This Christmas there really is no need to eat turkey. With more veggie products on the market than ever before, it couldnt be easier to take our turkey free pledge this year.

It is important to remember that most of a roast dinner is made up from vegetables anyway, so there is not much that needs replacing. Roast potatoes, parsnip, stuffing (click here for a list of veggie friendly stuffing), gravy (click here for veggie gravy), cranberry sauce, apple sauce, carrots... these are what make up the bulk of a roast dinner, and they are all meat free!

It is entirely up to you whether you get creative and make your own centre piece, or if you buy a pre-made product. This is a list of some of the veggie alternatives available this x-mas. There are recipes below.

REDWOOD'S
Redwood's make loads of great meat and cheese alternatives. Of particular interest at this time of year is their Celebration Roast, which consists of four sausages wrapped in Cheatin' Bacon, slices of Cheatin' Roast Turkey, and gravy.

Redwoods food can be picked up at most health food shops in the UK, or you can buy online by clicking here.

GRANOSE
If you aren't keen on the idea of meat alternatives, or you just want something different, why not try one of Granose's nut roast mixes? They are really simple to make - just add water and chuck them in the oven!

Granose mixes can be picked up in most health shops.

TOFURKY
Tofurky is an American product, but if you go to their website you can find a list of UK stores that stock their stuff. You can also buy it online by clicking here.

At the moment you can buy Tofurky; Roast, "Giblet" Gravy, Cranberry Apple Potatoe Dumplings, or their Tofurky Feast which includes all of these products, plus some extras!

RECIPES
(from veganfamily.co.uk)

Cashew Nut Roast:

A sixth of a cup/30g/1oz of vegan margarine
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
1 medium leek, finely chopped
1 and a half cups of hot water
1 teaspoon of yeast extract (marmite, vegemite etc.)
3 cups/550g/16oz of ground cashew nuts (or other nuts of your choice - almonds work well too)
2 Tablespoons of soya flour
2 teaspoons of fresh herbs - winter savoury is great (if using dried 1 teaspoon)
3 cups/160g/6oz of white bread crumbs
seasalt and pepper to taste

Melt the margarine (in a large pan for mixing) and cook the celery and leek in it for a few minutes. Mix the yeast extract into the hot water (alternatively you could use any stock you like) and add this to the leek and celery. Stir in the soya flour, nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper and mix well. Allow to cool slightly while you grease a loaf tin. Place the nut roast mixture in the tin. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180/360 then turn out of the tin and slice. Nice served with all the traditional trimmings.

Sage and Onion stuffing:

6 slices of wholemeal bread
half a cup/85g/3oz of vegan margarine
4 teaspoons of dried sage or 8 of fresh, chopped sage
1 finely chopped large onion
salt to taste

Melt the margarine in a saucepan and then cook the onion in it until soft. Break up the wholemeal bread with your hands (into fairly small pieces) and then mix into the onion and margarine with the sage and salt. This can be pressed into an oven-proof bowl for baking.

Jewel Biscuits:

Delicious and colourful biscuits or cookies - the 'jewels' are optional but very bright and special - makes about 25 medium (3 inch/9cm) biscuits.

150g/5oz/three quarter cup caster sugar
150g/5 oz/three quarter cup vegan margarine
5 tablespoons of soya milk
300g/10 oz/1and a half cups of plain flour teaspoon vanilla extract
boiled sweets - different colours is good

Preheat oven to 200C/400F and grease baking sheets. Cream together the sugar and marg. Mix in the soya milk and vanilla and then the flour. The mixing of the flour is best done with your hands. You should have a workable dough (add more flour if it's too wet or more soya milk if too dry and doesn't hold together well). Roll out on a floured board (to just under 1 cm thick) and cut into shapes - cutters in festive shaped such as stars, trees and angels are lovely but plain round ones are effective too - you can use a drinking glass if you don't have cutters. Lay on baking sheets. Make a hole in the middle of each biscuit - plain round, diamonds, stars - whatever you like, as long as it is big enough for your sweet! Place a sweet in each hole. Bake for about 10 minutes for soft bake cookies or a little longer for dryer, crunchy ones. The sweets will melt down and fill the hole in the oven and then reset once cool.

Last Minute Christmas Fruit Cake

This cake has no added sugar or fat (suitable for a range of diets) but is still really sweet and rich. It should be stored in the fridge and eaten within one week.

8oz/250g/2 cups of cooking dates with the stones removed
10 fl.oz/300ml/1 and a quarter cups of water (you could substitute a quarter cup of brandy or sherry for a quarter cup of the water if you like)
6 oz/175g/1 and a quarter cups of wholemeal flour
1 lb/450g/3 cups of mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of dried apricots works very well
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
4 tablespoons of orange juice
For decoration: You can either do a traditional marzipan and white icing topping or use rows of different nuts such as walnuts, pecans, brazils and almonds.

Heat the dates and water until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a greased 2lb/900g cake tin and level top. If using the nut topping place rows of different nuts on top of the cake prior to cooking. Bake at 170C/340F for about an hour and a half until cooked. Once cooled the nut topping can be glazed with a little syrup (melt some sugar into hot water) or you can ice traditionally.

Mincemeat

1lb/450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
8oz/225g shredded vegetable suet
12 oz/350g sultanas
16 oz/450g dried apricots
12oz/350g soft dark brown sugar
grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
2oz/60g whole almonds, slivered
4 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
half a nutmeg, grated
6 tbsp vegan brandy

Mix all ingredients ,except the brandy, together in a bowl then cover and leave for 12 hours. To prevent fermentation place the mincemeat in a 120C/ 225F oven for 3 hours. Then allow to cool, stir in brandy and put in clean jars and seal.
 
Christmas Pud

12oz/350g sultanas
4oz/120g glace cherries, halved
10z/300g ground almonds
4oz/120g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
8oz/230g dark brown molasses sugar
4oz/120g soft, fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
8oz/230g vegetable suet
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp black treacle
4 floz/125ml/half a cup soya milk
sherry

soak the sultanas in plenty sherry Grease a 2 pint pudding basin. Put the soaked fruit, cherries and ground almonds into a large bowl. Add the flour, salt, spices, sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, lemon zest and juice, treacle, soya milk and 4 tbsp sherry. Mix well to make a soft mixture. Spoon into the basin, cover with two layers of greased foil and tie down. Steam for 4 hours. Cool. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper and two layers of tinfoil. To reheat steam for three hours as before.