Vegan Main Course

maxmyers that jewelled wreath is a thing of wonder and beauty. I’m thinking it may be a bit beyond my capabilities but I’d love one just to look at. I think if anyone tried to eat it I might jab them with a stick of holly!!!

Oxo do a vegetable cube that is vegan. Bisto do gravy granules too, but do not state vegan as they "cannot guarantee no cross contamination".

I stick a couple of vegetarian haggis in my freezer every January - they are delicious, but you can mostly only get them around Burns night unless you order online www.haggisuk.co.uk/macsween-vegetarian-haggis-serves-2-3-400g/

but you can make your own
thepeskyvegan.com/recipes/vegan-haggis/

Kallo stock cubes are both vegan and organic, including a low salt one. Alternatively, I use miso paste or marmite to add layers of flavour. Nutritional yeast is also a store cupboard ever present for vegan cooking. It brings flavour as well as nutritional benefits.

My favourite nut roast recipe seems not to be online any more!
However, this tip may still help.
I used to find it fiddly having to slice the roast just as everything was going on the table, and it used to crumble. So I now cook it a day in advance, refrigerate and slice it cold, put it back in its (lined) loaf tin, and heat it in the oven for half an hour or so before serving. The slices then are easy to serve, and look good if you've added any contrasting colours, e.g. herby stuffing or whole pistachio nuts.

If the person is OK with nuts, then definitely a nut roast with ahh! Bisto vegetable gravy granules.

I’m now wondering about a sort of individual nut roast decorated a bit like that spectacular wreath and adding chestnuts and maybe a layer of butternut squash somehow to add some sweetness and with the Sarah Brown sauce. Any thoughts on if that would work?
I’ve never used Bisto in any shape or form so might investigate but do use and like nutritional flakes.
I’m very spurred on to look into vegan cooking now. Although we are not vegetarians we do eat a lot of non-meat meals and find them very interesting so I suppose this is just one step further and not the giant leap I had envisaged.
Thank you all for the inspiration!

I would not have butternut squash anywhere near my nut roast.The greater pleasure (just a personal opinion) is cold nut roast sandwiches, with english mustard. Again personally speaking, nut roast lacks for nothing to enhance its flavour.

Okidoke, totally get that, Marmin, thank you. I think I was thinking nut roast sounds a bit ‘virtuous’ and was wondering how to special it up a bit.
I bow to your superior knowledge that it will, in fact, be special enough without me adding any ‘fripperies’ that won’t add anything. Thank you for such sound advice.
I’m so grateful to everyone who has posted and actually quite excited rather than panicky as I was up to the point of throwing myself upon your mercies.

Marmin I'm another who doesn't like squash in my nut roast! I like it nutty and firm.

If you want sweetness what about a cranberry glaze?

Oh and mushroom ketchup is good in the gravy BTW.

(Glaze and ketchup was for Pigma - sorry if that was confusing!)

Nut roast is the food of the gods! In my view, it is the only accompaniment for a Christmas dinner/ Sunday roast. I find pastry accompaniments too heavy and filling.

A few years ago my son in law’s brother joined us for Christmas dinner and almost immediately became vegetarian. This was on the basis of trying our nut roast, which he declared ‘the best thing I have ever eaten’. (Meat was also available). I kid you not.

I have been cooking the Cranks nut roast recipe for more than thirty years now. Thinking about it, having read the last few comments, lots of meat eaters have tried it and expressed genuine enjoyment. I have never had an adverse reaction. I have experimented over the years with combinations and ratios of different nuts but have reverted to hazelnuts and cashews, which is what I started with decades ago!

Ooh, mushroom ketchup? Another new one for me, will investigate.

It's thin - like a fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce (which, incidentally you can buy without anchovies now- but I think not the most famous brand).

I use mushroom ketchup to "up the umami" in gravies and soops and in mushrooms dishes.

Not expensive and definitely useful

soups! - where did "soops" ever come from?

Sounds like a bottle of mushroom ketchup will be a good addition to my kitchen, thanks for the tip. Apologies for the late reply, just hosted our family Christmas bash, they’ve just gone and I’m now sat in bed with a cuppa and Gransnet - bliss!

Night owl- which nut roast recipe do you use please?

Sorry mumofmadboys I’ve only just seen this. it was this one:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/15/how-cook-perfect-nut-roast

It is the last recipe in this article, not vegan but could be adapted. There are others in the article that are vegan I believe. We love that one though.

Thank you very much nightowl

Process chestnut mushrooms and cooked chestnuts (merchant gourmet) to a mince texture. Add to a small mashed sweet potato. Soak some chia seeds, drain and stir in to mixture as binder. Add spices/herbs to taste plus maybe a fried chopped onion. Press into loaf tin and bake 45 minutes 180 centigrade

Thank you all for your recent suggestions for a vegan main course for Christmas Day. DH and I had a delicious time trying out your suggestions (Madgran - your mixture makes delicious burgers too!) before deciding on the Cranks nut roast (delicious and now a firm favourite) which I garnished on the day with a slice of orange, sprig of fresh rosemary and some cranberries so it looked really festive. Served it with roast potatoes (sunflower oil), sprouts, carrots, broccoli, spiced red cabbage and the sherry and mushroom sauce (also very scrummy) and it was a massive hit with our vegan relative - and also the with the curious non-vegans who wanted to try it and loved it!
So a huge thanks to you all, a lovely meal and some tasty ideas for another time.
With best wishes for a very happy and peaceful New Year.

Glad it went well.

vegansrock

Heres the mushroom and sherry sauce recipe its from Sarah Brown’s Vegetarian Kitchen . Very easy and you can make it the day before and just reheat.

Delicious.

The recipe we use is similar, we use red wine not sherry.

Today my husband is making gorgeous Vegan Tofu Paprikash.

Perhaps a recipe for the next 'one vegan' who comes round.