M&S has a very veggie Christmas: Rise of a meat-free menu

The Christmas season wouldn’t be complete without mouthwatering TV adverts boasting succulent turkeys and glistening piles of pigs in blankets.

But this year, the traditional festive feast is set to include something rather greener.

Revealing its Christmas menu yesterday, Marks & Spencer had opted to provide more vegetarian options than meat dishes.

The chain says it hopes that the country’s growing number of so-called flexitarians – those who are not vegetarian but are actively limiting their meat intake – will swap their traditional turkey for its new range of gourmet plant-based dinners.

Dishes include baked ricotta stacks with mushrooms, leeks and kale, seasonal squash bake and butternut squash and sweet potato rosti.

There are even vegan options, including butternut and beetroot filo parcels and a parsnip and mulled red onion bake.

However, meat-lovers needn’t fear, as the chain’s usual turkey and other meat options are still on offer. The move comes after studies have found that one in three people have moved to reduce their meat intake this year, with industry chiefs describing the menu change as a ‘sign of the times’.

An M&S spokesman said: ‘Our vegetarian options are so amazing that we hope people will choose them … even if they are not full time vegetarians.

‘The rise of the “vegievore” and “flexitarian” means that as a country we’re experimenting more with new vegetables and people are less afraid to try something different.’

The chain says it hopes that the country’s growing number of so-called flexitarians – those who are not vegetarian but are actively limiting their meat intake – will swap their traditional turkey for its new range of gourmet plant-based dinners