The Modern Mann

Yorkshire couple Matthew Glover and Jane Land created Veganuary at their kitchen table. 

Inspired by Movember, their concept of challenging the nation to try veganism for a month gained incredible momentum via social media, and became a global organisation. 

But, along the way, it drained their finances, crashed their servers, and ate up their Christmasses...

In this interview with Olly, the husband-and-wife entrepreneurs consider the flaws of their early strategy; take us behind-the-scenes of the iconic Greggs’ Vegan Sausage Roll; and reveal how they’ve faced down criticism from within the vegan movement, the meat lobby and Piers Morgan…

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The health theme continues in the Zeitgeist, for which Ollie Peart investigates the trend for low and no alcohol wine and spirits.

From miniature cordials by high-end ‘wine’ brand Jukes, to a sparkling bottle of Muri’s Sherbert Daydream, Ollie attempts to persuade us there’s so much more to the zero-booze booze market than Beck’s Blue and Shloer.  

But, armed with a trio of mixers from British start-up Three Spirits and a miniature bottle of orange juice from Pret, can he persuade Olly to give up his dirty martinis?

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Elsewhere, in the Foxhole, Alix Fox advises a listener whose teenage trans daughter has, she suspects, become intimate with her girlfriend - another trans girl she met at her boys’ school.

Stepping around the inevitable minefield this question might attract, Alix consults Dee Lou Whitnell, trans activist and founder of the #TransKidsDeserveToGrowUp campaign, to offer stellar advice on supporting this young couple - whilst steering them away from potential problems. 

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For our record of the month, it’s over to piano man Tom Odell, whose new song, Black Friday, comes from his new album of the same name. 

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If you have a question you’d like to put to Alix, a trend you’d like Ollie to try, a Mannbassadorship request, or a letter for Olly to read out, just fill in the Feedback form on our website, https://modernmann.co.uk

There you’ll also find our Beer Money page where you can donate to the show AND HELP US CONTINUE TO MAKE IT. Thanks!

… And we’ll see you again on February 10th.

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Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Matthew Glover, Jane Land, Tom Odell. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2024.

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