Fascinating news this morning that the Michelin-starred pub The Harwood Arms has partnered with the plant-based meat-alternative company THIS to produce an eggan scotch egg (that’s vegan with egg, do keep up!). With Sally Abé heading the pub’s kitchen, I’m sure it’s delicious. (Memories of when I judged the Scotch Egg Challenge last year and was faced with a vegan scotch egg which was, in essence, a dyed potato, are fading…)
This comes hot on the heels of Soho restaurant Gauthier launching its Home meal kit which is completely vegan, with a huge array of plant-based dishes, for £75. What makes all this really interesting is that vegans still make up a very small percentage of Britain’s diners. Their value to restaurants is small, but it is on an upward trajectory and the rest of us know that we should be eating less meat. Canny restaurateurs are recognising this and adjusting their menus accordingly.
But does everyone want pretend meat? Gauthier’s faux gras, or a fake-bacon scotch egg are clever, certainly. However the Instagram love for Ottolenghi’s miso-glazed onion dish over the last few days suggests that sometimes plants for their own sake are the best plant-based food of all.
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