For years it has been the day of the year when vegetarians and vegans are most likely to feel like a pariah at the dinner table.

But now bland nut loaves have been consigned to history as Marks and Spencer is showcasing more meat-free Christmas dinner main courses on its new menu than meat options.

The supermarket said it is hoping that its growing "flexitarian" customer base will swap traditional turkey for its new range of gourmet plant-based Christmas dinners - even if they are not full time vegetarians.

An M&S spokesman said: "In the past vegetarians were limited to nut roasts at Christmas, but not anymore. Our vegetarian options are so amazing that we hope people will choose them over meat options even if they are not full time vegetarians."

“The rise of the ‘vegievore’ and ‘flexitarian’ means that as a country we’re experimenting more with new vegetables and people are less afraid to try something different.