Vegetarian roast dinner advice please

[Houseofteenbots]

Advise please. I'm having my son's new girlfriend round for dinner on Sunday. She's a vegetarian. I was going to do a roast beef before I invited her. Now I think cook that for everyone else and add a nut roast for my son's gf? And vegetables etc? She likes a nut roast she says. I asked her. Thanks all. I have literally never cooked a vegetarian roast dinner before

As a veggie I’m always perfectly happy with cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes & veg, but if someone went to the effort of doing nut roast I’d be thrilled!
Asda do beef or chicken flavour gravy granules that are both vegan and gluten free that are tasty, if you are wanting a gravy too.

I’d be happy with the roast dinner just without the meat (veggie gravy and no animal fats on the veg or bacon in the sprouts for example). Can’t believe nut roast is still a thing but if she likes it then easy peasy.

Exactly what you said. All the same vegetables etc and just a nut roast done extra. That’s all I have ever done for Sunday roast or Christmas dinner since I was 11!

Also, Bisto is vegan so easy to do.

Haha! Like I said or should've said I really haven't a clue! So would just serving vegetables be OK then? It's my first proper time meeting her. Well apart from fleetingly!

I too am happy with just all the vegetables and Yorkshire puddings (irrespective of what meat the others are having!!)

But if she likes the nut roast, & you've got the Oven space for it, then great.

Just be really sure that everything is vegetarian or that you let her know what isn't
Such as the gravy (plenty of granules are vegetarian, but she still may not fancy it) & obviously just make sure none of the beef juices are added, or just tell her it's not vegetarian, most of us are quite reasonable about not having certain things. It's just people being honest about what is in everything that's really important!!

roast potatoes, I am a little sad if they're not vegetarian but I'd still rather be told that they've been cooked in goose fat or whatever. They do still come up lovely and just vegetable oil.!!

And obviously, if you cook any of the vegetables around the meat, then let her know that's what you have done.

Just relax I'm sure you'll have a lovely time

My vegetarian family members are always happy with a nut roast.

Bisto gravy granules are vegetarian and I cook them their own roast potatoes in some kind of veggie oil as I’m not giving up my roasties in beef dripping for anyone, no matter how much I love them!

I would do the nut roast because it shows you've thought about her. Personally, I wouldn't be happy with just the vegetables because there's no protein and I think it would also look like you simply hadn't bothered to do anything for her.
The nut roast can double as stuffing for everybody else.

My daughter is veggie and loves to have extra cauli cheese and Yorkshires along side the usual potatoes and veg. However she does also like the veggie individual pies you can buy, Tesco and Waitrose do some nice ones as an alternative to nut roast.

Well your meat dinner is essentially:
Protein (meat) / carbs (roast pots etc) / veg / meat gravy

she will be having

Protein (nut roast) / carbs (roast pots) / veg /
veggie gravy

I’d be happy with the veg too! Double check you have veggie gravy granules in though. Quorn turkey roast is a real winner. I’d be gutted if I was served a nut roast but if she says she likes it no probs!

I think if you don’t know her well I would make something like a nut roast as it shows you have thought about her. When DH turned veggie his family always just did the vegetables and roast potatoes and it always felt like they had forgotten that he didn’t eat meat. Now they do him a pastry tart - ready made puff pastry with some veg and goats cheese on. V easy and goes down well

I wouldn’t serve only the sides, I agree with PP that it makes it look like you haven’t made an effort. Even if the sides are really fancy!

I make roasts fairly regularly and while nut roasts are fine, this is probably the most popular centrepiece among my veggie guests: www.cookfood.net/products/mushroom-wellington

That's a nice thing to do. As a veggie I wouldn't really want just a plate of veg as some would as you do really need some protein. Little pies or bakes usually work too. Lidl usually have some good ready made choices either fresh or frozen. I like their cauliflower cheese pie, the sweet potato and feta or the frozen mushroom and stilton one.

They sound nice

No, you can’t just serve her veg!

Vegetarian haggis goes beautifully with roast dinner. Usually find it in waitrose.

I agree. Especially now you've obviously asked what you can give her. I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to go to too much trouble though, I'd be happy with a shop bought but roast or a couple of veggie sausages.

I'm vege and when I cook a meat roast, I just have the side veges as I can't bothered doing anything extra for myself! As you're meeting her for the first time, I would go to the effort of doing an extra thing for her as I'm sure she'll appreciate it.

Nut roast is very old fashioned but who cares if she likes it?
Aldi are doing vegetarian faux turkey and beef joints at the moment-perhaps if you'd find that easier (and if she likes things like that of course, some vegetarians don't). I imagine most supermarkets will do something similar.

I forgot to put she's 17 not that it .makes any difference really. Thank you for all your suggestions

We always make a nut roast for DD - at her request - if we’re having a roast. Or sometimes a veg Wellington.

Oh yes I love this! It's so nice

Nut roast is very old fashioned but who cares if she likes it?
Aldi are doing vegetarian faux turkey and beef joints at the moment-perhaps

I wouldn't say nut roast is old fashioned. It's been around for a long time for sure but so has roast beef dinners and nobody thinks they are quaint!
Fake meat is bloody awful.
I regularly batch make a few nut roasts for the freezer.

The receipe i use the most is this one from Bosh. It's dead easy and even the meat eaters in family like it!
www.bosh.tv/recipes/big-bosh-nut-roast

I love faux meat. To be fair i do like nut roasts too. Just rarely see anything featuring them nowadays.

Id maybe ask her if she’d prefer a nut roast or a vegetable pie in case she was being shy and polite about the nut roast when you asked. Even better ask DS to ask