Martin Freeman ditches vegetarianism after 38 years because ‘pork pies are the food of the gods’

He said it felt 'really new going back to being an omnivore'

Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming increasingly popular at the moment, and there are a number of famous faces who have decided to eliminate meat from their diet.

However, Freeman seems to be bucking the trend by doing the opposite.

After 38 years of being vegetarian, the Hobbit actor has revealed he has started eating meat again and is has returned to omnivore ways.

The 52-year-old first gave up meat in January 1986 due to the fact he was "never really comfortable with the idea of eating animals”.

During an appearance on the food podcast Dish, Freeman told hosts Nick Grimshaw and professional chef Angela Hartnett that he had "come off being a vegetarian."

The Bafta-winning actor, who is also known for his starring roles in The Office and Sherlock, said it felt "really new going back to being an omnivore, just sort of eating what I like."

Freeman was a guest on the podcast alongside Tony Schumacher. As the pair enjoyed an Italian Bolognese, the actor said: “This is the first proper Bolognese, I’ve maybe ever had. I’ve not had that good honest f***ing staple for decades.”

He revealed that his reasoning behind the diet change was that he was trying to cut down on processed food.

He said: “It’s a funny one, because I like meat replacement things, but my reservation about them is they can be very, very processed and I’m trying to eat less processed food.”

This comes just a few days after an academic study called for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products to be labelled so that customers are aware they are ultra-processed.

It seems like cutting down on processed foods was only part of Freeman's reasoning though, as he also described scotch eggs and pork pies as "food of the gods."

Related links:

Video of freshly cut meat spasming is turning people into vegetarians

Bear Grylls ‘embarrassed’ that he used to promote veganism and now eats only red meat

Woman who insisted her dog is vegan proved wrong on live TV