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

But you haven’t given them dietary requirements- they have told you theirs and you’ve accommodated. They have given you all food you can eat. If you tell them that you must have dairy in your meal and they refuse then that’s a different story.

No advice really but please don't do a vegan only bbq as suggested on here. You've only got 1 vegan guest out of 12.

Vegan burger, don't bother with fake cheese, ketchup is vegan, salad is vegan (have salad dressing or olive oil)

If I invite someone, I will do everything I can to cater for them. I’d do vegan burgers and sausage and some coleslaw/potato salad for them. Then do jackets, corn on the cob and salad. Most ketchups I’ve come across are vegan.

The vegan and vegetarian stuff usually disappears because lots want to ‘just try it’. We’ve never had any of it left....unlike the meat!

OK I'll bite. Yes I HAVE given them my dietary requirements, but they never provide them - because VEGAN! We must provide for them though MUSTN'T we?!

Well not anymore. They can jog on. I never go out of my way for vegans anymore. Silly fad it is. Most people grow out of it thankfully. I know 4 or 5 young (28-30 y.o) people who were vegans from around 16-18. Not any more. As I said, they grew out of it.

Make a pasta salad with lots of garlic and peppers, and a potato and tomatoe salad. Grill some peppers and buy a few vegan sausages , they're fairly cheap .

You could just ask them what sort of things they’d like?

OP: it's great that you're considering your vegan barbecue guest. I'd agree with the PP who suggested just asking them what sort of thing they'd like to eat. Personally I never touch vegan 'cheese' so if you bought it for me you'd be wasting your money on an ultra-processed product that isn't v healthy (so you prob wouldn't want to eat it yourself either). Similarly, don't bother buying special vegan coleslaw - undressed salad with some simple vinaigrette is easier/ cheaper/ healthier.

I agree with the suggestions above (corn on the cob; veg kebabs - stick a bunch of cherry tomatoes, chunks of pepper/ onion and slices of courgette onto a skewer; baked potatoes in foil - just with olive oil rather than butter or specifically vegan marg - you could offer baked beans to go with it as they're cheap and easy protein).

Your friend may be happy to bring along some kind of vegan sausage/ burger themselves if you make it clear that there will be a dedicated meat-free area of grill to cook them on.

One word of warning: the vegan food at barbecues often looks really attractive/ can be eaten by everyone, so if it's ready first there is a real danger of the omnivores eating it all before the vegan gets a chance to! Good hosts don't let that happen - either make sure there's loads of the vegan stuff or have a system to prevent the other guests eating it!

hope you have a fun event!

@EbonyRaven glad I'm not your friend! if someone's vegan for ethical reasons, and has chosen not to buy animal products (and therefore contribute to what they see as a problem - whether that's animal rights/ welfare or broader ecological/ climate justice issues) you cannot expect them to buy that stuff in for you. can you really not deal with eating vegan biscuits when you visit them (things like bourbons and oreos and gingernuts are 'accidentally' vegan)?! you come across as a rude, over-entitled, unpleasant guest to have.

Just wanted to say as well...I always offer to bring things like vegan mayo to save the host buying a jar when I will only use a couple of spoonfuls.

I’ve never ‘grown out of being vegan’....20 something years later. 😅

Yes ditto. There’s also nothing worse than thinking something is a nice vegetarian option, either because you are or just like cheese and dairy, then discovering it’s the vegan plastic alternative. I can’t imagine the average person would expect everyone else to eat just vegan bbq because they are, and if they are that type person I wouldn’t indulge it.

It depends what you're putting on for the veggies and omnivores.

I'd get vegan burgers / sausages for the veggies and vegans.

I'd get vegan mayo / salad cream for everyone.
If you're making your own coleslaw therefore...

Basically look at vegan options and then spread out who can eat them so you're wasting less.

Or don't invite people you resent feeding.

What are your dietary requirements that mean you can’t eat the vegan food that your vegan host has?

@Juicyj1993 I think one ‘substantial’ vegan food item is enough - eg a vegan burger or vegan sausages. I’m vegan and I would definitely appreciate a vegan burger or similar but wouldn’t ever expect a range of different types of burgers or anything like the meat eaters might have to choose from. Then sides eg corn/salads and so on. I think something substantial/filling is great as just having side salads can leave you feeling hungry. I’d ask them what they like - they might even offer to bring some food - and if you talk to them you’ll know you’ll get something nice that they’ll enjoy.

So you'd provide vegan snacks to go in their soy coffee but when you go there's no snacks and you aren't allowed coffee??

As this is Mumsnet, you should definitely do a massive salad.

Why do you have to spend quite a bit on alternatives?
No, you don't.

Maybe do a pasta salad with a tomato based sauce and chopped cucumber and spring onions

• Some jacket potatoes with baked beans

-Corn on the cob (no butter)

• a pack of Richmond meat free sausages, not really more expensive than meat ones

Yes, I fully accommodate vegans because I have friends who are vegans and I like them and want them to have a nice time when they visit me! I’ve been cooking vegan food since the 1990s. It’s not difficult, and I like it (although I don’t think I could ever give up meat).

For a barbecue I’d do lots of vegan sides and have a couple of vegan alternatives to the burger and sausage options. I really don’t think it’s a big deal.

I am vegan, vegan burger, greek salad minus the feta. Some peppers sliced to dip in a tub of humus. Perhaps barbecue , mushrooms and corn. Pretty inexpensive.
Vegan food can be so delicious that meat eaters will probably go for it too but above will satisfy vegan guest.

That's perfect. I'm veggie and always offer to bring my own at BBQs usually people say no I've got your covered (unless it's one where everyone is bringing food) and give me some quorn sausages. The one time I forgot to offer recently I didn't have any options so I just ate the side salad and rolls - I went a little hungry but my fault for not checking with hosts

I'm a veggie but this made me Laugh 😂

Yes, this, if you do burgers or sausages do on a separate grill or if that's not possible then BBQ the vegan sausages/burgers first before the meat ones

Silly fad it is. Most people grow out of it thankfully. I know 4 or 5 young (28-30 y.o) people who were vegans from around 16-18. Not any more. As I said, they grew out of it.

i wonder when the 250 million vegans in India and China will finally grow out it.

Op have you ever tried vegan coleslaw? It's really good. As is vegan ice cream. Can't stand vegan cheese myself though.

But also op if you buy a box of 6 vegan burgers, why can't you eat the left overs? I assume if there's left over beef burgers you won't be sending them home with people raw because you can't possibly eat them outside of a party.

I'm vegan, so obviously I'd go all out.

Everyone can eat vegan food. I bet the meatheads will scoff it too.

This. Ask them.
Some will be fine with fake meat but others (me for one) would revert to an eight year old hiding food in a napkin rather than have most ersatz meat in my gob. And I do feel bad for the hosts as I slide away from the offerings murmuring that I had a late lunch, will be eating later... etc as they had nothing but good intentions.
And vegan cheese is often, well, just yikes.
Moreover, some fake meat items are veggie but not vegan (why?!) (And indeed occasionally there's fake cheese which isn't vegan, so help me).

a) ask them
b) if they're not contactable then stick to stuff like vegetable kebabs and a pot of hummus with the label left on where it's all blindingly obvious what the food is.

Actually I feel your pain as I once offered to bring something to a party for me AND ALSO another vegan, from the other side of the family, who I had never met. There were all sorts of vague mutterings about how very strict this person was and that he would only eat certain types (ill defined) of foods - so when the party was postponed there was a little tinge of relief mixed in with the disappointment!