'Maybe a little more soy-ish' - Pre-Christmas potluck a success for both vegans and omnivores

December 24, 2017

Both vegan and non-vegans came together to enjoy the meat-free dinner.

Many Kiwis will be sitting down tomorrow to a traditional Christmas lunch, complete with pavlova, Christmas crackers and ham.

However, those foods can leave little choice for vegetarians and vegans who want to take part in the festive feast.

So a pre-Christmas potluck with a bit of a twist is hoping to change that.

The Christmas dinner includes some unconventional takes on the classic, such as "tofurkey".

One person attending the potluck said: "It tastes like turkey really, just maybe a little more soy-ish".

The pre-Christmas potluck has been around for a decade in Auckland and has helped a growing number of vegans prepare for the next day.

Potluck coordinator Craig Neilson said the best thing is not just getting to see everyone, but also getting to steal all the ideas.

"Everyone just wants to tell you how they made that cheese or exactly how they made that sauce that went on the curry, there's no secrets in the room."

The number of people becoming vegetarian has risen 27 per cent in the last six years and while there are no figures on veganism, the number of people turning out to events like this is also increasing.

Mr Neilson said not everyone who attends the potluck is a full-time vegan.

“We get a lot of 'vege-curious' people who just want to come down and see what the options might be."

One of the people in attendance is 2013 New Zealand Masterchef winner Aaron Brunet who said preparing a meat-free Christmas doesn’t have to be stressful.

Mr Brunet said people feel like there’s a big hurdle of the unknown.

"You leave behind what's familiar and I think Christmas brings that up even more because food is such a personal thing to us."

In the United Kingdom, the popularity of meat-free alternatives, like tofurkey, or fake turkey, has risen by more than a third in just over 15 years and according to retailers.

Vegan shop owner Jill Peterson said veganism is huge now.

"In the last five years it’s gotten really busy and it's not just vegans there are a lot of people with allergies."

"Children with allergies and people who just want to take meat out of their diet for half the week."

With the diet's increased popularity, the message from these vegans is simple.

"Christmas is just a good time for everyone to be open and maybe try new things," said Mr Neilson.

Especially a Christmas feast that caters to everyone.

- By Andrew Macfarlane

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