I’ve recently returned from a week in England with the fam! A great vacation that allowed for the exploration of two new places, namely London and the Cornwall towns of Treknow and Tintagel. Whenever I visit a place with a substantially difference culture than my own, I get to a lot of thinking. I’m still sorting through some of it in my head, but in the meantime I wanted to share a bit about something that many wouldn’t have given too much thought to, but which for me served as a highlight of this trip: food.
My parents and sister are (mostly) vegetarian, I being the only vegan in my family. Despite that, I managed to drag them to primarily vegan restaurants two of the three nights we stayed in London. And, to my great pleasure, my dad found a great vegetarian/vegan bed and breakfast in Treknow, which we ended up staying at (read: gourmet vegan meals, two each day, for three days).
Tibbits
Link: http://www.tibits.co.uk/e/
Tibbits was our first culinary experience in London. I had taken some time to look up the most recommended veggie restaurants in the city, and this place was repeatedly mentioned in blogs and food websites. Tibbits does things buffet style: grab a plate, take what you want, pay by weight. Disregard any notions you have of gross buffet food that has been sitting out for hours on end. This is top notch stuff. They have both vegetarian and vegan dishes, and each dish is marked as such, as well as indicators for gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.
If I could remember what I had eaten, I would mention it here, but I essentially loaded my plate with any dish with the V next to it and blissfully devoured all of it, including the vegan bits that my family couldn’t finish. Highly recommended.
Michael House
Link: http://michael-house.co.uk/
Michael House is the bed and breakfast we stayed at while out in Cornwall. The B&B is run out of the house of husband and wife Vanessa and Simon in the town of Treknow. The location places it just a short walk down to the beach in Trebarwith Strand and only a bit further to the touristy town of Tintagel, home of the fabled King Arthur’s Castle and Merlin’s Cave.
Vanessa prepares absolutely amazing dinners (two or three courses) based on your choice from her (quite lengthy) list of available meals. A really comfortable, homey feeling place to stay, great food, and welcoming hosts. If you’re looking to see the countryside a bit, I would really suggest stopping through here for at least a night.
Mildred’s
Link: http://www.mildreds.co.uk/
We stopped here for dinner on our last night in London. At the beginning of the week I had taken a late-night solo adventure to find this place so that I could satisfy my craving for a vegan dessert. I had found it, and the desserts were killer. So, we went back for a full meal.
Mildred’s is a tiny little place nested in the heart of London Soho. They offer both vegetarian and vegan meals, and many options for gluten-free and wheat-free. I had some bitchin’ dumplings as a starter and got their special for the night as my main meal, a sort of thai-style stir fry filled with great veggies.
I really wish I’d had more time to explore the restaurants in London alone, because there are a TON of vegetarian/vegan places. Next time!
More thoughts to come on other aspects of the trip.
