Mary McCartney has fondly recalled memories of growing up in Sussex. Mary was raised by Paul and mum Linda on the family’s farm in Peasmarsh, near Rye. The stunning 160-acre plot – dubbed Blossom Wood Farm – was purchased by Paul in 1973.

Speaking ahead of National Vegetarian Week, Mary said watching children try chive leaves and parsley reminded her of her idyllic childhood.
Mary said she regularly snaffled peas from the vegetable patch.
“I thought it was really naughty of me to go and take them off, pick them open and eat them because they tasted so sweet,” she told.

Mary also revealed her reasons for championing a meat-free life are both the animal rights issues, and the environmental damage caused by meat production.

“Originally it was because, as a family, we were very conscious of where our food came from – my mum was a great cook and I didn’t want to eat animals or have anything killed for me to eat it,” she said. “When you’re a little girl you’re thinking, ‘I’m not going to eat Bambi’. “The industry and the bad impact on the environment added another element to my strength of feeling. “You might think a burger looks good, but can you really eat it knowing how it got to your plate?”

Last year, Mary spent lockdown isolating with dad Paul in Sussex.
Paul, was due to embark on a series of European concerts in 2020 including a Saturday night performance on the Somerset festival’s Pyramid Stage.
Instead, he spent lockdown on his farm in East Sussex with his daughter Mary and four grandchildren, recording his solo album, McCartney III.

In December, Paul revealed he regularly speaks to George Harrison through a tree at the entrance to his home in Peasmarsh. He told American radio presenter Mary Louise Kelly that the tree was given to him by George shortly before his death in 2001 and his spirit now inhabits it. Paul said he it brings him “comfort” to know his spirit lives on within the giant fir.