Festive feasting, meat-free! Cook Christmas lunch with a difference this year
© Reetta Pasanen / WWF
Your Challenge
Plan a Christmas lunch that’s wildly different – make it deliciously meat-free! There are lots of alternatives in supermarkets and great recipes online. You can keep the classics such as roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots and sprouts, but why not swap the meat for a vegetable centrepiece instead? From nut roasts to no-beef wellingtons, give guests, friends or family something new this Christmas. Searching for a tried and tested recipe will ensure your vegetable main is delicious and popular with all your guests, encouraging them to try more vegetable main dishes in future. Here are some examples: beetroot or mushroom wellington (or a mixture of vegetables wrapped in pastry), roasted cauliflower in seasonal herbs and spices, homemade nut roast, cauliflower cheese, vegetable tart with a cheese (or vegan alternative) topping, to name a few.
Why you're doing this
Agriculture is responsible for 70% of global biodiversity loss on land, 80% of global deforestation,[1] and 11% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.[2] This destruction of habitats around the world to make way for agricultural land for cattle and other animals, negatively impacts biodiversity and puts pressure on the soil and freshwater. This is unsustainable to the health of our planet. Eating less meat all year round is a great way to reduce your contribution to this impact. Instead, eat more plants and, if you want to eat meat, choose food from responsible farms that protect the environment through regenerative agriculture.
How you'll make a difference
If we all made these simple swaps, it will contribute to preserving biodiversity around the world, stopping the destruction of habitats, and protecting freshwater ecosystems. Also by trying a delicious vegetarian or vegan alternative this festive season, we can make something that everyone can eat and not leave vegetarians or vegans feeling excluded. No more plates of boiled vegetables, there’s a whole variety of delicious dishes to choose from!
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Sources
[1] WWF (2020) Living Planet Report 2020 - Bending the curve of biodiversity loss. Almond, R.E.A., Grooten M. and Petersen, T. (Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland
[2] DEFRA Official Statistics Agri-climate report 2023. Published 26 January 2024 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agri-climate-report-2023/agri-climate-report-2023
[3] Future 50 Foods https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-02/Knorr_Future_50_Report_FINAL_Online.pdf
[4] Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/The-plants-that-feed-the-world/en