Top tips for National Picnic Week

It’s time to celebrate that great British tradition of eating outdoors, come rain or shine….it’s National Picnic Week!

You know it’s summer when the slightest hint of sunshine makes everyone roll out the picnic rug, brave the wasps or put up with sand in their sandwiches and enjoy a picnic. Next week is National Picnic Week (13th – 21st June 2015) so we’ve compiled our own top tips for perfect alfresco feasts.

Pick a gorgeous location

The beauty of picnics is you can do them almost anywhere – as long as it’s outdoors. Try not to fall foul of eating your sandwiches in the car park or on the roadside (which we can only imagine is done when you’ve just no time or energy to find a better spot). Picnics are about getting back to nature, feeling the grass or sand between your toes, and breathing in the fresh air. Everything tastes better alfresco!

Rhossili Bay ©CCSpCW

If you don’t mind a bit of sand getting everywhere (and it will!), a beach is a fantastic picnic spot. Our favourites are the more wild, remote beaches (check out Britain’s best wild beaches for inspiration) including the expansive sands of Holkham beach in North Norfolk where even on a busy day you’ll be able to find a decent sized spot of your own. We also love Rhossili Bay in Wales’ Swansea Bay – described by some as Britain’s best beach and by poet Dylan Thomas as “very near nowhere”.

You can also picnic urban style, particularly as our towns and cities are some of the greenest with well-kept parks and green spaces. London has a phlethora of green spots to choose from including the enormous Richmond Park and Hampstead Heath to tiny community gardens and recreation grounds in every borough. For a central location, we like St James Park for its lakes, wildflower patches, undulating grass and resident pelicans!

Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Health, London

Go wildlife spotting

National Picnic Week is encouraging children to get closer to nature and explore their natural surroundings. Visit their website to download a copy of their brilliant Picnic Week Scavenger Hunt – see how many birds, insects, leaves and more you can find when you’re out on a picnic.

Pack a lovely picnic kit

Don’t forget essential kit such as a sharp knife, corkscrew and cloths to wipe mouths (and plates etc). Plenty of water is a must as well as sunscreen, insect repellent and an umbrella or two (don’t let the weather scupper your plans, just be prepared!).

The fun stuff comes with what to eat off and drink out of. We love the outdoor dining and picnic accessories from the eco-friendly brand Yours Sustainably. From beautifully handpainted stainless steel cups to bamboo bowls and spoons, we want the lot!

picnic accessories from Yours Sustainably

Create some inspired picnic food

Yes, you can grab ready-to-eat pre-packaged picnic food from a supermarket, or (much better) buy a few handmade edibles from your local deli or farmers’ market. But if you’re preparing the day ahead, why not use it as an excuse to create a few new foodie delights in kitchen? We like ‘A Perfect Day for a Picnic’ by Tori Finch featuring 80 recipes to share with family and friends. We’re also fans of the Guardian’s ‘Cook’ supplement, often filled with plenty of delicious snack and lunch ideas that make great picnic fare.

The National Picnic Week website is full of great ideas including beautiful picnic spots, fun and games, recipes, advice and more. Visit www.nationalpicnicweek.co.uk. Share news and pics of your alfresco adventures on Twitter using the hashtag #picnicweek.

Peddle power! Cycle to Europe with Beespoke Tours

Get on your bike this summer and hit the road on one of these special cycling tours of Europe…

We all know cycling has great benefits: you can get fit, de-stress, travel at your own pace and take in the fresh air. It’s also a great low-carbon, low-impact green form of transport. All perfect reasons to book yourself a cycling holiday this summer and hit the roads of Europe.

Beespoke Tours bikes on sand dunes in Holland
Beespoke Tours bikes on sand dunes in Holland

Specialist bike touring company Beespoke Tours has just announced its tours for 2015. With cycle routes available from London to Amsterdam, Paris and Bruges, the tours offer a stress-free experience enjoying the scenic outdoors. Depending on the selected route, the tours pass idyllic scenery including rivers, ancient woodlands, farmlands, sand dunes, tulip fields and windmills, before arriving at the final destination.

Each route will be led by company co-founders Simon Izod and Clarissa Carlyon so you know you’re in safe hands. With everything from accommodation and most meals catered for (plus a support vehicle following the cycle group with all of your luggage) all you need to worry about is making sure you can pedal 65 miles a day!

London to Amsterdam

This 3-day trip will pass quiet villages and provide plenty of beautiful outdoor scenery. There will be delicious pub meals, local cheeses and the chance to sample plenty of CAMRA real ales. Accommodation includes a cosy lodge tent with a wood-burning stove.

Tour dates: 7th to 9th May; 28th to 30th May; 30th July to 1st August 2015

Beespoke Tours in Amsterdam
Beespoke Tours in Amsterdam

London to Paris

On the London to Paris tour travellers cycle through historic Normandy and the Bois de Boulogne, as well as passing a transformed railway, lakes, and rolling countryside over four days. Accommodation will be varied and includes a night in a woodland bell tent, another at a converted station house and the final night at a boutique Parisian hotel.

Tour dates: 18th to 21st June; 1st to 4th October 2015

London to Bruges

The 4-day London to Bruges tour takes in the beautiful Essex countryside via Maldon, and across the sea to Hoek van Holland before heading south on unique coastal bicycle paths through Holland. Accommodation comes in the form of a tipi, with the last day spent cycling through Belgium before arriving at the stunning medieval city of Bruges.

Tour dates: 3rd to 6th September 2015

riding with Beespoke Tours
riding with Beespoke Tours

Recommended for… Those inspired by this year’s Tour de Yorkshire or fancy a break from their daily cycle commute.

Be aware that… Although suitable for beginners, a reasonable level of fitness is required and you should be able to cycle 65 miles a day.

Prices and booking: Tour prices range from £650 to £750. For more details and booking visit www.beespoketours.co.uk.

5 unusual things to do this May Day Bank Holiday

Come rain or shine, don’t spend the May Day bank holiday catching up on boxsets or doing DIY. We’ve found five intriguing things to do over the long weekend…

Learn how to forage

Our woods, fields and hedgerows are a full-on tasting menu ready to be eaten! This one-day foraging course in Denbighshire, North Wales (plenty of others around the UK too) is run by professional foragers who will help you identify wild food including plants and fungi that you can (and can’t) eat, where to find tasty morsels in surprising places, prepping your finds and cooking up some inventive dishes. Fish and game preparation is also covered, with an alternative option for vegetarians/vegans.

When: Saturday 2nd May 2015

Cost: £60 per person

Booking/info: Visit www.originaloutdoors.co.uk/foraging-course-north-wales

Watch an archeological dig

At Birdling Gap and the Seven Sisters near Eastbourne, East Sussex, archeologists are exploring the site of the Crowlink coastguard station, established in the nineteenth century. The area was a favourite with smugglers and this dig is attempting to determine how the site was previously used. It’s a National Trust site so visitors (including dogs on leads and children) are welcome to come down for free and take a look.

When: 2-4pm 2nd, 3rd, 4th May 2015

Booking/info: No booking required but visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/whats-on/find-an-event (search for Crowlink Coastguard Cottages) for more info.

Canalway Cavalcade (c) The Inland Waterways Association
Canalway Cavalcade (c) The Inland Waterways Association

Join the Canalway Cavalcade in Little Venice

Little Venice in London will be awash with bunting and boats this bank holiday for the annual Canalway Cavalcade organised by the Inland Waterways Association. Enjoy the festival’s spectacle of pretty narrowboats along the canal, plus the real ale bar, morris dancing (it is May Day afterall!), little shops and tasty food stalls. We also love the sound of the illuminated night-time boat procession from 9.30pm to 10pm. The event is totally free.

When: 2nd – 4th May 2015

Booking/info: No booking required but visit the festival website for full details or follow on Twitter and Instagram @canalcavalcade

Improve your photography skills

This one-day workshop on Landscape and Wildlife Photography is ideal for beginners and those looking to improve their basic skills. Run by expert Mike Allen of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the course will take you through the technical aspects of your camera, through to composition and editing. You’ll be out and about doing practical work and enjoying the beautiful Twyford water meadows.

When: 10am – 2pm, Saturday 2nd May 2015

Booking/info: Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/events/2015/05/02/landscape-and-wildlife-photography for full course details and booking information

Visit a quirky museum

The UK is pretty good at museums! From the world famous attractions in London, to some of the smallest (and oddest) museums you’ve never heard of – think of a topic and there’s probably a museum dedicated to it somewhere on these isles! We like the Shell Museum in Glandford, North Norfolk, a genuinely intriguing and cute museum housed in a converted chapel full of curiosities and amazing artefacts. But there’s also the Pencil Museum in the Lake District, the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall, and museums dedicated to prams, locks and even dog collars (thanks to this Telegraph picture gallery!).

When: Smaller museums are often run only by volunteers so have limited opening times. Always check their website for full details (and don’t forget to support them by supplementing your entry fee with a donation!).

Enjoy the long weekend!

Vegan and healthy – How to find an alternative afternoon tea

Looking for a special afternoon tea location, but need something vegan-friendly? This yummy website could help you find it…

In 1840 Anne, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, started requesting tea, bread and cake at 4pm to stave off hunger until dinner, and soon after afternoon tea became a much-loved, quintessentially British tradition.

But what if the classic smoked salmon sandwiches and lashings of double cream don’t suit the vegans in your party? (Or in fact anyone who wants an indulgent occasion but something on the healthier side?)

Mercer Street afternoon tea
Mercer Street afternoon tea

A quick Google search of “Vegan Afternoon Tea London” doesn’t inspire the upmost confidence in someone looking to treat themselves sans animal. Although it generates about 597,000 results, a large majority of these are bemoaning the fact that vegan afternoon tea in the capital is rather hard to come by. But no more!

Afternoontea.co.uk the online home of afternoon tea bookings, is here to help us. Whether you happen to find yourself in Covent Garden or South Bank, Bloomsbury or Knightsbridge, and fancy a big vegan celebration, their website will be able to assist you with making a booking.

Although advance warning is normally required for vegan alternative afternoon teas, wherever you are in the country, there are in fact 65 venues in London alone that will cater for meat and dairy free, with big names such as The Soho Hotel, The Ritz and The Goring all including a vegan afternoon tea alternative on their menus. Outside of London, you’ll find over 50 locations that are suitable for vegans on afternoontea.co.uk.

Ham Yard afternoon tea
Ham Yard afternoon tea

La Suite West is quite possibly the most renowned vegan-friendly venue in London. Based near Hyde Park, La Suite West is the creation of the famous British designer Anouska Hempel, who is ranked as one of the world’s top 100 interior designers and architects.

This minimalist boutique hotel serves a contemporary vegan alternative to the traditional afternoon tea. Happily, vegans are able to indulge in a selection of finger sandwiches filled with Portobello mushroom with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes, hummus with cucumber, onion and rocket, butternut squash with cream of artichoke, and truffle and spinach with garlic aubergine and cauliflower mousse. Homemade scones are also served with whipped coconut cream and strawberries, and the pastries comes in the form of chocolate and coconut cake and mini sesame halva. All accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee.

Whether you’re looking for a special event, a luxury day out or just a trip to treat yourself or a loved one, afternoontea.co.uk will be there to help you book the ultimate vegan afternoon tea for your occasion. Visit afternoontea.co.uk or find them on Twitter at @AfternoonTeaUK.

Afternoon tea with Champagne
Afternoon tea with Champagne

Say ‘Cheers!’ at the RAW Artisan Wine Fair

Tired of supermarket ‘plonk’? Hanker for something more natural than your usual tipple? Time to tantalise your tastebuds at the RAW Artisan Wine Fair…

RAW, the UK’s largest organic and biodynamic wine fair, is returning to London’s Truman Brewery from 17th to 18th May. Get ahead of the regular Pinot and Melot crowd by discovering some of the natural artisan wines making a bid for the top restaurants and retailers this year.

RAW wine fair (3)

Open to both trade and public, amateurs and experts, you’ll be able to sample wines lovingly created by 160 producers from around the world. Organiser and natural wine expert Isabelle Legeron is passionate about organic and biodynamic wines, and wants to bring natural artisan wine to the masses. She is an award-winning wine taster and consults for top restaurants including a Michelin-starred Mayfair eaterie and an eco-luxury tourism initiative in St Kitts.

RAW wine fair (1)

Chat to the producers themselves, all of whom are passionate about their craft and their product. These are wines that are shaped by their natural terrain, not chemicals. They are purer, kinder to the planet, better for your health (as much as wine can be!), but most of all, they are delicious!

And just so you don’t drink on an empty stomach, you can grab a bite to eat at the artisan food stalls also exhibiting.

Where: Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London

Date/Time: Sunday 17 May (10am – 6pm), Monday 18 May (10am – 6pm)

Tickets: £30 (1 day access), £50 (2 day access); Trade go free (register on website). All tickets are £10 more on the door.

For more information visit www.rawfair.com

RAW wine fair (2)

 

Feast at Malaysia Night, London

From laksa to satay, roti canai to beef rendang, we can’t get enough of Malaysian cuisine with its melting pot of influences, so it’s great news to hear that the Malaysia Night food festival is back!

Now in its fifth year, the free festival, organised by Malaysia Kitchen, will be taking over London’s Trafalgar Square on Friday 26 September. From noon until 10pm, you can feast to your heart’s content on Malaysian dishes from twenty restaurants and street food eateries. Live entertainment including songs in Malay by Bonnie Freechyld and performances by traditional Malaysian dancers will also be bringing a piece of this corner of SE Asia to the capital.

Malaysia Night, Trafalgar Square London

Interactive cookery demos and food market

Enjoy interactive cookery workshops with Malaysian chef, Norman Musa. Watch cookery demonstrations by BBC Masterchef Champion 2014 Ping Coombes and Masterchef Champion 2011 Dhruv Baker alongside Caroline Mili Artiss, TV chef and one of the original Youtube chefs.

Inspired by some authentic recipes, you can then shop at the Malaysian food market selling everything you need to recreate those mouth-watering dishes at home. (We’re told the infamous durian fruit will be on sale – try it if you dare…!).

Visitor info: Entry is FREE; 12noon to 10pm (live entertainment from 5pm), Friday 26 September 2014.

Where: Trafalgar Square, London (nearest stations – Charing Cross, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus)

For more information visit: www.malaysiakitchen.co.uk

Restaurants appearing at Malaysia Night

  • Resta Sambal Shiok
  • Puji Puji
  • Rasa Sayang
  • Uncle Lim’s Café
  • Azi’s Kitchen & Catering
  • Satay House
  • Pak Awie
  • Bonda Café
  • Pelangi
  • Makan Café
  • Malaysia Corner
  • Malaysia Deli
  • Kerisik
  • Tukdin
  • Pan Chai
  • Bunga Raya
  • Penang Laksa Co.
  • Roti King
  • C&R Restaurant
  • Mangosteen

 

Malaysia Night

 

Rubbish in a new light at Totally Thames festival, London

Salvaged art and river clear-ups, inspiring free events at the inaugural Totally Thames festival

For the whole of September, over 100 events will take place along the 42 miles of London’s River Thames. The Totally Thames season is full of great events for all ages – from river races, floating cinema, cultural crawls, archeology talks, exhibitions, tall ships, guided walks….the list is endless! Goodtrippers has picked out a few eco-friendly events to get you started…

‘River Works’, an exhibition by Jacques Limousin (5 – 7 Sept)

French sculptor and architect Jacques Limousin has long been fascinated with the flotsam and jetsom that washes up on the shores of our rivers. His years spent scouring the banks of the River Thames, picking up Mediaeval German beer mugs, Roman coins and random pieces of glass, metal, brick and bones have now been turned into witty and unexpected pieces of art. See the results at this free exhibition – you’ll never see rubbish in the same light again!

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 10am – 5pm daily, 5-7 Sept 2014. The Crystal, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1GB

The Big Thames Tidy, picture by Jenna Foxton
The Big Thames Tidy, picture by Jenna Foxton

The Big Thames Tidy (31 Aug – 1 Sept)

Don your rubber gloves and wellies this coming weekend and help clean up the River Thames! Well, not exactly the whole river but The Big Thames Tidy with Thames 21, part of London’s Totally Thames festival, aims to bring together volunteers of all ages in one of the biggest events of its kind. Help clear litter and tidy up the Thames banks with other like-minded river lovers. You’ll also get a chance to hear more about the history and ecology of London’s famous river in this two-day event.

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 10.30am – 1pm, 31 Aug-1 Sept 2014. No need to book, just meet at Gabriel’s Wharf foreshore via the steps to Gabriel’s Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Cleaner Thames Challenge (1 Sept)

The Isle of Dogs is one of the most littered parts of the River Thames with plastic bags and other debris posing a real threat to bird and marine wildlife – so help out by joining in with a big litter clean-up at this free event! No need to book, just bring suitable clothing and footwear, plus lots of enthusiasm!

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 11am – 1.30pm, 1 Sept 2014. Meet at Newcastle Draw Dock, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3BW

For more information about all of the events during the Totally Thames season visit www.totallythames.org

Best of British at the Urban Food Fest, London

Shoreditch’s favourite street food market is back and celebrating the best of British…

Foodies should add this to their diaries for Saturday 30th August – ‘Do not eat breakfast, skip lunch, head to Urban Food Fest in London!’. The food market’s ‘Viva Britannia’ theme is promising a gluttony of British dishes which you’ll really want to leave room for, so turn up hungry!

Urban Food Fest, Viva Britannia (3)

Some of the artisan street food on offer will be chipolata and Kentish plum huffkin, sausage bubble and squeak, English goat’s cheese and honey toasties, and old-fashioned British collar bacon heritage bread. Vegetarians and vegans can also rejoice as ‘V Corner’ remains offering British veggie and vegan dishes.

If that doesn’t fill you up, move onto pudding with a choice of apple cobnuts, Gypsy tarts and English filled doughnuts.

The street food market will also feature a bar serving specially created British cocktails including the ‘Queen Lizzie Special’, Somerset craft cider from Orchard Pig, premium craft beers, English wine, prosecco, champagne and thirst-quenching soft drinks.

Visitor info:

Free Entry

The Urban Food Fest takes place at Euro Car Parks, 162-175 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6HU.

5pm – midnight every Saturday until 25 October (‘Viva Britannia’ is only on 30th August).

For more information visit www.urbanfoodfest.com

Urban Food Fest, Viva Britannia (4)

Putting the green into gourmet at T.E.D Restaurant, London

We’re very pleased to welcome our newest guest blogger Jane Cook of award-winning eco-friendly food/travel/lifestyle blog HungryCityHippy (recently named the Guardian’s sustainable blog of the week)! On a recent weekend in London, Jane tried out the new T.E.D restaurant in King’s Cross…

TED restaurant, Kings Cross, London

“Think. Eat. Drink”

T.E.D is an acronym for ‘Think. Eat Drink’; it’s also the name of the consultancy team behind the restaurant, and should tell you a lot about what the founders of this special place are trying to achieve. Restaurant entrepreneur Jamie Grainger-Smith and his team are behind it all, whose brilliant brains have also brought us the likes of Fifteen (with Jamie Oliver), and other eco-friendly restaurants including The Waterhouse. They have a vision to drive the food and drinks industry to create forward-thinking and environmentally aware businesses that are commercially successful, and T.E.D Restaurant is living, breathing proof that it’s an idea that works.

Smart-casual

Situated in the increasingly up-and-coming area of Kings Cross, if I had to describe T.E.D’s interior, I’d say it’s got the elusive ‘smart-casual’ dichotomy absolutely nailed. Bright, modern and airy, the white walls act as a perfect canvas for the splashes of colour found throughout, and vases of fresh, delicate meadow flowers adorn every corner. The black and white signage outside is contemporary yet classic, and the tan leather booth in which our party of four were seated was cosy and intimate without being crowded. In truth, I loved it all.

Eating and drinking at T.E.D is special

The regularly-changing menu at T.E.D is centred around sustainable British produce, with a focus on seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients. One of the signature dishes is Somerset beef tartare, hand-chopped and served with toasted sourdough bread and a single, free range, egg yolk. Of course, in any ethically-driven restaurant, vegetarian food is going to be a big deal too, and on my visit I tucked in to a beautifully balanced main of fresh pappardelle served with chilli, broccoli and anchovies. Other menu highlights included diver-caught plaice, cockles & girolles, and a lovely, cheesy courgette risotto with ricotta and courgette flower.

A drinks list to-die-for

The wine list here is bursting with biodynamic and carbon-neutral bottles, and there are a couple of organic beers on offer too. If cocktails are more your bag, the list is eclectic and imaginative. I’m never one for dessert, so when I visited, I ordered a ‘Black Forest Flip’ to finish my meal – a pretty lilac-coloured drink made from Martell VS Cognac, Black Forest syrup, free range egg and fresh cream. It was a decadent and delicious treat, something all cocktails should be, but sadly so few ever are.

T.E.D Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday- Saturday, and 12-4pm on Sunday. Two courses with wine for two, approximately £75.

For more information and booking visit www.tedrestaurants.co.uk

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Use ethical and responsibly-sourced ingredients
  • Sustainably sourced fixtures and fittings used throughout the restaurant including salvaged furniture
  • Hand-picked contractors built the restaurant were selected based on their eco-sensitive practices
  • Part of the T.E.D consultancy, a wider network within the food industry whose aim is to eat, drink and think more ethically

 

About the author: Jane is a lifestyle blogger from Cardiff with a focus on the ethical and eco-friendly. Her blog HungryCityHippy covers restaurant reviews, travel, beauty and environmental awareness and is based mainly in the cities of Cardiff and London. Catch more of her on Twitter @HungryCityHippy.

Five of the Best Vegetarian Fine Dining Menus

At Goodtrippers we love to champion good, ethical, sustainable food, and great vegetarian eateries top the list! Here are five of the best vegetarian tasting menus served at some of the UK’s finest dining establishments.

Vegetarians often have to trawl through those ‘top 50’ style restaurant lists and guides to find somewhere that offers more than the sole ‘vegetarian option’, so to highlight the best dining options for veggies, Travelzoo has created a map of the UK’s best fine-dining restaurants, showing where to go in Britain for an elegant night of exquisite food. The map has been created with the help of the UK’s food bloggers and there were clear favourites for vegetarian fine dining. Here we take a look at five of the most exclusive fine-dining restaurants in the UK and their meat-free menus:

[gdl_gallery title=”Fine” width=”120″ height=”110″ ]

Pied a Terre, Fitzrovia, London
This two-Michelin-star restaurant in the heart of London has chef Marcus Eaves at the helm, creating dishes that have been meticulously prepared and perfectly executed. The dishes sound delectable with courses on the taster menu including delights like a salad of white asparagus with shaved parmesan, confit meyer lemon and black olive dressing. The atmosphere is sophisticated; the right blend of polite, professional and relaxing.

A 10-course vegetarian tasting menu is available from £94 a head

Manchester House, Manchester
Located in Tower 12, the Manchester House restaurant is not what it first appears to be. The ‘normal’ façade of a city tower shouldn’t fool you – inside is Aiden Byrne’s restaurant, serving up luxurious dishes in a comfortable and fun atmosphere. How you dine is up to you – choose à la carte or dine at the Chef’s Table. A tasting menu is available for both lunch and dinner and includes scrumptious morsels such as Hot and cold pea soup, pea mousse and lemon emulsion; Braised salsify with artichoke gnocchi and cavolo nero; Apple and eucalyptus sorbet, verjus granite.

A vegetarian 13-course taster menu is available from £95 a head

The Ledbury, Notting Hill
Located in Notting Hill, The Ledbury received its much coveted second Michelin Star with Head Chef Brett Graham at the helm. Brett started his career is Australia in a simple fish restaurant at 15 years old, working up to a role at the Banc restaurant in Sydney where he won the Josephine Pignolet Award. Brett’s roots in seafood echo through the vegetarian menus with dishes like Sliced Turnips with Seaweed and Frozen Horseradish. Although the atmosphere is as professional as you would expect from a restaurant with two Michelin stars, there is a very welcoming and laid back tone to it whether you enjoy a visit at lunch or at dinner.

The vegetarian tasting menu starts at £100 a head

Texture, Marylebone
Diners who enjoy a wine experience as much as a food experience are in safe hands at Texture; Agnar Sverrisson and Xavier Rousset, Head Chef and Head Sommelier respectively, established Texture in 2007 but have a long history working alongside each other and have picked up many impressive awards along the way. Head Chef Sverrisson grew up in Iceland and the menu has an obvious Scandanavian influences with ingredients like skyr, Iceland’s famous yoghurt-like export. The vegetarian tasting menu showcases the chef’s modern European style with dishes like New Season English Beetroots with goat’s cheese snow and pistachios.

The taster menu starts at £72 a head (with five complementing wines available for £52)

Blue Elephant, Imperial Wharf, London
Using the freshest ingredients and exotic fusions, Head Chef Khun Noroor Somany Steppe has created a collection of authentic vegetarian Thai dishes for Blue Elephant’s tasting menu. Using a mix of traditional methods and novel flavour unions the Blue Elephant has reached global success with 12 sister restaurants around the world. One of the most popular vegetarian dishes is the Doi Kham Eggplant Salad; during her collaboration with the Royal Project, using vegetables and herbs from the farm at Doi Inthanon, chef Nooror created a purple eggplant salad with towhu, herbal spice and a hint of truffle oil.

The vegetarian tasting menu is available from £38.00 per person

Find out more: Travelzoo has created a fine-dining map showing 200 of the best restaurants all over the UK, with recommendations from the UK’s foodie bloggers.