Vegan Roast Wellington

First, put the pine nuts in a frying pan and roast them over a low to medium heat for a few minutes. Once they are lightly browned and fragrant, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 3–4 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large deep pan and place on medium heat.

Finely chop the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes. Then finely chop or press the garlic and add to the pan. Stir and saute for another 2 minutes.

In the meantime, using a food processor, process the tofu into thick crumbles and then add to the pan.

Stir and add the thyme, rosemary (finely chopped if using fresh), and spices.

Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, before adding the soya and Worcestershire sauce.

Mix well, adjust salt and pepper to taste, cook for another minute and remove from heat.

In a medium pan, heat 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped. Roast the mushrooms for 3–4 minutes over a medium heat. Once nicely browned and very fragrant, add to the tofu mixture in the big pan.

Roughly chop the chestnuts (just enough to not have big chunks, don’t crumble them completely) and add them to the tofu mixture.

Wrap the roasted pine nuts in a kitchen towel and using a kitchen hammer or other heavy object, crush them and add to the mixture in the pan.

Mix everything very well, fold in the cornstarch, and mix again thoroughly. Let stand another 10 minutes to cool.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (top and bottom elements).

Roll out the puff pastry onto a sheet of baking paper. Carefully place the filling mixture in the middle, running lengthwise, and press firmly with your hands to compact the filling as much as possible. Then wrap the dough around the filling on the one side and roll it to wrap completely around it. Twist the edges of the open side with your fingers in order to close the whole roll like a candy wrapper. Carefully transfer the loaf with the baking paper on to a baking tray.

In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, agave syrup, and soya yoghurt, and brush the loaf with it generously.

Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool slightly before slicing.

Serve your roast Wellington with gravy, potatoes, and cranberry sauce (or berries). Enjoy!