How far would you go to accommodate a vegan?

[Juicyj1993]

In a few weeks we're hosting a bbq for my Husband's birthday.

We have about a dozen guests coming, one of whom is vegan. As we don't normally buy vegan food I've started looking at what we'd normally buy and what is and isn't vegan. To make sure the vegan has the same variety of choice as everyone else I'm going to have to spend quite a bit on alternatives. As we have the non vegan alternatives we won't be eating the vegan versions, so they'll either go home with the guest or be thrown.

How much would you accommodate a vegan?

Would I be unreasonable to provide vegan burger with vegan cheese, plus bun and nothing else or do I need to go the whole hog and get vegan sausages, vegan condiments and vegan coleslaw?

Ps they are vegan by choice, not for medical reasons

CurlewKate, the folk I know do expect meat, and won't try vegan alternatives/ are very traditional. I do have to bend to their wishes. I justify it to myself by thinking it's their choice- but I have made mine which feels right to me. Of course I would much prefer that I didn't have to do this, but there are quite a lot of people who don't approve of or accept veganism unfortunately, even for one meal.

This is easy, change your thoughts round. Make everything vegan and then add meat for the meat eaters.

How inhospitable! "your invited to my bbq but bring your own food babes or, just eat at home, ta"

Only on mumsnet 🙄

There's absolutely no way I'd be bending to those ridiculous opinions and I'm not even vegan/veg.

Meat-eaters do not need meat at every single meal (what do they do for breakfast?). It's absurd to equate it to veganism or other limited diets. They won't pass out if they have to eat tofu or a salad. I get that they might enjoy a steak very much but I enjoy lemon tart very much and somehow don't try to insist that every host provides it for me.

Honestly, I wouldn't accommodate a vegan at all at a BBQ. I'd ask them to bring their own stuff or eat the salads.

As I said earlier, just don’t invite us. I wouldn’t feel very welcome and would rather stay home than hang out with such a bad “friend”.

Just a warning about Vegan mayo if you're using it. Hellmans vegan mayo contains mustard. A friend had a severe allergic reaction after being served something containing Hellmans vegan mayo. She'd asked about ingredients and been told Hellmans mayo which she knows she is fine with.

Don't forget to use separate bbq that has never touched the meat or you're in unpleasant surprise when your vegan will reject vegan food cooked on regular bbq. I'd advise to just pop their stuff in the oven.

I'd just let the vegan eat salad, crisps and maybe a roll or two. They can bring their own vegan beer or whatever they want. Most BBQs are basically a piss up anyway, nobody cares much about the food - it's just there to soak up the alcohol.

Some people cook corn on the cob at BBQs so maybe you could tell them if they're happy to bring it themselves you'll allow them to cook it on your grill. (I assume it grills, I can't stand the stuff myself.)

Wow can’t believe some comments. I agree, if you can’t be arsed just don’t bother inviting them or anyone else with dietary requirements or allergies. It’s not a huge ask, it’s frozen stuff from the freezer section of supermarkets fgs.

Now I know how the majority of people feel I wont bother making burgers from scratch etc! You can bring your own dead bodies and yeah, I’m not going to allow to use it on my bbq either 😂

I honestly don't understand why a BBQ would appeal to a vegan anyway. The whole point of a BBQ is to cook meat.

@Meeting That isn't true at at. If that was the case why bother going to the trouble of even owning a BBQ, just cook meat at home in your kitchen on your own.

I think a vegan burger and a couple of sides are enough. What k would say isake sure thevegan guest gets her food before others dip in. I'm vegetarian, people often get food in especially for me put ituer people eat it first, and I have been know To be left without anything because it has gone before I had chance to get it.

This is a weird viewpoint. Most people have a bbq to hang out in a garden on the pimms and beer rather than to do a serious meat cook off. This is going by my own experience where the only 'meat' on offer is value sausages and burgers and slices of plastic 'cheese'.

If you turn up with a really good salad, potatoes, anything veggie where you've made a bit of an effort with taste, guaranteed that ALL of the meat eaters will also want a bit.

Presumably they can also have the salad? Maybe do one dish that everyone can share like a spicy rice and tomato side dish? And then everyoyouve mentioned. I don’t think they need to have as much variety as everyone else, but I also think you’re being a bit mean.

Do you like this person? I’m assuming because you’ve invited them to a bbq you do… because it doesn’t seem like you value their decision or like them by your posts. If it’s your friend surely you want them to have a nice time. I’m vegetarian and people have always said we are buying veggie burgers & sausages for you etc. Everything that you & your other guests eat won’t all be meat, dairy products. My partner has a vegan family & it’s so easy to cater for them (granted we don’t eat meat). Most cheap garlic bread is vegan, salad, bread, hummus, cous cous. Vegan coleslaw tastes the same as the regular version and if you put it on the table everyone would just eat it or vegan pesto for pasta or tomato pasta if you are making sides. Ketchup, bbq, mustard, balsamic dressing, relishes will probably all be vegan. I wouldn’t expect to go to a vegans house and receive chocolate biscuits, if they morally disagree with the suffering of animals & climate impact - giving money for these products would go against there views (depending how serious they are).Surely u can eat a vegan biscuit or take your own I’m sure they aren’t starving you.

I wouldn't eat value meat, I'd rather go without.

If I was invited to a BBQ hosted by somebody who wasn’t a vegan and I had to eat fake meat I’d be devastated. The substitutes are nothing like the real thing and I’m saying that as someone who was veggie for over a decade.

This thread feels very much divided between the people who see a barbecue as lots of meat, bread rolls and sauces (been to plenty of those) and those who see it as a wider meal including a meat element cooked on a barbecue (also been to plenty of those). The second type is pretty easy to make vegan-friendly and the first is less so.

Don't take it to heart. I'd pretty much guarantee your friends will appreciate the effort! Although Id never expect a vegan to cook meat for me.

I've lost track of the amount of things Mumsnet has made me feel paranoid about and then I realise I don't know anyone in real life who has these views. Friends invite other friends to their house as they like their company and of course will accommodate their needs. I'm not going to repeat my earlier post, but so much food is easily vegan. I eat meat, but I always prefer the side dishes at bbqs.

I'd bend over backwards for my friends and their dietary requirements.

I don't know why you think you can't eat vegan leftovers.

• Salad is vegan.
• Potatoes are vegan.
• Coleslaw made with vegan mayo is vegan (which, btw, tastes exactly the same as non-vegan mayo and is probably better for you)
• Vegetables are vegan
• Vegan sausages taste really good
• Vegan burgers are great

I mean I think vegan cheese is pretty ropey. But it's fine to have a burger without cheese.

If I had twenty people over for a BBQ and 19 were meat eaters, I don't think the fiver I'd be spending on vegan burgers are mayo would be the costs I would worry about.

Yes, I've come to realise that too@Whenwillglorioussummercome.

I'm not vegetarian, but I'm not particularly bothered about large servings of meat and faced with a choice of sausages, burgers and plastic cheese, vs varied salads, potatoes, dips, nice bread, vegetable skewers, I might have a sausage if they looked like good ones, but otherwise I'd just pick all the non meat options.

This is a weird viewpoint. Most people have a bbq to hang out in a garden on the pimms and beer rather than to do a serious meat cook off. This is going by my own experience where the only 'meat' on offer is value sausages and burgers and slices of plastic 'cheese'.

There’s no value sausages or burgers at our bbq’s. We generally
cook decent cuts of meat, or whole birds.

If you turn up with a really good salad, potatoes, anything veggie where you've made a bit of an effort with taste, guaranteed that ALL of the meat eaters will also want a bit.

That’s because most meat people who eat meat, like me, are omnivores. I don’t see vegetarian or vegan food, I just see food.

I think you clearly have a very limited experience of how brilliantly diverse BBQ food can be.

That’s because most meat people who eat meat…

Ignore the first “meat”. I don’t know where that came from. I must have meat on the brain.