May is the host of National Vegetarian Week which is taking place between 19th and 25th May.  This got me thinking about some of the veggie friendly ingredients we use at Incanto which are perfect to include in home cooking.

Agar agar
An alternative for gelatine perfect for thickening foods - plus it’s much healthier as it has fewer calories. The jelly comes from boiling several types of seaweed together which is then dried and typically sold in a powder form which you can buy from stores including Holland & Barrett.

We always use agar agar in our desserts when needed so there’s no reason to miss out if you’re following a vegetarian diet.

Parmesan and various cheeses
Not everyone is aware of the different types of cheeses and which ones contain animal rennet. Hard cheeses such as parmesan tend to be unsuitable for vegetarians but we always make sure we only use vegetarian cheeses in our dishes.

You can still buy vegetarian varieties of hard cheese from Tesco and also Whole Foods which is great because we all know many Italian dishes aren’t complete without a sprinkling of cheese!

Avocados
Following a vegan diet? Avocados are a fantastic ingredient to use if you need to add a creamy texture and extra flavour to any dish – this includes chocolate mousse believe it or not!  A favourite trick for turning a ‘naughty’ dessert into a wonderfully nutritious one – with no compromising on taste!

Seasonal Favourites
Fruit and vegetables come and go depending on the season but there will always be something tasty to make use of. Some of our current favourites include asparagus which is only in season for a short while; jersey royals – by far the tastiest tattie and juicy, sweet strawberries to kick start that summer vibe. In fact my next column will be sharing a recipe for Strawberry Bavarese straight from our kitchen so don’t miss it!