Sunday Vegan Roast Dinners (a compassionate choice)
There’s nothing more tasty and traditional than a Sunday roast dinner. Years ago, this was when the family would eat around the table, after Sunday mass. Of course in modern times this is not always the case. And unlike yesteryear (when everyone ate meat that was also free-range), today many people choose plant-based lifestyles, and refuse to eat factory-farmed beef or lamb.
In this post, we’ll break it down on how to make a tasty affordable vegan roast dinner. There’s a whole post about goose-friendly roast potatoes and mash!
This article will cover the centrepiece (natural choices or ‘faux meats’), Yorkshire puddings, roast parsnips, mashed swede and homemade gravy.
- Keep ‘faux meats’ away from pets, as salt and some other ingredients (like onion, garlic and mushrooms) are not safe near animal friends. Also (if you eat meat), keep cooked bones away from nosey paws.
- For the same reason, never feed leftovers to garden birds and wildfowl (fat can smear on feathers, affecting waterproof/insulation).
- Just bin allium scraps (onion, garlic, shallot, leeks, chives) along with tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures.
- If you use any tinned ingredients, fully remove lids (or pop ring-pulls back over holes) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped=.
Why Choose a Vegan Sunday Roast?
Before farmers get up in arms, know that in a country of 60 million people, England simply does not have enough land for everyone to eat free-range. So it makes sense to eat less meat, even if you’re not vegan or vegetarian. It’s also good for your health and the planet.
Many livestock farmers who are seeing falling sales, are making use of transfarmation programs, where they get help with seeds and training to grow profitable crops like oats (for the huge plant milk market – most oat milk sold in England is imported). Then animals can live out their lives in peace, and families keep hold of long-cherished family farms.
If you do eat meat, then buy it from a local certified organic free-range farmer. But also look at the following options, as there are quite a few to choose from!
roasted squash, Wellingtons & faux meats
If you like to keep things natural, this Vegan Wellington (Crumbs & Caramel) is made from roasted butternut squash, with cranberry wild rice, balsamic-cooked mushrooms, onions, herbs and garlic in flaky pastry. Keep fresh dough away from young children and pets.
You can serve this with a mix of root veggies (toss them in oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs, then roast until brown and crispy). Add optional vegan stuffing or horseradish or apple sauce.
Where to Buy Good Vegan Roasts
Most supermarkets now offer vegan roast joints (ALDI is good, as it’s based in Germany, one of the most vegan-friendly countries on earth).
Also look in stores for Arley’s vegan beef, turkey or lamb roast joints, all free from palm oil and very affordable at around £3. Faux Butcher also makes a more gourmet (expensive) ‘roast lamb joint.
Recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if kerbside does not recycle.
If eating out, Morrisons is one of the first supermarkets to offer a vegan Sunday roast (pumpkin, mushroom and cranberry served with vegan gravy, seasonal veggies, stuffing and roast spuds).
Make (or buy) Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
You can’t have a Sunday roast, without Yorkshire puddings! They are pretty simple to make (albeit a bit fiddly, and be careful with boiling oil). These 5-ingredient vegan Yorkshire Puddings are made with soy milk, self-raising flour, sea salt and baking powder, plus a little vegetable oil.
An alternative is to make toad-in-the-hole (The Veg Space) simply by adding sliced onions and Moving Mountains vegan sausages to the batter.
Always ensure your oven is hot before baking (to avoid sinking puddings) and don’t open the door while baking. Resting the batter for around 20 minutes before baking, helps to hydrate the flour for puffy puddings! Cool them on a wire rack if not serving immediately, to avoid them going soggy.
If you prefer to buy, Mabel’s offers store-bought vegan Yorkshires (no palm oil) which you can order in bulk and freeze the rest for later on (also sold wholesale to indie shops). The range includes toad-in-the-hole and giant Yorkshire puddings!
Ella’s Instant Yorkshire Pudding Mix is sold in a paper bag (with gluten-free options). Just add oat milk, soya milk and a little oil. Also sold wholesale, 20p from each sale goes to animal rescue charities.
Mashed Swede and Roasted Parsnips
This carrot swede mash (The Veg Space) is packed with vitamins, fibre and potassium. Related to turnip and cabbage, these Swedish/Russian veggies should be stored in a cool dark place, and use within one or two weeks. You can also roast them with parsnips (below).
Ideally, buy loose root veggies at markets or farm shops. Supermarket ‘cheap winter deals’ have been found to be selling at a loss (profits made on junk food) which is pricing local farmers out of business.
To roast parsnips, just drizzle over rapeseed oil, sea salt and herbs (thyme or rosemary) and roast until tender, and the sugars have caramelised. You can drizzle over a little maple syrup, near the end of cooking.
Parsnips are high in vitamin K, so check medication before eating.
Store parsnips in the fridge for a couple of weeks, in an airtight container. Remove the green tops (leave an inch of the stem) to last longer. Just before use, scrub with a vegetable brush under cold running water.
Did you know that parsnip flowers in the wild look similar to water hemlock? This is England’s most toxic plants to many creatures, so keep well away!
Pour a Jug of Homemade Vegan Gravy
Most vegan gravy powders contain palm oil, so it’s a good idea to make your own. It’s really simple, and you’ll never go back, because it’s tastier too!
Fry diced onion and garlic in Flora or Lurpak vegan butter (no palm oil), then sprinkle in enough flour to make a paste. Build flavour with tomato puree, cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast and optional herbs.
Then slowly whisk in warmed good veggie stock until it’s all used up, season to taste and simmer for 10 minutes, it will thicken as it cools.
You can seal leftover homemade stock in a sealed silicone container and thaw in the fridge a day or two before use.
Many Pubs Now Serve Vegan Roast Dinners
Many pubs now serve vegan roast dinners. The Roundhill (Brighton) is offers weekly rotating menus with seasonal ingredients. The Spread Eagle (Homerton, London) even serves ‘slow roast celeriac crackling’ and vegan pie and mash!
The Queen Inn (Wales) is one of a growing number of pubs that serves lab-grown vegan meats. Not as Frankenstein as they sound:
One brand (Mission Barns) recently took (without harm) a sample culture from Dawn the pig, then cultivated it in a lab to mimic her body, added sugar, protein and vitamins, then ‘fattened’ the sample in a cultivator. After two weeks, it’s combined with plant proteins to make ‘pig meat’.
Meanwhile, Dawn continues to roam free with her friends, at her animal sanctuary home. Happily unaware that her cells are feeding so many people, and saving millions of fellow pig friends!
