If you’re a gallery hosting a major new show of the photographs of Linda McCartney, a pioneer in the world of meat free eating, then turning your cafe veggie on a Meat Free Monday is a no-brainer.
That’s what Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum has decided to do as it opens its doors to a major UK retrospective, dubbed “one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions opening in 2019”, which begins today. Linda was not only a genius behind the camera but revolutionised the world of meat free eating with her popular recipe books and, in 1991, a range of frozen vegetarian meals. She was also the wife of MFM co-founder Paul and mother of MFM co-founders Mary and Stella.
The Linda McCartney Retrospective will run until 12 January 2020, so there’s plenty of time to get up to Scotland’s second city to tuck into a MFM menu that includes delicious dishes such as Beer-battered Tofu ‘n’ Chips; Sweet Potato, Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Coconut Curry; Rosemary and Garlic-marinated Pan-fried Tempeh, and a Vegetarian Haggis Burger.
Every Monday over the course of the exhibition, starting on 8 July, the KG Cafe, the cultural centre’s eatery, will be offering visitors hot meals, soups and salads that are completely free of meat and fish. It is even possible the Meat Free Monday menu will become a permanent fixture, depending on the positive feedback it receives – another reason to get up there and sing the praises of the Bean and Pulse Medley Salad!
Ross McKenzie, the senior operations manager at Kelvingrove, said the decision to dish up more planet-friendly meals was informed by the growing popularity of meat free grub and the fact that increasing numbers of visitors to the KG Cafe were choosing or asking about veggie dishes. With the arrival of the Linda McCartney Retrospective, he said, “it seemed a good time to try Meat Free Monday and encourage people to try something different when visiting the museum”.
Curated by Paul, Mary and Stella, the show has already wowed audiences in Vienna, Montpellier and Seoul, but this will be the first time it has been seen in the UK. As well as a huge collection of Linda’s photography – including a section dedicated to the family’s time on the Mull of Kintyre – there will be archive material such as her photographic equipment and a diary from the 1960s, during the heyday of the Beatles.
Paul said: “It is really good having this exhibition in such a cool gallery in Glasgow. Linda would have been so proud of it being held in Scotland. She loved Scotland because it gave us a lot of fond memories, a lot of freedom and a lot of happy times. It is nice to have all of that encapsulated in the Kelvingrove exhibition.”
Tickets cost £7, concessions £5, under-16s free. Visit the Kelvingrove website
See the full menu here:
