DD bringing a super-strict Vegan friend for tea tonight

[maddiemookins16mum]

Hi all, DD (17) is bringing a pal home for tea (dinner, supper - delete as appropriate 🤣). We are big meat eaters but would never dream of having meat on this occasion. My normally very level headed DD is very keen for ‘us’ to get it ‘right’. So here’s the menu.
Vegan sausage hotpot (browned off Heck vegan chipolatas - made of pea protein so the pack says), I’ve added onions, carrots, tinned toms, garlic, herbs and veggie stock.
Cauliflower cheese
Roast potatoes (they are Aunt Bessies though, as we’re all at work/college until 5-6pm and I’ve no real spuds.
Other veg (peas and broccoli probably).
Pudding - mince pies and custard (Alpro plant based).
Does this sound ok?

Sounds lovely.
Cauliflower cheese - which plant based cheese are you using? Some don’t melt too well.
Just check the aunt bessies don’t have goose fat or anything and you are good to go. What a great mum helping your 17 year old daughter this way. Hope you all enjoy your dinner.

Assume the cauli cheese is made with vegan chese? (and milk, and butter). And the mince pies probably have dairy in the pastry (and egg?), and possibly suet (although I imagine most mainstream ones are made with veg suet replacement these days).

Do you need the cauli cheese? I don't think vegan cheese behaves very well anyway, and you don't want to be left with a load of it. Hotpot and veg sounds perfect!

Sounds lovely
I would ditch the cauliflower cheese, vegan cheese sauce is hard to make nice. Have roasted cauliflower instead? Also check the stock, some has milk powder in.

Don't mince pies have suet in them??

What are you making the cauliflower cheese with?
Suet and other animal fat in the mince pies?
Have you checked the Aunt Bessie’s for animal fat?

Mince pies aren’t vegan, unless they’re vegan mince pies!

I'm not vegan but have a milk allergy so have to check every label for hidden milk.

Have you checked all of the labels? I'd be querying the sausages, stock cube, cauliflower cheese, and the roast potatoes mince pies and custard.

@ReviewingTheSituation

Assume the cauli cheese is made with vegan chese? (and milk, and butter). And the mince pies probably have dairy in the pastry (and egg?), and possibly suet (although I imagine most mainstream ones are made with veg suet replacement these days).

Do you need the cauli cheese? I don't think vegan cheese behaves very well anyway, and you don't want to be left with a load of it. Hotpot and veg sounds perfect!

Most mince pies don't have butter pastry unless you're buying the fancy all butter ones. None of them have suet these days and pastry doesn't have egg in. They are pretty reliable vegan treats! Also apple pies and jam tarts :)

@DameMargaretofChalfont

Don't mince pies have suet in them??

Not in 2021!

@PotteringAlong

Mince pies aren’t vegan, unless they’re vegan mince pies!

Honestly most are unless you're buying all butter ones Most own brand mince pies are made cheaply without butter

Also, cauliflower cheese not vegan.

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/aunt-bessies-crispy-fluffy-roast-potatoes/008764-4171-4172

You’re safe with the aunt bessies roasties though!

I would be open to showing the friend the various packets to help them feel more comfortable and confident with the food. They probably won’t take you up on it but I think it would be kind to offer.

Why even bother with cauliflower cheese? There are a million vegetable side dishes which are naturally vegan to start with without you having to go out and buy expensive and unsatisfactory imitation dairy products .

I'm biased though as I loathe cooked cheese and am perennially baffled by peoples insistence on MN that cauliflower cheese is an essential part of a roast meal.

www.chooseveganism.org/mince-pies/

Choose veganism suggests most shop mince pies aren’t suitable - you’ll need to check the packaging.

At a glance the mince pies I just bought have vegetable suet but do have both milk and egg powders in the ingredients.

I'm not 'strict' vegan but I have extensive episodes of needing to be dairy free and echo what's been said above ^^.

I don't know why vegan cheese is so horrible to cook with and eat but it is. So just be ready for it not to be fabulous.

And milk proteins sneak into so many things!

Anyway, it sounds great and you're doing a lovely thing, OP.

You can buy some lovely vegan pizzas! Easy and safe.

Loads of mince pies are vegan so as long as you check you'll be fine

I would add a tin or two of mixed beans to the sausage hotpot and ditch the cauliflower cheese, just roast the cauli with the potatoes, add garlic salt. If you have an apple roast that as well, in slices, it goes well with the sausages.

The cheese element is the weakest link!

Swap mince pies for Wicked Kitchen Belgian Chocolate & Raspberry Cake

@maddiemookins16mum if you PM me your address I will come around and sample everything for you it sounds great ! ( and am not a vegan ) 😂

Easy pudding = sliced banana with tons of cinnamon and lashings of oatly cream, served with a cup of chai.

Nope.

Ditch the cauliflower cheese as to much faff. Otherwise you will be making it with alternative milk and vegan cheese.

Check the mince pies are vegan - it will say on the box. Also even if they are vegan some people don't like mince pies, so have a couple of bananas on stand by for bananas in custard.

Served with Wicked Kitchen Birthday Cake Ice Dream Treat

Asda’s mince pies say vegan on the box…..phew.
The Cauli cheese was made by DD on Sunday (and frozen), it looks ok, she used a Vegan cook book…..so fingers crossed. It’s her pal’s favourite I’m told.