It's getting to the time of year when everyone is (well lots of people are) posting Winter or Christmassy recipes on their blogs.

So this is just to say that on 28th Nov at our evening service we are making mini vegan Christmas puds - recipe to follow once I've finished deriving it from various sources!

This week I had a veggie friend to stay for a couple of days, so I made a veggie cottage pie (using vegetarian bricks and chimney pots obviously)...

Prepare about 6oz (150g) red lentils by cooking according to the instructions on the packet

Finely chop one onion (not too strong) about three sticks of celery and a couple of carrots and 'sweat' for about ten minutes in a little vegetable oil of your choice.

Add the lentils and water they've been cooked in to the sweated veg. To this mix add either a veggie stock cube or a good splash of veggie stock concentrate and/or a teaspoon of marmite, some dried sage and some dried thyme plus S&P to taste; you might need more water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 mins.

Meanwhile, dice some sweet potatoes or ordinary potatoes (I used one large one of each; wimped out of purple mash for a friend who'd never seen purple spuds) and boil til soft then mash using butter or spread depending how V or V you are!

Place the lentil mix in an ovenproof dish.  Slice up some tomatoes, any size, shape or colour and lay over the mixture then top with your mashed potato.  You can grate some cheese over the top if your diet allows it.

Bake in the oven now or when it's getting close to tea time for about 20-30 mins at about 180C (Mark 5 ish).  Serve with veg of your choice... I used a selection of green things steamed for 15 mins.

Serves 2-4 depending how hungry you are and how much extra veg you cook.  Keeps well overnight - no meat to give you worries - and freezes well too.

Enjoy!