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.

Veggie for 30 years here. Whenever I have christmas dinner at my parents' my mum always insists on cooking some sort of nut roast. I've repeatedly told her this is not necessary. I love all the veg and trimmings, roast potatoes, stuffing balls, etc and gravy. I don't personally need any meat replacement. But some people do, and for them I would say: get whatever meat replacement you like. If you like quorn, get a quorn roast or the cheese and broccoli escalopes. Or get some sort of pie, or goast cheese lattice or whatever. Someone in the 70s decided nut roast was a thing, and for some reason it stuck. I hate them. The point about christmas dinner is to just enjoy a meal with the family, surely!

The M&S nut roast is delicious!! Packed full of crunch, texture and flavour. Meat eating DH always finishes it off with relish

I am not veggie, but I dislike the gorging of meat also. Just me, I don't mind about anyone else.

I much prefer creamy cheesy mash, croquettes, roasties, parsnip and carrot mash, stuffing and cauliflower cheese. I make this for everyone but I leave out the meats for me. Yum.

I might have a turkey sandwich with stuffing and mayo later on with a few leftover cocktail sausages or with the blankets, lol, but for the main meal, it's meat free. Don't know why, but there we are. I don't think there is much need to make a special dinner for veggies personally. But I am sure I will be told otherwise!

(As in, 'with relish' as a description, not eating it with a side of relish!

Veggie DS1 had quorn roast, Linda McC pulled pork burger and veggie pigs in blankets. He was more than happy. He wouldn't eat nut roast or goats cheese tart or red onion whatever any time of year.

I make an awesome veggie stuffing which is amazing! Don’t miss meat at all

We had Red Wine, Mushroom and Chestnut En Croute (Rose Elliot) as we have fir the last 15 years.
It's fabulous and we always think about something else but go back to it.
En Croute

A friend who is an excellent vegan cook made BOSH

Mushroom Wellington

I really wouldn't want turkey at all

It was a ready meal so the chances were it wasn’t going to be very nice, whether meat free or otherwise. Very few ready-prepared main dishes taste good enough to eat for a celebration.

Not a fan of nut roast. I had a roast made out of seitan. Seitan is wheat based as opposed tofurkey, which is soy based. It has a very meaty texture, and we enjoyed it. We had it with vegan Yorkshire puddings, broccoli, peas, roasted potatoes, garlic, red onion, carrots and parsnips smoothered in onion gravy.

I totally disagree. I think veggie options are so much nicer than turkey which I never liked when I did eat meat or chicken or beef.

Me and DH have been vegetarian for around 30 years and have different things each year. Some meals we have had have been:

nut roast
vegetable strudel
goats cheese and caramelised onions tarts
mushroom wellington
brie and beetroot tarts
stuffed roast butternut squash
stuffed large mushrooms

All have been home made and all delicious. Certainly much nicer than just slices of meat

YABU - the veg is the best part of a Christmas dinner! I don’t often bother to have the veg main but as I love all the veg so much.

This was, I think my second veggie Christmas and I was feeling quite miserable about not having turkey. It’s not just the meat itself, it’s the ceremony, tradition - and most importantly, the smell. I made a nut roast en croute and it was flipping lovely! So chuffed.

You’ll have to spend the next 12 months experimenting with the wonderful world of veggie food and do better next year OP

I didn't like turkey much when I did eat meat. I made the BOSH mushroom wellington this year and it was really good. If it's done well, I prefer a veggie / vegan Christmas dinner to a meat one.

I had this for Xmas dinner. It was very, very good.

I think it takes some time to find the right alternative. I always found turkey very dry and uninspiring - the beetroot wellington I had last night was much more delicious! I’ve never really liked nut roast, so I tend to avoid.

We made the Bosh mushroom Wellington, and it was delicious. Sage and onion stuffing too.

We had a spinach and mushroom Wellington and a quorn roast log, I didn't get to try the log but the family said it was quite nice, may be something you can try next time?

Yep yabu, I eat meat but my favourite meal is a roast without the meat. Cauliflower cheese, roasted vegetables, Yorkshires, cabbage, potatoes, mmmm

I think this was my 4th or 5th non meat Christmas dinner. I’ve made (or had made for me) some delicious things but yes it’s never quite the same. It’s one of the few meals I do genuinely miss. Every year I think sod it I’m just going to have some of the meat/ stuffing/pigs in blankets but I can never quite bring myself to do it when it comes to it!

Three daughters. 1 vegetarian1 almost pescatarian and berry fussy and 1 eats anything. The vegetarian wasn’t with us this year but we decided to cut back on meat for a change. I made individual quorn wellingtons and everyone loved them. Only meat on the plate was the pigs in blankets which I didn’t bother with so I was completely meat free this year and didn’t miss the usual turkey and ham. Depends what you make I suppose

Yep, you need to make a great pie, nut roast, veggie Wellington or similar from scratch and you'll be fine.

You need to learn to cook.

We don't eat much meat normally and often eat veggie or vegan but Christmas is meant to be a feast, the best. As we are not veggie then veggie food on Christmas day would have to be amazing to not be a disappointment.

I agree. However maybe it's because I just think roasts are the most over rated dinner ever! I otherwise love being vegetarian. I just gorge myself on desserts and canapés on Christmas Day and just have a token bit of Christmas dinner,