FOOD & DR INK
L I FE ON THE VEG So y to the world THERE ARE MORE OPTIONS THAN EVER FOR VEGAN CHRISTMAS DINNER, BUT WHICH DISHES ARE MEATLESS MASTERPIECES AND WHICH BELONG ON THE NAUGHTY LIST? CHELSEA FEARNLEY INVESTIGATES
I used to think of Christmas as the anti-vegan holiday. Like a one-day sentence, it forced us to reintegrate into mainstream society and watch meat-eating savages (our friends and family) gorge on traditional dishes, while we sheepishly tucked into a nut roast. Now, thanks to efforts from supermarkets, we can’t move for options, ranging from meat substitutes to real vegetables, deliciously transformed. Here’s my pick of the vegan dishes on this year’s naughty and nice lists. On the nice list, we have Tofurky’s seitan and tofu roast with wild rice stuffing. Purchased online at Ocado or in-store at Holland & Barrett, it’s been my Christmas dinner for the past seven years and so far, no other shop-bought main contends. It has a pleasantly chewy texture, a crispy outside and a stuffing filling that’s seasoned to taste like Christmas, with hints of sage and bay leaves. Amazingly, it looks just like a turkey joint – my mum even portions it with an electric carving knife – so you don’t miss out on any theatrics, but be warned that this joint requires a good basting to keep it moist. Fortunately, my parents are divorced, meaning I get two Christmas dinners. For the second, I go for something marginally healthier, such as vegetables wrapped in pastry. Supermarkets experiment with fillings and flavours each year, and I’m eyeing up a few new things. The first is Sainsbury’s no-beef wellington; a puff pastry parcel filled with a mushroom and pea protein loaf and spinach, porcini and port wine duxelles. Tesco has something similar, while M&S and Lidl stuff theirs with seasonal root veg and cranberries.
IMAGE M&S’s giant vegetable roll, priced at £8
which seems absurd with a gravy dinner. Also making my naughty list are Sainsbury’s mushroom and chestnut roast and Linda McCartney’s ‘beef ’ roast with red wine and shallot glaze: both are deeply disappointing slabs of beigeness. So, unless you want to dine in misery, I’d advise eschewing all shop-bought ‘roasts’, and making your own. The Bosh boys, also known as ‘the vegan Jamie Olivers’, have a delicious, no-fuss online recipe for nut roast that can be made in just one hour. Most Christmas puddings and mince pies are accidentally vegan, and I especially love the six-month matured pudding from Waitrose, made with plump vine fruit, almonds, sweet candied peel and a dash of sherry. This year, I’m also saving room for a slice of the ginger-spiced, chai tea- soaked frosted cake from Tesco, topped with cinnamon sugar and caramelised ginger pieces. I usually wash down my desserts with a chilled glass of Besos de Oro, a vegan Irish cream liqueur made with tiger nut milk instead of dairy. It’s creamy, without being too thick, sweet, without being too sickly – and much better than Baileys Almande!
Waitrose, meanwhile, is spicing things up with its Moroccan-inspired vegan festive filo swirls. A bit of a wild card, but sure to be a showstopper, is a sausage wreath from Waitrose, in which apple, cranberry, mushroom and leek bangers intertwine to protect a fruity stuffing centre. In my household, Christmas isn’t complete without pigs in blankets, so vegans can rejoice knowing most supermarkets offer meat-free alternatives. While Sainsbury’s and Waitrose go for faux bacon, Tesco, Morrisons and M&S wrap their cocktail sausages in pastry. The ‘pups in blankets’ from Sainsbury’s are peppery, smoky and delicious, but the same can’t be said for the M&S ones. The pastry is doughy, and the sausages are chorizo-style,
“I thought Christmas was the anti-vegan holiday”
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