A very festive mushroom Wellington

This crispy, juicy and flavourful mushroom roast has become the star of our Christmas table and has the ability to impress at any dinner party.

The old-fashioned beef Wellington is an over the top English meat dish – the veggie version is less decadent but packed with earthy, satisfying flavour.

To make our wonderful grown-up Christmases a little more special we've made it our tradition to make a mushroom Wellington served with vegan brown gravy and this substantial beetroot salad with lentils. Every time we're amazed at how delicious it is, despite knowing we like it. Mashed root vegetables or even plain potatoes are great side dishes, too.

Mushroom Wellington

Makes about 4 servings
450g button cap or porcini mushrooms (or any kind, really)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
60 ml vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dried thyme (double if using fresh)
125g spinach (frozen or fresh)
1 sheet puff pastry (ca 320 grams – most brands are vegan)
2 medium size potatoes (ca 200g)
1 tbsp dairy-free milk

Filling:
Clean possible dirt off your mushrooms and chop them very finely.

Slice your onion thinly and mince the garlic. Fry the onion for 3–5 minutes in two tablespoons of oil using a pot or a pan that will accommodate for mushrooms and spinach, too. Add broth and sauté until the onions are translucent and most of the broth has evaporated. Add garlic and gently fry for a few more minutes.

Defrost the spinach.

Mix in the mushrooms, soy sauce and thyme with the onion. Sauté circa 10–12 minutes until most of the liquid has released from the mushrooms and evaporated. Stir in the spinach and lift the pan off the burner.

Wellington:
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Place a sheet of non-stick paper on an oven tray and roll out the sheet of puff pastry on it.

Slice the potatoes thinly.

Lay down potato slices in middle third of the pastry using about a third of the potatoes. Top them with half of the mushroom mixture, spread evenly. Add another layer of potatoes, then the rest of the mushrooms, and finally the last layer of potato slices.

Fold both sides of the puff pastry to cover the filling, try to seal the ends. Make decorative cross cuts on the top – they also serve as air vents.

In a tea cup or small bowl, mix the non-dairy milk with a tablespoon of olive oil and brush over the Wellington.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. until the pastry gets a golden colour. Let it rest for at least ten minutes before you cut into the Wellington.

The original recipe copied and tweaked from American food site Tasty.co where it's accompanied by a convenient how-to video.