Does nut roast always taste foul?

[blossoming]

Help! I've been making quiches and a nut roast for the annual IL Boxing Day gathering. We shall be 24. Youngest 2 months, oldest 82. Every decade covered inbetween.
So quiches are vegetarian as they're my favourite recipe, and then I'm baking a massive ham. So when I saw the pine nut roast recipe in House Beautiful I thought, ooh, that could be ham replacement.
I've never had nut roast before, and I think it tastes foul. Is this normal??

No, nut roast usually tastes like delicious nutty stuffing.

Foul in what way?

I don't like the taste of pine nuts, so IMO it might not taste very nice. I have made nut roast before and loved it (it didn't contain any pine nuts though).

Maybe it's the taste of the pine nuts. There's nothing offensive in the rest of the ingredients: white breadcrumbs, leek and herbs.

Mmm, never had a pine nut roast either. Hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, yes.

Would it be against all your principles to go out and buy one?

Love nut roasts but also can't stand pine nuts, v strong taste so wouldn't include those. Most nut roasts are really nice, shop bought just as good.

I'm not a big nut eater tbh. I only eat almonds and monkeynuts.
What could I buy as an alternative? Bearing in mind I live an hour from a big supermarket and 10 inches of frozen snow on my drive. Locally I have Co-op and Spar.

nah. nasty, dry and tasteless.

We had something similar to this mushroom and nut wellington last Christmas - the mushrooms and pastry make it lighter and moister than a normal nut roast. I think ours was made with hazlenuts and almonds rather than cashews, but I expect most kinds of nut would work.

But yes, I'd avoid pine nuts - very strong flavour, and there seem to be a few dodgy batches around that give you pine nut mouth - horrible thing which makes everything taste bitter for two or three weeks (a friend of mine had it, and it's definitely not what you'd want to happen at Christmas).

Oh, and if you're cooking for strict vegetarians, you'd need to skip the Worcestershire sauce (it's made with anchovie) in the recipe I linked to, or use something like soy sauce instead.

I have never had nut roast and have always fancied it. I imagine it tastes delicious.

It is lovely when I make it.

What's your address prudence? I can send one your way...!

Blossoming, have you ever made Delia's roasted red peppers? They're lovely.

My favourite is my Mum's nut roast recipe - very 70s, v good cold. I prefer it to any of the fancier recipes I've tried.

I haven't got the exact proportions but it's peanuts (chopped in blender), breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese, an egg, tomato puree, a chopped, fried onion and whatever herbs you like, squished down into a loaf tin and baked for 30-40 mins.

Find them dry and insipid myself. Been veggie 20 years and never found the need to eat them.

I'm cooking Christmas dinner this year and I'll do what I always do when we have a roast - just forgo the meat!! Yummy roast tats, sprouts, swede, yorkies, stuffing etc. etc. There really is no need for anything else (although I do apreciate not all veggers are as easy to please!)

I had a delicious one at a veggie friends house, it was quite heavy on mushrooms but really crunchy, crumbly and delicious. No idea what the recipe was though, she made us guess what was in it.

I love nut roast! So many options and choices and different tastes. Always have more than one though to accomodate different tastes and especially as meat eaters will want to try it too so it always vanishes.

I usually chill over christmas (as like to enjoy the day not slave in kitchen) so tend to buy them in for the day.
This year having the m&s brazil nut and mulled cranberry one, and tesco butternut squash with brie, and i'll be popping into holland and barret to see what they have on offer tomorrow too.

Otherwise I like rose elliots cashew nut roast with herb stuffing. You can make this in advance and freeze it too. Can post recipe if you like the sound.

If you're worried about a home made one drying out cover it while it cooks, either with tin foil and then remove near end, or put a vegetables layer in to help keep moist.

A savory strudel may be an alternative too if you want it moist. Again can post recipe if interested (involves mushrooms, nuts (cashew, pecan or pine all work), tomatoes, red wine and other things and then wrapped in filo pastry. Again can be made in advance and frozen to make it easier! Again I get this from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian christmas recipe book.

I'm not vegi but DH is. Even I love nut roast.

There's a cashew nut wellington that someone posted on here years ago and I've brought it out regularly since. It's so nice it converts the meat eaters. It has garlic mushrooms in cream cheese, cashew nuts, bits of carrot etc... thinks it's soooo goood :D

Thanks everyone, some lovely suggestions there. Thing is they'll already have had soup, smoked salmon and brown bread (oh they all eat fish), veggie quiche, salad and potatoes. I've got yummy chocolate pudding, cheese and biscuits, coffee with home made fudge and Christmas cake or sticky ginger cake for tea. Really, do I need anything else?

With all that delicious sounding food I think you can forego the nut roast.

You really don't need nut roast with all of that! Save yourself some work!

I love nut roast. But I suppose if you don't like nuts than it would taste 'foul'.

I like nut roast.