Forget nut roast, or boring old vegetable wellington. From so-called “veganettone” to sticky toffee pudding and even meat-free whole “no turkey” crowns, retailers and food manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to offer a dizzying range of plant-based options for the traditional Christmas spread. As research reveals that more than one in four Britons plan to eat more vegan food at Christmas this year, supermarkets are reporting strong sales of alternatives to festive staples, with some “limited edition” alternatives to the turkey centrepiece already selling out. Tesco is tempting taste buds with a record 10 plant-based “centrepieces” – up from six last year – including its new Wicked Kitchen “no turkey roast crown”, which has already sold out online. Derek Sarno, a US chef and self-proclaimed “plant pusher” hired by the supermarket as its “director of plant-based innovation” to overhaul and bolster the entire range, said: “It looks like turkey, carves like turkey and even tastes like it. It has taken us two years to bring this to market and it’s the first of its kind, and what I believe will be a game-changer for the industry. Made of wheat protein and soy, we also worked with a specialist flavour house to create a natural plant-base turkey flavouring that gives the full experience of the real thing.” According to research carried out for the Vegan Society, 26% of Britonsplan to eat more plant-based foods this Christmas, continuing the trend of eating less meat during lockdown. That reflects people paying closer attention to what they eat on health and environmental grounds, with increasing numbers adopting “flexitarian” diets – cutting down on meat and dairy while eating more plant-based foods. Waitrose says pre-orders of vegan Christmas foods are up by 700% comparedwith last year while searches on Waitrose.com for “vegan cheese” increased by 76% on the same period in 2019. Its Vegan Festive Filo Swirls are proving a popular main dish,. It is also is offering the first supermarket dairy-free vegan fondue. Charlotte McCarthy, vegan buyer at Waitrose said: “We anticipate this Christmas will be the biggest ever for vegan food. We’ve worked really hard to ensure that there is an exciting range available for our customers that is delicious, whether they follow a vegan diet or not.”