BY GORDON CRAIGIE
ONE OF THE GREAT highlights of the
season is entertaining family and friends.
As you start planning your perfect traditional meal, thoughts naturally turn to
turkey and all the trimmings. But what if
you’ve invited vegetarian guests? Do you
know how to properly care for their needs
when they visit?
If you’re expecting a vegetarian or
vegan visitor, your ;rst and most important piece of research is to ;nd out what
kind of vegetarian is coming to dine.
According to the Vegetarian Society
( vegsoc.org), there are four main types:
Ovo-lacto vegetarians, who eat both
dairy products and eggs; this is the most
common type of vegetarian diet.
Lacto vegetarians, who eat dairy products but not eggs.
Ovo vegetarians, who eat eggs but not
dairy products.
Vegans, who do not eat dairy products,
eggs or any other products that are derived
from animals.
Variations include pescatarians (those
who eat ;sh but not other types of meat)
and ;exitarians (those who simply eat less
meat). Figuring out what your guests can
eat, and what they like to eat, should be
your ;rst priority.
Some vegetarians look forward to a
traditional Christmas dinner, with the
obvious replacement of the turkey with,
say, a soy or tofu product. Others go out of
their way to avoid simple meat substitu-
tions, and this requires more thought.
Dundee, Scotland–based Emily Dew-
hurst, the owner of cookbook publisher
Kitchen Press, tells The Connection, “My
vegetarian husband loves all the trim-
mings of Christmas dinner—roasted vege-
tables, Brussels [sprouts], red cabbage, the
works—so every year we make a big vegeta-
ble and bean stew pie topped with pu; pas-
try for his end of the table. We do the roast
potatoes in olive oil and rosemary, rather
than [animal] fat, and will usually roast up
a load of squash and red peppers as well.”
Professionals face the same issues.
Italian TV chef Antonio Carluccio says, “I
always ask my guests if they have a special
dietary requirement. It’s easy nowadays to
adapt traditional recipes by substituting
vegetable oils for animal fats, and, as long
as you understand the ;avors you’re trying
to achieve, you can replace the meat with
textured soy protein, for example. But also
Festive food for all
Feeding vegetarian and vegan guests
FOR YOUR TABLE
look to other food cultures, such as Indian,
for ;avors and spices.”
New Zealand–born Kirsten Gilmour,
owner and head chef at the award-winning
Mountain Café in Aviemore, Scotland,
agrees. “It’s pretty simple really,” she says.
“Cut out all dairy, animal products and
honey. Don’t overthink it; just swap these
products with ingredients that will work
instead. Try a soy spread instead of butter,
olive oil instead of cooking with butter, a
fresh salsa instead of a sauce, or hummus
instead of mayo. To replace proteins, I usu-
ally add a mixture of nuts and legumes.”
Similarly, some wines may be unsuit-
able for vegetarians. This is because some
wine is made with animal-derived prod-
ucts in the ;ltering process. So this detail,
too, is worth checking. Also, it’s best to
avoid desserts containing gelatin unless
you’re cooking from scratch and use
non-animal alternatives.
With a little culinary detective work
beforehand, you can ensure that everyone has a relaxed and enjoyable dinner
(holiday or anytime) that is memorable
for all the right reasons. As Gilmour says,
“Taking lovely fresh ingredients and creating a simple, no-fuss dish that everyone
will love is the best thing ever.” C
Gordon Craigie is a Dundee, Scotland–based
freelance writer.
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THECOSTCOCONNECTION
You’ll ;nd a wide variety of vegetarian-and vegan-friendly food and drinks, as
well as a wealth of cookbooks, at your
local Costco warehouse.
