A Planet-conscious Christmas: Vegan and Veggie Alternatives to Turkey
By Milan Perera, Second-Year English
Milan offers some super easy, super tasty alternatives to turkey so you can enjoy a meat-free Christmas without any added faff!
It was only a few years ago that being vegan or vegetarian was viewed merely as a fad, but now more than ever it has become a necessity that everyone reduce their meat for the good of the planet. In a recent interview with the BBC, Prince Charles revealed that he only eats meat and dairy on certain days of the week and said that the general public should also consider changing their diets to help combat environmental issues. With COP-26 in November exposing the urgency with which we need to take action, it seems that reducing meat consumption, even on a small scale can have a huge impact. What better time to make an emphatic and bold statement than Christmas where our meat consumption goes off the charts? Why not try a plant-based alternative to the traditional turkey and trimmings?
If you have the ability to prepare it from scratch then you go, Ottolenghi, but who realistically has the time to be slaving away in the kitchen when you have far more important things to be doing on the big day? The supermarkets truly are the zeitgeist of our time and each year they bring out more and better plant-based Christmas options. Here, I have whittled down three of my personal favourites but by no means is this an exhaustive list.
- Waitrose ‘Beet Wellington’ (Vegan)
A fine take on the classic British dish renowned for its richness and “meatiness.” This consists of roasted beetroot, with a rich sauté of chopped mushrooms, onion and shallots topped with beetroot breadcrumbs, all parcelled up in a layer of melt-in-the-mouth puff-pastry.
2. ASDA Extra Special Vegan ‘No Pigs in Blankets’
A must-have snack over the Christmas period and a staple feature on any Christmas dinner plate. These affordable ‘No Pigs in Blankets’ are made of soybean proteins and potatoes and flavoured with a symphony of flavours to create a worthy challenger to their meaty counterpart.
3. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Truffled Cauliflower Cheese Pie. (Vegetarian)
This meat-free pie is comfort food at its very best. Featuring cauliflower florets in a rich and creamy, truffle cheese sauce and finished with a hand crimped puff pastry adorned with embossed holly leaves, just chuck it in the oven and 30 minutes later you’ll be tucking into a show-stopping winter warmer.
If you’ve found any other great alternatives to meat for you Christmas table then give us a shout- we’d love to try them!
featured image: Lou Craven
Are you willing to switch out your turkey?