Eva Batt

Eva Valentine Batt (1908 – 26 February 1989) was an English cookbook writer and activist for veganism. She was chairman of The Vegan Society for many years and has been described as an influential vegan cookery pioneer.

Career

Batt was a vegetarian but became a vegan in 1954 after witnessing the separation of a cow and calf for dairy production. She served on The Vegan Society Committee from 1958 to 1961 and from 1966 until her retirement in 1982. She was elected a vice-president in 1966 and was chairman from 1967 to 1982.

Batt was a vegan for ethical reasons and opposed the use of any animal products including eggs, milk, fur, leather, pearls and cosmetics. Her 1964 essay Why Veganism? was published in H. Jay Dinshah's Here's Harmlessness: An Anthology of Ahimsa for the American Vegan Society. In the essay she defined veganism as "a way of living which avoids exploitation, whether it be of our fellow men, the animal population, or the soil upon which we rely for our very existence". She was a council member of the American Vegan Society.

Batt has been described as an influential vegan cookery pioneer. She authored two vegan cookbooks, What's Cooking? in 1973 and What Else is Cooking? in 1983. It was expanded and revised in conjunction with The Vegan Society.

Selected publications