The British idea of vegetarian food

[Stig]

I just googled imaged 'cheap cider' and got a bit of a shock!
*puts safe search on*

Heh I had to do it straight away, they don't mind me at work.

strangely, when you go to the blog site that first pic is on, the pic isn't there any more? I wanted to know if it was real, looks a bit made of wax?

 

[*Miss*Sparkle*]

following on from the goats cheese in filo pastry, the alternative is ratatouille in filo pastry. Served at every work "do" I've ever been to... The filo is pretty much indestructible from being kept under heat lamps for hours on end, and the ratatouille is *always* a tin of chopped tomatoes with a few courgettes thrown in for good measure.

The veggie option in the pub over the road from me is either jacket spud with cheese or tuna pasta bake ffs.

 

[tarannau]

To be fair, carnivores don't have it too good in many pubs either - it's the tired old selection of various burger options, the odd dried up chicken breast and a few pasta options that they ding in the microwave. It's a symptom of most pubs just having a bloke who assembles and reheats meals in the kitchen rather than cooking them from fresh.

 

[billy_bob]

Well said tarannau.

When I was first veggie, near 20 years ago now, and far away from trendy metropolitan areas that had heard of 'ethnic' cuisine, the selection for vegetarians in yer average pub was definitely smaller than it is now, but it hasn't really come on in terms of quality. The number of places Mrs_bob and I have been to where they think bunging some cheesy sauce over a few vegetables is a balanced, nutritious, tasty meal....

Better to stick to Italian, Indian or Middle Eastern food than go with designated vegetarian alternatives usually. But there are so many fantastic vegetarian cookbooks now (look at all the posh ones in the Cranks range these days) it couldn't be that hard for someone with even minimal kitchen-sense to get the hang of it.

 

[pembrokestephen]

I used to get cheesed off when the only vegetarian option on a restaurant menu was Vegetarian Lasagne.

Which they hadn't always managed to defrost properly.

I get quite snotty about eating at places which only offer one vegetarian "choice" now. They should be able to do better than that.

 

[pembrokestephen]

My mum went to a posh country pub the other day for Sunday lunch and the veggie one for the same eight or nine quid as the meat one was 'no meat but we'll give you some more carrots and stuff'
Good deal for them eh? Mum declined and went home

I get a lot of that out here. Rural Wales seems to see vegetarianism as a bit nancyboy (imagine Windsor Davies) poofy Saes metrosexual (imagine Anthony Hopkins - I haven't heard that word said with a Welsh accent, but I'd love to! ). Sunday lunches are the worst - very few places will do a veggie alternative.

So we don't bother. Shame.

 

[pembrokestephen]

Don't like it, then fuck off to France. They'll love you there.


Loved the fact that a vegetarian friend finally got served what looked like something other than salad in France. What looked like a pastry crust containing a stuffed tomato. It turned out to be a pastry case containing a solitary cold tomato. He was gutted.

I went to France last year expecting the worse, and it wasn't *too* bad. I managed quite nicely on omelettes, salads (yes), a "Salade Quatre Fromages", which was like a bucketful of cheese with a few leaves around it, yum, and omelettes. And, of course, Traditional French Pizza

It wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't want to live on it year in year out.

 

[wrysmile]

I actually think the UK is a hell of a lot better than most European countries - I'm thinking Spain, Italy, France in particular. At least the UK always has a vege option on the menu, which is more than you can say for a lot of places. Tbf, a lot of meat pasties can taste like crap - you just should accept you're taking your chances a lot of the time when you buy one, regardless of it being meat or vege.

 

[ill-informed]

eating out has always been a huge dissapointment since i turned vege. Except for chinese or indian and round here there are a few purely vege indian places, it's a bit liberating being able to eat anything.

But the best places that i've eaten at were without doubt in taiwan as they had a lot of vege eateries, marked by the inverted swastica, the food was very diverse, healthy and all of it tasted great. Then you get back here and it's, vegeburger, nut cutlet, cauliflower cheese....

 

[Diana]

It's bad, but try being veggie in France, Greece or Italy! Awful!

 

[moonsi til]

My dad asked me a few years back 'are you still vegetarian' and I reply 'yes'...then he asks ' do you want some of this chicken ?'.....his response that chicken was not meat in the sense that beef/pork is. He held the same view for fish.

I was in Bratislava a few years back trying to find a place to eat....there was a sign in English that stated pure veggie cafe...went inside and it was a canteen style place...all of the menu was in Slovak. My BF was keen to just eat whatever was there....I thought some of the stuff drenched in sauce looked a bit meat like....we did not eat there. Later found out that Bratislava shared the same idea of chicken as my Dad.....

 

[guinnessdrinker]

It's bad, but try being veggie in France, Greece or Italy! Awful!

in france, go to north african restaurants and ask for couscous au legumes (vegetarian couscous), pizzerias for margheritas and chinese restaurants in paris. alternatively, feed on cheeses. in brittany, go for buckwheat savoury pancakes called gallettes filled with an egg or cheese.

 

[Pigeon]

I get a lot of that out here. Rural Wales seems to see vegetarianism as a bit nancyboy
So we don't bother. Shame.

I spent a while in Bosnia few years back: invariably, the waiter would indicate for me (never my girlfriend) the dish on the menu wit the most meat: and invariably there was a snort of contempt when I ordered sirnica (cheese pie: which I ate pretty much solid for 2 and a half weeks.)

 

[Wookey]

I've got thoroughly sick of nearly all the veggie staples (lasagne etc) but I do still like the old jacket spudato and cheesey beans.

 

[chainsaw cat]

I used to get cheesed off when the only vegetarian option on a restaurant menu was Vegetarian Lasagne.

My plan is to open a veggie restaurant. I will use only the finest local food, where possible organic and in season. Each dish will be crafted with love, care and respect. Diners will be able to ask for - and get - any variation on the menu, subject to what is in the pantry.

in the freezer will be a stack of 99p frozen meat lasagnes, the meat eaters can have them with micro chips at twelve quid a pop.

Hahaha, boot on other foot.

 

[chainsaw cat]

I spent a while in Bosnia few years back: invariably, the waiter would indicate for me (never my girlfriend) the dish on the menu wit the most meat: and invariably there was a snort of contempt when I ordered sirnica (cheese pie: which I ate pretty much solid for 2 and a half weeks.)

Hleb, sir i pivo! ili Pizza!

Ne meso, hvala, vegetarian sam! Ne, ne, nisam lud. Ne pojedim meso.

Cue looks of wonderment from waiter.

 

[moose]

Having spent 2 weeks in Germany last year, I won't be complaining about the dearth of veggie food here. The main feature of any meal we ate out was me retching as I found yet more bacon or ham shreds in whatever it was I was eating. Their equivalent of the ubiquitious veg lasagne was a huge bowl of overcooked broccolli with a thick white sauce and plasticky cheese set solid on the top. With bacon in it. By the second week I'd resorted to chips and salad for every meal.

Veggie food here can be absolutely great, but restaurant-wise, I find it's the top end which are the worst at catering for vegetarians. They haven't grasped the concept of a balanced meal - if you have a creamy/cheesy first course, you don't want another for the main course, but many places have only one meatfree choice per course.

Curry wins every time

 

[Superape]

Morrisons all day veggie breakfasts are pretty good tho, mind they could do with the addition of some streaky strip or veggie sausage stuff

I am sick of veggie lasagne at weddings - jesus think of something original willl you!

Worst example from recent years was the pizza we had on the ferry to Norway, where the 'chef' looked at us as if we were insane & made us a pizza that had a few strips of carrot (very artistically arranged) on it.

The 'Vegetarian alternative' in the Grauniad magazine always annoys me as it's always without fail some sort of mush. FFS I WANT SOMETHING I CAN CHEW!!!

Still, 23 years on from when I gave up meat things are a lot better than they were. Tesco's spinach & ricotta sausages, mmmmmm

 

[cyberfairy]

Morrisons all day veggie breakfasts are pretty good tho, mind they could do with the addition of some streaky strip or veggie sausage stuff

I am sick of veggie lasagne at weddings - jesus think of something original willl you!

Worst example from recent years was the pizza we had on the ferry to Norway, where the 'chef' looked at us as if we were insane & made us a pizza that had a few strips of carrot (very artistically arranged) on it.

The 'Vegetarian alternative' in the Grauniad magazine always annoys me as it's always without fail some sort of mush. FFS I WANT SOMETHING I CAN CHEW!!!

Still, 23 years on from when I gave up meat things are a lot better than they were. Tesco's spinach & ricotta sausages, mmmmmm

They sound lush! I must be the only person on earth who has despite moving all over the place, never lived anywhere near a Tescos. Never mind-I'm sue they're managing without me.
True nuff bout the mush and always included 156 expensive sounding ingredients you have never heard of (available at your local Middle Eastern Supermarket)

 

[nadia]

Don't even get me started on the disappointment that is barbecues!!! Scorched quorn sausages and bloody aubergine things

 

[cyberfairy]

Don't even get me started on the disappointment that is barbecues!!! Scorched quorn sausages and bloody aubergine things

I went to a biker barbie-told em veggie beforehand-they said no problem-I got a bap with ketchup in

 

[ringo]

The 'Vegetarian alternative' in the Grauniad magazine always annoys me as it's always without fail some sort of mush. FFS I WANT SOMETHING I CAN CHEW!!!

Still, 23 years on from when I gave up meat things are a lot better than they were. Tesco's spinach & ricotta sausages, mmmmmm

Right, I've never once even contemplated one of the recipes from the magazine. They all look very complicated for something which looks very unappetizing.

Tescos sausages good, I'd forgotten I had some.
It's a great sign when you can't remember what's in the freezer, not eating much packaged rubbish.

 

[billy_bob]

It's bad, but try being veggie in France, Greece or Italy! Awful!

France and Greece, agreed. Same with Spain. But Italy's ok (as long as you like pasta I suppose...)

 

[Idaho]

My plan is to open a veggie restaurant. I will use only the finest local food, where possible organic and in season. Each dish will be crafted with love, care and respect. Diners will be able to ask for - and get - any variation on the menu, subject to what is in the pantry.

in the freezer will be a stack of 99p frozen meat lasagnes, the meat eaters can have them with micro chips at twelve quid a pop.

Hahaha, boot on other foot.

Nice one.

I gave up being a veggie about 8 years ago. I will still cook and occassionally at a restaurant, buy a veggie dish. But the range and variety is poor. You can often get something tasty, but it will always be familiar - either a standard dish, or when you taste it, a standard bland flavour.

About the only exception seems to be Terre Terre in Brighton.

There is a veggie cafe in Exeter - but whilst it's menu of veggie chilli, salads, quiches, etc may have seemed revolutionary in 1985, it falls well short of the mark these days.

 

[ICB]

I get a lot of that out here. Rural Wales seems to see vegetarianism as a bit nancyboy (imagine Windsor Davies) poofy Saes metrosexual (imagine Anthony Hopkins - I haven't heard that word said with a Welsh accent, but I'd love to! ). Sunday lunches are the worst - very few places will do a veggie alternative.

So we don't bother. Shame.

Wrong bit of rural Wales mate, the Usk valley has a fantastic selection of good places to eat all of which have one or two really good veggie options. If you're down this way try:

White Swan @ Llanfrynach
Tipple n Tiffin @ Theatr Brycheiniog
The Barn @ Brynich
Peterstone Court, A40 east of Brecon
The Old Forge Inn, A40 east of Brecon
Nantyffyn Cider Mill, A40 between Crick and Bwlch
Gliffaes Hotel, A40 between Crick and Bwlch
The Bear in Crick

All top drawer, The Swan and Gliffaes are my favourites.

Of course if you try a pub in Brecon it will be Mushroom Stroganoff or Vegetable Lasagne

 

[guinnessdrinker]

Don't even get me started on the disappointment that is barbecues!!! Scorched quorn sausages and bloody aubergine things

I don't mind eating veggy but I draw the limit at quorn

 

[cyberfairy]

I don't mind eating veggy but I draw the limit at quorn

I keep meaning to start a thread about quorn but lack the guts! (like quorn sausages)
I don't see the problem with it at all-I eat loads of it-yes it's not earthy and natural and has scary origins but so do beefburgers and Birds Eye nut burgers. It's healthyish, you can make far more different sorts of meals out of it and it has a pleasing unmushy texture and taste. I'm veggie due to animal welfare, not health reasons-thus a quorn sausage bap is lovely veggie junk food. If quorn helps more eat meaters get used to being veggie by it aping meat texture and taste, I don't see the problem

Not all of us have the time, inclination and tastebuds to make lentil roast every day-I been veggie for 15 years now-I am from a time before quorn but really like the way I can follow any recipe under the sun now but substituting quorn varieties for different meat

 

[guinnessdrinker]

I keep meaning to start a thread about quorn but lack the guts! (like quorn sausages)
I don't see the problem with it at all-I eat loads of it-yes it's not earthy and natural and has scary origins but so do beefburgers and Birds Eye nut burgers. It's healthyish, you can make far more different sorts of meals out of it and it has a pleasing unmushy texture and taste. I'm veggie due to animal welfare, not health reasons-thus a quorn sausage bap is lovely veggie junk food. If quorn helps more eat meaters get used to being veggie by it aping meat texture and taste, I don't see the problem

Not all of us have the time, inclination and tastebuds to make lentil roast every day-I been veggie for 15 years now-I am from a time before quorn but really like the way I can follow any recipe under the sun now but substituting quorn varieties for different meat

well, I find quorn disgusting, personally. I am not a vegetarian, but as I said, (when I am not slagging them veggies for fun ), I don't mind eating vegetarian, I don't have to have meat or fish. but what I can't stand, apart from quorn (and cheap beefburgers, not proper ones) is vegetarian food disguised as meat through its texture and looks. it doesn't make any sense to me. you either meat or you don't. and if you don't, honour the vegetables, grains and pulses by praising them, not passing them off as meat.

 

[cyberfairy]

well, I find quorn disgusting, personally. I am not a vegetarian, but as I said, (when I am not slagging them veggies for fun ), I don't mind eating vegetarian, I don't have to have meat or fish. but what I can't stand, apart from quorn (and cheap beefburgers, not proper ones) is vegetarian food disguised as meat through its texture and looks. it doesn't make any sense to me. you either meat or you don't. and if you don't, honour the vegetables, grains and pulses by praising them, not passing them off as meat.

I have never understood this viewpoint. You seem to eat meat but think as a veggie, we should not eat different textures and tastes that taste like half the food in the world but aren't. It's like saying you can't eat pickled onion monster munch but have to eat a pickled onion instead
There are so many wonderful pulses and veggies I know-I buy them and eat them all the time but sometimes want a roast dinner with a roast that is not made of nuts and does yes, taste a bit like meat-BUT ISNT! Nothing died hideously for me to enjoy eating it but it still tastes a bit like meat-its a win-win situation!

 

[guinnessdrinker]

I have never understood this viewpoint. You seem to eat meat but think as a veggie, we should not eat different textures and tastes that taste like half the food in the world but aren't. It's like saying you can't eat pickled onion monster munch but have to eat a pickled onion instead
There are so many wonderful pulses and veggies I know-I buy them and eat them all the time but sometimes want a roast dinner with a roast that is not made of nuts and does yes, taste a bit like meat-BUT ISNT! Nothing died hideously for me to enjoy eating it but it still tastes a bit like meat-its a win-win situation!

what i am trying to say is that I can't understand the idea of passing veggie food as meat, as if it was meat, just fooling yourself. I normally can't stand nut roasts, but there is no reason why it can't be good (I did enjoy one, once), there is just no reason to think of it as meat, just as a nut roast, thinking of nuts. I enjoy chestnut puree, It's meaty in a way, but I don't think of it as a meat alternative, that's all.