Meatless menus

Fabulous ideas for vegetarian wedding receptions

Not so long ago, being a veggie was considered little short of freakish by the majority of people, but not any more. Concerns about farming and animal rearing methods and a new awareness about healthy eating mean that some four million Britons -- seven per cent of us -- are now fully vegetarian and the number is rising.

So even if you're not vegetarian yourself, the chances are your partner may be or at the very least some of your wedding guests. The good news is that nowadays, catering for veggies isn't as hard as you think -- so long as you know what you're doing, the range of food available is just as varied as that for meat eaters. You don't need to worry that you'll end up with a wedding feast restricted to beans and lentils! First of all, you need to consider whether you want to provide a completely vegetarian wedding breakfast or a combination of meat and non-meat options...

100 per cent veggie

You might opt for this route if:

you are vegetarian yourself and dislike the thought of serving animal products at your wedding.
your wedding party has more veggies than non-veggies.

Here, the way to convince the meat eaters that they won't miss eating meat is to go all out for some really creative options that aren't simply meat-free versions of old favourites.

Half and half

Go for part veggie if:

there are a small, but significant number of vegetarians among your guests (especially among the key guests). Make sure you can get an idea of just how many.

Here, the key to success is to provide delicious veggie dishes that will have the meat-eaters wondering if they should have chosen the veggie option instead.

Veggie catering

Finding the right caterer takes time and research. Of course, the right person/outfit will be someone who really cares about the quality of food. In addition, however, they also need to be someone who really understands what vegetarian food is all about especially if you're not veggie yourself. And that means much more than just leaving out meat: gelatine, for example, is made from animal by-products and is often found in such apparently meat-free foods as ice cream and other dairy products.

Ask veggie friends for word-of-mouth recommendations, and make sure your caterer understands the following points:

Cheese: not all cheese is vegetarian. Double check that vegetarian rennet, not animal rennet, is being used.
Wine: the sediment in wine may have been removed (fined) with gelatine or egg white. Always check with the supplier. Remember, too, that organic wine is not necessarily vegetarian.
Eggs: many veggies will only eat free-range eggs.
Margarine: some margarine contains whey or vitamins A, D or E, or additive E471, any of which may be from animal sources. It's safest to use margarine with the vegetarian or vegan symbol.
The cake: does the icing contain animal products, such as egg whites? While this will be OK for veggies, any vegans among your guests will not be able to eat it.
Honey: this is avoided by most vegans.
Pasta: may contain egg or squid ink.
Soup: double-check the ingredients in the stock.

For more information on vegetarian catering contact the Vegetarian Society on 0161 925 2000 or at www.vegsoc.org.