Vegans at Christmas

[Slebs]

Not to be all bah humbug, but what the bloody hell do I feed vegans at Christmas? It's not the actual Christmas day meal, it's a buffet for a post Xmas party. I feel like my nan in the 90s when me and my sister went veggie and she kept asking if we could have a pork pie/beef lasagne/sausage roll. Every time I think, "Ooh, that'll be good for the vegans!" I realise what I'm thinking of has dairy or egg in it. I know I shouldn't care as it's not for me, but I can't bear the pretend meat stuff. Or that my vegetarian mother, who thinks it's an abomination, will go on about it at length while gurning in disgust.

There are plenty of non-vegans presents, pescitarians & vegetarians as well as them types who think you haven't served food if there isn't a load of meat available. I'm doing a ham, will have green salad with serve yourself extras like sun dried tomatoes, coleslaw, pickled onions, avacado, tomatoes, mozzarella, boiled eggs etc. There will be smoked salmon, a cheese board, sausage rolls, crisps and dips, baguette & crackers.

I'm trying to cover all bases without it taking all the oven, hob and airfryer and my sanity to prep (been there, keen to avoid). Any ideas? Keep thinking pizza!...shit it's covered in cheese. Even desserts...cake, f#%k that's got eggs, butter and cream, ditto trifle, mince pies...CHOCOLATE! And then I think how annoying vegansim is and leave it for a bit. Then they cycle starts again.

I'm not a massive meat eater myself and love veggie dishes but don't want to cook a chilli or similar as it's too messy for a milling-around-with-a-paper-plate-party and too much prep. Aside from tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa and some nuts, what is there that's no cook/low prep for vegans?

I’ve just bought a vegan Maple, Chilli and Butternut Squash galette from Sainsburys to serve alongside crudités, a variety of dips, tortilla chips and a potato salad.

They'll be welcome, which is why I'm trying to find ideas. I'm not making anything, except the traditional family trifle which is easy no bake but definitely not vegan.

If things are put out on a table, for eg mince pies, even if marked as vegan in all likelihood people who aren't vegan will help themselves. Some vegan stuff tastes vile, so if I'm putting out cake for all, it needs to be vegan and taste decent. There in the problem lies. So I suppose I'm looking for dishes that are just 'naturally' vegan rather than convoluted versions of non-vegan food with a cornicopia of weird ingredients that look but taste nothing like the dish they are supposed to be, if that makes sense?

Thanks, accidental vegan is what I'm after! And no/very low prep. That all sounds delicious

Thanks all, some great ideas that fit the brief of being vegan, tasty and very low effort. This really helps, looking forward to it now as I genuinely don't want to leave anybody out!

^This.

I’m not vegan but do have allergies which mean I can’t eat certain foods. I find that people sometimes don’t ask and offer me the fake version. It’s always award though as I don’t actually like the real version and the fakes are worse.

Just ask them what they’d like before spending money or time on something just for them.

Just make normal stuff with dairy, eggs and meat and tell them it’s plant based, much easier.

BBC Good Food vegan sausage rolls are brilliant. We make these several times a year (not v/v).

I use ordinary milk and egg as we are catering for a vegetarian rather than vegan.

Humous, cous cous, tofu burritos, vegan bean chilli, Bosh vegan cakes, olives, vegan guacamole, crackers and breadsticks, vegetable samosas, onion bhaji, falafel, pasta dishes, and I personally like soya bean products, so would serve sausage rolls and pasties etc
That's just off the top off my head
I would stay away from supermarket own brand vegan chocolate, its awful, but there are some other lovely vegan chocolates.
M and S do a nice vegan ice cream and lovely salads.

We’ve got vegans; it’s easier than you’d think.

If you’re ok with beige food, you can get pizza, no egg bites, mini no chicken Kievs, vegan pigs in blankets, no pork pies. Also, have a look at things marked for vegetarians rather than vegans. Those items often say ‘may contain eggs etc’ but don’t actually have any ingredients from animal products (obviously do check the ingredients because some will!). They just can’t call them vegan in case of cross contamination, like with allergies.

Go to Greggs, get a dozen Vegan sausage rolls and cut them up into mini sizes. Far cheaper than buying vegan sausage meats and pastry.

Lots of crisps have milk in them, especially Cheese & Onion, but original Pringles, Pom Bears, Walkers Chicken flavour, Skips, any flavour of Seabrook apart from the Cheese & Onion flavour. Salted and dry roasted peanuts (but obviously not honey nut roasted). Biscuits are Jammy Dodgers and Sainsbury’s own Bourbons. Vegan chocolate is quite expensive. Cadburys is the best, but there are loads of others if you want to melt them down and do rice crispy cakes with a bit of treacle. Mix in a bashed up jammy dodger and some vegan marsh mallows and you’ve got a cherry Rocky road. Get some vegan cheddar, grate it all up, mix it in with puff pastry and you’ve got cheese straws. Vegan sausages (Richmonds are up there with the best of a bad bunch) wrapped in Facun (Sooo much cheaper than the vegan pigs in blankets if you want to do a decent number of them).

Sainsbury’s have a vegan chocolate torte in their food for collection this year, but it’s not cheap if you’ve got lots to feed. Waitrose do Jude’s vegan chocolate ice cream and you can buy vegan squirty cream. You can also do a vegan apple pie quite easily.

I like vegans at Xmas,
but I struggle to eat a whole one.

I wouldnt buy vegan food, I would just make things or have things that are naturally vegan as you say

So, hummous, falafel, aubergine dip, bean dips, mushtoom pate made with nuts rather than the cream cheese, pepper dip with walnutsm, curry with coconut milk and veg, rice and nut pilafs/bulgar wheat with roasted veg, big tray of roasted cauliflower in spicy oils, cakes you can cook with oil and vegan yoghurt and use eggless recipes, put a massive spread of it on the table, with breads, fruits, veg sticks, big pots of slaw with vinaigrette dressing, plea and sweetcorn salads (yes really), Spanish fabada without the meat, chutneys and crackers.

Forgot about olives and guac, virtually my whole diet revolves around olives.

Theres tons of things OP. Its easier to make the whole thing virtually vegan so that the vegans dont get 'their' food stolen as it were, and then chuck a load of chicken legs and prawns on the table

Vegan wellingtons from Aldi or Lidl. Waitrose have some nice vegan ‘bites’ for buffet.

Just buy vegan picky type bits, all the shops do them. There is also vegan coleslaw and potato salad, vegan cheese, including my favourite Boursin. There is just so much choice if you don't want to cook from scratch, I wouldn't for a party.

This is a good idea, adding that ready made pastry (filo, short crust and puff) from Asda are all vegan.

I was vegan for 12 years and I’m also gluten free due to intolerance. TBH I never expected anyone to do anything special, at a meal I was happy to eat veg and potatoes, and if there was humous and carrots, that was great, a bit of fruit, happy days!

Some vegan cream cheeses are actually so good - it’s the cheese they do best I think. Violife of plant based Philadelphia- so so creamy and delicious. You could put that out too (I know you are looking for accidently vegan but trust me it’s good!!)
gauacamole ..
Ramona’s humours you can get in tesco and it’s the best!
(I’m not vegan but I have family who are so have been many gatherings trying to find stuff etc).
alot of stuff already mentioned is good.

can lay out lots of crackers/bread/veg sticks with all the dips.
things like artichokes, sliced avocado , sliced tomatoes, cucumbers go down well.
some vegan pastry things are quite nice that are veg/nut based and not trying to be meat like the higgidy brand mushroom rolls, mini tomato muffins and some quiches you can get in Tesco and are very yummy :)
when I got those my sisters were so happy and impressed and asking where to find them so they were definitely a hit!
anyway all these things I mentioned you can get easily in Tesco and are loved by my vegan family and non vegan and are actually so good.
they also love aubergine dip and tortilla chips.

Oh and cakes made by ‘lazy day’ go down well - you can get cake size or like little muffins or caterpillars etc

Interesting cold dishes such as lentil and quinoa with roasted veg stored through with pomegranate seeds is usually a hit with everyone not just vegans.

Remember the vegetarians and non vegans will also eat the food if it is laid out buffet style so make sure there is plenty so the vegans can actually get some!!

Look on tik tok or ask Ai to plan you a buffet for vegans also ask it to do the receipes if you are not familiar with them.

Falafel- everyone will love them, and they are vegan.