Vegetarians and vegans: What would you like to be served at a wedding?

[VegetarianWedding]

I'm helping to plan a wedding for a friend.

She's going to offer a vegetarian and a vegan option. Two separate meals so that the vegetarians can have dairy and/or egg.

What sort of dishes would you like?

TIA

Something seasonal.

The best wedding food I've had was at an Indian wedding, fully veggie, possibly vegan, not sure, I don't remember any dairy. (I'm not veggie, the whole wedding was).

At mine we had roast tomato tart tatin.

Amazing that you’re considerate enough to offer vegetarian and vegan meals. I really hate the way so many restaurants are going - either you eat meat or you’re totally vegan. So no lovely vegetarian dishes with eggs and dairy to opt for.

Or at another wedding that had ordered one vegan burger and someone ate it before our table was called up to the buffet so only a bread bun and nothing else.

This ^^ is a top tip.

You absolutely have to find a way of making sure that the food for your vegan and vegetarian guests isn't eaten before they can get to it.

And don't rely on signs and labels. Some people unfortunately become very peculiar faced with the challenge of pissing off a vegan.

I was at a wedding last month at a fancy venue and I was worried it was going to be goats cheese or feta but it was a lovely vegetable pie with mash and veggie gravy. Perfect!

This sounds yummy!!!

I'm veggie and I love goats cheese too.

My fave wedding meal was a veggie lasagne.

Worst was pasta with plain cheese sauce it was like a kids meal on an aero plane.

You're a very considerate host for choosing both options!

Previous posters have made some v. good points:

• very thoughtful of you to consider vegetarians and vegans
• important to make sure that vegetarian and vegan food is not taken by other guests before those for whom it is is destined have a chance to eat it.

The problem with so much function catering is that the food is not made by chefs at the venue, but simply ordered from frozen/chilled food suppliers and heated up on the premises. This means that original, fresh-ingedient, imaginative cooking and/or food that does not taste like any old ready meal can be very hard to come by, however much it is gussied up at the venue by fancy ways of serving it. Pastry - I know lots of people like it - is very cheap and very convenient for chilled/frozen mass catering. Personally, I'd rather have some nice fresh bread and interesting cheese. And perhaps an apple. Really and truly.

No risotto, pasta or goats cheese. After many years of those being the options I can't face them and goats cheese tastes like warm goat, not in a good way.

Low carb options are better than a pile of rice or pasta with mushrooms.

I had a lovely pie recently, it was something like tomato, quinoa, baby onions and spinach, I can't remember exactly but it was delicious. Something like that at a wedding would be great. Roasted vegetables and a good vegan chocolate desert like a torte would be nice too. I love mushrooms but it's so boring when that's all we ever get and I can't stand goats cheese. I agree on the fake meat as well, I do eat it on occasion but the less meat processed stuff the better for me these days!

OF COURSE I am not referring to any of the meals described here - I would HATE to crtiicise the food at anyone's special day and I am not doing that. I am just talking in a general way - and saying that it's often surprisingly difficult to find interesting veg/vegan food in many places.

I agree about goats cheese - grilled until dark brown and bubbling and served with something crisp and sharp and with warm wholemeal bread it can be quite nice, but one of the most unpleasant dishes I ever had was at a pub on the Isle of Mull. It was a mass-produced pastry tartlet shell filled with mashed faintly whiffy goats cheese. Unadorned; alone on the plate. And stone cold, from the freezer. It was the only vegetarin option....

You are wonderful for giving so much thought to your vegetarian and vegan guests.

I think the bonus of doing tart, pie etc is that it feels like an effort has been made to create a special meal rather than simply some vegetables. I would do a cheesy or eggy or both tart, pie or pastry parcel and fresh seasonal vegetables and potatoes for the vegetarian option. Some sort of vegetarian sauce. Some people are going to feel it's dated and samey, but you can't please everyone. Also some meat and fish eaters might also prefer it if they aren't keen on steak or trout or whatever. And a creamy luxurious dessert. It goes without saying that vegetarian cheese, dairy etc, not vegan "cheeze", for the vegetarian option. I'm not sure what vegans prefer but there is lots of feedback here.

Also I'd want plenty of carbs because it's probably a day of drinking.

As a veggie option, I would love a really well-made veggie moussaka served with a simple green salad. Perhaps hard to make it look 'pretty' enough for a wedding though!

As a veggie option, I would love a really well-made veggie moussaka served with a simple green salad. Perhaps hard to make it look 'pretty' enough for a wedding though!

You could slice it into neat squares after it's cooled and been in the fridge then heat. I was thinking about veggie moussaka too, it's one of my favourite things when it's made well.

Glamorgan sausages with the meat eaters sides at a Wedding years ago. Absolutely smashing.

Not pasta and definitely not a pie!

No lentils either.

Nothing stodgy.

Filling is an excellent point. Nothing worse than a few limp veggies to start, salad for main, then fruit salad, when it is a long day with a lot of alcohol.

@MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear

you could gladly have my share of Greg's vegan sausage rolls, I find them inedible. And I love a good veggie sausage roll.

@VegetarianWedding see you're not going to please them all, but I applaud you trying to!! Vegetarian meals at wedding are normally dire!!

unlike some others, I'm happy with double mushroom or double whatever, but you're safest not to.

risotto starter

brocolli filo pastry (non egg) tartlets

depends a bit what the meat eaters are having.

banoffee pie is always a winner for me! As long as it's real ingredients! (Not fake cream or banana that's frozen fake)

not quiche no revival of stuffed peppers etc.

Tastes vary so you will get lots of different replies. In general, best to avoid fake meats, and have a proper desert (not fruit). Also, to get dietary requirements correct. It sounds simple, but I have seen caterers give fish to vegetarians.

Vegetarian Wellington or a nut roast. In fact anything that would accompany a roast dinner and isn’t sloppy.

Veg

The best ones I’ve had have been things that are a veggie equivalent to the meat ones - so they go with the sides.

But I’m very happy if it’s edible and not mushrooms or goats cheese, my bar isnt set high tbh 🤣

Yes! That would be my winner 😃

There are many delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes in Greek cuisine.