Martin Freeman explains why he’s quit being a vegetarian after 38 years

A lot has happened in the last 38 years.

Most of us were born, the iPhone was invented, we've lived through a whole pandemic and the arrival of a new King - and throughout all of it, Martin Freeman was a vegetarian.

But after almost four decades of avoiding meat, the Miller's Girl star has now reverted to being an omnivore.

Freeman, 52, spoke about his diet when he appeared on the Dish podcast with hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett, where the trio tucked into a classic spaghetti bolognese.

During the interview, Freeman explained he'd initially chosen to go veggie when he was a teenager because eating animals just didn't sit right with him.

“I've come off being a vegetarian," he said. "I started being a vegetarian in like January 1986. I was never comfortable with the idea of eating animals."

The actor admitted he'd 'not had a really good bolognese' since he gave up eating meat, adding: “So this is the first proper bolognese maybe I've ever had for 38 years."

When it came to his decision to start eating meat again, Freeman said it all came down to the substitutes that were available for vegetarians.

Martin Freeman went veggie as a teenager. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate)

"So I always had veggie stuff - it's really lovely. But I always had veggie sort of replacements and stuff," he said.

However, Freeman noted that some meat replacements can be 'very, very processed'.

"I'm trying to eat less processed food," he explained.

Of course, the actor could rely on more vegetarian whole foods like lentils, chickpeas and general vegetables, but in the last several months, as he's gone back to eating meat, Freeman is now 'eating what [he] like[s]'.

After years of resisting some of the 'good, honest staple' dishes he couldn't have as a vegetarian, Freeman has enjoyed indulging himself on some of his favorite foods - including a lot of British classics.

“Scotch egg was one of the things, I thought, ‘It's a free country, I can do what I like’," he said, referring to the snack made up of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and coated in breadcrumbs.

Martin Freeman had been missing scotch eggs. (Getty Stock Photo)

“And also, do you know the other thing - a pork pie with the jelly and all that s***," he continued.

“A bit of mustard on a pork pie - oh man. It's food of the gods."

Though Freeman seems content with his choices, his comments did raise eyebrows from Richard McIlwain, Chief Executive of Vegetarian Society, who told MailOnline: “For me it feels odd. It feels like he’s just giving into his meaty cravings.

"Where he talks about tucking into a scotch egg and a pork pie, he should know that they’re just as ultra-processed.”