Virtual Lunch Club – Tuesday 14 December

Let's meet at our virtual table for a fun-filled festive meal! Join us via Zoom for V for Life's next virtual lunch club on Tuesday 14 December.

Check out the recipes below, buy your ingredients, then cook the dishes on the day ready for the lunch club at 1pm.

Carrot, Ginger, and Orange Soup

Mushroom Wellington

Apricot and Pecan Pudding

Or for a quicker, easier dessert try the Syllabub instead

You'll need to buy following ingredients, or find them in your cupboards:

Soup

• Good glug of olive oil
• 4 small onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2–3 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
• Zest and juice of 2 oranges
• 8 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 litre water with vegan stock or 4 tsp vegetable bouillon
• Couple of pinches of cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

• Coconut yoghurt or vegan crème fraiche (optional)
• Chopped coriander leaves

Mushroom Wellington

For the filling:

• Oil for frying
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 350g mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• 200g mixed chopped nuts (brazils, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts)
• Salt and pepper to season
• 2 tbsp cranberry sauce

For the pastry:

• 1 packet vegan puff pastry

Pecan pudding

For the topping:

• 50g light muscovado sugar
• 50g pecan nuts, chopped
• 100g ready to eat dried apricots and chopped pecan nut halves, to garnish

For the almond base:

• 75g butter or vegan margarine*
• 60ml maple syrup or soft brown sugar
• 1 free range egg, beaten or 1 tbsp soya flour mixed with 2 tbsp water*
• 75g ground almonds
• 25g soya flour
• ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
• Few drops vanilla essence

For the toffee sauce:

• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 90ml double cream or soya cream*
• 100g unsalted butter or vegan margarine*
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 25g pecan nuts, chopped

Syllabub

• 300ml (½ pint) vegan cream or whipped coconut cream
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar
• Finely grated rind and juice of 4 clementines
• 2 tbsp cointreau or other orange liqueur

To serve:

• 1 clementine, cut into very thin slices, to decorate

Talk cookery, recipes and more with likeminded people from across the UK.

If you'll struggle to cook on the day, feel free to join with a cup of tea or whatever you're having for lunch that day.

Open to vegetarians, vegans, and meat reducers aged 65 and over.

Email ellie@vegetarianforlife.org.uk to find out more and to book your place. Or call the VfL office on 0161 257 0887. You will be provided with the Zoom link and password. 

If you're on Facebook don't forget to join the virtual lunch club group here.

If technology such as Zoom is new to you and you need technical advice, visit https://www.abilitynet.org.uk/, or call them on 0800 048 7642. You could also email enquiries@abilitynet.org.uk for help. (Please note that AbilityNet is in no way related to V for Life and will have no knowledge of the lunch club.)

If you're already tech savvy, all you'll need to do is open the Zoom link in your internet browser and join the meeting. Make sure that your audio and video are switched on. We'll be happy to talk you through all of this on the day, or in advance.