When you think Welsh cuisine, you probably picture a hearty lamb stew or indulgent cheesy delicacy Welsh rarebit. Not exactly stuff that screams vegan-friendly.
So it might come as a surprise that an innovative pub in the Welsh Valleys has just been crowned the best vegan restaurant in the whole of Europe, based on hundred of reviews on veggie and vegan website HappyCow.
The Queen Inn in Cwmbran sells itself as being the world’s first vegan steakhouse and its extensive menu is particularly great for plant-based punters who want the taste and texture of meat, just without the whole ‘killing animals’ part.
The pub dishes out ‘hyper realistic’ vegan steaks like a 3D-printed flank, as well as stuff like ‘ch*cken, b*con and leek pie’, ‘s*lmon fillet’ and ‘BBQ r*bs’.
Owner Ryan Edwards told Plant Based News: ‘Most of our customers are animal-eaters who want a cruelty-free way of eating their favourite pub meals. We also get big parties with just a few vegans, who would usually go to non-vegan places where the token vegan will have a disappointing meal.’
If imitation meat isn’t really your thing, there are plenty of wholesome veg-based dishes on the menu too – shiitake mushroom pie, veg lasagne and cauliflower steak to name a few.
The Queen Inn was founded in 1800 and only went plant-based in January 2022 as an experiment. Clearly, it’s never looked back.
Viva la vegans
We recently found that while Brits might be falling out of love with ultra-processed faux meat, veganism is still very much alive and well and the UK is eating fewer animal products than ever. Whether you’re a veteran veggie, trying out Veganuary or just want to diversify your diet, take a look UK’s most vegan-friendly cities, London’s 21 best vegan restaurants, Manchester’s finest animal product-free restos or the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Bristol.
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