AIBU to think veggie Christmas dinner just isn't as good

[CrazyToast]

This was my first Christmas as a vegetarian. We got this nut roast thing from Sainsbury's and it was like tasteless mush stuffing with almonds on it. Did the usual roast spuds and veg but the whole thing was just not as tasty. To be fair we had this rubbish apple stuffing instead of the classic sage and onion. But aibu to think Xmas dinner will just never taste as good as it does with meat?

I'm actually really liking being vegetarian and feeling all healthy etc, but this was a real let down.

YABU because it's down to individual tastes.
I cooked a full roast for all of my family but instead of turkey and pigs in blankets for myself I had a vegetarian toad in the hole. It was epic.

Hmm I think the same, I’ve been veggie for about 2 or 3 xmases too so quite new, would be delighted to be told I’m wrong! I’ve decided stuffing, nut roast etc makes me unacceptably windy too so need an delicious, non-sloppy alternative!

I don’t do a nut roast. I made a chestnut mushroom, leek, chestnut and blue cheese pie this year. I do all the usual veg with it, and it’s delicious!

I used to have a vegan boyfriend and had a couple of vegan christmas dinners and I totally agree with you - a vegan Christmas dinner won’t ever measure up to a normal one if you have had (and liked the taste/texture of) meat. I think the solution would be to not try to replicate a traditional Christmas dinner by trying to replace the meat with a nut roast/whatever but try to do something completely different like a butternut squash wellington - something that isn’t trying to mimic the meat element but is delicious in its own right.

YADNBU

Depends on the dinner! One year I played an absolute blinder when my veggie sister was over, cooked her a wild mushroom, red wine and goat's cheese pie from scratch and it was honestly lush, way nicer than turkey. This year I got a Lidl ready made lattice thing for my stepmum and fucked it completely, burnt the bottom and had to scrape the top half onto the plates to salvage it 😳 nut roasts in general will never be as good as any meat I reckon

Weirdly, I'm a meat eater but the meat is by far my least favourite part of Christmas dinner. It's the sprouts, parsnips, bread sauce etc I love.

I love my veggie Christmas dinner. Shop bought nut roast isn't a patch on homemade, you can make it well in advance as it freezes really well. Meat eating friends are usually surprised by how tasty nut roast can be.

We had twice baked cheese souffles, much tastier than turkey.

We were discussing the opposite being true. DH made the most delicious nut roast (homemade) with spicy sauce. Delish. Way better than Turkey! Shop bought nut roast is rarely great.

I have been a vegetarian for a very long time and agree. DP & I tend to just eat whatever we want for Christmas!

I sort of agree, even though I've been veggie for 20 years now I still miss meat when having any sort of roast dinner. I do think that as pp have said the trick is to do something different enough that it doesn't feel like a meat substitute - I made butternut squash, cranberry and goats cheese wellington yesterday and that didn't feel like an inferior replacement for the meat, whereas nut loaf - even the nicest homemade nut loaf - always does to me

Every veggie Xmas meal that I have cooked has tasted beter than the ones before I went veggie. DH and I make it all from scratch and it's always been amazing.

Yes, the truck is to have things you like, not some random new thing that you never eat, like nut roast. Though I have made lovely nut roast in the past.

I've been a veggie for 18 years and I honestly cannot remember what meat tastes like. Im sure a non veggie dinner is nicer, but I don't feel like I'm missing out.

Yeah, I think trying to imitate meat for a vegan/veggie Christmas will be your downfall.

Some nut roasts are nasty, some are nice. I recommend the artisan grains country nut roast, it's what I have and I don't miss meat at all. To be honest you just need to give it more time, it can take a while to get over the feeling you are missing out.

YADBU
Does anyone even like turkey? Dry and bland no matter what fancy way you try and cook it. The veg and sides are the main delicious part. Just find a main part you like to go with it. I love a quorn roast, DP likes the Linda Mccartney roast. The tofurkey roast is good or all supermarkets do a veggie wellington of some sort, most are very good. Or make your own nut roast if you prefer those, home made can be lovely.

YABU if you bought a crappy tasteless thing to eat! There are lots of delicious vegetarian centrepiece recipes or things to buy if you don't want to cook.

It depends what you have and what you like - Jack Monroe has an amazing nut roast recipe, made with cranberries, apricots and chestnuts, and it's delicious. I'm a (selective) meat eater but I'm quite happy to have JM's nut roast as a meat replacement.

Our veggie Christmas dinner (home made lasagna, roast veg, homemade banoffee pie) was as awesome as always.
Shop bought Christmas stuff is awful in my experience. So yabu for not attempting to make your own delicious lunch (would be cheaper too and not necessarily take much longer - I can put together a veggie nutroast in 30 minutes)
I was given Christmas quorn roast at a meal last year - tasted like tyres. Revolting.

I had a delicious nut roast with four types of nut, pumpkin seeds, apricots and fig chutney. I suspect it was much nicer than horrible dry turkey.

Ive been veggie for 28 years so I dont really know but I assume a processed shop bought meat thingie is pretty nasty too.

I love my veggie Christmas dinners. But I was never a big fan of Turkey and usually make my own nut roast so it's delicious, not bland and mushy. And I love veg.

I just have quorn chicken fillets sliced...with enough stuffing and cranberry sauce it all tastes like a traditional Christmas dinner but I hated turkey so don’t miss it.