It’s National Vegetarian Week, so here are some of my favourite veggie meals.  Incidentally we should be glad we live in Britain because at least our choice is better than in France. My mother-in-law (who lives in France half the year) has for years been confronted with a curled french waiter’s lip and the offer of, “Well, we could make you an omelette?” or merely being given a selection of vegetables. Slimming, I suppose, but we do need some protein now and again.

There are around 4 million veggies in the UK, according to The Vegetarian Society, and even if you’re not one of them, a veggie meal is healthy and provides a change from the usual meat/carbs/veg combo.

Halloumi is one of my favourites, just sliced and fried, served with a well-dressed, interesting salad (a vinaigrette of lemon juice, honey and herbs?) and/or couscous studded with chopped apricots, fresh parsley and mint, diced cherry tomatoes and cucumber etc. Blob some hummous on top, or mayo for extra moisture.

A simple pasta-pesto does it for me too. I am growing my own basil in the kitchen so it couldn’t be simpler to whizz up some of that with cheese and nuts plus garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil. It doesn’t have to be pine nuts (which I hardly ever have in). I am threatening to make  nettle pesto too (almost free, because it’s foraged), after a friend ate it in a restaurant. Watch this space!

Quiche (see my blog “One of my Pies”) is also a favourite with my family. These main course dishes usually involve me using up the contents of my fridge. So long as you have 4 or 5 eggs and slather it in enough cheese, it’ll set properly AND taste great (so true of so many of my dishes).

Those are my thoughts so far…