Displaying items by tag: vegan

It was so tempting to have a lick of the plate and the juices left in the bottom of the bowl, once I had polished off the Isle of Wight tomato salad at The Northgate last week. The delicious hibiscus and sherry vinaigrette dressed tomatoes, topped with light, whipped cobnut cream and nasturtium pesto reminded me of a Spanish Gazpacho. And sitting outside on the lavender edged terrace, on what must be Bury's only central, outdoor, dining space added to the relaxed and laid back dining experience at this striking Victorian townhouse. I was invited to try the new menu and to tour the newly refurbed restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge ... all are quite stunning. There's a private dining room seating 14 (complete with giant framed cockatoos looking on). A brilliant and boldly decorated cocktail bar and a Chef's table where you can dine and watch the brigade at work. Head Chef Greig Young uses the best produce he can find, with the Taste of East Anglia menu (£45 a head) offering a selection of seasonal small plates, inspired by the local area and it's producers. And no I didn't only eat a salad, I ate bread made with Pakenham Mill flour, then a crisp and light Norfolk Dapple gougere, next came hand cut beef tartare with pickled mustard, broad beans and red endive, followed by a spiced East Anglian bhaji using local potatoes, and the finale of the savoury plates; fillet of plaice in a seaweed crust with a crisp lobster 'scampi' on a light hollandaise, lifted by slices of pickled cucumber.  Greig chose to serve a whipped dark Tosier chocolate, creme de cacao ice cream on a saucy kombucha, caramel espresso as a pre-dessert and then for the main dessert - like I really needed two, roast white chocolate with hibiscus (think Caramac, but better) with roasted red fruit, raspberries and milk ice cream. As well as the superb food at The Northgate staff are also delightful, providing a professional, discreet yet friendly service under the expert guidance of Manager Michael Box.

• the homemade bread
• Norfolk Dapple gougeres
• Isle of Wight tomatoes, juicy with the hibiscus vinaigrette and you'd never believe that with the cobnut cream this is a vegan dish
• Hand cut beef tartare, pickled mustard, broad beans
• Bhajis made with local spud, crips and moreish, vegan too
• A huge lobster 'scampi' aloft the plaice fillet with pickled cucumber hollandaise
• Whipped Tosier chocolate with the slightly sour Kombucha espresso caramel and creme de cacao ice cream
• Caramac! Big shards on milk ice cream and roasted red fruits
• Affordable and interesting lunch menu, perfect for al fresco dining
• The cocktails are excellent too
• Smile! Head Chef Greig Young and Manager Michael Box
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One of my go to recipes when I fancy a meat free meal which is wholesome and healthy. From my Second Chalice Recipe Book and copied into my online Recipe Book now.

Without a doubt the service was a highlight at our #Veganuary outing to the Cosy Club in Ipswich on Thursday night. What a delight Roxana was. Romanian and hard working in the UK for the last three years, I hope we don't lose little gems like this to Brexit.  We weren't really sure what to expect, arriving at an eerily deserted Ipswich town centre and heading for the soulless Buttermaket shopping centre. But it's a bit of a surprise when you get inside. A slightly quirky mix of Colonial Gentlemans Club crossed with US laid back speakeasy, if that's possible.  Invited to sample the vegan menu which I was delighted to do, Mr SFoodie not so keen, but since converted to the idea that a meal of only plants is actually very good. We shared a Mediterranean Plate of hummus, carrot tapenade, pickled red cabbage and heirloom tomatoes and also Garlic Mushrooms on Sourdough, both very good although varying in size given that they are both £4.95 Tapas dishes. The hummus was nicely coarse which I like and the carrot tapenade well flavoured and seasoned with a hint of cumin. Thai Green Vegetable Curry was excellent declared Mr SF and kept him quiet while I ate my Thai Burger, made of quinoa and served with a fat slice of roasted red pepper in the sourdough bun and layered with vibrant green edamame and pak choi. Crispy fries and a nice chunky house slaw were on the side. I confess to ordering vegan bacon purely out of interest but think I can live without that again. There's wine suitable for vegans, I drank an Argentinian Malbec called Benjamin (fresh and fruity) and one dessert of Chocolate and Orange Torte served with a refreshing and light raspberry sauce.  You know what, with this current trend of veganism any fast casual dining restaurant not having a suitable menu is way out of touch. The Cosy Club is well worth a visit.

• Cosy Club Ipswich
• Meditteranean Plate
• Garlic Mushrooms on Sourdough
• Thai Green Vegetable Curry
• Thai Burger
• Don't you love this shield?
• Chocolate and Orange Torte for pudding
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My kind of Fringe Event ... ice cream tasting at Hadley's Ice Cream Parlour in Lavenham. A select few (including some very excited children) who were quick enough to spot this free event at the Taste of Sudbury Food and Drink Festival, spent the evening learning about ice cream making, tasting our way through a range of new flavours, some of which had been made specially for us. Jane the owner tried out her new vegan sorbet range on us. Wow! What stunning sorbets made with aquafaba and blended with ripe summer fruits and vibrant tropical flavours. Vegan or not go and try these sensational sorbets for yourselves.

• The gorgeous parlour
• Rhubarb and Ginger and Strawberry and Elderflower sorbets were delicious too!
• Mango and lime sorbet
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The bleedin' vegan burger. Coming to a supermarket near you. Give me my homemade hazelnut and red lentil burgers any day.

Cradle has got a real Hoxton/Shoreditch look about it and also the kind of place you could imagine finding Gwyneth or Madonna. The tiny cafe/bakery was buzzing with activity when we went for lunch last week and it's obviously quite the meeting place for the yummy mummies and the cool vegans of Sudbury. Simple and stylish, it's completely plant based with everything made from scratch on site, including nut butters and an excellent rooibos based fermented kombucha (so hipster, so refreshing).  Bread is baked on site, with house milled rye, wheat and spelt flour used in the proper crusty loaves. There's also some very tempting patisserie on display. A small blackboard menu offers an interesting and surprisingly fancy range of dishes with thankfully no fakin' bacon but just prime, fresh ingredients superbly cooked.

• the kombucha story
• a simple blackboard menu
• a glass of kombucha and juice of the day (parsley,kale,apple, lemon and coco)
• kombucha fermenting
• pan fried polenta, spinach, bechamel and toasted hazelnuts
• pear danish pastry
• mushroom a la grecque with dill cream cheese, herbs on toasted sourdough - the house tartine
• drum roll please for a classic brioche Tropezienne with a creme anglaise ( and yes, even without eggs and cream it tasted better than most creme anglaises we've been served elsewhere)
• walnut and caramel tart with vanilla icecream
• hummus of wild garlic, half a loaf, olive oil and beet balsamic
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And I don't mean in a dirty kitchen... CookDaily, at BoxPark in Shoreditch is where the likes of Skepta and JME eat on a regular basis. The brothers are vegetarian and vegan, teetotal and fans of these delicious meat-free dishes.