Xmas veggie options - help!

[SexyDomesticatedDab]

Doing Xmas lunch for quite a large number - mains will be fairly traditional turkey and all the usual trimmings - like lots of veg anyway.

But I'm stuck for good ideas for a veggie option - suggestions for an option that would go with the above (no meat gravy!!) - do people feel left out if they don't have similar or is it better to just do a complete veggie alternative??

Any ideas and feedback would be appreciated!

Nut roast is traditional I suppose and you can serve it with all the trimmings you were making provided you've not done the potatoes in goose fat or anything. I did also find a great christmassy mushroom pie in the national trust traditional cookbook or something that was ace although I can't put my hands on the recepie just now.

Last time I had this the veggie in question said large amounts of chestnut stuffing/other veggie stuffing, plus lots of roasted parsnips and the rest of the trimmings, plus veggie gravy from Marigold powder would do nicely.
As everyone always wants lots of stuffing we had 3 different kinds, one with sausagemeat, one with apricot and nuts and berries, and one chestnut and herbs.

I've done a nut roast before, also a filo pastry thing with mozzarella and cranberries. Basically anything that's ready to go straight in the oven! But if there's only 1 person might as well ask them what their preference is.

It's for an event so don't know how many it will be! Was nut roast just done to death and became an in joke or is it actually OK. Never made one - I'm ok making veggie type stuff (usually risotto or pasta something) but didn't think they'd fit.

Maybe a type of filo pie / filling could do the job.

Speaking as a veggie, nut roasts are a bit of a cliche but then so is turkey and all the trimmings IYSWIM. Nut roast with roast potatoes and all the trimmings is delicious IMO.

You can make the nut roast the day before (or possibly even earlier and freeze it). There are loads of good basic recipes online like this one. You can then improvise and add extra ingredients to suit. It's quite an easy dish to mess around with and tailor to your taste. Try different types of nuts, different herbs and spices, add beans or lentils. It will be delicious.

We often have Crank's mushroom wellington - recipe here for Christmas dinner and it has always gone down well with both veggies and non veggies. If you use a chilled puff pastry it can be made well in advance and frozen and just bunged in the oven on the day. We always alter the recipe slightly as we find the amount of ground almonds a bit too much so just cut down on them and increase the other things to compensate.

More than half my family is veggie, and one Christmas staple of ours is Delia Smith's parsnip roulade. We have also had things similar to the mushroom wellington linked to above, as well as nut roast type things, but they can often be a bit heavy - the nice thing about the parsnip roulade is that it isn't too stodgy, but goes well with all the usual Christmas side dishes.

As a non veggie I would tend towards the mushroom wellington type than the nut roast. Thanks for the in put and links.

I'll be eating what everyone else does, but minus the meat and with Bisto Onion gravy. I hate nut roast and feel awkward when people make something especially for me, there's enough to do already.

I will use the fact I didn't fill up on turkey as an excuse to pinch the last Yorkshire Pudding though :o

I buy a lovely mushroom in filo pastry tart from tesco and its lovely. I just have that along with the rest of the veg

The Mushroom Wellington is a good idea, as is the filo with cheese & cramberries... and tbh although a Nut Roast is a bit of a 70's cliche they are really good! (or at least can be).

With friends & family though, I'm happy with 'The Trimmings' & Bisto because there's already enough to do without messing about for one person (I'm the only veggie amongst my family/friends) - but I do think that if you are going to a meal that you have paid for/is for an 'event' then there should be an effort made for the vegetarians.

The other thing is to make sure the Christmas Pudding is vegetarian - some are, some aren't and that's a great disappointment if you can't have a bit!!

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chestnutbourgignonpi_3042 This is lovely.

Best veggie option I made once was a Raised Layered Pie. Using hot water crust pastry the same as you'd make for a pork pie, line a deep tin and then fill with layers of chestnuts, cranberries, spinach, feta, red onion and sliced potato. Cook on the day and serve hot... also nice cold on a buffet with various relishes.

Thanks for all the tips and ideas - dug out Delia Xmas book (TBH - it's Nigella that floats my boat but Delia has some good stuff - just not so inspiring sometimes.

Puds will be Sticky Toffee, Pavlova (or maybe Chocolate roulade - for the coeliacs) and a Xmas tree / Celebration log cake!

Do you need any testers

This is really good. I made it last year and all the carnivores polished it off. Serve with vegan gravy (there are lots of recipes on t'net].

Chipping - you'd be most welcome to have a nosh

OOh lovely - just let me know where & when