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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that vegetables are not given any respect in the UK?

154 replies

Undineimmor · 20/12/2023 08:15

In other parts of the world, salad is a whole dish. Vegetables are valued, spiced, seasoned and cooked well. They are respected and their incredible, unique tastes really brought out .

Eg the other day I had some thinly sliced fried aubergines in a little soy sauce and spice. It was honestly the tastiest thing I had eaten in months.

Ditto eating some Saag Aloo.

I think the problem is that in the UK we tend to serve unseasoned, boiled vegetables as an unwelcome side dish to meat. I just wonder how we got to this place and how we can bring it on back?

OP posts:
Whataretheodds · 20/12/2023 08:17

Are you posting in 1985?

BitOutOfPractice · 20/12/2023 08:18

I think that used to be the case. Not any more though. I think veggies are often the star of any meal and many millions of people are reducing / cutting out meat.

So YANBU to say that veggies are fabulous. YABU to say that everyone in Britain eats overcooked under seasoned vegetables because I think that’s just not true any more.

Itsallfunngamesuntil · 20/12/2023 08:19

Hi OP

I think things are changing. The older generation I feel this is the case......I'm in my mid 50s but love to make saag also, roasted veg etc and would often eat purely veggie meals

However I do worry about UPFs [ultra processed foods] which are so bad

shearwater2 · 20/12/2023 08:19

I would agree, though I think we are slowly coming round to appreciating them a bit more.

Somehow I still loved veg as a kid in spite of most of the flavour being boiled out of it by my parents and school.

When I plan a meal I think about what veg I'm having first.

isthismylifenow · 20/12/2023 08:20

One salad is a full meal on MN.

It has to be massive though.

I think back in the day this may have been the case, but not now. There are so many resources for good recipes and I'm sure people use them to be a bit more adventurous.

pickledandpuzzled · 20/12/2023 08:22

I prefer veg as a side or a course rather than a meal. I hardly ever serve a vegetable plainly- they are always gussied up in some way.

I don’t like a purely vegetarian main though. Buddha bowl- yes. Bowl of one food, no matter how tasty and well cooked- no.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 20/12/2023 08:22

I agree with the title of the thread, but I must say a few slices of aubergine wouldn't be considered a meal in any cuisine I'm aware of.

shearwater2 · 20/12/2023 08:25

And last night I made a creamy cauliflower and nut curry.

I first made this in 1998 from Vegetarian Grub on a Grant. I make up my own combination of spices now and don't follow a recipe as I've got a bit more confident with it.

I do eat and enjoy meat but I only one/two dinners out of seven involve it.

NoraLuka · 20/12/2023 08:29

Yes, look at how often veg are referred to as sides and the meat is seen as the main part of the meal. As a veggie I wish it could be the other way around where all the main dishes are vegetarian with bits of meat on the side for people who want it! (I know this won’t happen btw!)

Ternbeach · 20/12/2023 08:31

Speak for yourself! I love vegetables and salad and certainly don’t serve them unseasoned as an after thought.

bellac11 · 20/12/2023 08:34

TheYearOfSmallThings · 20/12/2023 08:22

I agree with the title of the thread, but I must say a few slices of aubergine wouldn't be considered a meal in any cuisine I'm aware of.

Its quite a well known tapas dish

In any case, I sort of agree with OP even though we like vegetables in a myriad of ways. There is very little promotion of veg in this country and the ridiculous recent ad campaign 'eat them to defeat them' was unbelievable in missing the mark.

Ternbeach · 20/12/2023 08:41

Salad is a whole dish in the U.K. too surely? Very normal here. I think you are a bit stuck in 1985 op!

Spendonsend · 20/12/2023 08:41

I think its fair to say a lot of traditional dishes are meat based and veg is an accompaniment. And yes a roast would traditionally just have boiled veg as a side and its still like that in lots of pubs.

I think culture is changing and the boiled veg on the side is dissapearing though.

MrsSkylerWhite · 20/12/2023 08:42

Love veggies. Your mixing with the wrong crowd 😁

MrsSkylerWhite · 20/12/2023 08:43

You’re

Tinytigertail · 20/12/2023 08:44

I don't agree with this at all OP. When I was a child, this was absolutely the case, but not anymore. There are lots of amazing recipes for vegetables out there

Catza · 20/12/2023 09:17

Because a variety of vegetables we have today only became available in the UK relatively recently. My former MIL is in her late 80s and she still remembers the days when "The Garlic" entered culinary scene in the UK. She is a brilliant cook and credits it to her holidaying in the south of France after marriage and being exposed to Mediterranean vegetables, herbs and spices. My ex (born in early 70s) remembers going to friend's houses (and they lived in affluent area) eating mac and cheese and fish fingers - no vegetables in sight. Mum cooked elaborate French and Italian meals at home so he was utterly terrified and still is uncomfortable with "beige food".
I come from northern Europe and our traditional offerings are also quite poor when it comes to vegetarian dishes because people ate root vegetables for 10 months a year and we only had access to salt and pepper until well into the 20th century. As a child I remember eating a lot of vegetable soups and potatoes all through winter. In summer we ate from our allotment and had a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs. Most people in Europe still prefer to eat seasonally.
I am very fond of vegetables myself but my cooking is definitely influenced by my travels.

Original poster
Undineimmor · 20/12/2023 09:22

Look at our favourite dishes- fish and chips? No veg . I mean sometimes you might get mushy peas that are unseasoned gelatinous sludge.
Burger and chips- no veg
Chicken andchips- not a vegetable in sight
curries- originate from Asia
Vegetarian food- often unseasoned veg covered in fat and breadcrumbs ir made to look or taste like meat.

OP posts:
Original poster
Undineimmor · 20/12/2023 09:27

I agree that we are seeing much more variety which is great. There are more recipes out there.

My point is, increasingly vegetables are being marginalised or seen as an optional extra rather than essential. See dishes above. I regularly see adverts festiring beige food with no veg. I think vegetables are marketed towards the middle classes, not so much elsewhere.

OP posts:
MojoMoon · 20/12/2023 09:27

Undineimmor · 20/12/2023 09:22

Look at our favourite dishes- fish and chips? No veg . I mean sometimes you might get mushy peas that are unseasoned gelatinous sludge.
Burger and chips- no veg
Chicken andchips- not a vegetable in sight
curries- originate from Asia
Vegetarian food- often unseasoned veg covered in fat and breadcrumbs ir made to look or taste like meat.

Edited

Who says those are "our" favourite foods?

Fish and chip shops are closing at a rapid rate
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/end-sight-british-chippies-half-30134188

Of course fast food doesn't involve lots of freshly prepared vegetables - that isn't what chicken and chips is. But most people aren't eating chicken and chips on a daily basis for their dinner. Even with small kids in fussy phases.

As a non-meat eater since the mid 90s, I'd say the situation has vastly improved since then. Admittedly I live in a big city but even most small places I have been to in recent years now serve much more interesting vegetable led dishes

End in sight for British chippies as HALF are predicted to close in three years

Beloved takeaways face becoming thing of the past as price hikes on fish, oil, potatoes and energy leave many owners ­struggling to stay afloat

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/end-sight-british-chippies-half-30134188

Mydpisgrumpierthanyours · 20/12/2023 09:32

I think the problem comes as well because we don't tend to eat seasonally like many other European countries, so don't get introduced to more vegetables flavours or we try them out of season after they've been flown across the world.
Can't be as tasty as fresh in season vegetables.

StoorieHoose · 20/12/2023 09:33

Fabulous!

I now have the ear worm Bring it on back by S Club 7

BitOutOfPractice · 20/12/2023 09:36

@pickledandpuzzled "gussied up" is now my new favourite phrase and I am going to use it as my own from now on. Thank you!

@Undineimmor vegetables are not "increasingly" being "marginalised" I think the exact opposite. The variety of veg now available to us is phenomenal compared to my 70s childhood.

I think you are eating at the wrong places OP if that is your experience of food outside your home

Torganer · 20/12/2023 09:37

NoraLuka · 20/12/2023 08:29

Yes, look at how often veg are referred to as sides and the meat is seen as the main part of the meal. As a veggie I wish it could be the other way around where all the main dishes are vegetarian with bits of meat on the side for people who want it! (I know this won’t happen btw!)

This has become very common in restaurants where I live

ErrolTheDragon · 20/12/2023 09:39

As a veggie I wish it could be the other way around where all the main dishes are vegetarian with bits of meat on the side for people who want it!

That's becoming quite common for salads at least.