Savoury Vegan Christmas Wreath

Fill and boil your kettle, then grease your tin with sunflower oil and line it with baking parchment – this is easiest if you cut out small, rectangular pieces of parchment and overlap them around the base. Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the diced onion, celery, leek, squash and chestnuts, then crush in the garlic and fry for two minutes, stirring. Next, add the allspice, cinnamon, dried oregano, fresh thyme leaves, lemon zest and a few turns of the pepper mill, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180⁰C (Gas Mark 6), then put the nuts into a food processor and blitz to a rough crumb-like consistency. Add the chickpeas and pulse once or twice, so that they break down a little bit. Pour 200ml of boiled water from your kettle into a measuring jug, then add the marmite and miso and stir to dissolve. When the vegetables are ready, carefully add the nuts and chickpeas to the pan, then stir in the breadcrumbs and the chopped cranberries, apricots and tomatoes. Stir to mix, then add the balsamic vinegar and the miso/marmite liquid. Continue to cook the mix for about 5 minutes, stirring, then take the pan off the heat. Next, use a spatula to scrape the mix into your prepared tin, pressing it down firmly. Cover the tin with foil and bake in the hot oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cooked roast rest for five minutes or so, then turn it out; remove the foil and place a large serving plate over the tin, then carefully invert so the plate is underneath the tin and let the loaf drop out gently on to the plate, upside-down. Remove the baking paper. To decorate, heat 2-3 tablespoons of cranberry sauce in a small pan, then use it to brush the top of the wreath. Scatter over the pistachio slivers, then alternate the sage leaves and rosemary sprigs around the circle in a wreath-like pattern.