A butcher has swapped steak for soya beans to open a vegetarian restaurant after his exposure to the meat industry forced him to quit his carnivorous career.

Keith Shearing, 39, is now a dedicated vegetarian and hopes to spread the word with his latest venture, the Gardenia restaurant in Brighton.

Keith, who started working for a butcher in Seaford at the age of 15, said: "I decided it was time for a change. I was disgusted by how the Government was treating local farmers while independent butchers were being squeezed by the big corporations and supermarkets.

"And I saw what was happening in meat production. Animals were being injected with antibiotics or fed the remains of other animals. It was getting out of hand, just so people could have cheap meat."

Keith decided to become a vegetarian two years ago after meeting his partner Lauren Heston.

Lauren had been a vegetarian for 25 years as well as an animal-rights supporter.

He said: "I was still eating meat even though I knew it wasn't of a good standard. Lauren told me she was a vegetarian but, being an ex-butcher, I was a bit wary about the idea.

"But as I learnt more about the way animals were treated I decided to stop eating meat.

"I didn't tell Lauren I'd previously been a butcher until we'd been going out for about six months. I don't think she would have gone out with me if she'd known."

Keith, who lives in Seven Dials, Brighton, does not want to force people to stop eating meat but aims to offer them an alternative.

And his technique seems to be working.

Gardenia, named after a flower, opened its doors four weeks ago and Keith has now put up a sign to say the St James's Street restaurant serves only vegetarian food.

Before that, some customers didn't realise they were eating a meat-free meal.

Various dishes, such as quiches and pies, are displayed in glass cases and people can order what they see.

He said: "People have come in here not realising it is a veggie restaurant. They eat and then ask what was in the dish. When we tell them they ask, 'Where was the meat?'"

Keith's philosophy is to support local farms and producers.

He refuses to sell Coca Cola on ethical grounds and tries not to work with big organisations.

The coffee is fairtrade and the menu includes organic wine and beer.

He said: "It takes our chefs time to prepare the food but you can't rush good quality dishes made from fresh ingredients. We want to open people's minds to the way they eat. If you speed up the food production process, there's only one way to do it and that's to cut the quality.

"We are not protesters. We don't want to force our views on others but we want people to start thinking about what they eat and not to live on processed food."

Keith said he felt much healthier after making the switch from being a meat-eating butcher to a vegetarian restaurant owner.

He said: "I don't miss eating meat, I must have eaten too much when I was a butcher. I had more money when I was a butcher but I don't regret giving it up for a minute.

"I have a better lifestyle, feel more alive, work with fantastic people and have a clearer conscience. How many people can say that?"