In the UK’s rich culinary landscape, dietary choices are becoming more diverse. Veganism though is still often associated with specific demographics and lifestyles. But Susanne Kirlew, or Kirly-Sue as she is known by fans, is redefining those narratives. An author, chef, and social media influencer, she is combining her passion for plant-based nutrition with her Caribbean heritage and in the process bridging cultural divides.

“I see veganism as a way to connect across cultures. I grew up with food that was packed with flavour. I just had to get creative to make it vegan,” says Kirlew who infuses her food with her favorite spices – Jamaican All Purpose Season-All and India’s cumin and garam masala.

These days, she is a successful entrepreneur, running a popular YouTube channel she started in 2016, called Kirly-Sue’s Kitchen. She has also produced several cooking shows on platforms including Amazon Prime and Flow TV. Meanwhile, Kirlew’s book Cooking with Kids introduces families to plant-based meals. In 2024, she launched her own production company, Rosemary Lane Productions to greater control her work.

Born and raised in London to Jamaican parents, who were Seventh Day Adventists, Kirlew was exposed early to healthy eating –  the religion is well-known for avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and certain animal products.

“You only ate certain types of meat or fish. As Seventh Day Adventists, we don’t eat pork. We don’t eat anything that’s like a parasitic animal. We only ate animals that were considered clean. Adventism encourages you to be whole food, plant-based,” she explained.

When she was 18, Kirlew decided to become a vegetarian and in 2013, transitioned to veganism after reading The China Study, a 20-year investigation about health and diet, which revealed that people who avoid animal products reduced their chances of developing numerous diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

Later armed with a degree in Media and Cultural Studies, she went to work in the corporate world, however, called by her passion for cooking, she decided to use her skills to launch her own show.

Kirlew’s culinary prowess runs deep in her lineage. Her mother was a good cook, but the family doyenne was her great, great aunt Ethel who owned a restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica.

“I remember meeting her when as a child; going to her restaurant in Kingston and we were walking around, I thought, ‘everybody knows her.’ They called her cookie, because she was good at cooking.”

The region’s food aligns well with the vegan lifestyle too, she says. “There’s a lot of accidentally vegan recipes that you get in the Caribbean. So, for example. Cornmeal pudding, if you make it the way it’s made traditionally – with coconut milk, sugar, cornmeal, raisins –  it is vegan.”

Kirlew combines this natural connection with inspiration from the cooking shows she loves to watch. “I sit with my sketchbook. If something jumps out of me, I will then have the inspiration. For example, I make a vegan sponge cake and I thought how can I make it restaurant style? So, I was watching something where they were making a cake and I came up with this idea of how to plate my sponge cake and came up with a sketch. It’s not just the recipe but how you are going to bring it to life and put your own stamp on it.”

As her journey has progressed, Kirlew has seen a shift in acceptance of plant-based eating. “I definitely think there’s a lot more awareness, particularly in the UK. There are a huge number of people who are described as either flexitarian or vegan curious and because those people are happy to have vegan options, that has made the industry viable.”

The health benefits both personally and anecdotally are clear too, she says. “I know a lot of people who have had health issues reduced because of eating vegan.  I had mild eczema, and I noticed when I became a vegan it virtually disappeared.”

And Kirlew is determined to reach as many people as possible with her message about the benefits of the vegan lifestyle. “One of my goals is to have a Vegan cooking show on Netflix. I am in the process of developing that  show. The reason is it’s the biggest platform in the world and I want to reach the whole world,” she says.

Discover some of her delicious recipes here!