Vegan tasting menus

Being plant-based doesn’t have to mean missing out on exceptional dining experiences. From Cornwall to the Cotswolds, here are some of the best restaurants offering creative vegan tasting menus

Olive Tree Restaurant, Bath

Bath is a hotspot for plant-based dining so it’s only natural that its Michelin-starred restaurant offers a superb vegan tasting menu. Olive Tree Restaurant, located in the basement of the fabulous Queensberry Hotel, is where executive chef Chris Cleghorn wows diners with visually stunning dishes crafted from the finest seasonal ingredients.

Plant-based patrons have the option of a six- or nine-course tasting experience, both of which can be paired with a vegan wine flight. Chris’ cooking style is flavour-led and refined, so expect to sample polished compilations such as spelt pasta with “cream cheese”, mushroom broth, ginger and sea fennel, and roscoff onion with salt-baked celeriac, black truffle and lovage.

Osip, Somerset

Osip in Bruton is another Michelin-adorned find that welcomes non-meat-eaters. You’ll need to call ahead and give the kitchen 24-hours’ notice if you’d like the vegan line-up, however, this isn’t the kind of place you just drop by without a booking so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Not long after opening, chef patron Merlin Labron-Johnson decided to remove menus from the dining experience altogether. Now guests learn what they’ll be eating as each dish arrives at the table. What diners can be sure of is that they’ll feast on phenomenally fresh ingredients; a large proportion of the produce on the daily menu is sourced from the restaurant’s two smallholdings. 

Lympstone Manor, Devon

Michael Caines’ luxury manor house hotel, which overlooks the Exe Estuary, is a bucket-list destination for discerning foodies – including those who stick to a plant-based diet. The Michelin-starred chef’s flawless dishes are perfectly suited to the tasting experience and his signature eight-course menus a popular choice with gourmets who travel for the experience.

The vegan line-up has the same seasonal and local ethos as the meaty option and includes inspired flavour combinations such as leek terrine with pickled mushrooms, truffle vinaigrette and candied mushrooms, and barbecued hen of the woods with onion consommé, cauliflower and tarragon.  

Kota, Cornwall

Great British Menu regular Jude Kereama has put Porthleven on the foodie map as a result of his duo of restaurants in the harbour town. Kota, his flagship establishment, is where you’ll find the chef’s more serious cooking and, happily, that includes vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Jude’s menus are inspired by his travels, his Cornish fishing village home and his Chinese‑Malay and Māori heritage. While many of his creations at Kota are seafood focused, the plant-based curations combine local seasonal produce with international flavours in dishes such as roasted cauliflower with hummus, za’atar, harissa carrots and smoked-aubergine puree.

Lord of the Manor, Gloucestershire

Dinner at Atrium, the tiny 14-cover restaurant at Lords of the Manor, is a truly intimate experience. Head chef Charles Smith has earned three AA rosettes for the Cotswolds country house hotel and Atrium is where he lets his creativity fly in eight-course tasting menus.

First-class fruit, vegetables and herbs feature in the vegan option, and are complemented by foraged finds from the surrounding countryside. Dishes such as grilled cabbage with barbecue sauce and piquillo pepper, and avocado tartare with apple and cucumber are as beautiful to look at as they are to eat.

Like 5 of the best vegan tasting menus? Swot up on our favourite plant-based Bristol finds here.

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