Help! Vegetarian coming for Christmas dinner

[Allaboutthegirliguess]

So we planned to have a quiet Christmas this year, but my son is now coming with his vegetarian girlfriend.

Can anyone help with what we can make her please.
We will be having a roast, meat, and our potatoes are cooked in goose fat.
Ideally I need something that wont create an issue as we are cooking our meal!
So maybe can be done before or done in the airfyer.

Hoping someone can come up with an idea
Tia

We buy the ready made vegan gravy from M&S, apparently it's fabulous.

Roasties without goose fat are still roasties.

Get a main from M&S or Waitrose that's big enough for two so she has leftovers too.

If you have Christmas pudding check it's vegetarian. Despite being married to a vegetarian I keep buying pudding he can't eat!

Couldn't you just not cook the potatoes in meat fat? And buy in a vegetarian main?

Tbh I don't think you should have invited her if you aren't willing to have her food impact your meal planning in any way. Obviously you need to make space in the oven so one of your guests has something to eat?

Mushroom pie (made in advance and warmed up), and all the sides you usually have but made with olive oil/butter etc and not goose fat!

I would just have an all-veggie Christmas dinner. I am aware that some people feel that this would violate their human rights/give them a dangerous nutrient deficiency/signal The End Of Tradition, The End of British Christmas etc, but it would make it so much easier than faffing about cooking different things.
(I am a meat-eater, BTW).

Or, just ask the woman what she'd like?

Cook your potatoes in veg oil, add a sprinkling of herbs maybe. Taste is v good.

Main - get a main from m and s or waitrose. My dd likes linda McCartney veggie sausages as her main - v easy.

Halloumi with hot honey instead of turkey and then all the veg. I honestly would forego the goose fat for ease.

Another vote for this. I’ve been making it every Christmas for probably 30 years.
I’ve also found it’s very well-behaved. You can make it a few days before and leave in the fridge. I’m pretty sure I’ve even frozen it in the past.

My parents always buy one of the vegetarian main dishes from M&S, and cook a few roast potatoes separately in olive oil.

Quorn roast would not be my choice with many better options in the fake-meat category. I think M&S do a single serving ‘vegan meat and all the trimmings’ which is a good option, but if fake meat is not her thing, a mushroom wellington is a good shout. If you don’t want to do all of the potatoes with vegetable oil then it’s best to cheat and get some pre-made to save making separate everything.

Marks and Spencer have great veggie Xmas foods and desserts

Have you tried.....

Asking her what she might like? (Or at least getting ds to)

Lidl and Aldi also do nice vegetarian pies.

Probably best to just ask her. I do all the roasties veggie, but if you don't want to give up the goose fat just roast some separately. I'm a veggie, but I'll do turkey and pig's in blankets for everyone else, there is so much food, I don't bother with, and don't really like meat replacements. My one demand (I'm allowed to demand, as I'm cooking it! ) is a lovely cauliflower cheese, loads different cheeses and pre roast, not boiled cauliflower. I always cook this on Xmas eve and just oven it on the day.

My husband doesn't eat meat and it's no trouble to stick a vegetarian Christmas pie and different potatoes in the air fryer. I don't see why other people should have to forgo their Christmas dinner for one person.

You do need to ask her what she likes, or ask your DS to ask her. There are lots of varied suggestions on this thread, but as a vegetarian myself they range from sounding delicious to things I would absolutely detest.

1. don’t do the potatoes in goose fat - otherwise do everything as normal. 'Trimmings' are the best - (arguably) who needs a 'main'? No need to stress, and be grateful she's not vegan 😉

2. I'd avoid the nut roast unless you know she likes it. They really can be quite vile

3). May be get a Tesco finest cauliflower cheese or something you can just put in the oven. Or equivalent luxury non meat dish. The. There is no additional preparation - well, other than taking it out of the packet

Its nice you're so thoughtful (and forward thinking)

Edited: - I forgot to include number 4:
4) Ask DS or gir,friend

When my brother was veggie my mum did a nice butternut squash, sage and cranberry wellington. She made it in advance and froze it and then just shoved it in the oven while the turkey was resting.

OK, but my point is just that there is more than one possible Christmas dinner.

I'd just buy a ready-made nut roast from M&S and whack it in the oven - easy peasy and i would either just cook all the roast potatoes in olive oil or do some separately for her in the air fryer and get some veggie gravy granules. Dont buy frozen roast potatoes - they are truly awful, as is fake meat. Just keep it simple - you dont want to make her feel like she's a nuisance.

This question comes up on Mumsnet every year and I always reply with the same answer!
☺️
We have had this every Christmas Day since 2005. It can be made in advance, frozen and cooked on the day.
Rose Elliot's Mushroom, Chestnut and Red Wine En Croute
We have non-vegetarian guests usually and they say they enjoy it. Well, they keep coming back.
When I first made it it was hard to find chestnuts or chestnut purée but there are loads in Lidl.

As pp have said there are so many vegetarian options nowadays, just ask your guest what she would like.

I'm looking forward to making this, oh and I leave the celery out of this recipe, as I find it stringy.

Ohh she doesn't very welcome OP!

It's very easy to cater for veggies ... do all your roasties in olive oil or similar, no need to use goose fat, or you could do yours separately, but more faff.

Get a nice veggie main from Cook or M&S ... they do a great selection, doesn't have to be fake meat. Bung it in the oven or air fryer with everything else. She can also have all the sides you're having ... just make sure the gravy is also meat free.

We often have vegetarians. I do a nut roast with filo for them( google recipe). I then make veg gravy with bisto chicken granules and wine which believe it or not are vegetarian. Everything else they can eat

How ‘veggie’ is she… my friends don’t eat meat but would eat potatoes cooked in goose fat.

Haven’t rtft but as a veggie I don’t particularly like ‘pretend’ meat like the Quorn roast etc. I enjoy a veggie haggis. I do live in Scotland but you can maybe get them elsewhere? They roast in the oven or air fryer, or you can microwave it. Then I have all the veg, we do our potatoes in oil anyway and I have a separate gravy boat with vegetarian gravy ie no meat juice poured in. I am happy without things like pigs in blankets but do have Yorkshire puddings 😱 done in oil not lard.

In short have your son ask his girlfriend as she may love quorn/meat alternatives or be happier without :) the other thing to look out for is gelatine in desserts, rennet in cheese etc.

Herbivores only react to sudden movement, if you keep very still until new year they won't see you and will move on to graze somewhere else