The vegetarian option

[evilharpy]

A thread in AIBU about "if you had your own restaurant" had lots of responses about vegetarian options usually being shit and always involving goat's cheese, mushrooms or beetroot which is sadly bang on. Although where our work Christmas lunch is, both the (only) vegetarian starter and main are based on chestnuts. I've seen another Christmas part menu that has three veggie starter options out of six, and two out of six mains, none of which involve mushrooms, goats cheese or beetroot. And no risotto!

Wondering if you are vegetarian (or not, but just like the veggie option on the menu), what sort of things would you like to see? I would like meat-free meals out more often but they really do often seem like an afterthought/token nod.

Oh, I've just remembered a brief phase when every menu had a 'melt' on it

It is impossible to please all and there are many options others would hate on here that I would happily eat but 100% agree that vegetarian and vegan are not the same. I don't want a highly processed meat substitute with highly processed cheese substitute 🤢

I backed out of xmas dinner at Miller and Carter because of the appalling choice. Just one veg option - risotto for main with some crappy cheese substitute, salad for starter and 3 courses would cost me the same £30 as someone pays for full Xmas dinner with all the trimmings! I'm gutted as really was looking forward to social side but I am not paying £30 for that!

Yes. You won’t please all. It’s like veggie sausages. Some like quorn, some dont, some like Linda McCartney, some don’t. Some hate fake meat.
It’s really tricky!!

Jerusalem artichokes in every veggie/vegan option round here at the mo and I hate the evil fuckers

a veg Tagine (sweet pots & toms & capsicum & chickpeas & spices etc) or a nice veggie sausage casserole with smoked paprika & other spice & beans & tomato & capsicum

I agree with MilduraS One of the nicest veg meals I had was simple but very nicely cooked and prepared - delicate slices of just-golden fried halloumi (not great slabs) with still crisp but warm french beans on top of very good mixed leaves - including bitter radiccio - all sprinked with wonderfully sharp/green/zingy micro herbs (amazing little spikes of unexpected flavours) , with a sharp peppery, lemony french dressing.
Whoever planned and cooked it had taken time and thought to make it fresh and rich and balanced, all at the same time.

I think it's impossible to please all vegetarians

Well yes of course which is why having only one option on the menu is so ridiculous. It is doubly ridiculous when that option is the multicover for vegans and all the "free froms".

Unless its a very small, daily changing set menu place with only one each of meat/fish/veg main course then there is no excuse for having only one tired multicover option. When that option plainly hasn't been considered as part of the wider meal such as tired tomato pasta for a Xmas lunch its just pathetic.

I spent a couple of years regularly visiting the same hotel to visit a client. Throughout that whole time the only veggie option on their menu was chick pea curry. The meat options had all changed and I'm told were quiet cood but the veggie/vegan/nut free /dairy free option was still the same tired old microwave curry.

www.rivergreenrestaurant.com/menus

I ate here recently food was incredible abd all vegetarian

For me they add spice and I don't like spice

@MissCreeAnt

Is there a norm for what's in veggie haggis? I've never come across it.

The Macsween one is amazing. I'm a meat eater but would choose it over the meat one any day. The ingredients are below.

Oats, Lentils, Rapeseed Oil, Kidney Beans, Onions, Carrot, Swede, Mushrooms, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Salt, Spices, Pepper.

A lot of veggie haggis are pretty poor quality (Halls, I am thinking of you) and try too hard to recreate the meaty texture and flavour.

I'm in Scotland and the only place I can get the Macsweens outside Burns day is a massive Tesco.

Harvester have an amazing option which is spicy sweetcorn fritters with, guacamole, mango, pineapple and black bean salsa and two fried eggs. It has the bonus of only costing £7.49 so is cheaper than all of the meat and fish dishes.

Agree with PP, I hate seeing Parmesan labelled as vegetarian. It's so frustrating. Some other cheeses too but mainly Parmesan. It's quite clear to see with a quick google that it contains animal rennet so I don't know how so many restaurants are oblivious

I’m just happy when there actually is a veggie option that isn’t a side salad (live in a part of France where food = meat). Even better if there is more than one option so you can choose something from the menu instead of having the one default thing.

I like a proper veggie burger with pulses and veg. Also, veggie pizza that doesn’t have just cheese on it.

Not vegi but I have picked vegi options.

A relatives mother is vegi and she discovered a restaurant that didn't have vegi options but had a chef that loved making vegi meals so he'd discuss what you wanted and then cook something.

That's great if you have the right staff, the problem is when the food is pre packaged like it is in many pubs so they have to sell what they have and can't make individual meals.

@Gingerkittykat

I make sweetcorn fritters some times, really easy to do, basically pancake batter and a tin of sweet corn, obviously you can add spices to taste. But that is something that could be on all menus, it is so simple.

Do any of you who are vegi ask for things not on the menu?

I went to an Italian restaurant, I didn't fancy any starter and asked the waiter if they could fry some mozzarella in bread for me, the waiter went and asked and came back quite excited because , "it has a name, it's mozzarella carriages".

Now I already knew what they were, I wasn't sure the waiter did but what Italian hasn't got bread and mozzerella?

Vegetarian here too...There are lots of us about it seems and I wish we were better catered for. I agree with many of the comments on this thread. Vegetarian offerings in some places are often miserable. It takes the fun out of eating out if all you get is a macaroni cheese. Still the UK is miles ahead of where I now live where veggie options are dire. Here (continental Europe), there is often no understanding of what is vegetarian or not. Often confused with vegan.
On holiday in Spain, I was told every single item on the dessert buffet was vegetarian including mousses, flan, panna cota and jelly (the wobbly stuff shapped like a castle on a plate).I was already suspicious as meals with parmesan and pesto were labelled as vegetarian as was lentil soup with bacon in it (but the bacon was chopped up small so that didn't count apparently)!!

Out of interest I had a look at the menu for our two nearest 'gastropub' type places and sure enough the mains were all meat OR vegan. The starters had a good selection of veggie as did the puddings, it was just the mains on pretty much all of the menus that were devoid of cheese and eggs unless you wanted it with a helping of meat.

There's definitely money to made anywhere that makes a point of splitting their meat, veggie and vegan offerings properly, I could imagine the number of groups that have at least one vegetarian in them would be huge!

Oh actually ive just thought of something else

Loads of pubs aren’t doing ‘vegi’ or ‘vegan’ burgers

The only non meat option at some places is a meatless burger…looks like beef or chicken but plant based

@RufustheFloralmissingreindeer

Oh actually ive just thought of something else

Loads of pubs aren’t doing ‘vegi’ or ‘vegan’ burgers

The only non meat option at some places is a meatless burger…looks like beef or chicken but plant based

I hate that, whether it's labelled 'meatless', 'plant-based' or even 'vegan' or 'vegetarian'. Just tell me what's in the damn thing, so that I know whether I'd like to eat it. I know I can ask, but really? Meat-eaters aren't offered 'meat-based' items, with no further clues as to the ingredients. If a 'plant-based' burger is the only suitable option on the menu, I'm going to walk right past, because I feel like a right fussy fucker refusing whatever ersatz meat it is they have buried in the deep freeze.

I’m in Italy and luckily it’s easy to find vegetarian options here, at least for the starters and pasta/rice/soup course. The mains are a bit more of a challenge and often there is nothing on the menu, but most restaurants are happy to rustle you up something upon request. Usually though I’m happy with a starter and a pasta plus a side of veg.

Stark contrast to France where there is nothing with meat or fish in most restaurants, even the sides are tainted, except for green salad. Even paste with sauce tomate has meat in it. I did try to ask if they could rustle up an omelette once and got much rolling of eyes and sighing, plus a mention that they had no eggs, until I pointed out they made soufflés for dessert. In France and Spain I tend to eat in ethnic restaurants as a lot less hassle and less boring than creperies.

Yes to the fish assumption too, but I now avoid mentioning I’m veggie as it puts the wind up caterers. Much better to say I don’t eat meat or fish, it tends to perturb people less.

One thing on the continent, no butternut squash or beetroot! They somehow manage to find different vegetables. Plenty of chèvre in France though.

dahlia

That’s exactly what i said to dh the other day

There are never any ingredients with those whereas a black bean and sweet potato burger says whats in it

Fucking irritating…

Group/party menus- I'd love a main course option that actually goes with the same side dishes as everyone else is being served. Especially at weddings/corporate parties where the veggie main is too small to be a meal in itself and needs the sides, so you end up being served them anyway.

Restaurants/pubs- I'd like the veggie option to be the same sort of quality ingredients and portion sizes etc as the non-veggie. On too many occasions meat eating friends have chosen a restaurant that serves huge, home cooked roast meats, locally produced meat sausages etc all served with tons of lovely freshly cooked potatoes/veg etc. Whereas the veggie option are quorn sausages with mash (and no veg option), some generic burger that seems to be made from mashed up frozen veg and oven chips, or a salad. Oh, and the same price as the higher quality meat version.

I'd also like more veggie options involving actual vegetables and pulses, not just cheese and fake meat.

Speaking of weddings- i wish caterers wouldn’t just cater to the number of given vegetarians for a buffet.

They always forget that everyone will eat the vegetarian option. So those 10 portions end up shared between the entire 70 guests.

@Nomoreusernames1244

Speaking of weddings- i wish caterers wouldn’t just cater to the number of given vegetarians for a buffet.

They always forget that everyone will eat the vegetarian option. So those 10 portions end up shared between the entire 70 guests.

Yes good point! I'm guilty of loading up on the vegetarian option at buffets and not considering that for some people this is all they can have.

Anything that isn’t vegan!!
So bored of plant-based ‘alternatives’ when I want egg/cheese etc. Most aren’t even nice unless they are supposed to be vegan (curries etc).

@Nomoreusernames1244

Speaking of weddings- i wish caterers wouldn’t just cater to the number of given vegetarians for a buffet.

They always forget that everyone will eat the vegetarian option. So those 10 portions end up shared between the entire 70 guests.

I went to a meeting once and food was provided. 4 people attending did not eat meat or would need something kosher or halal, everyone else ate meat.

First people in the queue took one of each, leaving nothing for any of the four.

I had a works Christmas do one year where the only vege option was mushroom risotto for main course - sounds OK right? It turned out to be a bowlful of sticky gloopy rice with about 1.5 small mushrooms in the whole bowlful and not even a scrap of parsley to garnish - it desperately needed some veg to cut up the gloop...

Then there was the year I sang at the same location 4x for their Christmas event (in a small choir) - we were fed as 'payment' for singing which was great - except that I had the same mushroom dish on each occasion, although the meat option changed each time!

I must admit that if I'm going out I want something I won't cook at home - mostly likely we would go to the local (extremely good) Italian restaurant and have a gf pizza as it's so much better than any gf pizza I can get elsewhere.