The Vegetarian.....

I was in a restaurant the other evening and on the table was a menu for their Christmas season including Christmas Day. As their is just myself and my partner it is something we have considered for this year,going out for christmas day lunch.
 However for the last 20 ish years I have chosen a vegetarian diet and have enjoyed  full and tasty food. I like cooking alot and have used all sorts of beans and pulses and made some really interesting dishes, there is not a vegetable I do not like although there are a couple that I am not fond of and don't use, but a vegetarian cook book can show you that a vegetarian diet is not boring or bland in any way.
 So why do restaurants only make pasta dishes for non meat eaters, this restaurant that we were in,on their Christmas menu was a pasta dish for vegetarians, and they wanted nearly £40's for it, ok it is part of a 3 course meal but any restaurant that is serving pasta for a christmas lunch should instantly fire the Chef and be ashamed of themselves.
 As a vegetarian I  still want to enjoy a roast dinner as much as the next person, I just don't want the meat, I know you can make a hearty and tasty nut roast or lentil roast in its place, Chick Peas are my absolute favourite pulse and you can make the most delicious dishes from them, as you can with most pulses. Nuts are so tasty and there is such a variety I don't understand any restaurant not wanting to add this on to their menu.
I am not a huge fan of pasta personally but it amazes me that there is this idea that if you are a vegetarian you automatically only eat pasta. It insults me.The other food item that is automatically assumed that as a vegetarian you eat is Goats cheese, I can't stand it the smell of it makes me sick I and I do not like the taste, give me a good mature cheddar any day.
In desperation I started introducing fish in to my diet to give me more variety when I go out to eat and also for other people, as soon as you say your vegetarian to someone you can see the colour drain out of their face thinking oh no what am I going to cook; again i don't understand this as their are so many options in super markets now with veggie alternatives and some of them are really nice. My favourite is Frys vegetarian range, made in South Africa and luckily imported to UK and sold at Holland & Barratt. The worst veggie substitutes for me is the Quorn range I had a serious allergic reaction to it that put me in hospital twice!!
When I first became vegetarian there was not many substitute convenience foods about, I had to know what to cook and how to cook it to ensure a balanced diet. 
One of the nicest veggie dinners out I had was at a restaurant called RJ,s they served a mixed variety of roasted vegetables with a cheese sauce, it was a generous plate of food and very tasty; and the only place I have been to and been spoilt for choice is the www.royaleeatery.com which is on Long Street in Cape Town, this restaurant puts every one to shame as the vegetarian section of their menu is the best I have seen.

So going back to Christmas Day Lunch, I refuse to pay £39.95 for a plate of pasta, and knowing that I can cook myself and my partner a  Fabulous Christmas Lunch we will probably stay at home, but I would happily pay the money for a decent lunch and not have to worry about the washing up.So to the chefs out their please use your skills and start creating  more dishes than just pasta!!!