Entertaining Vegetarian Guests at Christmas

While Christmas dinner and party foods may traditionally be all about the turkey and meat-based trimmings, with a little forward-planning and experimentation, there are ways to make catering for vegetarian requirements easy.

You’ll also find some quick and easy recipe ideas and tips on how to incorporate more meat-free dishes into your festive feasts.

Festive Foods to Watch Out For

Surprisingly, there’s a whole host of festive foods that you may think are vegetarian-friendly, but actually contain meat-based ingredients. These are often mixed in either to enhance flavour, texture or appearance.

The following is a list of festive foods to watch out for:

Cheese

Although considered to be a major source of protein for vegetarians, many varieties contain rennet; enzymes found in animal stomachs! Most British cheeses feature this ingredient on the label, but others just mention ‘enzymes’.

Soup

Some vegetable soups are made with chicken or beef stock so choose carefully.

Gravy

Make sure you give vegetarian guests vegetable-based gravy granules.

Ready-made potatoes

Always check the labels because many brands of frozen roast potatoes are coated in goose fat instead of oil.

Stuffing

Stuffing mixes tend to be made from suet; a type of animal fat. Opt for vegetable-based varieties for your vegetarian guests.

Meat flavoured crisps

If you’re serving bowls of crisps to party guests, make sure you keep the vegetarian-friendly varieties separate and labelled clearly. Although crisps may seem fairly innocent, some brands contain chicken fat.

Sweets

Many brands of gummy bears and other jelly sweets contain gelatine; a translucent, flavourless product derived from animal bones, organs and connective tissues.

Beer & Guinness

Surprisingly, Guinness and most varieties of beer are not strictly vegetarian. This is because they contain an ingredient made from fish bladders! Gelatine is also occasionally used. These ingredients help to stop the alcohol from becoming cloudy, but unfortunately there tends to be no mention of them on the label.

Cranberry sauce

Most varieties contain gelatine, so check the ingredients beforehand.

Jelly

Although a popular dessert at Christmastime, jelly is a gelatine dessert so usually cannot be served to vegetarians. There are however, vegetarian jellies available. These are made from pectin.

Peanuts

Some brands of peanuts include gelatine. Always check the label!

Top Tip: If in doubt about what foods are vegetarian and which ones aren’t, always look for the Vegetarian symbol.

Christmas Dinner Vegetarian Alternatives

There are a wide range of vegetarian recipes that can be served up for Christmas dinner instead of the traditional turkey. Our Mushroom & Chestnut Lentil Loaf and Festive Beetroot & Vegetable Wellington
are delicious Christmas dinner alternatives that the whole family can enjoy!

Serve with Brussels Sprouts, rosemary potatoes and our Hazelnut & Cranberry Stuffing Balls for a hearty Christmas dinner. If you need a tasty vegetarian-friendly cranberry sauce, our Extra Fruity Cranberry Sauce.

Vegetarian Christmas Desserts

Most traditional Christmas puddings are made from suet, but there are vegetarian options available to buy in supermarkets. You can also buy dairy-free versions of custard, ice cream or cream.

If you fancy entertaining your vegetarian guests with something a little bit different, why not try a completely different festive-style dessert? Great vegetarian dessert recipes include chestnut cheesecake, sticky toffee pecan pudding, and our very own 3 Ingredient Tropical Mousse.

Vegetarian-Friendly Beverages

Some supermarkets have a dedicated section for vegetarian-friendly alcohol, but if you’re struggling to find suitable options, why not try one of our Christmas-inspired drinks recipes instead? We recommend our delightful Hot Mulled Beetroot & Raspberry Punch.

If you have any other vegetarian-inspired recipes you’d like to share, let us know on our Facebook page, and the best ones will get featured on this blog!

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