Top 10 Survival Tips for a Vegetarian Christmas
Don’t panic! A vegetarian Christmas needn’t
be a headache.
Our top tips will help your Christmas go off with a bang!
1. Go nuts!
Christmas is a great time to get your nuts out. There are
loads of tasty recipes using wholesome nuts and of course the vegetarian
classic - the nut roast. Nuts are highly nutritious and can provide you
with calcium, zinc and essential fatty acids.
2. Play with your veggies!
Experiment with some seasonal winter veg.
Parsnip, turnip, swede, sprouts, leeks, cabbage - slice them, roast ‘em,
boil ‘em, fry ‘em, steam ‘em, bake ‘em. Show
them who is boss. (Check out our Xmas Saints’n’Sinners Recipes
for suggestions).
3. Plonk!
Christmas is the time to stock your cupboards full of the juices
of the vine. Whatever your poison - red, white, or a drop of bubbly -
the festive period is the perfect occasion to indulge. Vegetarian wine
is free from finings such as gelatine and isinglass (the swim bladder
of tropical fish), frequently used to clarify wine. Look out for the
Vegetarian Society’s ‘V’ symbol, guaranteeing a product
is 100% vegetarian or ask in your supermarket or off-licence if they
have a list of vegetarian wines.
4. The morning after
You don’t need a bacon butty to sort your
hangover out, the best veggie hangover cure is a banana milkshake, made
from soya or dairy milk, honey and ground almonds and of course bananas.
Throw it in and whisk away. Don’t forget, you CAN get veggie bacon
if you wish!
5. Lardy-dah…
You can still eat mince pies at Christmas, just make
sure you get the vegetable suet variety. Traditional suet uses animal
fat. Thankfully more and more companies are switching to veggie suet.
Check the labels before buying. It tastes just the same and is loads
better for you!
6. Looking for the perfect vegetarian Christmas present?
What about a
vegetarian haggis (MacSweens, Edinburgh) or for your dog some Wafcol
vegetarian dog food. Feeling porky? Try a porkless pie (health food stores),
a vegetarian hamper, or better still, membership to the Vegetarian Society.
7. Misunderstandings
It’s a sad fact that lots of people still
don’t understand that a vegetarian diet not only provides you
with all the essential nutrients you get from eating meat but is also
much
healthier. Suggest they get the lo-down on why being veggie is so great
by going to www.vegsoc.org.
8.
Clichés
Wherever you go there will always be some joker who
thinks veggies are sandal-wearing hippies who live on nut cutlets
and scraps of old cabbage. If one of these bizarre individuals corners
you
over the yule log and starts to make turkey noises or asks pointless
questions about whether carrots feel pain - just laugh at them, they
are a lost cause!
9. Don’t let
friends
or family roast your vegetables next to the Christmas bird. Cooking
vegetarian dishes separately from the meat is
essential. The same goes for vegetarian stuffing, cook separately
and don’t allow it to go anywhere near the anatomy of a turkey.
10. Don’t cry over spilt gravy
vegetarian
gravy is great. If you are living in a mixed meat and veggie household,
offer
to make up the
gravy they won’t be disappointed. Vegetarian gravy
granules are readily available or pick up a decent vegetarian
recipe
book.
For more tips and info on the joys of being a veggie at Christmas
and all year through, go to www.vegsoc.org
Or call us on 0161 925 2000.
Leave Santa a veggie mince pie on Christmas Eve, you never
know he may be a vegetarian!
Merry Christmas
Some
useful Links
Saints & Sinners
Recipes
Christmas recipe archives
Fun, games and e-card Support us with your Christmas Shopping
Find approved vegetarian food and drinks
Go shopping - gift ideas for vegetarians
Detailed facts sheets about vegetarian food and nutrition |
