For most of us, memories of childhood Christmas celebrations are simple and straightforward:
Option 1: was a full hot meal with various roasts and veggies, followed by trifle and Christmas pudding. Option 2 was the cold route with salads, meats and various desserts.
But, all of that has changed. More knowledge about how diet affects our health, means that your guests may want anything from meat-free to banting to vegan to pescatarian. Christmas meals may never be the same again!
Who is Coming to Lunch?
Even if your family hasn’t made drastic changes to the daily menu, there’s every chance that one of your guests has given up meat, gluten or dairy. That means that old favourites like trifle, glazed ham or a potjie can’t be the only option on your table. No, don’t panic – all you have to do is make sure you have some extra options and, to make this easier, we’ve loaded some recipes for delicious alternatives that even your family will enjoy.
- For the banters: straightforward roasts or braaied meats are great, salads, vegetables without carby sauces, and here are two fabulous substitutes for potatoes: Butternut & Sweet Potato Mash and Cumin Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- For vegans: the key here is nothing to do with animals – no butter, cheese, honey, meat, fish or poultry – even ordinary jelly is made from animal-derived gelatin. So, salads or roasted vegetables are good options (remember: no mayonnaise).
- For guests who are avoiding gluten: the key here is to avoid any wheat product, so no spongy trifle, flour-based sauces, breads, pastas or biscuits. That doesn’t mean everyone else has to go without, only provide some alternatives, like these Chocolate Chili Chickpea brownies that can be made ahead of time.
The holidays are a wonderful time of year for everyone and these tips will make sure there’s no reason for awkwardness when it’s time to eat.