Vegan Christmas dinner ideas: Lucy Watson's four festive tips on how to have the perfect vegan roast

Christmas Day may be famous for it's traditional turkey roast and glazed ham, but this annual festive meal doesn't have to be all about the meat.

Passionate vegan and former Made In Chelsea star Lucy Watson is the author of two cookbooks and has also produced a signature ready-meal range.

Now she is making it her mission to prove just how easy it is to turn vegan without having to compromise on flavour, starting with how to turn the year's most festive feat into a plant-based bonanza.

LUCY'S TOP TIPS:
1. How to make side dishes shine

"Most of the roast is literally made up of vegetables which people tend to forget. This is the best bit," according to Lucy.

Make sure you have some nice herbs and olive oil to cook them in which helps to give the vegetables so much flavour.

"I recommend sprinkling on rosemary for potatoes and toss parsnips in maple syrup," she says.

2. Don't be afraid of a nut roast
"The nut roast I make personally mainly consists of butternut squash, mushrooms and nuts. It's easy to pick and choose what type of nuts you would prefer. If you have a nut allergy then just replace them with lentils," says Lucy.

"Blend everything together, top it with cranberries and chestnuts before popping it into a loaf tin to cook."

3. Tempt meat eaters with seitan
"This popular meat alternative, made from gluten, has a real meaty texture and easily absorbs different flavours. It's great for those who like the look of meat on their table - they don't feel like they're missing out."

4. There is no secret
"Most of a Christmas meal is actually vegan which is actually what people are so attracted by. They forget that most of it is vegan before they think about it," says Lucy.

"I even had my family around the other day for a Christmas meal and one of my brothers was shocked everything is the same apart from the bird. There's actually no secret ingredient in a Vegan festive dinner!"

LUCY'S VEGAN MINCE PIE RECIPE
(Makes 24 portions)

Ingredients
*1 large or 2 medium Bramley​ apples, unpeeled, quartered, cored and cut into small dice
*2 tsp ground mixed spice.
*1 tsp ground cinnamon
*1 tsp ground cloves
*1 tsp ground ginger
*1 tsp fine salt
*100g vegetable suet
*150g raisins
*150g sultanas
*100g prunes, finely chopped
*100g mixed candied peel
*175g soft dark brown sugar
*Zest and juice of 1 orange
*Zest and juice of 1 lemon
*2 tbsp brandy
*1 tbsp dark spiced rum

For the shortcrust pastry
*400g plain flour
*1 tsp salt
*200g vegan block margarine, cut into 1cm pieces

For the glaze
*2 tbsp soya milk
*1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup

Method
1. Put the diced apples in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the spices, salt, suet, mixed dried fruit and candied peel, sugar and citrus zest and juice. Stir well to unsure that everything is evenly distributed. Cover and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally to stop the mixture from sticking to the base of the pan.

2. Once the fat has melted and the apple has softened, turn off the heat — this should take about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then stir in the brandy and rum. Leave to cool completely.

3. To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the margarine. Rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4. Add 4 tbsp very cold water and, using a knife, mix to form a firm dough. If there are still any floury spots at the bottom of the bowl, add another 1 tbsp water.

5. Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) and lightly grease two 12-cup mince-pie trays. Roll out twothirds​ of the pastry to about 3mm and, using a 7cm cookie cutter, cut out as many discs as you can. Then re-roll the scraps into a ball and repeat until you have 24 discs.

7. Repeat the process for the remaining one-third of pastry, this time using a 6cm cutter. Line each cup of the mince-pie trays with the larger discs, then fill each one with 1–2 heaped teaspoonfuls of filling.

8. Brush some water around the top of each mince pie, then press and seal the smaller rounds onto the top to form a lid. Using a fork, pierce the top of each lid. To make a glaze, mix the milk with the maple syrup and use to brush over the top of each pie.

9. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the pastry has turned golden brown. Release the pies from the tray while still warm and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prefer to make a Christmas cake? Check out Lucy's recipe.