Vegetarian Recipes
These recipes are all Maitreya Social originals and have proved to be firm favourites. We hope you find that all the dishes are fairly straight forward to make and all worthy of the effort.
• Makes 2 loaves or 6-7 rolls • Prep time 2hrs • Cook time 17-25 mins
Bread making is one of the most satisfying processes in the kitchen. The transformation from the raw ingredients to the finished product is incredible and there’s nothing as nice as enjoying fresh homemade bread. Once you get in the routine, you’ll never want to go back to shop-bought bread.
• Serves 10 • Prep 40 mins + chilling • Cook 45 mins
This is a very simple and totally decadent dessert. It’s a classic that everyone will love. It’s always worth making the pastry yourself rather than buying it as the flavour is so much better. Get some friends round and enjoy this as an evening dessert or with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
• Makes two jars
This is a firm favourite with the staff and customers at Maitreya Social. We serve it with the delicious veggie Maitreya burger on our lunch menu, but really it can be eaten with anything. I like this relish with quesodillas or burritos, bhajis or pakoras or with a good old-fashioned cheese sandwich.
• Makes 2 large jam-jars full • Prep time 25 mins • Cook time 45 mins
This is great on a buffet table with some good bread to spread it on or in sandwiches for a picnic. The rich savouriness of the sundried tomatoes give this pate it’s really satisfying flavour. Pistachios can be expensive so you can cut costs a little by swapping in cashews in their place.
• Serves 8 • Prep time 30 mins • Cook time 1hr
This dish is a Maitreya winter menu classic and is back by popular demand each year. This recipe is for a good dinner party sized batch as this is a slow cook process it’s worth making plenty. A great way to enjoy this is with some roast potatoes and greens or even just with some good crusty bread.
• Serves 4 • Prep time 15 mins • Cook time 1hr 45 mins
This is a popular summer dish at Maitreya. It’s spicy, smoky and surprises a lot of people with its satisfying ‘meatiness’ despite being totally vegan. We serve it with blue corn tacos, rice and habanero sauce for an extra kick.
Serves 4 • Prep 1 hr 20 mins • Cook 50 mins
Halloumi is delicious simply grilled, however this is a totally different and very tasty way to enjoy it. All the processes here are quite simple and the spring rolls can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge so this makes is a great springtime dinner party dish.
• Makes enough for a pie
Puff pastry, unfairly, has a reputation for being difficult to make. At Maitreya we make all our puff pastry by hand using this simple method. It is important that the butter is at a temperature for it to be workable without being too soft. It’s very satisfying when you get this right and tastes so much better than shop-bought pastry.
• Makes 750ml • 8-10 servings approx • Prep time 15 mins • Cook time 2hrs
Meat eaters are often sceptical about the concept of vegan gravy however with this method you will come out with something to satisfy everyone. It’s worth getting this on plenty of time ahead of when you need it as allowing the time for it to cook is where the depth of flavour comes from.
• Serves 12
This Maitreya classic can be a lemon/orange/ lime or countless other Polenta cakes. Its gluten free, quick and easy to mix and can be dairy free. Substitute the butter for organic margarine and 10 to 12 dessertspoons of soya cream.
• Make 8 to 10 ramekins or cappuccino cups
This delicious dairy and gluten free chocolate ganache has a lovely smooth texture and rich mouth watering flavour It is also ideal to set as a tart.
• Serves 12
This chocoholic pudding is a favourite at café maitreya. We make it dairy free but just substitute eggs, butter and cream as indicated for the full fat version.
• Serves 6
This delicious alternative baked cheesecake is adapted from a Waitrose food monthly recipe. The advantage is it's relatively simple, the disadvantage is the pastry is difficult to roll, a cool environment is vital!
• Serves 10
This savoury baked roulade can be served hot or cold, it's delicate and light but packed with flavour. Using spinach means it can be made all year round. Simply substitute the peppers for other ingredients for example roast carrot in the winter or asparagus in spring. With its plethora of colours this summer one is a killer.
• Serves 8
The buttery pastry gives this tart a beautiful crisp texture, making the cream filling like a custard, produces a real creamy delicious feast unlike a egg custard which can be a little over set.
• Serves 4
We love warm salad here. This recipe can be adjusted to each season. Spring means asparagus, summer means peas and broad beans and gooseberry mint dressing. Autumn means roast butternut squash and cavalo nero. Winter can be roast orange parsnips, hazelnuts and orange thyme.
• Serves 6
This nice local goat's cheese makes a lovely starter/ lunch dish. Halving the Capricorns is a nice size and the salsa is quick and easy to make.
• Makes ten + portions
This simple terrine or pâté makes a delicious alternative to smoked salmon as a festive appetiser. Its great served with toasted brioche or good crusty bread. You could also do a 'potted' smoked ricotta in ramekins.
• Serves 6
Samphire is wonderfully adaptable. It can be used as a warm salad with, for example, gooseberry and halloumi; or as a starter sautéed with pickled peppers and hollaindaise sauce. In this recipe the samphire tempoura's beautifully. It's teaming with nutrients, flavour and texture and makes a great mission day out to go and pick.
• Serves 6
This dish screams of July with its vibrant colours and textures and floral flavours.
A Mediterranean old school favourite, using courgette flowers should really break out of their fine dining image in the UK. There always seems to be a glut of courgettes, using the flowers is a truly rewarding alternative to ratatouille or giant stuffed marrows!
• Serves 6
This vegetarian delight is a little tricky, having taken us a few practise runs to perfect. The exact quality of agar agar is paramount. We also make a delicious Turkish delight ice cream.