There are 3-4 million vegetarians in the UK

Catering for vegetarians

Information from the Vegetarian Society

There are 3-4 million vegetarians in the UK and the vegetarian food market is estimated to be worth over £11.1 billion a year. The vegetarian-specific catering market is worth over £800 million.

What is a vegetarian?

• A vegetarian is a person who eats no meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacean and also avoids the by-products of the slaughterhouse such as gelatine, rennet and animal fats.
• Most vegetarians are lacto-ovo vegetarians. This means that free-range eggs and dairy products are acceptable to them.
• A vegan is a person who eats no animal products. A vegan diet is purely plant based.
• Vegetarians do not eat fish.

What do vegetarians want?

Like everyone else, vegetarians want:

• to eat imaginative, tasty, satisfying food.
• be offered real choice when eating out.

The good news is catering for a vegetarian is easy if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Veggies want...

• dishes free of meat, fish, fowl, shellfish and hidden ingredients.
• any eggs or egg albumen in foods to be from a certified free-range source.
• lighter, healthier options, that avoid an over reliance on cheese.
• clearly marked vegetarian options. Many vegetarians dislike making a fuss about their meals and like to see the veggie options clearly marked on the menu. You can submit your menus to be officially approved by The Vegetarian Society's Food and Drink Guild.
• more than cheese salad, vegetarian lasagne and baked potatoes. Don't be afraid to experiment with new dishes and new ingredients.
• to eat foods officially approved by The Vegetarian Society. Our trusted approved 'seedling symbol' is a guarantee of 100% vegetarian suitability.
• dishes that sound appetising. Take a look at the names of your dishes; a simple name change can liven up a dull sounding menu.
• colourful, freshly prepared, nutritious dishes.
• alcohol (wines, beers, spirits, wine vinegars, etc) to be free from gelatine, fish bladder and other stumbling blocks.

What don't they want?

Like everyone else, vegetarians don't want to be made to feel awkward and difficult. As a caterer you can help by making sure you are aware of which ingredients are suitable for vegetarians. Provide quality vegetarian options and you will soon build up a loyal and grateful vegetarian customer base.

Veggies don't want...

• brown, bland and boring food.
• cheese that may have been produced using animal rennet. Rennet is an enzyme taken from the stomach of a slaughtered calf and used to curdle cheese. Vegetarian cheeses are cheap and widely available.
• animal fat. Shortening, lard, tallow, suet and dripping are not acceptable. Look out for them in ice cream, margarine, stocks, soups, pastry, biscuits and bread products.
• fish of any kind, including shellfish and crustacea (lobsters, crabs etc). Please watch out for anchovies (used as an ingredient in some brands of Worcester sauce).
• aspic, caviar, chitin (made from crab shells), cochineal (E120 - made from crushed insects).
• gelatine (a gelling agent derived from animal bones and skin. Vegetarian alternatives such as Agar Agar, Gelazone and Vegegel are readily available).
• to eat genetically modified ingredients in their foods. Check with your suppliers and avoid.
• to give up burgers, sausages or bacon - only the meat! Meat substitutes are now readily available and can be used to make veggie versions of traditional dishes such as shepherd's pie and toad in the hole. Meat substitutes commonly use highly nutritious ingredients such as tofu and soya mince. But please don't rely exclusively on meat substitutes.
• A vegetable platter or any other main course dish with hardly any protein in it. Meat is not the only source of protein - please consider using beans, peas, nuts, tofu, tempeh and the meat substitutes mentioned above as well as cheeses and free range eggs.

The vegetarian kitchen

Work surfaces and chopping boards, utensils and all other kitchen equipment and facilities must either be kept separate from those used for non-vegetarian food preparation, or cleaned thoroughly before vegetarian food preparation.

Please also ensure that fryers, grills and griddles used for preparing non-vegetarian products are thoroughly cleaned.

Fryers must be filled with fresh, uncontaminated oil before vegetarian food is cooked.

We recommend that you keep a separate set of utensils for the preparation and serving of vegetarian meals.

A Quick Reminder

Vegetarian dishes must not contain the following:

• animal flesh (meat, fowl, fish or shellfish)
• meat, fish or bone stock or stock cubes
• animal carcass fats (including suet, lard or dripping)
• gelatine, aspic, gelatine-based block or jelly crystals
• battery or intensively produced eggs
• royal jelly
• products with ingredients derived from slaughterhouse by-products

Article courtesy of the Vegetarian Society