Catering for vegetarians at a house-warming party, do I need to provide separate food?

[IslandCanary]

Everyone is bringing a dish, so far most of these contain meat/fish (apart from the salad) as we're doing tapas-style.

One couple have just told me they are vegetarian.

Do I need to ask everyone to bring vegetarian dishes instead? Or is it ok to just provide some salad/rice and let them bring a dish they can eat? I don't want them to feel excluded.

I find most vegetarian food bland and unpleasant and would rather have meat/fish dishes to cater for the majority (I'm planning to make spicy chicken wings, someone else is bringing meatballs, another is bringing battered tempura prawns, crispy squid, vegetable risotto etc.

If I need to provide more veggie options does anyone have any ideas?

Oooh and i need that red pepper lasagne recipe

Red pepper lasagna sounds delicious!

I'm not a vegetarian but if I'm catering for a big group and a few are vegetarian I make the whole meal vegetarian. Easy to do and the meat eaters have never complained and always say how delicious the food is. I don't think people unless they are quite traditional even notice the lack of meat and food is just food. I always make nice vegetarian dishes though. Curries, middle eastern food, etc are easy to do veggie you don't even realise you're not eating meat. I like dishes that are naturally vegetarian though rather than those using "fake" meat.

Yes to vegetarians getting first dibs.

rufus

Cheese and gravy

Any chance you could hire out your DH to do battle for vegetarians at buffets?

Agree, data.

All the catering at our wedding was vegetarian (early 1990s). No-one complained but then the food was delicious and our friends are lovely .

I can type it out, but don't want to hijack the thread! I have to say, it is delicious. Best when you can pick up red peppers cheap though as you need 4-6 for 4-6 people depending on appetites!

I wouldn't ask other guests to bring vegetarian dishes.
If the vegetarians can eat their dish, plus whatever side dishes and non-meat dishes you provide they will most likely be fine with that.
Maybe check that they are bringing enough for everyone, not just themselves as no doubt the meat eaters will want some.

So the vegetarians have to bring enough food with them for the meat-eaters, but meat-eaters shouldn't be asked to bring anything vegetarians can eat, nosey?

I'm a meat eater but if I were making a buffet I would do 90% veggie and 10% meat based. As others have pointed out, meat eaters always go for the non meat stuff as sides to their meal anyway.

I have guests tonight and my dh is veggie, I have made a huge vegetable tagine and a smaller lamb tagine, because the meat eaters will want to try both, as well as a couple of vegetable side dishes.

Even before dh was a vegetarian meat was only ever a small part of any meal. if you think all veggie food is bland and boring you need to source some new recipe books to help!!! I never serve bland and boring food to anyone!

I can't help but judge people who say they can't eat a meal without meat....I immediately think boring and unadventurous.

(red pepper lasagne recipe is on a newspaper cutting and will type it out when I get home!)

data

I also tend to think dyed-in-the-wool and conservative. But more for people who won't try something than those who try it but don't like it.

I'm not a vegetarian but if I'm catering for a big group and a few are vegetarian I make the whole meal vegetarian.

This is the bane of my fucking life. DH is vegetarian and sooooo many people just say 'Oh, a vegetarian. Let's make the whole meal veggie!' that I have almost become vegetarian by default. We have friends who apparently cook the most amazing food and I hear about the amazing duck and beef dishes that others have and they rave about. But do I get to try this wonderful food? No I fucking don't. I get bloody goats cheese tart or pasta and pesto with a salad EVERY FUCKING TIME. I do a meat and a veggie dish when they come to us but nobody returns the favour.

OP just do one extra dish that the confirm they like. You always get people on threads like these banging on about how everybody just loves the vegetarian option but given 20 years of experience of having to provide one or more at events like this I can tell you that in reality they are always the sad neglected dish in the corner that hardly anybody eats and mainly gets left over.

Maybe do a cheese board and some breads, I'm happy to nibble on that and olives if there aren't many veggie options. You can buy ready made Spanish tortilla and tapas bits in waitrose or marks and spencer to supplement what you have. As host you should get a few bits for them not ask your guests to change what they are bringing, if you can?

Id tell everyone that it's a veggie buffet.

So, bill, are you saying that all the vegetarians who have shared their experience of having no food to eat at a buffet because the meat-eaters have eaten it are lying?

And if your friends are serving goats cheese tart or pasta and pesto every time, maybe its the quality of the food, not the fact that it's meat-free, that's the problem.

Try going out to eat with friends if you miss eating beef and duck. My DH eats fish and the rest of us are vegetarian. He gets his fix when we eat out or get a takeaway. But then he's a very calm kind of person and very much appreciates the fact that I do all the cooking.

Maybe check that they are bringing enough for everyone, not just themselves as no doubt the meat eaters will want some
Why should they get any? They aren't bringing a dish that needs to feed everyone.

I am vegetarian. I agree with the general consensus on fucking buffets, on how vegetarian food is actually delicious, and how meateaters shouldn't expect to eat only meat.

Meat eaters get 1:1 (or maybe 1:2) meat:veg. Veggies get 100% veg. That means at least three quarters of any buffet should be suitable for veggies. In addition, I label the most substantial "main" veggie offering - the lovely tartlets, the individual quiches, whatever - as "vegetarian main". That seems to dissuade meateaters from digging in. If a meateater sees three individual veggie tarts on a plate, amongst the entire buffet food, surely you realise they are intended for specific people?

I would never eat anything labelled "vegan" or "gluten-free" (or any other dietary requirement). They are also clearly intended for specific people, IMO.

I hear about the amazing duck and beef dishes that others have and they rave about. But do I get to try this wonderful food? No I fucking don't. I get bloody goats cheese tart or pasta and pesto with a salad
If the best veggie option they can come up with is pasta and pesto, I bet their beef and duck dishes aren't brilliant.

Nut roast was only if they were pushing the boat out.

'and having to shop at Holland and Barrett for veggie sausages and veggie mix'

TVP, enough said.
I ate a lot of curry, Middle Eastern and Greek food, trendy before my time.

In fact I think that's the answer. Just ask people to make either a veggie version if their dish or an alternative equivalent veggie dish. I don't think that's rude at all. Surely even the most committed carnivore has at least one lovely vegetarian recipe up their sleeve?

Some of us still do shop at H&B for veggie sausage mix

But that's only to make scotch eggs

'Id tell everyone that it's a veggie buffet.'

Good plan. That way you'll still get a lot of fish and chicken dishes...

And people saying, "But my sister / friend / auntie is vegetarian and they eat fish".

I'm vegan. At parties these days I generally do a load of vegan options (stuff you'd actually like to eat) and DH complements it with meat/cheesy items. Works a treat because that way everyone is fed and meat/dairy don't worm their way into my food!

I think you just need to make sure there are more non-meat dishes in your buffet, full stop!

I'm a meat eater but at a tapas buffet I would take patatas bravas, aubergine, halloumi, spanish omelette, etc, because these are normal parts of a spanish meal to me. I don't want a plate only of meat It wouldn't occur to me that these are only for vegetarians.

If everyone else is making meat dishes, if you make a few veggie ones it'll be fine.