Vegetarians and Christmas used not to be a perfect marriage. While everyone else was being offered goose, turkey or capon, the poor non-meat-eaters could be made to feel left out. Nowadays, however, most tastes are willingly catered for by the cook, especially at Christmas.

The following recipes, while designed to appeal to those who prefer a vegetable and fruit diet, could comfortably find their place at any table over the festive season. They would be equally perfect as accompaniments to the more traditional fare of roasted meats or birds.

Roasted onion squash and cep with sage, soft parmesan polenta and mascarpone

Serves 6
small to medium onion squash 2
olive oil 60ml
sage 1 tbsp, chopped, plus a few large leaves
garlic 2 cloves, crushed to a paste
cep, portobello or field mushrooms 6 (or use a selection of other wild mushrooms)

For the polenta
milk 500ml
water 250ml
bay leaves 4
garlic 2 cloves, crushed to a cream
sage 1 tsp, chopped
coarse polenta 500g
butter 50g
parmesan 100g, freshly grated, plus extra for serving at the table
mascarpone 200g

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3½. Wash the squash and remove the skin carefully with a sharp knife. Cut the flesh into even sized wedges (discarding the seeds) and place in a bowl. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper and the chopped sage and creamed garlic. Jumble the wedges together so that all surfaces are well coated in the marinade. Arrange the squash in an ovenproof dish that is large enough to hold all the vegetables. (Retain the remaining marinade in the bowl.) Roast the squash in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they start to colour at the edges and soften a little.

Trim the mushrooms of any discoloured parts and cut in half or quarters, depending on their size. Toss them gently in the bowl with the remaining marinade until well coated. Remove the dish from the oven and arrange the mushrooms in and around the squash. Scatter with the whole sage leaves. Return to the oven and roast for a further 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft when pierced with a knife, but golden at the edges.

Meanwhile, for the polenta, bring the milk, water, bay leaves, garlic and chopped sage to a gentle simmer. Using a whisk, add the polenta to the liquid little by little. Once it has all been incorporated and is smooth, continue stirring with a wooden spoon as it thickens. This may take up to 15 minutes, depending on the type of polenta, but it is important that the polenta loses its graininess as it cooks. Remove the bay leaves.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and half the grated parmesan. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Pour the polenta into a serving dish, scraping the pan clean with a plastic spatula. Scatter the remaining parmesan over the surface and dot with generous dollops of mascarpone. Cover and leave in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Serve the roasted vegetables with a scoop of the soft polenta on the side, a drizzle of good olive oil, and a bowl of freshly grated parmesan at the table.

Winter leaf salad with toasted pecan nuts, blood oranges and pomegranate

Choose a selection of leaves to give a variety of colour and shapes – for example watercress, red and white Belgian endive, castelfranco, radicchio. Wash the leaves, spin dry and leave in a bag in the fridge until you’re ready.

Serves 6
pecans 150g
olive oil 4 tbsp
blood oranges 4 large
pomegranate 1 large
salad leaves 6-8 large handfuls

Slice the pecans lengthwise and place in a small pan with the olive oil and some sea salt and black pepper. Cook gently over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally until evenly browned. Leave to cool.

Using a sharp knife, cut the tops and bottoms from the blood oranges, then with a cut surface firmly on a chopping board, slice the peel away from the fruit and discard. Slice the oranges thinly, retaining all the excess juice in a glass. Cut the pomegranate in half around the equator, and holding each half upside down over a bowl, knock the seeds out using a rolling pin. Drain the juice from the pomegranate seeds and mix with the orange juice and the oil from the pecan nuts. Taste for seasoning.

Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and toss gently with some of the dressing. Arrange the leaves decoratively on a serving platter (flat is prettier than a bowl), tucking the orange slices in and around. Scatter with the pomegranate seeds and pecan nuts and serve immediately with the remaining dressing on the side.

Florence fennel salad with clementines and rocket

Serves 6
clementines or mandarins 5
good olive oil 3 tbsp
fennel bulbs 3 medium
green salad leaves a few handfuls (eg, rocket, dandelion or escarole)

Squeeze the juice from 2 clementines, add the olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Peel the remaining clementines and cut in half across the equator, then break the segments apart.

Trim the outside leaves from the fennel, remove and discard the tough base, and cut in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, with the cut surface flat on the board, slice as finely as possible along the length. Place the slices into a bowl with the salad leaves. Add half the dressing and toss gently together. Place half the salad in a serving bowl or dish, scatter with the clementine pieces and cover with the remaining salad. Serve the remaining dressing separately.

Sally Clarke is owner of Clarke’s Restaurant, Shop and Bakery, 124 Kensington Church Street, London W8 4BH; 020 7221 9225; sallyclarke.com