The Castle Inn Mill Bridge Skipton 3rd March 2017

The Castle Inn is a grade II English Heritage listed building, dating back to the early 1800's, just round the corner from Skipton Castle.

The Castle Inn is the last place in Skipton, I would expect to see vegan options, so I have my twitter friend @L_a_1_a  to thank for this great find, after tweeting me a photo of their vegan menu.   Joanne who works there, a vegan herself, encouraged and inspired them to take part in Veganuary.   The vegan menu has proved so successful, with its numerous creative choices, it is now a permanent fixture, though I think the mention of butter is a misprint, I presume its vegan spread.

We have been visiting Skipton for years, yet not once set foot through The Castle Inn's door, so their vegan menu has gained them two new customers.   We loved its real pub atmosphere, its nooks and crannies, with cosy snugs and friendly feel, with a warm reception from Joanne, who showed us through to the front snug.

I love that the vegan menu, was proudly advertised on a board, over the fire place and each table had a copy of the menu, in so many places you have to ask for the vegan menu, as if they are ashamed of it.

I was spoiled for choice, however the falafel and pulled pork burger won my vote and Steven ordered the mushroom and hazelnut stew.   When the dishes arrived, the presentation of the burger, towering on the plate, made me realise it was a good idea to miss out starters.   The burger was really light, not heavy, stodgy or greasy, packed with jackfruit, with cashew cheese on the side, it made for one of the best burgers I have eaten.

Steven's stew was equally well presented, with loads of mustard mash, roast potatoes and he loved the textures of the stew with the hazelnuts. 

The cooking of both dishes was spot on, made to order, delicious and comforting, this is not just pub grub, its top notch food.   I left some of the bread and one onion ring (I was tempted), as I was determined that I was not missing out, on one of the awesome sounding desserts.   I have never eaten Mississippi mud pie, so my choice was easy, whilst Steven chose blueberry cheesecake.

The desserts were hearty portions, scrumptious and very moreish, but I had to admit defeat,  but a shame to leave any, it was that good.   Steven demolished his cheesecake and nicked some of mine, but both agreed how great it was to find such awesome vegan desserts, no fruit salad or sorbet in sight.

We had a chat with Joanne and I loved her enthusiasm about the menu and understand why it is so popular.   I have been waiting thirty years, to be able to go out for a pub lunch and be offered a choice of quality vegan dishes.

Will we go back, you bet we will, how could you keep away with food this good.

Moose Coffee York Street Manchester 24th February 2017

Moose Coffee Manchester has a sister venue in Liverpool, which when I visited in January was packed, with a long wait, so I never managed to eat there.   Moose Coffee Manchester has plenty outside seating, but on a very cold Friday morning, we luckily managed to get a seat inside, the place was buzzing, with a queue forming outside, whilst we were there.

The idea behind Moose Coffee is the American breakfast and brunch culture, as in New York City, so they offer a breakfast short order menu, which is quite vast, but includes a vegan option, as well as a sandwich.

I ordered decaf Americano coffee, whilst waiting for my breakfast and having recently given up caffeine, decaf alternatives vary greatly from poor to good, this was excellent.

The avocado with chilli flakes and coriander on sourdough, with grilled tomatoes, was one of the best renditions I have had the pleasure to eat.

The sourdough was soft, with a lovely texture, the avocado was perfectly seasoned and with the tomatoes, was a spot on brunch dish.

We had a chat with Joanne, who I think is the Manager and complimented her on the food and commented on how busy it was.   She said that at weekends, they could sometimes have an hour and a half wait, I am not surprised the food is so good.   What a great place and one where I will definitely rush back to, when next in the city.

1847 Mosley Street Manchester 23rd February 2017

I have been to 1847 whose name originates from the year The Vegetarian Society came into being, several times, but this was 2017's first visit and will be our last.   The description on their website says:

1847 specialises in plant based, vegetarian cuisine, with a stylish Scandi design to our interiors, classic Ibiza tunes and fresh seasonal ingredients, used in our cooking.  

The menu is made up of small and large plates, with many vegan options to choose from, with clearly labelled vegan wines on the list, always a bonus.

We ordered a bottle of Alandra Branco Alentejo Esporao, from the wide selection of vegan wines on the list, an excellent choice.

We chose chips with smoked apple sauce, off the snacks list, whilst we perused the menu, these were really good and a great start to our meal.

I chose caramelised aubergine for starter and Steven had roast cauliflower, both dishes were well seasoned, cooked and full of flavour, although chef was a little over zealous with the pink powder, which I think was beetroot.

Sadly the meal went downhill from here, the chickpea flatbread Steven ordered, was burnt and carbonised underneath and he had to send it back, to be remade.  His second dish although slightly better, he was not keen on, far too much undercooked kale, generally bland and dry and far too much greenery on top.

My sweet potato terrine, was also dry, flavourless and not far off being overcooked, evident by the dark colouring on its edge.   The walnuts were not toasted and the caramelised onions on the top were cold and gelatinous, the whole dish needed some kind of sauce.

My dessert was macerated cherries, lemongrass and lime leaf sorbet and grilled pineapple, just piled in a dish, so the photo does not show the cherries, but trust me, they were quite horrible and sour.

The sorbet was more a granita, with a coarse crystalline texture, not smooth like a sorbet, I left the majority of this dish.

We mentioned to both waiters about our disappointment with the food, especially the mains and dessert and fair enough they knocked money off the bill.   The blame was down to them being new dishes on the menu, sorry that is no excuse, what chef worth his salt, would send out a cremated flatbread.  

The place was very quiet, by the time we got to mains, we were the only customers left and I was not impressed that both staff members were constantly playing on their phones.   The cleanliness of the toilet left a lot to be desired, with dirt all round the plugs and grimy mucky sealer on the sinks, makes me wonder about the hygiene in the kitchen.

I have had good visits to 1847 in the past, but based on this experience, I would not return, there are much better places to dine in Manchester.

Veeno Brazennose Street Manchester 23rd February 2017

Veeno Manchester is an Italian wine bar, part of a group of eleven UK venues, all with a passion for quality wine and authentic Italian food.   The concept of Veeno is derived from the word Aperitivo, meaning nibbling and drinking, in chilled and casual surroundings, with friends and family.   The family who own Veeno have vineyards in Sicily and all the food is sourced from Italian producers.

I had wanted to visit Veeno for ages and having enjoyed Aperitivo in Italy, I emailed to ask various questions about vegan options and had a delightful correspondence with Guilia, so based on her replies, I booked a table for lunch.

Veeno is cosy and warm, especially on the day Storm Doris hit the UK, it was like a haven in Manchester city centre, as we sat in the window, watching the wind blowing over everything in sight.

Our waitress Seda was really friendly and helpful and knew about my vegan dietary requirement, so Guilia had passed on this information.

I chose a glass of vegan organic Catarratto white wine, which was delicious and full of flavour.

We started with Liguarian taggisache olives, served with what looked like pretzels, which Steven ate, as I was unsure if they were vegan, but the olives were perfect with the wine.

I chose tomato bruschetta and aubergine and pepper bruschetta next, lovely presentation when delivered to the table, but I was a little disappointed.   The tomatoes were too cold, especially the pieces served on the side and although the vegetables were well cooked, as can be seen from my photos, they were quite dry.   Luckily they tasted much better, once I drizzled them with the oil leftover from the olives.

There was nothing wrong with the bruschette, but I was expecting some wonderful Italian tomatoes like San Marzano, as Veeno pride themselves on using Italian products.

When I ordered espresso coffee, I was astonished it was from a Nespresso coffee machine, the pods are environmentally unfriendly, but Italy is renowned for its coffee culture and Nespresso is a far cry from the numerous coffees I have drunk all over Italy, this was a real cop out.

The service was fantastic, I could not fault Seda throughout our experience, but would I return, I am not sure, maybe just for drinks.

Addendum:   Nino one of the owners called me, to express his disappointment, as my experience was not up to their usual standard.   He said my comments had been taken onboard and would be addressed, so I will revisit in future and give them a second chance.

Barton Grange Garden Centre Brock Preston 16th February 2017

Friends suggested Barton Grange Garden Centre for lunch, as it was centrally located for us all, but I was concerned whether I would be able to eat anything.   However when I checked Willows restaurant online menu, I spotted a curry dish, so emailed to enquire and found it was vegan, if I replaced the naan bread with a salad.

Barton Grange is an amazing place, it is huge with a massive car park and sells practically everything for the home.   There is a cook shop, selling everything for the kitchen, you could spend a fortune, I bought a gorgeous washing caddy for my kitchen window ledge, looks great with my Astonish washing up liquid.   This will brighten me up and make me smile every morning, impossible not to.

Barton Grange sells home wares, lamps and lights, home furnishings, garden furniture and so many plants, trees and shrubs, all in immaculate condition.   There is a large farm shop, selling breads, conserves, fruit and vegetables and I spotted a few vegan products, like my favourite Beech's chocolates, which I could not resist.

We had lunch in Willows restaurant, although there is a large self service cafe area too as well, both very busy on a Thursday lunchtime.

The curry was very nicely presented in a metal dish, with salad as requested instead of naan bread, replacing salad dressing with little pots of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, love the attention to detail.

I could not fault the sweet potato and mushroom curry, it was fresh and full of flavour, a good sized portion and really delicious and I left a clean plate.

I was impressed with the whole experience and it is so popular, apparent by the number of people there, however it is such a large space, you never felt crowded or hemmed in.   I will definitely return.