Restaurant review: The Jack in the Green Inn - a Vegan taste sensation!

one of the stunning desserts to come...

In an increasingly fast paced, hectic, pressured world, it's easy to forget to take time out once in a while, 'reboot' yourself and create a perfect day. You know - the type of day that gets you through for the next month or so. Yesterday was that day for me :) A special one on the calender and, as it turns out, potentially a special one for veganism - allow me to tell you more...

I started out wafting around Totnes - the chilled-out hippy capital of Devon and an oh-so-lovely place to get into the right vibe for a perfect day. We enjoyed a delicious vegan lunch at Willow vegetarian restaurant (look out for a review later) and generally mooched in the crisp autumn air and low slung sunshine. Bliss. Next we went to Bovey Tracey on the edge of Dartmoor, to see an old friend, visit the stunning arts & craft centre and grab an afternoon tea - which turned out to be a soya cappuccino at the Flying Pig - a cafe whose new owner was extremely interested in vegan food and how she could either make, or acquire some, for her customers. 'Spreading the word' has never been so much fun!

Then a quick change and off to our final destination: The Jack in the Green Inn - Rockbeare.

I'd heard of their great reputation, but the plan this day (after much liaising with them by email and phone) was for an entire vegan meal. I don't mind telling you that based on some previous experiences elsewhere, I was both excited and nervous at the same time, because it's imperative that if plant-based foods are going to ever appeal to the masses they have to be contemporary, creative and tasty beyond belief.

the bar

The restaurant itself is quite unassuming from the outside. But once inside it could only really be described as traditional but with a modern twist! It's well presented and immaculate and if, as a vegan, you can get past the stylised pictures of hunting scenes (this is Devon) and the quirky, 'humourous' animal / food drawings, then trust me, you're in for a real treat.

The ambiance is soothed along with soft jazz and the welcome from the proprietor Paul Parnell could not be more warm, personal or professional.

'We said we'd give it a go for you, and here you are...' Paul said as he handed us a menu headed 'Vegan Tasting Menu'. My heart literally skipped a beat.

Here's what I read...

Whilst transfixed to the menu Paul proceeded to also tell us about the vegan wines he could offer and we opted for a light Beaujolais-style Brouille red.

10 minutes later, and full of anticipation, we were escorted to our quiet corner table where 3 types of warm fragrant seeded breads, balsamic and the lightest of olive oils awaited us.

A good start.

And so to the dishes. The only way for me to (calmly) do this is to work through them methodically and mentally recall every delicious stage.

The dishes...

Mixed leaves with hazelnut vinaigrette, roasted celeriac and apple.

Leaves, can, well, leave you pretty unimpressed at the best of times - but these microleaves packed a punch & the toasted hazelnuts and tangy vinaigrette on the sweet roasted celeriac were a perfect combination to start the meal in a light and very appetising way.

Salt and pepper tofu with mixed wild mushrooms and truffle oil.

 

I often make chilli salt tofu at home so, was curious to see how they approached this. Delicate cubes, dusted, seasoned, fried and served with tiny wild mushrooms - the flavour of which was totally enhanced by the strong tofu seasoning. The truffle oil and mushroom puree just made this an incredible tasting dish. I could have very happily eaten a huge bowlful of this as main course.

By this stage I was actually starting to swoon!

 Roasted pumpkin with curly kale, roasted nuts and seeds.

Small balls of sauteed pumpkin on the juiciest, sweetest kale topped with crisp parsnip tuille and fried noodles was yet another triumph and reason #73 why kale really is a vegans friend - when cooked so well!

 Thai vegetable curry. Served with steamed wholegrain rice.

Whilst the Thai curry didn't have the usual aromatics of Thai ingredients (I'm sure it contained an Indian-style curry blend instead) - the description was irrelevant really, because the mix of fresh vegetables was so vibrant, succulent and flavourful. There was a real bang of chilli heat at the end - that might of had some people wincing. Fortunately I love and can handle hot curries - so this dish really did it for me.

Caramelised pear with blackberries, almond and oat crumble.

After the kick of the curry, this delicately presented platter, again, was such a well thought through combination of all of those elegant seasonal dessert flavours - pear, almond, blackberry - the caramelisation was just right, the almond clusters adding nutty sweetness and the blackberries just adding the hint of sharpness to balance it all off - utterly perfect.

Chilled coconut rice pudding with raspberry sorbet.

Now two puddings always have to be better than one - don't they? I thought the pear couldn't be beaten by a cold rice pudding surely? How wrong a girl can be. Sweet coconut rice pudding with perfectly al dente grains, topped with toasted seeds, little balls of silky smooth mango and raspberry sorbet and crystallised rose petals. What a revelation! The portion was large for fine dining - but I have to say I was glad. We didn't actually speak one word whilst eating this (although some cooing noises were possibly coming from my side of the table) which I think speaks volumes.

And so to ... coffee and petit fours - a fabulous decaf and vegan blackberry and apple jelly cubes. A perfect ending.

 THE END ahhhhh........

I simply cannot fault any of the food that was served to us. It was all stunningly presented and delicious - the flavours rich, yet light, complex, yet simple. How is that possible? Well because they were cooked by a chef who clearly knows his food, who still has passion for his food and who still cares about delighting his customers.

Throughout this fabulous vegan experience at the Jack on the Green our server was attentive and genuinely interested in how we found each course. He even shared with us the fact that he loved the look of it and had enjoyed spending time cooking for an ex girlfriend who had been vegan. Paul also frequently checked in on us to seek our opinion. And when Matthew - the head chef came to talk to us at the very end it was with no shame that I gave him a full bear hug and kisses for making my perfect day - well, perfect. He sat with us for a while discussing the merits of vegan food with the type of enthusiasm that I wish I could bottle and send to every catering establishment in the world.

During our evening we also learnt that The Jack in the Green regularly have vegan business diners, can cater for main meals (with advance notice) and indeed are very happy to do so. This tasting menu was a first for them though and I hope that in spreading the word about it people will give it a try.

I've been lucky enough to eat in some world class restaurants - Hestons 'Fat Duck', Iceland's panoramic revolving restaurant at the 'Perlan' and Hong Kong's sky-scraping 'Above and Beyond', to name-drop but a few. But I couldn't be happier and more proud to find this gem of a place in my home county. It can be quite a rare thing to find such places where the desire to create and delight is so strong. These guys have it in shed loads and we'll be back with all of our carnivore friends - to show them, in no uncertain terms, just how exciting modern Vegan cuisine CAN be.

So thank you David for arranging this and to everyone at The Jack in the Green. Perfect.

£££ At £39.95 for 7 courses, this was incredibly good value, especially when compared with many other fine dining tasting menus. I have paid twice, if not three times, this amount for mediocre food in many city-based fine dining restaurants such as the 'acclaimed' Purnells - where the somelier was insistent there was no such thing as vegan wine and lacklustre dishes consisted of a bowl of mixed tomatoes, and carrots on a lettuce puree - I kid you not.

Good to know: To get the best experience from this incredible gastro-pub please phone in advance to discuss your food. They serve over 140 covers on a busy night and run 4 menus, so a little advance notice will help them to get it perfect for you too :)

Call 01404 822240, ask for Paul and please do feel free to mention me by name. I am the elated huggy vegan :)

Recipe: Super shoots and seeds salad.

Yes I know, I know, salad - in Autumn? (and a tricky one to say, at that!)? Well it does make use of the delicious apples that are falling now and it also makes a great 'sprinkle' for a hearty soup... so...

Omegas 3, 6 and 9 are nutrients that are vital to human health and well-being. 3 and 6 cannot be synthesised by the human body and therefore have to be obtained by diet. Typically on an omnivorous diet people are told to obtain Omega 3 by eating oily fish, eggs and grass-fed meat; Omega 6 by eating poultry and eggs.

But the great news is that there are a whole host of delicious plant-based sources of these fabulous 'fats' - grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds and oils. They'll help to keep your body's cells ticketyboo, help you to absorb other vitamins and keep your metabolism thriVing.

This fresh vibrant salad will just give you a little boost, some added protein and some peace of mind that your yummy Vegan diet is also a nutritional powerhouse. Enjoy!

Chantal xx

super shoots n seeds salad with apple & marinated tofu

[Serves 2+ as a main or 4+ as a side.]

Gather:

200g (approx) mixed sprouted seeds (such as soya, aduki, chickpea, radish, mung, alfalfa) [I used a 180g pack Good4U lentil, pea and bean shoots from Sainsburys - which was plenty for 2 plus leftovers] 

1/2 pack marinated tofu pieces* [I use Cauldron brand]

70g dried apricots - cut into quarters [I opt for organic (minus the sulphites) - Crazy Jack are good]

50g walnuts roughly chopped

30g pumpkin seeds

30g sunflower seeds

30g sesame seeds

Juice + zest of 1 lemon

1-2 tbsp of Vegan Omega-rich oil [I use Biona 3-6-9]

Pinch of salt [I use Himalayan Rose Pink Rock Salt - expensive, but used sparingly & worth it]

Freshly ground black pepper

2 fresh apples - cored and finely chopped [I use Braeburns for crispness & sweet, sharp flavour]

*optional addition

Create:

1.  There's not much to this one. Add all of the shoots, seeds, apricots & lemon zest to a large bowl and mix to combine.

2.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad.

3.  Chop the apple and add to the mix along with the tofu pieces. Stir to combine.

4.  Tadah!

Enjoy!

This dish is great served fresh but will also keep well in the fridge for a day because of the lemon juice. If you want to add a greater carb element simply add some toast on the side. It would also be delicious with grains such as buckwheat and flavoured couscous.

leftovers as silky thai-spiced soup 'sprinkles'

Cooks tips: Save some to sprinkle on soups (like I did with this Thai spiced butternut, sweet potato soup below) or larger mixed green salads. Keep these three seeds - pumpkin, sesame, sunflower in your larder at all times & throw handfuls onto mueslis, cereals, porridge, cookies, loaves, coleslaws, salads, steamed veggies, pastas and crumbles. The oil is strong flavoured, but good for drizzling onto salads too.

For more info on Omegas please see here, 3 here, and 6 here.

Conversations with a Vegan - Oh! the youth of today?! Our positive future it seems...

A couple of weekends back I decided enough was enough and it was time to broach the subject of my veganism in more depth with my friends and family.

I felt as though time had moved on, relationships had drifted and that although my life has changed quite significantly, I haven't fully included those people who I love and trust the most.

Consequently, it's not surprising that I was feeling 'Alone in Veganville' and that no-one understood me! How could they, if I hadn't taken the time to explain my new life?

I got some help and encouragement from some Twitter friends (thanks guys - awesome, as usual) and armed with spoon-dissolving strong coffee, bravely picked up the phone.

I got 6 no-replies and 12 answering machines.

Great.

 

Undeterred by the feeling that people have now started screening out my vegan-evangelising calls :( I left chatty, lively, 'hello'! messages and turned to good ole' email.

A (no-doubt plant-fuelled) brainwave then hit me to include a little Vegan questionnaire that I had recently posted - you know, just to see what THEY all thought about vegans and veganism.

I have to say - that so far - it's been by far the best approach I've taken to talking this through! Because their responses told me what they knew and how they felt about it all - giving ME the opportunity to dispel any myths, present the facts and explain just how much my new life means to me and why.

What a revelation! And to my further surprise, I had this rather lovely conversation with one of my younger family members - my beautiful 13 year old niece. What an utter joy.

See what you think, and, as always with these posts, I'd love to hear your constructive feedback, thoughts and suggestions.

And if you're facing some similar issues with speaking to friends and family - then I can wholeheartedly say that you too - SHOULD try this at home!

Enjoy.

Chantal xx

ME

Extract from original email I sent to people:

[Family news / waffle]

Also in other news, David and I have gone fully vegan now. Its been really interesting and our health has improved amazingly! We're really enjoying it. Im getting involved in some research about it all and actually would really value all of your opinions if you could spend just a couple of minutes each answering a few research questions for me???

I'll list them below.

Its best to just go with initial gut reactions and dont worry about offending us - we probably would have given some quite different answers a couple of years ago ourselves!

Anyway - hope you are all well and hear from you soon. Lots of love to you all.

1.    What do you think of when you hear the word 'vegan' ? i.e. what does it mean to you?

2.    What type of people do you think are vegans?

3. Who do you know that is vegan? (can be in your circles or in the public eye etc)

4.    Have you ever considered being vegan?

5.    What do you think has stopped you from trying a vegan lifestyle?

6.    What would tempt you to try a vegan lifestyle?

[if the answer to 4. is that you have already tried being vegan, but you are no longer vegan - please say why you gave up and what would tempt you to try again.]

NIECE

1. Vegetables

2.healthy

3.uncle and auntie

4.no

5.i like meat and I love cheese and chocolate

6.trying new foods

Hope this helps x

ME

Hi!

Thank you so much for answering these Q's for me - I'm doing a survey to find out more about how vegans are perceived. Its really interesting finding out what people think and know because there is a lot of incorrect information out there. Its important to me and your uncle that you know we havent changed (perhaps only for the better) and that we arent part of a weird cult or anything. 

If it helps, I can tell you a little bit more?

You're right we do eat lots of vegetables, but there are lots of grains that we eat too - things like rice you will be familiar with (I know you love a curry!), there is a vast variety of veg to get through so its never boring! There is also fruit of course and a whole range of herbs and spices. There are also many products on the market now that are like fake meats and cheeses and they are improving all the time - so if we ever fancy anything like that we can have it!
You're right about health too - did you think your uncle looked better? His doctors say his health has never been better :) Veganism is described as a plant-based diet and all of the foods that are good for the human body are in this diet and science is proving just how beneficial it is.

Lots of people have never considered trying being vegan for exactly the reasons you say. Like you, we used to love meat and cheese but over time just felt that living in the UK we dont need to eat these things (because we have other options) and that we'd therefore rather we didnt, because farming techniques are getting worse.
Fortunately, with a bit of learning I've been able to compensate by making lots of lovely new types of foods!
Veganism is about more than food though as well - we now don't use any products that contain an ingredient or component that originates from any animals and we don't buy any products that have been tested on animals. Of course this is better for the animals, but it turns out that its quite an environmentally friendly option too. We havent got rid of all our old stuff though - so we may still wear leather occasionally, but we make different decisions on new stuff we buy now. If you're still into design it will be something for you to consider in the future because people are moving away from using fur, leather, skins and feathers etc

It was interesting that you said trying new foods would interest you. I think your Dad said to Uncle D that you are going to be studying Hospitality Management at school - did he tell you thats what I went on to study at Uni? snap! I really loved it because there was a lot of variety in it. As part of the course I expect you will do some catering lessons maybe and also some menu planning?? It may even crop up that you have to consider customer types and different diets like vegetarian and vegan - which hospitality places need to provide now. So maybe knowing us as vegans could help??!!
If you are interested - for the last few weeks I have kept a food diary of some of the things we eat at home and you can see all of the pictures on my blog - I'll give you the links here

http://veggiesoup4thesoul.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/vegan-mofo-90-ways-to-show-compassion.html

http://veggiesoup4thesoul.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/vegan-mofo-real-freedom-food-week-2.html

http://veggiesoup4thesoul.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/veganmofo-compassion-is-fashion-with.html


Thanks again - shame I couldnt have come with Uncle D and seen you all - hopefully won't be too long until we meet up! 

Hope school is good and you're having fun as well as working hard!

Lots of love

NIECE

Thanks for that information. I am doing a lot of work in catering about different diets so it is very useful to know about veganism.

I am going to ask people in my class about some of the questions you asked me and so i will come back to you with my own research for you.

I am also going to ask my catering teacher if we can discus veganism in class and maybe cook some vegan meals.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

ME

Hey - aw its a pleasure - and thank you for your lovely reply. That would be so wonderful if you could ask your friends what they know about vegans too - I'd be really interested to hear that. You see its quite upsetting that there is a lot of wrong info out there.
Hopefully your teacher will be open to the idea of discussing it in class - and you can ask me any questions any time you like (or uncle D) and I will answer you honestly and to the best of my knowledge. Of course I have lots of vegan food ideas and recipes too - for example I can now make a cheesecake without cheese or any dairy products or even butter in the biscuit base and it tastes just as good!! imagine that! its also possible to make cakes without butter or eggs!! its very clever how modern food products can be used - and its advancing all the time - so I may even have a more up to date idea than your teacher!
Have fun and let me know how it goes.
Its lovely to hear from you.

Chantal xx

Paws for thought - Mission (Im)Possible?

No! Don't do it! It's dairy - and we've all fallen into that trap.....

I've had a rant on Twitter again.

Well, OK it was more of a mild musing because I've gone all compassionate these days - but it was over the use of the phrase 'Vegan Challenge' to describe an initiative encouraging people to try being vegan for either a week or a month.

My issue was with the word 'challenge'.

And it divided opinion.

I'm of the mind that 'challenge' makes veganism sound difficult and, maybe I've been lucky, but I just haven't found it to be that difficult. Yes, it's taken a little research and planning and some extra daily decision making, but, in general it's actually been quite fun to learn! 

So it concerns me that the word challenge could be putting people off, and will in fact discourage them from even contemplating trying veganism. This stems from my feelings that the majority of us are inherently quite lazy by nature. Something that even hints of being difficult in any way isn't going to appeal to most people and therefore we are missing an opportunity to promote veganism as the wonderful life that it can be. We've lost before we've started.

Several followers agreed with me.

In the other camp however, there were several who felt that the word 'challenge' would inspire people to 'give it a go' because they would want to rise to the challenge and prove that they could do something different and something outside of the norm. They would want to prove they could succeed with something that others might perceive as difficult - a competitive instinct if you like.

I understand the reverse psychology and wonder whether I can get to know exactly what people do indeed really think about it (leading up to the mission now...) What I do know is that some quick research has shown me that vegan organisations NEVER seem to publish the actual physical number of people who sign up to the 'vegan pledge' (The Vegan Society recently reported a 40% increase in take-up for 2012 - but this is meaningless without the actual figure - it could have been 40% up on the previous years figure of 20 people...). Now if those numbers were high, I'd imagine that they would be shouting them from the rooftops and there would be a lot more vegans in the UK, the world and the universe. But I have a sneaky suspicion that we're pretty thin on the ground (last UK Twitter survey got to just 6000 approx!)

So I'm scratching my little vegan head thinking - WHY? why aren't there more of us when a plant-based lifestyle is the healthiest, most ethically sound, environmentally friendly decision there is?

What's putting people off from taking that 'challenge'?

One obvious answer is the answer that relates to me in the bad-old-meaty days - simply - brainwashing (for want of a better word). The food industry in its entirety has done the most FAB-U-LOUS job at convincing us meat, fish and dairy is healthy (nay, vital) to our very existence. It has cleverly kept its abhorrent farming processes hidden, whilst artificially keeping product prices low (without your taxes funding a complex subsidy system these food costs would be 3 x higher!) so that we consume more and more in a frenzy of buttered-up meaty lust.

It seems the vegan community just hasn't been able to compete with this high level wizardry.

* * *  So - to the Mission [cue the music]. * * *

I want to find out just what non-vegans think about vegans and veganism in general and I'd like to understand what deters them from giving it a try.

A. IF YOU ARE VEGAN: Please can you have a chat with someone (anyone) and politely ask them the following questions; note their responses; let me know.

 

1.    What do you think of when you hear the word 'vegan' ? i.e. what does it mean to you?

2.    What type of people do you think are vegans?

3. Who do you know that is vegan? (can be in your circles or in the public eye etc)

4.    Have you ever considered being vegan?

5.    What do you think has stopped you from trying a vegan lifestyle?

6.    What would tempt you to try a vegan lifestyle?

[if the answer to 4. is that you have already tried being vegan, but you are no longer vegan - please say why you gave up and what would tempt you to try again.]

B. IF YOU ARE NON-VEGAN: Please can you reply to me directly answering the above questions and perhaps, if you have the chance, kindly ask other non vegans what they think too - and let me know.

** Please send your feedback to me via either the comments section below (clicking on the title of this post will bring up the comments box if it's not visible), the 'contact me' form field on the rhs, via twitter or via email if you're a regular communicator. **

I'd love to make some sense of the potential stereotyping  and lack of understanding that perhaps exists out there about vegans and veganism, and then perhaps we can have a chance of breaking some of those barriers down.

Thank you friends. Owing to my humanitarian concerns, this blog will not self destruct in 20 seconds - instead it will send you a virtual hug and offer you a recipe for lentil soup.
I await your response...

C (aka Chantal)

Or is it?... to be continued...

RESULTS

Here are just some of the answers collected from my family and friends - still waiting on a lot to come back! But interestingly, with those who did reply, it has opened up a means of communication about the whole subject of veganism and they now have a far better understanding of where David and I are coming from! Perhaps it's something to try with your friends and family too?

What do you think of when you hear the word 'vegan' ? i.e. what does it mean to you?

13yr old girl: Vegetables

Mum in 40s: Eccentric hippy drewid type.

Single lady in 40s: Initial reaction is to their diet: No meat & no dairy.

New Dad 40: I don’t know much about it but is very different from vegetarian in that you don’t eat meat, fish or dairy products, even down to wearing leather shoes or clothing.

Lady 50’s: vegan means to me extreme vegetarianism and a miserable existence, I have lived with two men who have been allergic to dairy produce and it's hard work eating out or all inclusive on  holiday.

Chinese lady, late 20s: First time I saw the word "Vegan", I thought it was refer to vegetarians. But after reading some of the blogs and articles, I realize that being a "Vegan" is more than vegetarian. Vegan take into consideration the food, but also the daily consumption products, they are much more environmental friendly. Basically Vegan don't use animal related products, they go for plant based products. My concern is with extreme cases that human beings stop eating animals, will we be weak and bite by animals at the end of the days?? ^^

What type of people do you think are vegans?

Healthy

As above - Eccentric hippy drewid type.

 (a) people with allergies to dairy food etc (b) People who decide that a vegan diet is healthy (c) People whose ethics determine what they can eat / wear.

I think most peoples conception of vegans are Greenpeace and save the earth fanatics.

Animal loving people, however this should not be forced onto the animal ie feeding them with veg.

Vegetarians, those who use Green Products (like BIO), people don't wear animal-related clothes/shoes. People who against animal violence.

Who do you know that is vegan? (can be in your circles or in the public eye etc)

Uncle and auntie

Brother and sister in law

You and David. Others maybe, but I'm not a foodie and don't talk about food with anyone really. The closest I get is when a friend's vegetarian option at a society Christmas party looks like it's unfit for consumption which is worthy of comment!

You

J, you and D. J is a skeleton, wrinkly and not a good advert for healthy living.

You and D :)

Have you ever considered being vegan?

 No

No

No, I like meat & I'm a fussy eater already!

I personally wouldn’t consider it!

No never unless someone told me I would die otherwise.

I would like to try, but it needs some time to get rid of meat, especially eggs. My mother is now trying to go vegetarian first, because she has lot of concern on the product quality in China. She prefers to eat more vegetables and she's very concerned about what raw material is used in the products that she purchased.

What do you think has stopped you from trying a vegan lifestyle?

I like meat and I love cheese and chocolate.

Nothing I just never wanted a vegan lifestyle.

Removing animal products from my lifestyle would be time consuming and expensive. I don't feel strongly enough about it to try it.

It's fussiness.

What would tempt you to try a vegan lifestyle?

Trying new foods

Nothing, it’s too restrictive. I could probably live without meat but not all the other stuff.

Nothing - Voila! I'm a bad person! I also drive a 4x4 and fly around the world with little regard to my carbon footprint. I do however... no, I can't think of anything environmentally friendly that I do... oh wait, I DO RECYCLE!

I’m interested in what you would eat but that's it.

I think it's worthwhile to try for the sake of my health for sure, but it is also meaningful to improve the ecosystem of human beings & the nature.

Other comments:

I believe you can live a healthy lifestyle as a vegan but would need a very good knowledge of nutrition as we are carnivorous and need good protein and carbohydrates - which can be got from soya, pulses, root vegetables etc.

If you choose this as a way of life I do believe you can be as happy and healthy as any with nutrition you choose, and if it works for you then it’s all good!