A herb and lemon stuffing with mushrooms is the one to make when the table includes vegetarians, because it is not a compromise version of a meat recipe — it is better at being stuffing than most sausagemeat versions are, and everyone ends up eating it.
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion and 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
- 100g butter (or olive oil to make it vegan — then bind with a little extra stock instead of the egg)
- 200g fresh breadcrumbs
- Zest of 1 lemon
- A big handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus thyme and sage
- 1 egg, beaten, plus salt and plenty of black pepper
Method
- Cook the mushrooms hard in half the butter until their liquid has completely evaporated and they are starting to brown — wet mushrooms make wet stuffing, and wet stuffing is the failure mode here.
- Soften the onion and celery in the rest of the butter, then combine everything and season generously.
- Bake in a buttered dish at 190°C / 170°C fan for 25–30 minutes until golden and crisp-topped.
The lemon is what stops a vegetarian stuffing tasting worthy: it does the sharpening job the meat fat would otherwise do. Do not skip it, and do not reduce it.
Why you need the bad jumper for this one
Because this is the recipe small children can actually help with — no raw meat, lots of stirring, an acceptable amount of mess — and cooking with children is a jumper-day activity in itself. Their clothes will meet butter, breadcrumbs and enthusiasm, which is precisely what a washable festive sweatshirt exists for. Two child-proof options below, and the whole Kids’ Christmas Jumpers collection for the rest of the small workforce.
