If you’re not a vegan yet and have vegan visitors coming over it’s easy to get yourself in a tiz about how to handle their visit.
But don’t panic!
My blog below tells you all you need to know for a fuss free festive season – from gifting to gravy and beyond!
Gifting Vegans
If you’ve got vegan guests dropping by it’s likely you’ll be buying them a gift.
And it goes without saying that if you want the day to pass without any ‘awks’ moments, getting them something they’ll actually want will save you both embarrassment, and possibly money.
Vegans don’t use anything from any animal. So (unless you like throwing money away) it’s a good idea avoid buying them anything that’s a physical reminder of the harm that came to the animal it was made from.
Clothes, shoes and accessories
Leather, silk, fur, feathers or wool can’t be gathered humanely – and more to the point, they’re not ours to take. A true vegan will never want to wear them. So take especial care to avoid them when buying jumpers, scarves and gloves, belts, bags, jewellery and wallets.
Cork, vegan leathers, bamboo, organic cotton…are all fine alternatives.
Toiletries and Cosmetics
Maybe your vegan loves to pamper themselves. But avoiding cruel or planet-busting cosmetics is essential for vegans. So steer clear of toiletries and cosmetics that contain gelatin, honey, beeswax, carmine/cochineal, royal jelly, snail secretions, lanolin, shellac, squalene (from shark’s fin), guanine (fish scale), animal hair or stearic acid (pigs’ stomach).
The bunny on the bottle will tell you whether an item has been tested on animals, but only the specifically vegan symbols below will confirm it has no animal bi-products in it.
And while you’re at it, maybe avoid buying anything in too much plastic, something the cosmetics industry is particularly rife with (so anything with microbeads is also a big fat no-no for ALL your ‘giftees’).
Sweets and Biscuits
So many of the sweets I ate as a kid make me balk as a conscientious, vegan shopper. I no longer eat milk or honey, gelatine, egg, shellac, or butter.
But I DO eat my own bodyweight in sweets every Christmas. Why? Because there’s a f*** ton of vegan sweets out there now.
Brands like Booja Booja, Divine, Candy Kittens, Vego, Moo Moo and others have revolutionised the vegan sweet industry. Even (ironically) M&S have brought out a line of Percy Pigs without pig gelatin.
Sherbet sweets too, are usually vegan, and you can check out our blog on liquorice here for something a tad more grown up!
Vegan sweets can still be more expensive than regular treats, admittedly – but they’re far nicer – honestly! – than the usual cruelty-packed taffies. Why? Because nothing tastes as good as when it’s guilt-free.
You probably won’t find a huge tin of vegan naughties for under £3 like the non-vegans would be content with. But frankly, Nestle and Cadbury aren’t the kind of companies you should be giving your money to anyway, and with even brands such as Mars Galaxy having vegan options available now, you don’t have to raid the bank to make the switch. So any dairy-free chocs, or gelatine-free jelly sweets you buy your vegan guest, will be, I guarantee you, gratefully received.
Wine
My vegan wine blog
…lists our favourite boozy accompaniments to meals and should give you a few ideas for wine gifts!
The Main Event
Of course the biggest psychological mountain for most meat-eating hosts is catering for vegans at the main event – dinner! Below I’ve tried to explain some of the mistakes and solutions I’ve encountered throughout my twenty+ years of meat-free Christmases.
Use different serving spoons
Before we start it’s vital that I get this simple message across.
Using the same pan or utensil to dish up will undo in an instant any hard work you’ve put into making a vegan friendly meal of any kind. Imagine using a scalpel to cut and fold back the mutilated face of a murder victim, then immediately using it to slice cheese into your sarnie – absolutely NO way you’d eat that sandwich, right?? That’s the equivalent for a vegan. For us, your turkey IS a murder victim.
Using a different spoon for meat, fish, eggs, or anything cooked in animal fats, and the vegan-friendly food will ensure there’s no cross contamination. It may not matter to you, and it might be a nuisance to whoever’s doing the washing up, but it will mean the world to your vegan. Once you’ve tarnished their food with animal products, they cannot eat it, or will have to forego their principles to make you – clumsy! – feel better. Really, truly: no.
Eat together
Vegans won’t appreciate any meat appearing on their plate – so strike out testing their will with a slice of turkey straight away.
If you’re feeling brave, (you can do it!) getting everyone eating the same meal is less divisive, easier on the chef, and will make your vegan feel super welcome.
We once ‘Christmased’ at my parents’ house – and I’ve honestly never loved her more than when my stepmum announced we were ALL having her (first ever!) home-made nut roast. It was the kindest thing she’s ever done. And – spoiler – *everyone* enjoyed it.
It made it easier to find space in the oven, dish up, and eat without the inevitable misery that comes with being at the same table as a dead animal and a militant vegan.
Plus, honestly, even if I’m not expected to eat any of the non-vegan food, I personally detest eating with the smell of carbonised flesh in the room, so this option is, for me, the absolute pinnacle of a selfless vegan welcome.
Different but the same
If you can’t all eat the same thing – and there could be valid reasons for this – then maybe try cooking any part of the meal you are sharing (i.e. veggies, stuffing, gravy…) away from any meat or other animal products.
Roasting your veggies in coconut oil or veggie oil means everyone can eat them.
Not tossing the bacon bits into the sprouts until after you’ve served up the vegan’s sprouts, is a tiny but meaningful effort.
Making stuffing and gravy from veg-only products is evergreen.
And if you’re worried about getting the same effect, there are some easy fixes. I usually roll our (par boiled) potatoes in cornstarch (yep – vegan!) and roast them in smoking-hot coconut oil for a superb crisp finish. But sunflower, vegetable, rapeseed or olive oil will do just as nicely. And nobody will spot the difference. Except the goose.
There are some really good vegan spreads on the market now for buttering peas and carrots that nobody will have the slightest clue aren’t dairy.
What to serve instead
So everyone’s having meat except Dr Difficult.
That’s fine. Nut roasts, stuffed butternuts or peppers, vegetable pies, schnitzels… are all fairly easy to make. But you don’t have to go bananas. Cheat! Most of the above can be bought ready made now in the Free From freezer section of your local supermarket. You could try your local Holland and Barret, or vegan deli if your supermarket’s offerings are a bit lame. They’ll have something in, I promise!
One lazy Christmas, I used a prepack nut roast and chucked in some extra nuts and dried apricot pieces to it to bulk it up, and make it a bit more special.
I do the same to stuffing mixes. Check they’re vegan to begin with, then add some crushed up tinned peaches, or ripped sage, sundried tomatoes or cranberries to sass it up a bit. It takes two minutes and the effect is always worth it. I’ve even substituted the stuffing for vegan sausage mix.
If you’re wanting to feed your vegan a pie, then make sure the pastry is vegan. Jus-Roll is almost always vegan, as are most supermarket own brands. But you can easily buy vegan butter blocks if you’re making your own, and there are tons of recipes online for various pastries. My tip is to keep it really cold – and to keep rechilling it if you’re handling it a lot – as vegan pastry tends to rip apart easily. Be sure not to twist your cutters too as this will avoid it shrinking in the baking tin.
Whatever alternatives you’re serving your vegans, just remember that you’re probably only substituting a couple of slices of meat on the plate, not the whole bird. So just a small something will be enough.
Just the veg
Vegans eat meals made up of ‘just the veg’ ALL THE TIME. If they say they’re happy with just the veggies, they probably mean it. So there’s not necessarily any need to queue up for hours in M&S for that one vegan thing, if you’re busy.
Making the veg palatable and celebratory though, is important: it’s your vegan’s Christmas dinner too, after all.
Let’s face it, most meat eaters do nothing of note with their veg, prefering to focus on the dead thing instead (weirdos!). So it’s understandable that most die-hard carnists find the idea of ‘just the veg’ appalling.
But with a bit of imagination, and sometimes minimal effort, the veg you serve up could be the star attracton for all your guests.
Adding shaved, toasted almonds and cranberries to your broccoli, garnishing your carrots with fresh herbs in vegan butter, drizzling your parsnips with maple or agave syrup, roasting your cherry toms in balsamic vinegar, shaving orange zest into your runner beans… It doesn’t take much to turn a limp leaf into something really special. And food magazines and websites are always chock full of ideas for adding that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your legumes. So check them out, buy in the stuff and give it a go.
Gravy, stuffing, dips and sauces
You’d be amazed (and hopefully horrified) at the amount of animal cruelty in sauces and condiments most meat eaters buy without a second thought. But the vegan diner is far more discerning.
Avoid anything with anchovy, gelatin, milk powder (it’s in EVERYTHING folks – even crisps!) and beef stock. Always check the labels of anything you’re buying to add flavour, and if in doubt, do not add it to your shared items, such as roast vegetables and gravies, when cooking.
Items that don’t say they’re vegan on the label invariably aren’t.
I’ve had the most success substituting milk and cream for oat milks or cashew nuts in things like bread or cheese sauces.
I use Applewood smoked cheese in my béchamel and grilled cheese toppings, opt for mushroom ketchups and Henderson’s Relish in gravies and casseroles, and stir vegan mayonnaise into my raitas, aiolis, coleslaws and potato salads.
And there are some scorching rich vegan gravies on the market now too that are inexpensive and good for everyone. I tend to use these as a base, and add things like passata, wine, roast apples, or blitzed mushrooms to my Christmas gravy to make it that little bit more ‘occasion’.
Pigs in Blankets
You can buy these ready made, or make your own using vegan chipolatas and a strip of vegan bacon or a blanket of vegan pastry. I’ve even cut up regular vegan sausages and used them.
And to answer the most asked question, some vegan products are labelled with meaty names exactly for this purpose – to help you seek them out quickly and easily when shopping.
But even though their name might be meaty, make sure you cook them away from the joint and any veggies in animal fat. They’ll take nowhere near as long to cook as meaty ones, so could be a great substitute for everyone to try.
Pudding
I’m normally too full for a pudding, but it would be remiss of me not to address this very important part of the day.
See my Mince Pie blog for more on those little treasures – but also note that vegans will be looking out for certain ingredients in their Christmas cakes and desserts too.
The usual pitfalls are suet, gelatine and other animal fats, cream, milk and eggs – all of which involve animal cruelty and pillage.
We’ve already discussed pastry – and the same obviously applies to sweet pies and strudels.
But it’s worth looking out for vegan ice creams, oat- or coconut-based creme fraiche, creams and custards, and soy based yogurts. Even chickpeas can be used for ice creams now, and frozen bananas are great for making your own. Vegan dairy is all pretty commonplace now, and there are several amazing recipes online for those of you who prefer to DIY.
Avacados and silken tofu can be used for chocolate mousses (make sure the chocolate is vegan – I use Sweet Freedom sauces!), and aquafaba can be whipped up for things like meringues and lemon curds. Coconut cream will be your new BFF (Best food friend).
Free From jellies can be combined with coconut cream, vegan custard and fruit to make indulgent trifles.
Butter icing can be made exactly the same way as regular stuff, by switching out the dairy butter for a vegan butter block or spread – and it’s actually easier to soften too!
This year my mum made me the most spectacular Christmas cake using coconut oil. Every other ingredient was exactly the same.
And if you’re doing pancakes or waffles for breakfast, I honestly just switch out the cruelty-milk for oat milk and add a dribble or two of vanilla bean paste! It tastes and cooks exactly the same.
Cheese Boards
Ok – we’ve all heard the rumours about how disgusting vegan cheese is, right? But the good news is that not all vegan cheese is like chewing mastic sealant any more! I’d even go as far as saying some of them are bliddy delicious.
KindaCo, Honestly Tasty, Applewood, IAmNutOk, and Violife all make magnificent vegan cheeses, and even sell ready made hampers packed full of lovely blocks of yum. Try one bite of Honestly Tasty’s Shamembert and I swear you’ll be a convert.
I frequently use their cheeses for non-vegan guests, because they are genuinely amazing. Cheese was the reason I took so long (20+ years – the shame!) to switch to veganism, so I really hope my endorsement will prove these brands are worth a try.
A couple of things to note:
(i) Vegan cheese doesn’t tend to cook like regular cheese. I find it doesn’t always blend or melt in the same way. So I’d maybe follow a vegan recipe for anything complex rather than just swapping out. But for a simple smorgasbord, I’d definitely go with the brands above.
(ii) Make sure any crackers, crisps and breads you serve with the cheese are also vegan.
Vegan guests – final thoughts
You may not share your vegan guest’s views on animal cruelty – or have their determination to follow such a prescriptive lifestyle.
But hey – don’t goad them.
Not only is it actually a recognised hate crime to bully someone about their philosophical and ethical beliefs, every time you laugh at a vegan, you’re basically laughing at animal cruelty, and climate change. And human rights. Not cool.
So for a truly cool Yule, maybe try and remember that it’s just one day, that’s just a tiny bit different from your every day. And that if you invited them over, you probably wanted them to have a good time. Plus you’ll probably be expanding your culinary repertoire – which can only be a good thing!
Love and respect – for each other, ourselves, the animal kingdom, and this beautiful planet – are everything that Christmas should really be about. So let’s hold that thought in mind.
