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.

There were so many awesome veggie options this year, veggie pigs in blankets, veggie wellingtons, roasts etc. You need to shop around a bit more!

@Basecamp65

Would you buy a processed frozen meat dish for Xmas dinner and expect it to taste as good as a roast meat?

Processed crap is exactly that - crap.

Replaced with freshly made veggie dish with good ingredients.

No, but it's a bit more involved to make a veggie main from scratch to replace roast meat.

I intend to try to make a nut roast sometime next year, but I just have a whizz whizz Breville blender, I'd have to buy chopped nuts I assume. I don't like Wellingtons as I don't like pastry (or Yorkshires, or roast potatoes), I prefer a nut roast or meat with heaps of vegetables.

YABVU because you picked a rubbish option. That doesn't make all veggie Christmas dinners disappointing. We are vegan and our Christmas meals are always epic.

Sounds like you bought something rubbish. I'm a long term veggie, now vegan and we had a veggie Christmas dinner as we always do. Homemade mushroom and walnut Wellington, roast potatoes, maple roast parsnips and carrots, kale, Yorkshire puddings, cranberry sauce with red onion gravy. It was delicious. Better than the rotten Turkey carcasses I saw in the news that people had bought.

Make a mushroom Wellington OP and make sure to add a spoonful of brown miso paste for an umami kick....

Yabu, I bloody love nut roast and never liked turkey. Maybe next year go for one of the meat alternative things - I think Sainsbury’s had turkey style parcels and a Wellington and the other supermarkets had various other things along those lines. This is my 7th Christmas without meat and there are so many more options now - I even had veggie pigs in blankets this year
Did you use vegetable gravy? I find that can be a bit flavourless, so I stick with red bisto.

My MIL made a nut roast and it was the best thing ever ever ever. It’s all about homemade. My husband makes a vegan gravy by the Buddhist Chef and it is also the best thing ever. So, in short my vegan Christmas dinner was EPIC. ALL the veg as well

@BrightYellowDaffodil

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.

The JM nut roast is lovely, i mKe it most years. I find ready made veggie meals a constant dissapointment. Roast meat holds no appeal to me at all, but I love "my" Christmas dinner.

Some of the comments from newish veggies make me think that they need to learn to cook.

And for the few complaining about cooking meat being more straightforward than nutroast... ummm, no. I vividly remember the hours and hours spent cooking turkey with my uncle, the stress, the years it was under or over cooked, finding oven space... (The man was and still is an excellent cook.)

A really excellent nutroast from scratch is 1.5 hours start to finish, and that includes cooking it for 45 minutes and drinking a half bottle of red before you start .

I’ve been veggie since I was 12. Nut roasts are horrible so I’d never choose them. Try Delia Smith’s cheese and parsnip roulade, it’s absolutely delicious.

And for the few complaining about cooking meat being more straightforward than nutroast... ummm, no. I vividly remember the hours and hours spent cooking turkey with my uncle, the stress, the years it was under or over cooked, finding oven space... (The man was and still is an excellent cook.)
I've never cooked a turkey, a roast for me is popping some chicken thighs and veggies in the oven so the equivalent effort would be popping a ready made nut roast and veggies in the oven.

Strongly disagree! Turkey looks vile, I was very happy with my sweet potato and feta pie this year, it was amazing! Usually my mum makes a gorgeous nut roast for us. You don't have to have something bland, there's so much vegan/veggie choices out there. Mind, I say that as a pretty much life long veggie, only time I had turkey I think I choked on it.

That said...I'd love a decent veggie version of pigs in blankets if anyone can recommend it?

@Nowaynothappening

I’ve been veggie since I was 12. Nut roasts are horrible so I’d never choose them. Try Delia Smith’s cheese and parsnip roulade, it’s absolutely delicious.

Nut roasts are not horrible if you make them yourself. You can use whatever nuts you like plus put in other things like mushrooms, cheese, cranberries, dried apricots etc.

@GenderCriticalGoddess

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

Same staple in our house. Deviated one year and it was disappointing! My eight year old won't eat the en croute so we also did a quorn roast which I think is also delicious

If you are veggie for health
reason. Why not eat meat once a year?
Even giving up meat a few times a week is better for the environment, health etc. Does it need to be all or nothing?

@MotorwayDiva

If you are veggie for health reason. Why not eat meat once a year? Even giving up meat a few times a week is better for the environment, health etc. Does it need to be all or nothing?

Agree with this. We eat heaps of vegan food but usually bean chillis or curries where you are just swapping meat or chicken for chickpeas or lentils. A nut roast might not be difficult but I don't own a food processor or a loaf tin as I never usually bake.

I really dont miss meat on a roast dinner. I'm all about the carbs. Next time use a meat alternative or something a little nicer, nut roasts are pretty boring.

Mine was bloody brilliant

I'd love a decent veggie version of pigs in blankets if anyone can recommend it?

Not exactly the same but the M&S veggie sausage in pastry were so good and are probably about 20p a packet now!

Although I did eat some the maple roast ham I made for the meat eaters this year. It was high welfare, ordered in specially from a nicer farm and a small joint but still some left over, no point wasting it. So maybe just at Christmas get a small joint of high welfare meat. If you're vegetarian for morals, Joints cause less harm than whole birds as by buying a whole bird you're killing an animal to yourself. Whereas the pig that died for a joint has fed many families in many forms.

We had a veggie haggis this year. It was delicious, even the meat eaters tried a bit and liked it.

www.macsween.co.uk/products/delicious-every-day-vegetarian/

shop bought nut roast is always crappy, its easy enough to make your own and can be delicious in itself. it needs plenty of herbs and textural interest so I add layers of roasted veg and cheese. Alternatively something indulgent like a gorgeous pithivier or Wellington. You do need to plan ahead and put the effort in though, a turkey ready meal would be pretty poor too! Experiment a bit before next year and it'll turn out great.

My veggie pigs in blankets alternative is cauldron sausages, cooked, wrapped in a sage leaf, some caramelised onion and a slice of halloumi, soaked in hot water to soften it. Halve and spike with a cocktail stick. these can then be roasted Not exactly the same but delicious, chewy, salty and umami.

Of course you are being being unreasonable.

I'm a vegetarian but struggle as I can't stand mushrooms. Found a four nut roast without mushrooms in Waitrose frozen section with a topping of fig chutney, apricots and seeds. I can honestly say it was the tastiest Christmas dinner I've ever had and I'll be stocking up the freezer with more if still available!

Yeah you need to make your own nut roast.