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Original poster

I had Christmas all sorted and then...

18 replies

TheCurseOfFenric · 03/12/2013 13:27

dss and his girlfriend are going to be coming.

this is fabulous, it will be lovely to see them, BUT dss's girlfriend is a vegetarian coeliac.

I can actually manage this (I have handled gluten/dairy free cooking for many years, and vegetarian not a problem either), but not in a quick and easy M&S Christmas food kind of way.

I have had my M&S food ordered since about October. I have 3 young children, one severely disabled, and the ready-prepped, bung-in-oven stuff is what I need.

So, what can I do for dss's lovely girlfriend? (have checked, all they have is salmon, and I am not sure if she eats fish or not - will check)

where can I get ready-prepped, edible (and actually nice tasting!) GF vege Christmas food?

OP posts:

Snowbility · 03/12/2013 13:42

M&S are pushing the boat out with gluten free, they have removed wheat from a huge number of meat products and are making specific gluen free treats...I haven't looked near their veggie stuff but I bet they will have extended their approach to that aisle too. Otherwise I'd have a look at cauldron sausages to see if they have gluten free.

Original poster

TheCurseOfFenric · 03/12/2013 13:50

thanks, I'd forgeotten about cauldron stuff. but sausages for Christmas dinner doesn't sound right to me!

M&S have been doing wonderful stuff with gluten free, but sadly not much by way of veggie and gluten free for main Christmas dinner

so far, from my Christmas order, I have 1 pud out of 3 that she can eat (wasn't actually meant as a pud, but will do), and erm, some veg (I think - will double check as gluten can creep in in all kinds of places...)

OP posts:

Snowbility · 03/12/2013 14:38

Redwood products aren't bad either, I think they do fake turkey.

Original poster

TheCurseOfFenric · 03/12/2013 14:40

I'm never sure about the etiquette of serving fake-meat to vegetarians. Is it ok? I've always avoided it like the plague, but will have a look, thankyou

OP posts:

IDismyname · 03/12/2013 14:41

It would be worth asking if this was suitable....Nut Loaf

You could just keep it in the freezer until the day.

milkmoustache · 03/12/2013 14:47

I would just ask her what she normally eats for Xmas lunch - I'm sure she will be aware that she's not your run of the meal guest and will want to make things easy for you.

EeyoreIsh · 03/12/2013 14:47

What about some of [[https://www.cookfood.net/menu/shop/gluten-free these][

EeyoreIsh · 03/12/2013 14:48

Gah, link failure

www.cookfood.net/menu/shop/gluten-free

IDismyname · 03/12/2013 14:57

I've just had another look at their vegetarian options for CHristmas, and there are some bean and veg type tagines and casseroles, too. Those may work.

Best call them!

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 03/12/2013 15:06

If she's vegetarian, then she won't eat salmon. M

Gileswithachainsaw · 03/12/2013 15:15

I would just ask her what she would like tbh. That way you can make sure you get something she likes, and as you would have actually talked to her and discussed options she may well feel less nervous about it all. And ( and this is not a dig at you personally) she might feel she can actually eat without the worry that dinner isn't safe .

I was vegan for a while and I found eating at other people's houses very stress full because I didn't know if what they served didbt contain something they wouldn't have recognised as not vegan. I'd much rather have been phoned and asked. :)

sashh · 03/12/2013 17:00

Phone her (or dss) and ask what she wants, she might have a favorite and I've know vegetarians happy with just the veg.

Tomato and aubergine casserole is easy (search I've posted it a couple of times) and could be made now and frozen. The original recipe has yoghurt and bread crumbs in it, but you can substitute yofu and either leave the breadcrumbs off or use crushed crisps (check the packing first though).

I stunned someone into silence once, she was a surprise guest and stunned that I actually had food she could eat. I'd done a buffet with some vegan options.

sashh · 03/12/2013 17:03

that wasn't meant to be bold, I meant to put Gileswithachainsaw in bold.

Original poster

TheCurseOfFenric · 03/12/2013 17:06

Thanks for the help, everyone.

DrinkFeck - yes, I know. my brother has been a vegetarian for longer than I can remember. I do know that at one point she was asked to consider eating some meats as she had been so ill, and I htink she considered fish. Whether she still does, I don't know, which is why I said I would check. And if she does, I am certainly not going to be starting up that conversation over Christmas dinner!

Ishouldcocoa and Eeyore - thanks. that's more the kind of thing I was after. I will ask and see what they come up with.

Giles - I absolutely know what you mean, and am not offended. my dd has been gluten and dairy free for over 7 years, and dss's girlfriend knows this (and was quite impressed with dss' knowledge of all things gluten free, and contamination-avoidance procedures when they first got together ). I have been through the stress bits of eating elsewhere with dd - it can be a nightmare.

I wish I could just ask her, but she is travellign with dss at the moment, and they are out of contact for the main part. I have sent an email, but whether I will get any useful reply before the girls break up for Christmas is anyone's guess! And I don't want to be shopping this close to Christmas with children in tow...

they will be staying for 3 days, so there's a fair amount I need to sort out.

I can't believe I'm having trouble getting my head round this - I can 'do' GF, and I can 'do' vegetarian, but combining them (and also having something 'quick and easy') is just making my head explode!

OP posts:

moosemama · 03/12/2013 17:17

My ds is vegetarian and has to have a coeliac diet. Actually we are all vegetarian.

We don't do a 'centrepiece' for our Christmas meal, we just like everything but the meat with a good variety of vegetables. I make sure I do tonnes of roast potatoes, plus roast parsnip and carrot, buy Mrs Crimbles gluten free stuffing and Dietary Specials yorkshire puds from Tesco, plus a gluten free individual Christmas pud and he's happy. Most custard, including most ready made stuff, is gluten free, as it's made with cornflour rather than wheatflour or there's always cream or ice cream instead.

The only faff is gravy, as we haven't found a decent veggie gluten free one yet, so I make up my own using home made stock with a dash of gf Worcester sauce (from here) and thickened with cornflour. You could just as easily use Kallo veggie stock cubes though, as they are gf.

If you are looking for mince pies, ds assures me that the new Udi range in Tesco stores are much nicer and taste more like traditional mince pies than the Genius ones - in fact most of the Genius stuff is a bit 'bleugh' to be honest.

moosemama · 03/12/2013 17:21

Cross posted. Apologies, didn't realise you are already aware of the gf food that's available.

Honestly, I wouldn't stress trying to come up with something specifically vegetarian gf. Just makes sure there are plenty of vegetables, especially roasties, that she can fill her plate with, as well as some gf stuffing and she'll be fine.

I have been veggie since I was a young teenager and that's all my dh's family used to do for me, didn't bother me one bit, I was just happy to be able to share a meal with them.

moosemama · 03/12/2013 17:29

On the other hand, if you are desperate to get something specifically for her how about this gf nut roast?

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 03/12/2013 19:12

Sorry, OAp, it wasn't to be arsey

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