Roasts Are For Herbivores Too: London’s Best Vegan Roasts
Sure, most restaurants and pubs serving up a Sunday roast have a veggie offering, but realistically you’re often left with a medley of vegetables blitzed together to form some kind of meal supplement or else a portion fit for a sparrow (seriously, why do chefs seem to think vegans don’t get hungry?) But as with everything, if you rummage through the bad you’ll find some vegan Sunday lunch gems lurking around London.
And for the veggies of London, we’ve done the hard work for you by rounding up our favourite vegan roasts that the city has to offer. From London’s first fully vegan pub to a watering hole serving up Bloody Mary sauce as a gravy alternative, here’s where to get the British classic: veganised.
No. Fifty Cheyne
Sunday lunch doesn’t come much more special than a trip to Chelsea’s No. Fifty Cheyne. The restaurant has become a firm favourite with The Handbook office thanks to their delicious dining options, but even more so since we found out about their vegan Sunday roast offering.
Expect to be tucking into roasted cauliflower with glazed carrots, hispi cabbage and a healthy helping of roast potatoes. Paired alongside a bottle of Champagne Brut or one of their sharing cocktail pitches – we love the spiced apple rum punch for an autumnal hit – there’s simply nowhere better to go.
Where: 50 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, SW3 5LR
Website: www.fiftycheyne.com
The Old Queen’s Head
Islington’s The Old Queen’s Head is a sight to behold. A proper traditional pub of all kinds, from its charming tiled exteriors and interiors to the multitude of busts lining the bar front. Not to mention their extensive Sunday roast menu.
Feast your eyes on their chestnut mushroom wellington. It’s rich and meaty in flavour and encased in a beautiful flaky pastry. Served with the usual trimmings from curly kale to parsnips, and vegan a Yorkshire pudding, which is basically unheard of from non-vegan restaurants. It certainly has our seal of approval.
Where: 44 Essex Road, Islington, N1 8LN
Website: www.theoldqueenshead.com
The Spread Eagle
London isn’t short of pubs but when it comes to food options, it’s often the vegan menu items that let them down. That certainly isn’t the case for The Spread Eagle, London’s first 100% vegan pub!
The east London watering hole is a pub that keeps traditional at its heart, from the classic pub interiors that are mixed with a side of modernity to the hearty grub it serves up. And their Sunday roast is no exception. Try out their beet wellington – a fun take on the traditional beef – or try the pot roast celeriac that comes with a healthy helping of potato crackling. All roasts are of course served with potatoes, roasted carrots, seasonal greens and gravy. Not forgetting a vegan Yorkshire pud too – delicious.
Where: 224 Homerton High Street, E9 6AS
Website: www.thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk
The Canonbury
There’s no greater cure to a hangover than a Bloody Mary and a hefty Sunday roast to help rid yourselves of those hunger pangs and hazy heads. The Canonbury pub has taken the hangover cure one step further with their vegan roast offering… Introducing the hearty wellington served with a helping of Bloody Mary sauce.
The cosy pub serves up a vegetarian wellington made with broad bean, pea, spinach, vegan feta, pearl barley and chickpea. You can expect crisp and flaky pastry encasing the warming, flavour packed mix inside. The whole dish can be made vegan without the Yorkshire pud.
Where: 21 Canonbury Place, N1 2NS
Website: www.thecanonbury.co.uk
The Owl and Pussycat
Keeping things simple but delicious is The Owl and Pussycat pub in Shoreditch. You’ll find them serving up a massive portion of beetroot, fennel and mixed nut roast, alongside a mix of rapeseed oil roast potatoes, maple roasted carrots, spring greens and rainbow chard, parsnips and gravy. Opt out on the Yorkie and it’s a vegan match made in heaven.
Where: 34 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, E2 7DP
Website: www.owlandpussycatshoreditch.com
Lady Abercorn’s Pub & Kitchen
For those wanting a hearty vegan-style steak, look to Lady Abercorn’s Pub & Kitchen. The restaurant, hidden inside the Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel, is a destination for the curious. It’s interiors and food nods to an iconic sassy and caring landlady from the neighbourhood and its menu is inspired by her travels from across the globe.
Vegans can feast on the likes of the cauliflower steak served with a rich veggie gravy. Warming and delicious, it’s sure to satisfy your meaty cravings.
Where: ANDAZ LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET, LADY ABERCORN’S, 40 LIVERPOOL STREET, EC2M 7QN
Website: www.hyattrestaurants.com
The Gun
The Gun in Spitalfields does not disappoint on portion size. You can expect a decent sized roast arriving in front of you, despite having to forgo the Yorkshire. The rustic pub, complete with cosy curtained off booths and exposed brick, dishes up a vibrant sweetcorn fritter with avocado cream and pickled onion to start and a vegan wellington for main. It’s accompanied by all of the usual suspects, including maple glazed carrots, tenderstem broccoli, green beats, roast potatoes and vegan gravy.
Where: 54 Brushfield Street, E1 6AG
Website: www.thegunlondon.com
