How do I cater for vegetarians at a roast?
The sides that are already vegetarian, the ones that quietly are not, and a main that does not feel like an afterthought.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 4 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Check the gravy, roast potatoes, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings — those four are where meat hides. Make one proper vegetarian main rather than a plate of vegetables, and cook a separate batch of gravy and potatoes rather than one shared tray.
The failure here is rarely the main course. It is that the roast potatoes were done in goose fat, the gravy was made with the meat juices, and the vegetarian ends up with three vegetables and a bread roll.
Safety
Step by step
- Ask exactly what is needed.Vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, or an allergy. Whether fish sauce, gelatine, rennet in cheese or eggs matter. One short question in advance removes all the guessing on the day.
- Audit the sides for hidden meat.Roast potatoes in goose fat or dripping, gravy from meat juices or a stock cube, stuffing with sausage meat, Yorkshire puddings cooked in beef fat, bread sauce, and pigs in blankets touching everything on a shared tray.
- Roast a separate tray of potatoes.Oil or a vegetable fat, own tray, same oven. This is the single most appreciated adjustment, because roast potatoes are what people actually want and they are usually the thing that excludes them.
- Make vegetarian gravy properly.A good vegetable stock, onions cooked slowly until genuinely brown, a spoonful of yeast extract or soy for depth, and a splash of red wine. It should not taste like a compromise, and it will not if the onions are properly caramelised.
- Choose a main with substance.A nut roast, a wellington, a whole roasted squash or celeriac, a filo pie or a mushroom and chestnut tart. Something with structure that gets served and carved rather than spooned out.
- Make it ahead.Nearly every vegetarian main assembles the day before and bakes on the day. That removes it from the busiest hour and is one of the easier parts of the meal to get out of the way early.
- Give it its own dish and space.Cooked in its own tin, served on its own board, with its own serving spoon. Sharing a tray with meat undoes the whole thing.
- Make enough for everyone to try it.A good nut roast or wellington gets eaten by the meat eaters too, and a vegetarian who watches their single portion being shared has been catered for badly.
- Cook enough vegetables for a plate to be complete.The vegetarian plate needs the same amount of food as everyone else's. Scale the sides accordingly rather than relying on the main to carry it.
- Handle a vegan version.Vegetable fat rather than butter for potatoes and vegetables, oil-based pastry, a plant milk in any sauce, and check the stock and wine. Most vegetarian dishes convert with two or three substitutions if planned.
- Label things on a buffet.Small cards saying what is vegetarian or vegan. It saves the guest asking about every dish, which is the part people find wearing.
- Keep separate utensils where there is an allergy.Different spoons, different boards, and prepare before the meat rather than after. This is a safety measure rather than a courtesy.
Tips
- Ask what they actually like as well as what they cannot eat. Being catered for is different from being accommodated.
- Vegetarian gravy freezes well. Making it in November means one less thing on the day.
- A good nut roast is a genuinely popular dish rather than a substitute, and the leftovers are as good as the turkey ones.
Common mistakes
- Roasting potatoes in goose fat and forgetting — It is the most common oversight, and it removes the dish most people look forward to. A separate tray costs nothing.
- Making gravy from the meat juices only — The vegetarian plate ends up dry and everyone notices. Make a small separate batch — it takes fifteen minutes and can be done the day before.
If it doesn't work
Realising on the day that the gravy is not vegetarian
Cause: Made from meat juices before anyone thought about it — Fix: Brown an onion hard, add vegetable stock, a spoon of yeast extract and a little cornflour. Fifteen minutes and it is done.
Vegetarian main dry after baking
Cause: Nut roasts and loaves lose moisture in a hot oven — Fix: Cover with foil for most of the bake and serve with plenty of gravy or a sauce.
Only one portion of the vegetarian main and others want some
Cause: Catered for one person exactly — Fix: Always make enough for two or three extra. It is the dish most likely to be shared.
Questions people ask
What is usually not vegetarian at a roast dinner?
Roast potatoes cooked in goose fat or dripping, gravy from meat juices, stuffing with sausage meat, and Yorkshire puddings cooked in beef fat. Those four catch people out every year.
How do I make good vegetarian gravy?
Caramelise onions properly until genuinely brown, add good vegetable stock, a spoonful of yeast extract or soy for depth and a splash of red wine, then thicken. The slow onions are what stop it tasting thin.