I’m passionate about food and great produce, and many of my best dishes contain meat. I’m not a vegan by any stretch, and in my younger years as a chef I felt a slight dislike for what I thought was just going to be a passing fad. The vegan dishes I tried were mostly bland and uninspiring, and to be honest, I was a cynic.

A few years ago, a friend of mine gifted me a cookbook called Crossroads by Tal Ronnen.

It completely changed my perspective on veganism, opened my mind to why people make meat-free choices and – most importantly – made me realise how delicious vegan dishes can be.

This year, after I return home after another busy service on Christmas Day, I will be sitting down to eat a traditional roast dinner. However, I have, and will continue to have, meat-free days with my family, and the dishes on these pages are some of our favourites. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Merry Christmas.

The Herald:

Starter

Cream of potato potage

This hearty, flavoursome dish is my delicious twist on a traditional Christmas starter of leek and potato soup. Serve with crusty bread topped with lashings of almond butter … and make sure you dip right in.

Ingredients: Serves 2

200g Yukon Gold potatoes

50g leeks

2 garlic cloves, whole

15g sugar

15g water

100g vegetable stock

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp paprika

Salt and pepper

30g olive oil

10g pine nuts, toasted

Method:

Cut the potatoes into 2cm cubes and thinly slice the leeks.

Heat a large pan with olive oil and add the potatoes, garlic cloves and ¾ of the leeks, sweat them on a gentle heat for around 5-10 minutes ensuring they do not colour or burn. Add the stock and seasoning, cook until the vegetables are soft, then blend until a smooth cream is formed. Set aside but keep warm.

Take the remaining leeks and caramelise them gently by adding the water, sugar and spices into a pan and heat until crispy. Gently toast your pine nuts in a separate pan until golden. Set both aside.

Serve the soup in a bowl, gently placing the caramelised leeks on top. To garnish, add a drizzle of olive oil, the toasted pine nuts, then serve with crusty bread.

A perfect winter warmer in a bowl.

The Herald:

Main

Mushroom Kiev with garlic bechamel and winter vegetables

These creamy, garlicky parcels are a delicious alternative to a traditional Christmas roast. Crispy and full of flavour, these crunchy baked mushrooms are a hearty portion of festive joy.

Ingredients: Serves 2

Preheat oven to 200C

Garlic bechamel:

60g pine nuts

(soak in water for 3 hours)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plain flour

12g nutritional yeast flakes

120g oat milk

2 garlic cloves

½ lemon, juiced

Ground black pepper

Ground sea salt

Topping:

50g panko breadcrumbs

50g of sourdough breadcrumbs (coarse)

1tbsp olive oil

25g walnuts or chestnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

4-5 sage leaves finely chopped

½ sea salt

Mushrooms:

4 large portobello mushrooms

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Fresh parsley

Baby gem lettuce

Salt and pepper

Roasted carrots and parsnips

2 medium carrots

2 medium parsnips

2 tsp runny maple syrup

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 tsp olive oil

Sea salt (coarse)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Method:

Begin with the sauce: take your soaked pine nuts, oat milk, flour, nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and blend in a food processer until totally smooth. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge until required.

For the topping, combine the breadcrumbs, walnuts, sage, salt and olive oil in a blender on pulse until just combined and no more (keep texture for crunch).

Remove the stalks out of the centre of each mushroom and spoon in the bechamel, filling each one to the top. Brush the top and the rim of the mushrooms with the sauce and then spoon over the breadcrumb mixture with a generous topping.

If you wish, you can refrigerate the mushrooms overnight for the next day, however they do not keep very long, so don’t prepare them too far in advance.

Begin your dish by cooking the roasted vegetables, peel and chop larger ones into halves or quarters so all carrots and parsnips are an even size at about 2cm wide. Put them in a baking tray and coat with maple syrup as and olive oil. Sprinkle the rosemary and salt over them and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes until soft and golden. Fifteen minutes before they are due to be ready, add the balsamic vinegar (optional) and mix through well.

With 15 minutes left on the roasted veg, drop the temperature in your oven to 180C, place the mushrooms on a baking tray and place in the centre of the oven. Leave for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and crisp (whichever is soonest).

While the mushrooms are cooking, halve your baby gem lengthways and add to a hot pan with olive oil, char until golden brown and remove.

Plate your baby gem and place the mushrooms on top, accompanied by the roasted vegetables. Sprinkle any spare toasted pine nuts on top. Serve immediately.

The Herald:

Boozy tiramisu

This is a velvety, rich, boozy dessert that’s the perfect end to a sumptuous Christmas meal. Serve with a nice aperitif or espresso Martini and snuggle up on the sofa to watch your favourite Christmas film.

Ingredients: Serves 2

Sponge cake:

275g plain flour

180g caster sugar

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

150g unsweetened almond milk

75g vegetable oil

15g lemon juice

1tsp vanilla extract

For the cake layers:

Vegan sponge cake (as above)

50ml cup strong brewed coffee (cooled)

25ml coffee liqueur

1tbsp maple syrup

For the cherries:

50g fresh cherries pitted

½ tbsp kirsch

1/tsp raw cane sugar

For the vanilla cheesecake

filling layers:

40g cashews (soaked for 2-4 hours)

75g soft tofu, drained

30g coconut oil

(melted if solid)

30g maple syrup

15ml lemon juice freshly squeezed

1 tbsp kirsch to taste

¼ tsp natural vanilla extract or paste

To garnish:

Fresh cherries

Vegan chocolate shavings

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C

Firstly, make your sponge by mixing all the wet ingredients together in one bowl, then pour the dry ingredients in and mix until the batter just comes together, no more.

Pour into a single cake tin (approximately 20cm wide) and bake for around 20 minutes. The cake is ready when golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool then cut into 2-3cm chunks.

While the cake is cooling, brew some strong coffee and set aside to cool in a mixing bowl. Add the coffee liqueur and maple syrup to taste (I like mine extra boozy so always add a bit more).

Pit the cherries by slicing in half and removing the stones, then toss them in the Kirsch and raw cane sugar.

Set aside, stirring every now and then while preparing the rest of the dessert.

For the cream filling, blend everything except the coconut oil until smooth, adding more Kirsch if needed. Pour in the oil as the blender is still running and fully combine.

To assemble, briefly dip the cake chunks into the coffee syrup (you want them moist but not soaked) then arrange them in the bottom of the cocktail glasses. Now sprinkle a layer of cherries, then follow with a generous helping of the cream filling.

Repeat the layers, finishing with cream.

Dust the top of the dessert with cocoa (using a sieve) and add chocolate shavings also if desired.

Chill for at least six hours but preferably overnight until set.

Garnish with fresh cherries and enjoy this super-indulgent vegan Christmas dessert.

Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, Glasgow. See www.hotelduvin.com or phone 0141 378 0385 to book.

Twitter @Chefgtownsend

Instagram- @chef.g.townsend