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New Zealand has it’s third female and first vegan Governor General in Dame Patsy Reddy, who was sworn in on Wednesday.
Kevin Stent/Fairfax NZ
Last week, Dame Patsy Reddy became New Zealand’s Governor General. The first vegan–and third female—to ever hold that office, Reddy celebrated her victory in style with a plant-based banquet. Guests began with an Eastern tasting plate, that included shiitake mushroom consomme, karengo and tapioca crackers, steamed buns with miso roasted aubergine and pickled cucumber and crispy fried tofu with lemongrass, chilli and black vinegar.
For the main, chargrilled new-season asparagus was served with Maori potato skordalia, beetroot and sesame felafel and a tahini and baby beetroot salad. Desert was a citrus syrup cake with date and cacao filo, cupuacu (a tropical rainforest fruit related to cacao), coconut sorbet and petits fours.
The four chefs at the Government House where Reddy will reside revealed they will continue to create plant-based menus for the new Governor General, her visitors, and future events. In addition to playing the role of the Queen’s representative, the Governor General will serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the military group Royal Guard of Honour.
New Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy inspects the Guard of Honour at her swearing-in ceremony. Kevin Stent/Fairfax NZ
“It’s just quite exciting to hear we have a vegan Governor General,” spokesperson for Vegan Society in New Zealand Claire Insley said. “I’m sure it will help to bring it into the mainstream.”
Top government officials are increasingly choosing to eschew animal products and rallying for others to do the same—as evidenced in a recent lecture in Ottowa, Canada wherein the former president of Ireland Mary Robinson urged young leaders to go vegan.
This story first appeared on Stuff NZ.
