A new study done by supermarket chain Asda reveals that Christmas dinners often can prove a point of contention if guests have conflicting dietary desires.
The Censuswide reserach survey done of 1,500 non-vegans and 500 vegans across the UK in November shows that nearly 1 in 3 (29%) of Brits say they wouldn’t know what to serve a vegan guest at Christmas dinner, and three in four (75%) vegans have felt the need to bring their own main dish to Christmas if the host is a non-vegan.
For retail managers who take stock in such studies, it may be time to start showing and offering consumers how they can combine both. Nearly 1 in 5 Brits say they’d be stressed about cooking a separate meal (17%) and deciding what to cook for a vegan guest (19%), whilst 21% say they’d be worried that what they served up wouldn’t be good enough.
More than a quarter (28%) of Brits have turned to Google for what to serve a vegan, while nearly 10% say they’ve told their guest to bring their own dish.
“More than 25% of vegans feel nervous about what they’ll be served for Christmas dinner at a meat-eaters house,” Asda officials note from the study. “Around 75% of vegans say they’ve been served an inedible Christmas dinner by a non-vegan host and were unable to eat it because it was bland (42%) or dry (30%), whilst a further 18% were served a dish that wasn’t actually vegan.”
Vegan Brits say they have been served some disappointing mains by non-vegan relatives, such as a dry nut roast (26%), vegetables with no trimming (18%), beans on toast (9%), and even something that isn’t actually vegan (10%).
How Asda is helping vegans
Asda for its part has launched the OMV! Turkey & Trimmings for One: a serving of vegan turkey and sides for just £3.50. Complete with a cranberry and orange stuffing, vegan sage and onion stuffing balls, and succulent ‘no pigs’ in blankets, it is one dish that can work for all discerning diners.
In addition, it is offering these unique items in its OMV! range:
- No Turkey Joint with Umami Gravy. First to market, this ‘turkey’ looks and tastes exactly like the real thing – even including both white and dark meat. Perfect for a vegan family (or those looking to influence their relatives this year).
- Oyster & Porcini Mushroom Wellington, which is a vegetable-centric festive centrepiece. White cap and oyster mushrooms are simply seasoned and topped with a rich chestnut and porcini mushroom duxelles – all encased in a flaky, no butter puff pastry.
- Miso and Mushroom Gravy, a plant-based alternative.
- No-Nut Roast and No-Turkey Crown are frozen vegan Christmas dinner options.
- Mushrooms Pigs in Smoky Aubergine Bacon. Mushroom sausages made with white and oyster mushrooms wrapped in a smoky aubergine bacon, seasoned with a touch of smoked paprika and natural smoke flavours.
- Crumble Topped Mince Pies are filled with mincemeat, with a cinnamon & ginger spiced crumble topping, finished with icing sugar.
- Espresso Martini Flavoured Loaded Choc Bars – it’s a milk-style chocolate bar with espresso martini flavour and caramel crunch pieces, loaded with cocoa nibs and white choc style drops plus Double Choc & Honeycomb Cake Pop Bites.
- Strawberry Trifle, which is dairy free. A tangy strawberry compote is made from whole strawberries is topped with hand placed egg free sponge then a dairy free custard, finished with a lentil and coconut cream.
