Ahead of 2021’s National Vegetarian Week, Paul McCartney’s daughter said watching children try chive leaves and parsley reminded her of childhood. Paul and Linda raised Mary on the family farm in England’s Peasmarsh, Rye— the Blossom Wood Farm, which Paul bought in 1973, measuring up to 160 acres.
Mary recalled how she would often steal some peas from the vegetable patch while growing up in Sussex. “I thought it was really naughty of me to go and take them off, pick them open, and eat them because they tasted so sweet,” the 51-year-old photographer told Express.co.uk.
Mary advocates for meat-free living
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Linda raised her daughter in a way that inspired her to live meat-free as an adult. Apart from being a diet choice, Mary’s decision and advocacy are also motivated by animal rights issues and the effects of meat consumption on the environment. “Originally, it was because, as a family, we were very conscious of where our food came from,” she said.
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“My mum was a great cook and I didn’t want to eat animals or have anything killed for me to eat it,” Mary added. “The industry and the bad impact on the environment added another element to my strength of feeling. You might think a burger looks good, but can you really eat it knowing how it got to your plate?”
Mary was back in Sussex during the 2020 lockdown
As the pandemic hit, Mary returned to her childhood home to isolate with Paul, with his grandkids present as well. The former Beatle, who was 78 at the time, was supposed to show up at European concerts, including a Saturday night performance on the Somerset festival’s Pyramid Stage; however, he spent the time on the farm recording his solo album, McCartney III.
The album was his newest since Egypt Station was released two years before. “It was really good to be able to play music and make up music. It kind of saved me, I must say, for about the three or four months it took to make it,” he said. He also admitted to feeling guilty about how much he enjoyed family time in the countryside during the pandemic.
“It was great, because I got to spend time with my daughter Mary and her family, great family, very loving, and we’re in the countryside,” he recalled. “I was a little worried about telling anyone I was having a good time, because I knew so many people weren’t..”