One veggie, 10 carnivores...

[JustAShopGirl]

Can anyone help.... I am doing Christmas lunch again this year - one of my nieces has decided not to eat meat any more. Everyone still wants their "traditional" Christmas meatfest, but I want to cater for her too - she does not eat "substitute meat products" either

Can anyone suggest a nice main course for her that will not seem "mean" compared to the usual. I know she would be fine with just the veg + roast potatoes, I can make a veg stuffing and gravy - it just seems odd (to me) I guess without the serving of meat beside it.

Tea will be a buffet - less problems there as it is always salad and fruit heavy after a rich lunch.

Any help appreciated.

My OH is a vegetarian and I usually buy him a vegetable wellington or nut roast thing from Waitrose or M&S.

It goes with the potatoes, veg, stuffing and gravy quite well and isn't a meat substitute.

I also make sure I make tons of cheese and onion rolls for buffets, the non veggies fall on them like locusts too.

Why not get her a nut cutlet? Or make a nut roast early for a Sunday dinner- slice it and freeze a slice for her.

I do a cranberry and chestnut loaf for FIL as he's the only veggie. It's a bit like a stuffing so if there's any left over it can go into turkey sandwiches. I make it in advance and freeze then microwave to heat up as I'm short on oven space.

These Christmas pies are what i've cooked for the veggies in my family for the last couple of years. Eve the meat eaters loved them too.

The great thing is you can prepare them in advance.

We had one veggie for Christmas dinner last year. Dp made her this amazing mushroom, leek and goats cheese Wellington with a port sauce. Made the filling and sauce the day before so just assembled it on the day. She also had her own potatoes as ours were cooked in goose fat.

How about a puff pastry tart with cheese and tomato, fennel and cheese, leek and asparagus, or mushroom filling, or a lentil vegetable and chestnut casserole that could be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave if you were short of oven space.

I'd second the pastry tart idea - even just pre rolled puff pastry, unroll, smear with bruschetta mix, tear a ball of mozzarella into pieces on top and add some roasted peppers, tomatoes, courgettes etc (which can be roasted a couple of days in advance).

When you take out the turkey and whack the heat up to crisp up the roasties, that will be a small item on another shelf as it only takes about 20 minutes to cook.

And there will be lots of nice veggies meals, often in single person portions, in shops in the days immediately before Christmas to buy something readymade.

Thanks for the reminder on the roast potatoes!!! Goose fat!

There are so many different ideas! I will be trying a few of them out over the next couple of months.

Any more are still welcome though, have never catered for a lone vegetarian before - had friends whose whole family were, so we tended to all eat the same thing - which is easier.

I made this for a friend the other month when we were all having rare roast beef only I put hers in a yorkshire pud instead. Went down a treat.
Wild mushroom with port, the port adds a nice festive touch.

Looking for ideas here- I have 6 carnivores and one vegan. So can't even go down the cheese route. Stuck for ideas.

I hope you mean omnivores .

Try the cheese and parsnip roulade. Delia Smith recipe. I was blown away by it, we're almost definitely having it this year as our main. There'll be left overs obviously but it's so good even 'carnivores' would enjoy it

premade ideas for the vegan or the vegetarian-

Macsween vegetarian haggis- not like a meat substitute- its made from oats and seeds like a tasty nut roast
V-PUD- made from oats and nuts its a veggie black pudding
chicken style roast mix from grasenose- tastes like herbs not meat
grasnose falafel mix
birds eye vegetable fingers

• you can get all these in wholefoods stores or supermarkets

handmade ideas for vegans and vegetarians-
quinoa and pecan roast
tofu casserole
sweet potato bake
lentil loaf
chickpea stuffed butternut squash
bean burgers

I would avoid pastry, cheese and mushrooms like the plague as a veggie I groan at the sight of cheese pastries, mushroom rissoto and stuffed peppers - the only options us veggies ever get :( nut roasts are ok as long as they are a bit different from the norm

It depends on what you're doing for everyone whether you have to do anything at all. I sort of agree with Nigella that what vegetarian wouldn't be happy with a meal of honey roasted parsnips, spiced red cabbage, chestnuts and sprouts and roasties etc?

I'm veggie and have nut roast; never eat it any other time.

All of the accompaniments are vegetarian other than the pigs in blankets and one of the stuffing which had sausage meat in it. Veggie and meat gravy.

Nut roast.

I'm a vegetarian & I wouldn't be happy with no 'centre piece' to my Xmas dinner. It has to go with cranberry sauce, roast spuds etc too, so no cheese tarts, sweet & sour veg or curry thanks .

Parsnip, cranberry & chestnut loaf. I make this as a straight swap for the turkey and stuffing, popular with the non-veggies too.