Seasonal Side Dishes

About six weeks before the first lockdown in 2020, I switched to a plant-based diet. I say ‘plant-based’ rather than vegan because I’m not there yet and perhaps never will be. I continue to eat eggs, don’t always read the labels on packets and if you put a box of Lindor in front of me I’m probably going to stick my face in them and not come up for air until there is chocolate dribbling down my chin. Nevertheless my consumption of animal products has dropped by about 80% and I have never regretted starting this journey. The reasons for making the change were probably the same as others; environmental concerns, animal welfare, health and thrift. But I continue to love food and drink and have a healthy, hearty appetite. The following therefore is a list of some of the most mouth-watering, plant-based seasonal dishes likely to be demolished over the next few weeks - and it seemed a pleasing extra touch to enliven them with some of my favourite wintery pieces of music. Please sample at your leisure.

Mulled Wine. I unashamedly love this warming drink, and there is little that is more comforting than being thawed out after a freezing cold gig with a glass of something hot, sweet and smelling of cinnamon. In this increasingly alcohol free climate (particularly amongst the young I note) there are some enticing alternatives and you can make up whatever combinations you like. Personally I like a little brandy in mine, but you can add nutmeg, Christmas spices or even a hint of chilli. Accompany this with the jolliness of Kenneth Hesketh’s ‘Danceries’ and you have a wonderful ‘olde worlde’ wassail celebration. I’ve mentioned this piece before but find it delicious, colourful and such fantastic and intelligent writing for wind ensemble.

Of course mulled wine would be too wet if consumed without Mince Pies. The vegan versions of these are now so good that there seems no reason whatever to avoid them. Personally I buy nothing else - whoever my guests are - and I don’t believe anyone has noticed. They are at their best warm, served with thick, soured oat-based cream and sprinkled with icing sugar. Yummy! Eat these with Sting’s version of ‘Soul Cake’ from his ‘On a Winter’s Night…’ album. Another record I’ve mentioned before but it really sums up - musically - everything I love about midwinter. Such a classy album.

Shamembert. Yes you read this correctly. There are quite a lot of fake cheeses out there right now; some are rubbish - little more than glue to bind whatever food you are eating together - others however are remarkably flavoursome with lovely textures. Through a process of trial and error I have sampled several and this is one of my favourite Christmassy treats. Like many vegan ‘cheeses’ this one is made up primarily of nuts, and doesn’t appear to have anything dodgy in it at all. We like to serve it melted - just like a real Camembert - with garlic cloves in - and accompanied with warm crusty bread. A perfect complement to this is Sammy Davis Jnr singing ‘The Christmas Song.’ He is just so musical and has impeccable timing and phrasing. Just talking about him has made me want to check out all his wonderful singing, dancing and playing again…

Big C’s Soup. Big C is a man of hobbies and likes to grow things. Our surplus of vegetables from the allotment is invariably turned into all sorts of creative liquids, but I like his soups best. A particularly tasty one recently has been a pumpkin variety with a sniff of spice. It’s especially good if you get home cold and tired and can’t decide what to eat; it melts my fingers and toes…

Eat with Count Basie’s Band playing Neil Hefti’s ‘Li’l Darlin.’ It’s not a good idea to eat soup with anything too lively and nobody swings with such smoothness better than this band. It’s velvety.

Our Christmas Eve Breakfast. You will have gathered by now that I have an outrageously sweet tooth. The only person I know who could compete with me on that front was my Dad who was possibly even greedier. Anyway, this breakfast has evolved because we couldn’t manage such a heavy breakfast on Christmas Day itself - and as work has nearly always stopped by then it feels like the perfect start to the holiday. The menu is simple; vegan croissants split and filled with chocolate orange, accompanied with bananas (I love bananas with chocolate), fresh coffee and oat ‘barista’ milk. Delicious and very rich. A lovely morning tune to have with this is ‘Fair Maid of Islington/Under the Greenwood Tree’ from June Tabor’s album ‘Aleyn.’ June has such an expressive but clean voice. Her collaboration with Huw Warren on this record is classy, and the whole album has some excellent, well thought out arrangements.

Vegan Sausage Rolls. Once again, these are now so good that there is no reason not to have them. Bearing in mind that traditional sausages are nearly always made up of the worst bits of meat (let’s not get too gruesome here), eating a plant-based alternative doesn’t seem to be a sacrifice at all - and my children have often been fooled by these (though they claim to have a supremely sophisticated palette and can tell the difference). We often have these with Big C’s soups and they make a satisfying, easy meal. Despite the fact that there are an awful lot of carols played during this period, there are still one or two that I have a soft spot for. My nomination this year is ‘Star Carol’ composed by John Rutter. I suspect it goes back a long way in the subconscious - unearthing happy memories of hearing carols accompanied by a full orchestra in the Albert Hall in December. During childhood we went for a few years running and it was transformative; we sat behind the orchestra, excited by the start of the season, the live musicians and the fantastic choir. You will rarely hear a better version than that produced by The Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia - conducted by John Rutter himself.

Vegan Panettone. I have a small confession to make with this recommendation; I haven’t tried it yet. I love pastries and cakes of all kinds so have assumed that I would happily hoover one of these up; all of the non-vegan ones have been sampled after all. Anyway, I intend to do ample research this winter and will make sure it is accompanied by the Duke Ellington album ‘The Nutcracker Suite.’ Once again, this has been mentioned before but shouldn’t fail to put a smile on your face.

And finally…. What about the big day itself? Fear not, there is a veritable feast to be had. I like mushroom wellington, nut roasts, loads of different roasted and/or steamed vegetables and rich sauces. For the meat eaters, we always have one very high welfare, organic roasted bird on the table (eye-wateringly expensive, but hey - it’s only once a year) and then everyone’s happy. Eat this with the Brian Setzer orchestra playing ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ - and laugh your head off.

Peace and happiness to you all this year; and remember love and kindness are the best Christmas gifts.