Vegetarian & Vegan Christmas Treats For The Whole Family

Going meat free is one of the best possible things you can do for the planet - but we know that when the turkey is sizzling at Christmas, a vegetarian diet can feel impossible to stick to. Here are our top five vegetarian and vegan recipes to make a plant-based Christmas dinner worth celebrating.

• Delia Smith’s Cheese and Parsnip Roulade is a show stopping vegetarian main course which she created in response to a fan who asked for a veggie Christmas recipe with ‘all the trimmings’. Its decadent ingredient list includes two types of cheese, a sage and onion stuffing, roasted hazelnuts, and a nutmeg and parsnip filling. Though the three-part recipe looks complex, it’s actually quite simple, and the equipment you need is minimal; just your usual mixing bowls, a small, heavy based saucepan for the stuffing, a steamer to make the parsnip puree and a large non-stick sheet to bake the roulade.

• Felicity Cloake’s perfect nut roast combines the things we love from the many incarnations of the Sunday roast stalwart. It’s wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves, which keep the roast itself moist and also give it a striking, slightly retro appearance — the fact that it’s baked in a loaf tin and served in slices adds to the eighties aesthetic. Inside, a delicious combination of chestnuts, hazelnuts, stilton and parsnips brings it right up to date with a nuanced mix of flavours.

• Imagine the family’s faces when you pop this Vegan Wellington on the table. The golden flaky pastry crust is filled with Portobello mushrooms, jewel-like cranberries, crunchy pecans and sweet potato, which combine to create a riot of festive flavour. Serve it with Anna Jones’ delicious root vegetable gravy and crisp, fluffy roast potatoes.
  
  
• This Chestnut, Mushroom and Red Wine Pithivier makes a gorgeous centrepiece for a Christmas feast, and what’s more, it’s incredibly easy to put together, requiring very little forethought — you can have it ready in the time it takes the rest of the family to open a few presents and pop a festive film on. It has a rich flavour profile, courtesy of the red wine and chestnuts, which is complemented perfectly with the earthy umami of the mushrooms. The pithivier is a traditional closed pie with a decorative spiral motif etched into the lid and this one remains true to form; it’s good fun taking a toothpick or sharp knife and creating your design before you glaze the pastry with soy milk and put it in the oven.

• If you thought the pithivier looked simple, you’re going to love this recipe for Pulled Jackurkey. Though it’s completely vegan, this tender jackfruit falls apart like perfectly-cooked turkey in the mouth. It also goes beautifully in that most-coveted of yuletide recipes: the Boxing Day sandwich. Take your bread of choice (we like sourdough), spread it with apple sauce, vegan stuffing and your leftover jackurkey. Season with salt and pepper - and maybe even a dash of hot sauce, if you’re feeling adventurous - and tuck into the best sandwich of the year.