Vegan stews and hotpots: hearty recipes for winter

Vegan hotpot (The Veg Space)

There are few more ‘English comfort foods’ than a pot of stew or casserole bubbling away on the stove. They are hearty, warming and filling. And if made with lentils or beans, also very nutritious while being cholesterol free. So grab your biggest saucepan, casserole dish or slow cooker, and cook a stew!

Unlike say baking which is an exact science, stews give you freedom. You can swap lentils for beans, change the herbs, add some spices or use up odd carrots, potatoes or mushrooms in the fridge.

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets.

Before recycling cans, rinse then remove lids (pop ring-pulls over holes). Then step on upper cans to ‘pinch’ inner rims together, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

Unless you’ve a food waste bin, bin pepper/allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) as acids could harm compost creatures.

Use good veggie stock

Most stock cubes use palm oil, so make your own. It’s easy and again a great way to use up leftover veggies. It’s worth it, as the stock forms the flavour base for a good stew.

A vegan version of Lancashire hotpot

This plant-based hotpot is good enough to serve up in any pub! Based on a Lancashire hotpot, it’s made with lentils and mushrooms in a rosemary-thyme tomato base, topped with sliced potatoes.