Food & Drink: Maeve Higgins veggies out

Vegetarians, myself included, are often tense weirdos. This is because we think about everything all of the time. If one figures out that eating animals is awful then one has probably also figured out all sorts of other unpleasant truths – about shoes and governments and God. That’s the annoying thing.

Susie’s Wholefood Diner, now sadly closed, was comfy and odd. Once I found a little bit of rag in my broccoli and cheese bake, but I don’t mind that because I am sort of messy myself. The menu didn’t change much and I loved that; it was familiar and simple. I get a bit demented by all the festival has to offer, so this place would calm me down and make me feel tough, like "You’ve done this before, kid – it’s nothing you can’t handle."

The good news is there’s still heaps of veggie-friendly places in Edinburgh, including cosy bar and restaurant Black Bo’s, upscale David Bann’s and new kid on the block L’Artichaut down in sunny Stockbridge.

Maeve Higgins: Personal BestGilded Balloon Teviot4-30 August, (not 16), 4:30pm, £8.50-£9.50