To impress her guests, Kate opted for a ‘meaty’ main course of mushroom bourginon served with duchesse potatoes.
“I wanted the main to be as “meaty” as possible, so a tasty mushroom bourginon seemed a good bet. I sourced the most beautiful vegan mozzarella for my starter, a punchy combination of flavourful veggies and balsamic slow cooked onions,” she told us.
Finally, Kate’s guests enjoyed a sweet treat of sticky toffee pudding and homemade vanilla ice cream to prove that “vegan cakes and ice cream are just as good without dairy!”
As vegans, we’re used to having our food choices criticised around the dinner table, but Kate was pleased to find her fellow contestants were supportive and welcoming.
In fact, some of them even chose to make vegan dishes for their own nights for all the guests to enjoy.
“The other guests were absolute stars and their comments on my cooking were incredibly encouraging. They obviously all had to cook vegan dishes for me – and the fact that they were quite happy to do so was truly heartwarming, especially as some of the dishes cooked by others were fully vegan for all,” Kate explained.
After an enjoyable week of fun, food, and lots of laughter, Kate was delighted when it was announced that her vegan menu had earned her the coveted title of Come Dine With Me winner.
However, for Kate, appearing on Come Dine With Me was never about winning the £1,000 prize. Instead, it was an exciting opportunity to bring vegan cooking to the forefront to dispel the myths about it being less delicious.
“The opportunity was never about the winning, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed the process as much if I’d been focused on that aspect. But when the result came in, I was utterly overwhelmed: the director told me I was one of very few vegans to win Come Dine With Me in 15 years and the first ever, in the North East!
“My goal was for others to experience, enjoy and be pleasantly surprised by how good vegan food can be. I think I nailed it!”
Come Dine With Me “Durham” episodes aired on Channel 4 on 20th June 2022 and are available to watch on catch-up now. You can follow Kate on Instagram at @katey_vegan_lifestyle for more vegan recipes.