Some weeks ago I saw on social media that the Earl of Chesterfield, in Shelford, was putting on a vegan-only night in its restaurant. Well if someone goes to all that trouble it would be rude not to go along.
It was a lovely drive out from Nottingham and took less that 30 minutes. We waited at the bar until our table was ready and joined all the other veggie only diners. The menu was very enticing and made my decision really hard, but having my other half with me meant we could try different dishes and share, or so I thought!
We eventually decided upon the tempura miso and arancini as our starters. They both looked so appetising when they arrived, we couldn’t wait to dive in.
The crispy tempura was served with a simple but delicious carrot and onion seed salad and tahini hummus. Mushroom ketchup, ‘parmesan’ crisp and pea shoots accompanied the mushroom and wild garlic arancini. What a great start(er).
After a suitable wait, when the staff were busy serving, clearing tables and re-laying them our main courses arrived. They looked absolutely amazing.
My dish of beetroot polenta, smoked garlic and basil dumplings and carrot and parsnip crisps looked almost too good to eat and the portion size was just right too.
The other dish was equally well presented: a trio of cauliflower with basil pesto and sweet potato.
Not only did they look good but they tasted even better. There was a wonderful mix of tastes, texture and smells. It was a feast for the senses. I did try and have more than a mouthful of my partner's dish, but he wasn’t having any of it!
We were definitely going to try a pudding. We usually share a dessert but on this occasion we couldn’t decide which one to have. We settled on the mango panna cotta with coconut meringues, lime gel and sorbet, and sticky banoffee pud with glazed bananas and vanilla ice cream
What can I say? They were both so delicious. I’ve never eaten panna cotta before and the texture was so light. The sticky pud was suitably sticky but not heavy.
You wouldn’t know any of the dishes were meat-free, they were simply lovely. In both look and taste they could give top class restaurants a run for their money.
But on price they were an absolute bargain. Less than £40 for the two of us. Now that really is a great night out whether you’re a vegan or not.
Susan Hart is a vegetarian turned vegan and West Bridgford-based nutrition coach. For healthy eating advice visit her blog at nutrition-coach.co.uk
