Veganuary need not be divisive – it’s simply a chance to reassess our relationship with food

Never gets boring … Meera Sodha’s fennel, potato and artichoke stew. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Eden Owen-Jones.

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I learned something new about Laxmidas Sodha, my grandfather, while spending time with my parents over Christmas. He didn’t have an easy life, but he didn’t make life easy for himself, either. After surviving poverty, the death of his wife during childbirth and being kicked out of Uganda by Idi Amin, he chose not to go to the wedding of his beloved son (my dad) on principle, because my mum’s family ate meat.