Eating out and travel
I'm lucky to live close to London with so many plant-based eateries to choose from. Luckily many restaurants close to home have excellent veggie options too. Here are some interesting finds I've spotted on my travels too.
The Watermill
★★★★★ PLANT-BASED BRUNCH
Dorking, Surrey
As a birthday treat I took Grainne to The Watermill for brunch and bubbly. We sat on their beautiful sunny terrance with its stunning views of Box Hill.
Their brunch menu is fantastic! Six of the 8 options are either vegetarian or vegan. What a pleasure to have so much choice!
Grainne had the smashed avocado, lime and chilli flakes, poached egg and sriracha mayo (£9.50). It looked incredible. And I chose the vegan shakshuka with spiced tomato and avocado (£11.50). Both were delish!
Other yumminess on the brunch menu I'll be ordering next time is the promegranate and tahini yoghurt breakfast bowl (£8) and the full veggie breakfast with sweet potatoe hash browns (£14.50). Yum! Yum!
Reason to go: Loads of variety on the menu for the whole family. Best local terrace view.
Good to know: Brunch is 10am to 11:30am weekdays and 9am to 11:30am Weekends.
Here's were to BOOK
Palm Greens & more
✔︎ GOOD CHOICE OF POP-UP MENUS
New Oxford Street, London
I'd seen a few posts about the plant-based Palm Greens so I was eager to try them when Grainne and I spent a day in London recently.
Palm greens is one of the restaurants at the Arcade Food Hall on New Oxford Street. The concept is great! Small pop-up style restaurants with flavours from around the world. You can get everything from Middle Eastern wraps to Nepali noodles.
We tried Palm Greens ginger and kaffir lime cashews (£3) and their Kale Caesar salad (£11). The nuts were delish. What a delicious flavour combination.
We also tried the the traditional punjabi samosas (£7.50) from Hero Indian fast Food. Chilli Vegetable MO:MO (£12) from Tipan Tapan which was the star of the lunch. What a taste sensation! If I hadn't filled up on the nuts I would have eaten double.
Reason to go: Great variety of menus. Lots of tasty veggie options. Young, relaxed, vibey atmosphere.
Good to know: It can be pricey. Veggie lunches range from £5 tacos to £17.50 paneer tikka Kathi rolls.
Find out more HERE
Italian chicory leaves
❤︎ EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Supermarkets in Italy
The Handsome Husband and I got so excited when we saw these bunches for sale in the salad section of our local supermarket while on an Italian holiday with friends. Dandelions! In a supermarket! Who would have thought.
Back home and I now know they're chicory leaves. They're used in traditional southern Italian cooking. Like the dandelion, you can eat both the leaves and roots.
How to eat: In a salad, the raw leaves have a strong and spicy flavour. But if you boil them for just a few minutes they become mild and delicious.
Good to know: They're high in vitamins A and K, and a good source of vitamin C too.
Sugar Rabbit Kaffé
★★★★★ PLANT-BASED MENU
Albufeira, Portugal
Just off the main tourist street in the old town of Albufeira, on the Portuguese Algarve is a little gem of a plant-based breakfast and lunch spot called the Sugar Rabbit Kaffé.
Their breakfast bowls are a feast for the eyes. We heard more than one table 'ooooh' when their order arrived. The winner must be the açai power bowl with açai super fruit, banana, red fruits, granola and fresh fruit (€9.50). Just wow!
Also on the brekkie menu you'll find overnight oats (€4.50), pancakes with flavours like pea-bananuts (€8) and 'novella' Oreo, and yummy toasts like sweet potato and hummus (€10), and strawberries and cheese (€7).
Definitely worth a visit if you're near Albufeira on hols. It's walk-ins only. And don't let the queue put you off. It's a sign of how popular it is for a reason. Deliciousness!
Reason to go: A whole menu of plant-based deliciousness! Friendly owners are out front serving so it feels really personal.
Good to know: Walk-ins only so best to get there early.
Follow Sugar Rabbit Kaffé on Insta HERE
My kinda herb pots
❤︎ EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Supermarkets in Portugal
I love herbs! My cooking is always full of them. I tend to use fresh herbs as much as I can. But my pantry is stocked with dried herbs too.
When I spotted these 30gram cups of dried oregano in a local supermarket on our summer holidays I was over the moon. Not your regular 15 gram glass jar. This was 30grams of freshly dried herbs. They smelt incredible. And lasted the whole holiday.
How to eat: The secret to a tasty Mediterranean dish is a mix of oregano with other herbs like rosemary, basil and thyme. It adds extra taste and aroma.
Good to know: Unlike most herbs, oregano has a more intense flavour when dried. It can be up to 10 times stronger.