Love it or hate it, it’s almost here again and, although it can be a bit of a tough time if you’re the only vegan in an unsympathetic family, it doesn’t mean going without. Nor, if you’re worried about it, does it mean causing too much disruption.
If you have space in the kitchen, and the inclination, there are an infinite number of possibilities for your main course on Christmas Day. Nut roast has become the ‘traditional’ vegetarian option, and there are hundreds of different recipes of varying complexity. Some can be very quick and easy, as long as you have a food processor to chop up the nuts. But nut roast isn’t compulsory and you’ll find countless other recipe ideas online.
If you can’t be bothered with cooking and enjoy convenience foods that imitate meat, you could always purchase a VBites Celebration Roast (RRP £5.89). It’s a ‘turkey-style’ roast that comes with a gravy mix and four vegan sausages wrapped in meat-free bacon. You just bung it in the oven for approximately 40 minutes and would probably serve two. Other easy options include a Vegusto roast, a selection of which are available from their website, or Fry’s Soy and Quinoa Country Roast, which can be found in the freezer at many health food shops.
All the vegetables and accompaniments can easily be made vegan with a little thought – gravy, stuffing, etc – and the vegetables shouldn’t be a problem, provided the spuds are roasted in vegetable oil.
Several supermarkets are selling vegan-friendly Christmas puddings this year. At Sainsbury’s, the 6 month matured and Be good to yourself puds are both fine. Meanwhile Aldi’s 12 month matured and standard Christmas puddings are both vegan, and Tesco’s Everyday Value one is also animal-free.
Unfortunately, vegan mince pies are a little thin on the ground this year. The only ones I’ve identified so far are Sainsbury’s Free From mince pies and Waitrose Essential ones. However, it’s also worth popping into your local health food shop to see if they have any available. If you want to bake your own, most mincemeat is now 100% animal-free, as is Jus-rol pastry.
Christmas cakes are more of a problem. You’ll either have to make your own (you can find loads of recipes on the internet, like this one) or buy one from a specialist mail order company such as the Heavenly Cake Company.
Happy Christmas everybody!