News Blog The most wonderful time of the year for spreading kindness (11-12-25) For many, a big part of the festive season is bringing family and friends together to enjoy a special, celebratory meal. There’s nothing says ‘Merry Christmas’ like a traditional roast, stuffing, and a selection of veg and sauces followed by Christmas pudding, mince pies, or trifle. Traditional animal suffering Traditionally, a lot of those dishes include animal ingredients though, and contribute to terrible suffering. The turkey who is the centrepiece of the dinner table, the pig who has been processed into side dishes, the hen whose eggs have been used in the creation of festive puddings, and the cow whose milk should be feeding her young but is instead served on a cheese board to humans, have been shown little in the way of kindness. Compassionate choices But today, it is so easy to celebrate Christmas, with a traditional meal, but without contributing to cruelty to those sentient beings. We can enjoy delicious, festive food, while at the same time show compassion for farmed animals, consider the wellbeing of our planet and look after our own health. Vegan options Creating a completely plant-based Christmas meal, or vegan options, can sound like a huge task if you’re a new or non-vegan but there are so many easily accessible recipes and ready-made dishes nowadays that it really isn’t so challenging. Sainsburys, Waitrose, Tesco, and Morrisons are some of the supermarkets offering a range of plant-based food, and check out the Lidl No Turkey and Cranberry Wellingtons! Vegan recipe books and magazines are in abundance, we particularly like A Very Vegan Christmas by Viva! We won’t attempt to share all our favourite festive food in this one blog, but we’ll include some mouthwatering examples. Starters and appetizers The Vegan Recipe Club has some wonderful soup recipes, salads and paté, or check out the chestnut, roasted butternut squash and Bramley apple soup on the BBC website. Vegan Food and Living have a range of delicious starters, or this vegan gravy from School Night Vegan. Mains ‘Vegan turkey’ is becoming a common sight in most supermarkets with, among others, Waitrose and Sainsburys selling turkey style crowns and roasts. Or, if you have the time, you can have a go at making your own vegan turkey roast with help from School Night Vegan. And don’t forget some vegan stuffing. If fake turkey isn’t your thing, how about a mushroom wellington? A favourite recipe among the OneKind team is this one from Nora Cooks, along with some delicious gravy and how about some Christmas baked red cabbage and apple from the Vegan Society? (image: rescued turkey) We can’t resist sharing this mouthwatering Christmas Pithivier again from Bosh! It is delicious, give it a go! And here’s the perfect dish to use up any leftover sprouts on Boxing Day. Puddings and cakes A wide selection is available in food stores but there’s still time to make a Christmas pudding. Our favourite traditional recipe is this one from the Vegan Society, or this old-school version on the Vegan Recipe Club website from actor Martin Shaw. School Night Vegan have a tasty recipe for mince pies, or how about some delicious spiced truffles from Bosh!? And you’ll be hard-pushed to choose which Christmas cake to make from the Vegan Food and Living webpage. Cheese A vast range of vegan cheese is now available in supermarkets and health stores. Both traditional dairies who are now producing plant-based alternatives, and companies who are entirely vegan are giving us a wide selection to choose from. One such company who spring to mind is the UK’s first plant-based cheesemonger La Fauxmagerie. They have cheese for every purpose: melting, grating, spreading, relishing and devouring! They’re based in London, and their products are available all over the UK in Waitrose. You can also order Christmas hampers from their website. Is your booze vegan? Beers, wines and liquor can all contain animal ingredients, or they can be used in filtering processes, Barnivore is our go-to guide for vegan options, check it out! Spread the kindness If you’re not hosting Christmas dinner this year, you can still try out some of our suggestions and take them along to family and friends. Or share this blog with non-vegan hosts if they’re struggling for ideas. It’s a great opportunity to share your passion for compassion at Christmas. All photos included in this blog are of farmed animals saved from slaughter and spending the rest of their lives peacefully at Greenwood Farmed Animal Sanctuary in Warwickshire. Manage Cookie Preferences