Women are usually put to sleep for the egg retrieval, during which, a long needle is inserted into the vagina to reach the ovaries and remove the fluid in each follicle that contains an egg. “This is all done under direct ultrasound guidance and normally takes around 30 minutes. You will not feel anything during the procedure, but afterwards, you may have some cramps and a bit of bleeding, which all normally settles down within 24-48 hours.” How many eggs are usually frozen each time? It really depends how many are produced by the patient at the time. Corda said the number of eggs doesn’t give a good indication on the quality though – which is only revealed after the eggs are fertilised to create embryos further down the line, when the woman or couple want to try to have a baby. “Because of this reason, women are advised to freeze between 10-15 eggs, to give themselves a good, reasonable chance. This may involve doing several rounds of egg freezing, but there’s no guarantee of success,” she said. The aim varies depending on the clinic though, and the “numbers needed when older become much more unpredictable, and it also becomes much harder to get a good number of eggs too”. What’s the success rate? The success rates are dependant on age and the quality of the eggs. “Not surprisingly, the highest live birth rates from previously frozen eggs are shown to come from women who undergo the procedure before they are 30,” she noted. “However, the average age at which women freeze their eggs is around 37, with many women closer to 40 by the time they consider doing this.” She said it’s generally agreed that the best time is before age 36, when most women’s eggs are still a sufficient quality and you’re more likely to use them in the future (as opposed to someone age 25 and more likely to fall pregnant without medical assistance). It’s important to know that some eggs won’t actually make it, even if they were fine at the freezing stage. Dr Suvir Venkataraman, from the Harley Street Fertility Clinic, added: “For a good prognosis patient, i.e. under 35 with no known fertility issues, roughly 90% of eggs survive freezing and thawing by vitrification. “Approximately 70% of those will be fertilised by good sperm to create embryos. Approximately 50% of those embryos will develop well. And there’s approximately 30% chance of live birth per embryo transferred.” How much does it cost? The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) estimate the average cost of freezing eggs is £7,000-£8,000 – including medication, storage costs and the later process of thawing and transferring to the womb. But it varies from clinic to clinic. What else should you consider? Arm yourself with all the facts on the costs, and understand it’s not a guaranteed insurance policy for getting pregnant in the future. “It’s important to see a fertility specialist to get assessed before considering egg freezing, as the decline in egg number and quality can start much earlier for some women,” Corda said. “If you’re not sure what clinic to go to, the HFEA website has lots of great and useful information to help you to decide and check out their credentials. “Egg freezing does not offer any guarantees, but for a lot of women, it is the best possible chance of having their own biological children later in life.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How can you save money on your wedding food? Regular napping could be good for brain health, research suggests Dramatic rise in the number of women freezing their eggs

Regular daytime naps could be good for brain health, new research suggests. Daytime napping could slow the rate at which brains shrink as we age, the study led by researchers at UCL and the University of the Republic in Uruguay found. The researchers hope their findings into the health benefits of sleeping during the day will reduce any stigma that still exists around daytime napping. The study suggests the average difference in brain volume between people programmed to be habitual nappers and those who were not was equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of ageing. Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that could help preserve the health of the brain as we get older Dr Victoria Garfield, UCL Senior author Dr Victoria Garfield, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, said: “Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that could help preserve the health of the brain as we get older.” The study, published in the journal Sleep Health, analysed data from people aged 40 to 69. Past research has suggested people who have had a short nap perform better in cognitive tests in the hours afterwards than those who did not nap. The new study looked at whether there was a causal relationship between daytime napping and brain health. Researchers looked at 97 snippets of DNA thought to determine people’s likelihood of habitual napping. They compared measures of brain health and cognition of people who are more genetically programmed to nap with people who did not have these changes in DNA, using data from 378,932 people from the UK Biobank study. They found that, overall, people predetermined to nap had a larger total brain volume. The genetic variants – DNA changes – influencing the likelihood of someone to nap were identified in an earlier study looking at data from 452,633 UK Biobank participants. But the researchers did not find a difference in how well those programmed to be habitual nappers performed on three other measures of brain health and cognitive function. Lead author and PhD candidate Valentina Paz, University of the Republic (Uruguay) and MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, said: “This is the first study to attempt to untangle the causal relationship between habitual daytime napping and cognitive and structural brain outcomes. “By looking at genes set at birth, Mendelian randomisation avoids confounding factors occurring throughout life that may influence associations between napping and health outcomes. “Our study points to a causal link between habitual napping and larger total brain volume.” Garfield added: “I hope studies such as this one showing the health benefits of short naps can help to reduce any stigma that still exists around daytime napping.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dramatic rise in the number of women freezing their eggs 9 glorious gardens to visit this summer How to keep flying insects out of your home