Must-Buy Products for the Best Christmas Dinner

Whether you are making a meat-free turkey feast or a sweet mustard glazed seitan, the key ingredient you will need is vital wheat gluten. This helps make the meat alternative dough have the important texture that it does. It’s a fantastic ingredient to have on hand, and can just be kept in your cupboard.

A good nut roast is essential at Christmas time. Traditionally seen as a vegan or vegetarian alternative to turkey, it’s now blossoming in its own right as a hearty festive dinner staple. Many meat eaters consider turkey to be bland and tasteless (and it’s very easy to overcook, leading to something with the mouth feel of a rattan handbag), so is it any wonder the non-meat eaters have to fend off the carnivores encroaching on their food? Artisan Grains make some of the finest nut roasts we’ve ever tasted, and they’re extremely easy to prepare, even coming with their own recyclable roasting dish! As well as this splendid cashew nut & cranberry one, they also offer a lip-smacking country veg version and a super, piquant Mediterranean-style version with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs.

Gotta have a good bit of stuffing for Christmas! From humble beginnings, stuffing has become quite the star of the festive dinner table, and there are many types available, including some rather outlandish flavour variations! We still keep coming back to the classic, though – sage and onion – and few people do it better than Gordon Rhodes!

St. Dalfour makes delicious fruit spreads, and also offers whole French prunes – and these fantastic jars of whole, plump, hand-picked chestnuts, which are ready to eat. They’re magic served whole with the Brussels sprouts, or roughly chopped as part of the Christmas stuffing.

These premium French chestnuts are low in fat, free from preservatives, and vacuum-packed to preserve their freshness and their lovely, buttery taste. They’re also great to have around, as they make a grand, eminently munchable snack on their own – far healthier and more filling than the average mince pie!

Originally an American usurper, cranberry sauce has now been embraced in Britain as an essential component of the Christmas dinner. This one’s a very classy example – organic and flavoured with the rich sweetness of port. It’s also bursting with flavour and is guaranteed to make your Christmas lunch taste that extra bit special.

Cranberries are wonderfully tangy and packed full of beneficial antioxidants. They have documented cancer-fighting properties, and there’s significant evidence they’re excellent for blood pressure and our immune system.

Some good quality stock is an essential store cupboard ingredient at Christmas time. Whatever you’ve been roasting, simply scatter some bouillon into the roasting tray, add a glug of boiling water and whisk vigorously to incorporate all the roasting juices and remnants into some flavoursome gravy (maybe with a little cornflour to thicken it). This bouillon is 100% natural and equally at home in soups and casseroles too. It’s organic and totally vegan, but at the same time brilliant if you’re a meat-eater for adding to a roux and making a turkey & ham pie to use up all the bits & bobs post-Boxing Day.

This delicious vegan Chocolate Panettone is made with sourdough starter. It’s handmade in small batches, meaning it is baked to perfection. The perfect addition to your festive spread.

This gluten-free Yorkshire Pudding Mix is made with chickpea flour to create an lovely texture. 12 Yorkshire puddings can be made from each packet. They taste wonderful served with a roast and gravy.

Bells of Lazonby was established in 1946 by an ex-fighter pilot who was shot down over Germany, luckily surviving to set up a small bakery and shop attached to his home, which went from strength to strength and still flourishes today, making all kinds of delicious cakes and traybakes – including these magic mince pies, which are totally gluten-free and filled to the brim with moist vine fruit. They also contain apple puree and a lovely amount of cinnamon and mixed spice.

This creamy squirty cream alternative is perfect for accompanying all your festive treats: brandy snaps, Christmas pudding, trifle and hot chocolate! It’s free from dairy, lactose, gluten and soya.

It’s easy to feel a little isolated at Christmas if you’re avoiding alcohol – it’s traditionally a time for excess, and that often involves mixing with friends and family who’ve been at the ales, or had a considerably snifter of sherry, port, ginger wine, brandy or egg nog! Luckily, Belvoir are on hand with a marvellous range of delightful alcohol-free tipples, such as this delectable fruit punch, full of cranberry, orange and blackcurrant juices, along with a delicious hint of festive spice. Perfect for mulling, toasting the Queen or leaving out for Santa so he remains firmly in control of his sleigh!

Get prepared – Santa’s coming, and so are lots of guests, and they’ll all expect feeding! We have a marvellous Christmas shop here at Healthy Supplies, jam-packed with all kinds of brilliant things to make this truly a Christmas to remember. Dive in here!