Christmas is soon upon us, and although everything seems a little confusing at the moment, the one thing we can rely on is food. Plans seem to be changing daily and taking the essence away from Christmas, however I’m determined to hang on to any positivity we can at the moment. And the best way I know how is through food!

Whether you are having a quiet Christmas at home or meeting a few nearest and dearest, this Christmas vegetable pie is a winner. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians will love it. It’s great to mix things up a little because it’s so easy to eat the same thing every year.

I truly believe that vegetarians should also get the opportunity to indulge this time of year and enjoy a festive meal, whether its on the big day or the next. This crowd pleasing pie is made up of roasted cauliflower and mushrooms in a creamy cheese sauce made with Boursin, topped with cranberry sauce and crumbly shortcrust pastry. Heaven!

I would normally use shop bought pastry but I didn’t have any so I made some using BBC Good Food’s recipe, which is surprisingly easy. If you don’t fancy making your pastry, shop bought will work perfectly.

Served with all the usual trimmings of garlic and rosemary roast potatoes and honey and clementine glazed rainbow carrots, this meal felt so special and worthy of being served on Christmas day.

Here’s how I made it:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 250g cauliflower
• 250g chestnut mushrooms
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1/2 pint milk
• 1 tbsp Boursin cheese, garlic and herb flavour
• 1 tbsp cranberry sauce
• 1 handful chopped parsley
• shortcrust pastry
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tbsp butter

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. Break up the cauliflower into florets and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pan melt a knob of butter on a medium heat and add the onions and garlic to soften down for a few minutes. I also added any remains from the cauliflower stem to avoid any waste by simply chopping it up.

3. Next, add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown. Then add a tablespoon of flour and cook out for a minute or so.

4. Once the flour is cooked, add a splash of milk and mix through slowly. Then add more and more of the milk to create a sauce. Add the stock cube and a splash of boiling water. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes until thickened and then add a tbsp of Boursin cheese.

5. Once the sauce has thickened nicely, add the roasted cauliflower and chopped parsley. The filling is now complete. Leave to cool slightly.

6. Place the filling into your chosen pie dish and top with dollops of cranberry sauce. Brush the edges with the beaten egg.

7. Top the pie with shortcrust pastry, crimp the edges to seal the pie and poke a hole in the top to allow the steam to escape. Decorate the pie as you wish (I’m sure it will look better than mine!). Egg wash the pastry and bake at 180c for approximately 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with your choice of trimmings and enjoy!

This pie was so delicious I will be keeping this in my back pocket for special occasions. It felt very luxurious and we didn’t miss the meat at all. Why not give it a try and let me know how it goes? I hope you do!

What are you making/eating this Christmas? Do you have any Christmas traditions or are you trying something different this year? Leave me a comment below I’d love to know what you are eating 🙂

I know this can be a crazy time of year and I hope you are all doing okay. Let’s be kind to one another and enjoy the simple things in life. Thanks for reading and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

My name is Bhavisha Surti and I am a food photographer and stylist based in Milton Keynes. Please subscribe to my blog below and check out my website to see more of my work at www.jbimagery.co.uk. Thank you!