Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 20 21

Original poster

Catering for a vegetarian?!

516 replies

Magenta3 · 14/10/2023 13:01

My brother's gf is a vegetarian. We're having everyone over next weekend for a get together. My family eats a lot of meat and I feel a bit unsure of what to cook her, and if I'm being honest I don't see why we should change our catering for one person.

I asked my brother to bring along some of their own food for her (he eats meat so will be fine, it's literally only for her) and he seemed annoyed at me. He obliged but I could tell he wasn't happy. When we've been to theirs she doesn't cook meat for us so it feels one sided. She jokes she'd probably poison us as she doesn't know how to cook meat but realistically she doesn't want to cook it, so why should we for her?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

andtheworldrollson · 14/10/2023 13:16

There are loads of great meals that just happen to be vegetarian

Spinach and walnut lasagne with garlic bread and green salad is lovely and special

Mexican fried beans with flat breads and all the trimmings ( sour cream, cheese , corriander, guacamole) is also a fanatic dinner party treat

I am not a vegetarian but my mind boggles that you always have meat - it seems you have a very restrictive diet ?

Bimblesalong · 14/10/2023 13:16

Well you’re a ray of sunshine. Apart from the ace suggestions above, you can get plenty of veggie burgers/ bakes and pies in the chiller or freezer sections of the supermarket. Easy to just bung in the oven in a small separate pan (cover with foil if you’re doing meat that will spit). She can have whatever veg you’ve made with the veggie alternative. Soups for lunch with veggie stock or off the shelf.

HeatherMoores · 14/10/2023 13:19

Spinach and walnut lasagne with garlic bread and green salad is lovely and special

Oh I want this now.
<bangs fork rudely on table>

SamAndEIIa · 14/10/2023 13:19

Imagine being so carnivorous you couldn’t even think of a single meal that doesn’t contain meat 😂

There are plenty of accidentally vegetarian choices that don’t scream out “someone forgot the beef” - it sounds like you would be the kind of person who would scoff at the vegetarian option without giving it a chance (even if the food is naturally vegetarian like a traditional Italian pizza/lentil daal or so on)

easylikeasundaymorn · 14/10/2023 13:21

This sounds like the sort of thing I'd have expected someone to post in 1982
Surely this can't be the first vegetarian you've ever cooked for?

toastofthetown · 14/10/2023 13:21

On the off chance this isn't a reverse, it's not hard to make a dish and by doing so make your guest feel welcomed. Something like these confit tandoori chickpeas. Mostly cupboard items, quick to prep, can be done days in advance and looks after itself in the oven. I made this last week as part of a pot luck dinner with friends, and several meat eaters said it was one of their favourite dishes. It doesn't even need the yogurt (though highly recommended).

Confit tandoori chickpeas recipe | Ottolenghi Recipes

The simplicity of this dish makes it quite attractive, also with the aromatics and depth of flavour. Browse online for more.

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/confit-tandoori-chickpeas

Original poster

Magenta3 · 14/10/2023 13:21

I know there are lots of alternatives but it isn't familiar with me and not in my diet.

I started to plan out the meal (I was thinking of doing curry) and yes I know I can just take the meat out but I wanted to give my other guests the food they also wanted and didn't want to waste food by making loads of dishes. I think this has been interpreted as me being mean but I was just trying to explain the siutation. Of course I would provide rice, poppadoms and veg etc. It was more the main meal .

OP posts:

Nootka · 14/10/2023 13:21

You don't sound like a good host. I am glad I am not your brother's girlfriend. Before veganism was so mainstream my son's best friend was coming to us for Christmas lunch and at very short notice my son told me she was coming and was a vegan. Christmas eve was spent trying to source vegan cheese so that she wouldn't feel left out, plus vegan alternative to turkey, cooked potatoes in veg oil instead of goose fat etc. She did bring her own stuff as well but we made her feel welcome. YABU

Lentilweaver · 14/10/2023 13:22

You are being very reasonable. After all, there is no such thing as a vegetarian curry. Perish the thought.

UndercoverCop · 14/10/2023 13:22

If you're making curry it really doesn't take a lot to make a veggie curry too at the same time, you'll probably find a lot of the meat eaters will also want some. Unless your idea of a curry is a jar of sauce and some chopped up chicken.

SirWalterElliot · 14/10/2023 13:23

Just get a nice vegetarian curry ready meal if everyone else is having a curry with meat. Sorted.

arintingly · 14/10/2023 13:23

Err, you do realise half of India is vegetarian - it couldn't be easier if you're planning Indian food anyway.

Also when they have you over, why are you more annoyed she doesn't cook you meat than your meat eating brother?!

Lentilweaver · 14/10/2023 13:24

Vegetarians find it hard to cook meat, btw. For instance, I don't know how to make a roast because I have never eaten one. I wouldn't want to poison any guests by attempting to cook meat.

NaughtyBoyGeorgeMichaelJacksonBrown · 14/10/2023 13:24

Make your curry and just get a can of veg curry or a ready-meal veg curry and microwave it and serve with all the trimmings. Really easy.

Go on, spill...why don't you like her?😆

Chiaseedling · 14/10/2023 13:24

The 70s called and they want their ideology back!
thrre are so many great veggie recipes - bbc food or Tesco recipes are good websites to look at

Sauvblanctime · 14/10/2023 13:25

So just portion a bit of sauce out, add some paneer (fry it to brown it) and add to that?? You’re being an AH tbh

UnsolicitedOpinions · 14/10/2023 13:25

Surely just make your curry sauce and before you put any meat products in it, take some sauce out and then just eg roast some vegetables and put them in that portion of sauce. It couldn’t really be much easier and you sound like you just want to be an arsehole about it.

Whataretheodds · 14/10/2023 13:26

"I don't see why.."
Because she's your guest?

"She doesn't cook meat for us"
Does your brother?

What veg were you planning to serve with the curry? Why not make a chickpea curry, she can have that and everything except the meat dish..it's incredibly easy to make.

phoenixrosehere · 14/10/2023 13:26

YABVU

Not adding meat to a dish is not a hardship.

Do you add meat to a fruit salad?

Do you add meat to every vegetable side dish you consume?

The gf has a point. Would you really want someone who doesn’t eat meat to cook meat, not knowing what temperature it needs to be at to be cooked properly depending on the meat? No one likes getting food poisoning! The way you write, reads you would hold it against her regardless.

newYear10 · 14/10/2023 13:26

Do you have any idea how easy it is to make a veg curry? Way easier than any meat dish.

Original poster

Magenta3 · 14/10/2023 13:26

Ok - I feel attacked but probably deserve it!

I'll portion out some curry before the meat goes in!

OP posts:

Blough · 14/10/2023 13:27

I doubt it’s a reverse, OPs other threads show she’s not great at getting on with other people. OP, your post is written in a very resentful, pretty hateful way towards this woman, not a normal recipe tips thread. Non meat is not part of your diet? 😄

toastofthetown · 14/10/2023 13:27

Magenta3 · 14/10/2023 13:21

I know there are lots of alternatives but it isn't familiar with me and not in my diet.

Vegetarian curries are delicious and often appeal to meat eaters too. The confit tandoori chickpeas I suggested upthread would be perfect. I also love. this paneer butter masala or cauliflower korma recipe. Both can be made in advance and preheated on the day. Or if you really don't want to make something, even offering to buy a vegetarian curry for her for the evening would be better than a bowl of plain rice.

Tandora · 14/10/2023 13:27

Omg you are SO rude!!
Of course she doesn’t cook meat for you, she’s a vegetarian. Presumably you eat both meat and other foods?

Maddy70 · 14/10/2023 13:28

What a terrible host. Just make whenever meat you are having a buy a quorn fillet for hers

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 20 21