What should the vegetarian option be, ideally?

[Bortles]

Always seems to be a lasagne or a veggie burger made of vegetables. I'm talking pub lunch type places or similar budget.
I'd be so much happier if they offered the same things as the meat-eater menu but with fake meat of some kind. A burger made of vegetables doesn't have the same protein levels in it and just isnt as filling. (As well as offering the standard fake meat free lasagne/risotto I mean.) Would that really be too much faff to substitute one ingredient? Doesn't have to be quorn stuff, there are some pretty realistic products out there.
I only know of one place near me, an Indian restaurant, that does this.
Appreciate some people are veggie because they don't like meat and it wouldnt work for them but dont know if that's the majority of vegetarians.
Nb. Once went to a vegetarian restaurant happily thinking hooray, a place with more options for once. And nope. It wasnt. They only had three options total on their menu. 🙄

I really dislike all of the "looks like meat" burgers and sausages which are in every supermarket at the moment. I don't want to cook or eat a sausage that looks exactly like a pork sausage thank you very much. Going out to eat has had its moments (have been veggie since early 1980s so have had lots and lots of "omelette & chips" veggie meals out) but being offered a list of meat substitute meals would be awful. A veggie restaurant near me used to do this, all of its meals looked just like the meat/fish equivalent. It didn't stay open very long once the novelty factor had worn off.

Not fake meat and ideally vegetarian rather than only vegan options which is getting more common.

None of my many veggie friends like fake meat, I didn't like it when i was veggie either.

@ClaraThePigeon

*I prefer not to eat lots of fake meat, it's OK occasionally, but it's highly processed and not very healthy. It's useful for people to transitioning into a meat free diet, but usually long time vegans, veggies don't eat it.

I know a number of long term vegans/vegetarians who do eat faux meat.

For all the horror on here over it, some clearly enjoy it, so I don't think it's a bad idea to offer one meat alternative, perhaps something like Moving Mountains or Beyond but the rest should be based on plants, with some options including dairy or egg. A common complaint now is that too many of the options are vegan therefore excluding dairy or eggs which many enjoy.

That's why I said usually. I am a long time veggie (30 years) and I ate it a lot when i first stopped eating meat, for the reasons I have explained. My experience is that people use it while they get used to the diet. This thread seems to demonstrate that most veggies, vegans don't eat it either and I would hazard a guess that the people eating it are newbies, or they are following a diet that includes the use of it (for e.g slimming world) It's not about being snobby, I still eat it occasionally for convenience But if you eat a veggie, or vegan diet you need to make sure you are taking in a wide range of vegetables, carbs, proteins etc, so eating lots of artificial meat is not going to meet your nutritional requirements.

I wouldn't be keen on burgers made of vegetables as I've had a few awful ones. I like fake meat, tofu or vegetable-based dishes like bean chilli or veggie curry. Also partial to a good nut roast.

I can't stand cheese or mushrooms - and so much of the veggie Christmas food in the supermarkets recently was based on one or the other!

I agree with OP that if it's an evening meal I'd prefer it to have a substantial amount of protein, but if going out for an occasional treat I wouldn't mind if it didn't.

I'm with the people who say do both, ideally. As there are more and more veggies and vegans about I would have thought it's not that unreasonable for an average menu to do say one 'meat substitute' dish, one 'vegetable based' dish and one vegan dish alongside say 2 meat and 1 fish option, that way everyone has a choice?

Personally I am not a huge fan of meat substitutes but will sometimes eat them for convenience (some veggie sausages are nice for instance) but on a restaurant menu would usually go for the more vegetable based option. I do think the 'fake meat' is really useful though for encouraging meat-eaters to sometimes try a veggie option even if they don't the become a 'full' vegetarian, I think the all or nothing, you either never touch meat or eat it with every meal are behind us and the era of flexitarian-ism is upon us, my DH for instance likes meat far too much to totally give it up but will happily eat veggie with me most of the time. He would usually be tempted by the steak and chips or a burger on a pub menu and if the fact's there's a really nice plant-based steak or 'fake' burger on the menu means one less meat order, that's surely a good thing for the planet/the animals?

Quorn is OK at home, but it's a bit boring. I'd want something better when I'm out.
I actually have no problem with dishes that are traditionally given to vegetarians that some people look down on eg risotto, anything with goat's cheese.
What I don't like is all the awkward people being lumped together and the vegetarian option also being vegan and gluten free etc. etc.
I've been to places where I've been given a cold salad when everyone else has a hot meal :(

My dh is vegetarian and likes fake meat as well as just vegetable dishes. He likes a Bolognese or Shepherds Pie made with Quorn mince, enjoys stir fry meals with tofu and vegetables with rice and loves dishes such as auburgine lasagne or vegetarian calzone. He will eat vegi burgers but not top of his likes.

I’m happy to have a fake meat burger occasionally but don’t generally like fake meat - if I’m going to a restaurant I expect them to be able to cook something vegetarian from scratch that isn’t just risotto or lasagne . As others have said not just vegan choices too

I've been veggie for ages, over 20 years, happy to eat vegan too. I love that there are more and better fake meats around than there used to be. Roll on lab-grown, I'd be first to try it! I just wish, and it's the more junk type foods I'm thinking of I suppose, that when meat eaters get 7 types of burger and toppings, veggies could have the same instead of the sad little one choice. I'd love the option of blue cheese and 'facon', or fake chicken with pineapple for example (thinking fondly of a burger place in Bath...). If not fake meat, then tofu with those options at least.
In my weekly diet, I'd probably only have one fake meat dinner. The others would be lentil/cheese/pulse/seed based on the protein side.

Fake meat is the sort of thing that non-vegetarians cook for you when they have no idea what to make. Or sometimes new vegetarians buy it while they're still exploring their options. I doubt if many long-term vegetarians would eat it very often.

It could also be that Im not the most naturally healthy food lover. Spinach and goats cheese I'd grin and bear. Having children has made me become more healthy, but I really love a bit of stodge

As a veggie, if I go out for a Sunday lunch, I want a proper Sunday lunch like the meat eaters have.

Ideally, that would be a great nut roast with all the other vegetables, roasties, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. I've had many occasions where there isn't even an option to have the veg and potatoes and I'm forced to have some hideous tart, risotto or pasta dish.

Long term vegetarian, hate meat and fish substitutes

Not fake meat, I'd expect food made from fresh ingredients like a black bean and sweet potato burger, no ultra processed foods.

I like fake fish and chips, with the 'fish' made from Tofu or Banana Blossom.

Definitely not fake meat!
It’s disappointing when the only veggie burger is a fake meat one. No doubt with fake cheese too to please the vegans.

I haven’t seen one vegetarian menu for a while, it’s all vegan with fake cheese which tastes disgusting.

Not knocking vegan, there are some nice recipes but vegetarians don’t seem to be catered for much these days.

I’m not either but I do enjoy vegetarian meals and I can’t stand the fake meats.

more than the one option, more than an afterthought, really.

ideally a handful of both vegetarian and vegan options. in addition to a handful of meat/fish options.

I hate that vegetarian food is sometimes unimaginative and bery samey

Completely with you OP. My heart sings with joy when I see a plant based burger or similar on a menu. I make lots of healthy vegetable based dishes at home, I want something I wouldn’t make myself when I’m out.

I was just thinking today about how terrible the veggie option usually is at weddings (Mediterranean vegetable stack, some sort of tart, grilled aubergines as 3 examples I had in 2021). Not saying I want fake meat at weddings but please give me the same level of stodge as the meat eaters to soak up all the booze!

I know, I know, I shouldn’t be on mumsnet, junk food and loving booze is a cardinal sin.

I have been vegetarian for 53 years. I have longed for restaurants to have options for me and now that they do it’s all mock (bleeding) meat and is totally unappealing to me. 🤷‍♀️

@Bortles have you looked at the ingredients in fake meat/dairy?
majority of it is ultra-processed crap.

@Bortles

I've been veggie for ages, over 20 years, happy to eat vegan too. I love that there are more and better fake meats around than there used to be. Roll on lab-grown, I'd be first to try it! I just wish, and it's the more junk type foods I'm thinking of I suppose, that when meat eaters get 7 types of burger and toppings, veggies could have the same instead of the sad little one choice. I'd love the option of blue cheese and 'facon', or fake chicken with pineapple for example (thinking fondly of a burger place in Bath...). If not fake meat, then tofu with those options at least. In my weekly diet, I'd probably only have one fake meat dinner. The others would be lentil/cheese/pulse/seed based on the protein side.

I miss Schwarz Brothers too! It was a staple meal when living in Bath

Big meat eater here but I cook at lot for my parents who are become vege and I was always looking for a meat substitute for them when they came over and they said actually they don't want to pretend they are eating meat and actually don't want meat substitutes. So now when they come over I make vege curry's or chillis full of veg and pulses

Personally, I've very happy to have a vegetarian or vegan offer, but will steer well clear of any fake meat.

I love a bean or chickpea based burger, any kind of vege chilli or cottage pie, risotto, pasta dishes. Vegetables are great you don't need fake meat IMO.