Add your vegetarians in the planner and it adjusts the turkey, adds a nut roast and vegetarian gravy, and fits them into your timeline. Use the planner
Timetable: dinner at 2pm with a nut roast
For 6 adults and 2 children, 2 of them vegetarian, with a 4.5 kg turkey for the meat eaters and a nut roast for the vegetarians.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Turkey in the oven at 180°C, loosely covered with foil |
| 12:45 | Take the foil off. Parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes |
| 13:00 | Potatoes into the oven |
| 13:10 | Nut roast in, in its own tin (most take 40 to 50 minutes, so follow the pack) |
| 13:15 | Turkey out to rest, once it reaches 75°C. Turn the oven up |
| 13:20 | Stuffing in |
| 13:25 | Pigs in blankets in |
| 13:30 | Parsnips and carrots in |
| 13:45 | Make the gravy, and warm the vegetarian gravy in a separate pan |
| 13:50 | Sprouts on |
| 14:00 | Carve and serve |
| 14:00 | Pudding on to steam for about an hour, so it's ready after the main course |
How much to buy for vegetarians
- Nut roast or veggie wellington: about 150 g per vegetarian. Ready-made ones usually say how many they serve.
- Vegetarian gravy: about 150 ml each. Turkey gravy is made with the meat juices.
- Everything else: potatoes, vegetables and pudding as normal. Vegetarians can share the trimmings, as long as they're made without meat or meat fats (see below).
- Less meat: you need a smaller turkey and fewer pigs in blankets. The planner works this out for you.
Hidden meat to check for
Some Christmas favourites aren't vegetarian, even though they look it. Check the labels:
- Roast potatoes: goose fat and beef dripping aren't vegetarian. Use vegetable or olive oil, or roast a separate tray.
- Stuffing: many stuffings contain sausagemeat. Look for a vegetarian one, or make a separate tin.
- Gravy: turkey gravy uses the meat juices, and some gravy granules contain meat stock.
- Christmas pudding and mince pies: some are made with beef suet, and some pastry contains lard. Many are labelled vegetarian.
- Desserts and sweets: trifle, jelly and some sweets contain gelatine, which comes from animals.
- Cheese: Parmesan is always made with animal rennet, and so are some other hard cheeses. Look for one labelled vegetarian.
Tips for the day
- Give the nut roast its own tin, and use separate spoons so it doesn't pick up meat juices.
- The nut roast goes in while the turkey is still cooking, so it's ready at the same time as everything else.
- Resting the turkey frees up the oven for the potatoes, nut roast and trimmings.
All-vegetarian table?
Skip the turkey and follow the same times for the trimmings, with the nut roast going in about 50 minutes before you eat. Check the nut roast's pack for its exact time.
More guides: Christmas dinner timings · how long to cook a turkey