More than half a million people in Britain are now vegans, but eating out can be a tough challenge for those on a strict vegan diet.
World Vegan Day is held on November 1 each year to mark the beginning of World Vegan Month – and vegans looking to celebrate without having to cook something for themselves can find a delicious choice of tempting treats at Careys Manor Hotel in the heart of the beautiful New Forest.
When it comes to fine dining, Careys Manor doesn’t leave anyone on the sidelines. All three of its restaurants, including the elegant Cambium, French bistro Le Blaireau, and the Thai Zen Garden, cater for vegans and vegetarians on request.
The New Forest is stunning in the winter months, and a walk in the crisp, cold air is the perfect way to whet the appetite for afternoon tea – not confined to the summer, but often off-limits to vegans.
Careys Manor has taken care of this by creating a special vegan tea, so what better way to shake off the winter chill than by settling into a squashy sofa in front of a crackling log fire to enjoy a selection of fruit scones, sandwiches, and a selection of tempting treats including a chocolate mousse pot, a seasonal fruit slice a golden syrup rice crispy cake and a coconut milk truffle.
And if your November visit whets your appetite, Alistair Craig, head chef of the hotel’s elegant Cambium restaurant, has devised a bespoke vegetarian and vegan Christmas menu, putting an innovative spin on everyone’s festive favourites.
Starters include celeriac and apple soup with roast apple, a risotto of butternut squash with hazelnuts, sage and pickled onion, and salt-baked beetroot, panisse, coconut yoghurt and walnuts.
The main event could be chestnut, parsnip and quinoa-stuffed cabbage with roast root vegetables and caramelised onion, roast spiced cauliflower with lentils, greens, onion bhaji and pickled golden raisins, or salt-baked celeriac with smoked mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke, black garlic and Brussel sprouts.
A selection of delicious puddings includes roast pear with stem ginger, prunes and Armagnac, and crispy brique pastry, a raisin and kumquat compote with oat streusel and clementine sorbet, and a dark chocolate and coconut delice with mango and passionfruit sorbet and cardamom.
After all that delicious food, take time to relax in this beautiful country house hotel, or indulge in a pampering treatment at Careys Manor’s SenSpa, a luxury Thai spa with a world-class hydrotherapy suite and pool.
For more information or to make a reservation visit www.careysmanor.com or call 01590 624467.