Went into a Dorset pub that I'd heard did good food at lunchtime yesterday and had a quick read of the menu. Of the dozen or so main courses, only one was vegetarian, so I asked the barman if maybe they had any other vegetarian food.

The chef suddenly appeared, also had a quick read of the menu, and spotted another vegetarian dish - the only veggie starter. So that, in his view, made two vegetarian choices. And that was the end of the matter.

So there was a veggie starter: garlic mushrooms topped with melted stilton; and a veggie main course: lentil-stuffed chilli peppers topped with melted brie. Basically the "vegetarian option" was to have a vegetable with some melted cheese on top, followed by another vegetable with some melted cheese on top. And whoever came up with the idea of lentil-stuffed chilli peppers needs their taste-buds examining.

We went up the road to a different, rather less smart looking pub where they cooked us, to order, veggie food that actually tasted good. It wasn't a "vegetarian option", it was "is it OK if we do this for you?". It was.

That's quite poor.

My sister is a vegetarian and we have noticed similar problems when all going out together to eat.

Some places bend over backwards and point out menu items which can be made vegetarian as well as the vegetarian options that they do. Other some places see you as an irritation and cannot be bothered.

It does actually affect which restaurant we choose to go to, so they do lose business by not accommodating vegetarians.

As a meat eater, I would still prefer to see more vegetarian options - obviously for when eating with my sister (or other vegetarians) but also because I am trying to lose weight and am trying to try some vegetarian options instead of eating meat every time.

Yes, I hate it when you have to enquire inside for the vegetarian option which often is just some pasta and whatever vegetables they can chuck into a tomato sauce. We no longer go into restaurants or pubs which ask you to enquire because you often feel obliged to say yes to whatever lacklustre suggestion they come up with or feel a little bit rude when you leave (which I'm prepared to do - I just don't want to have to feel like that).

Or, as you say, the starter is more or less the same as the main course. But things have definitely improved from a while ago, with some places having great choices.

Butternut squash seems to be in everything at the moment, however.

This is a place near us which always has decent options on the menu (it's not a pub though)

Chestnut mushroom and tarragon tart with cream and brandy, green pesto sauce served with pan-fried courgettes & new potatoes 10.50 V

Courgette boats stuffed with ricotta and toasted almonds with fresh tomato sauce served with new potatoes & vegetables 10.50 V
http://www.themobilefoodguide.com/select/menu10124.php

It has always been poor. I don't know how they can call it a menu when you get such a lack of choice or variety. Not everyone eats cheese or dairy,so what do Vegans do when they go out to eat?

You try going to Yugoslavia for a meal. That was great fun. They think you are an alien.

When I was in Spain my landlady thought I was bananas too and said "tu comes lomo?" This made me laugh as she obviously had no idea what "soy vegetariano" meant!

We found it difficult even in Paris and Florence (well, more difficult than we anticipated).

We've stopped eating out a lot because of it really. I wonder how many pubs do cheese and broccoli bake?

From the pubs I have been in,cheese and broccoli bake is a staple. Not very nice either. Always scalding hot and looked like it had been freshly dug up from the grave and then nuked.

I don't bother with it anymore.

Ugh. We've just spent a few days in East Devon and the thing they seem to delight in getting wrong there is the humble baked potato - leathery outside, hard inside - served with bullet-like baked beans and greasy cheese. There was one place, not a pub but a very popular café with an art gallery etc - which had several vegetarian "options", but as we stood in the queue the staff started wiping them off the blackboard. By the time we were served there were literally three portions of vegetarian food left in the café - and four of us!

Always makes me laugh when I see a fish dished marked as being suitable for vegetarians.

of course ... they should at least have 'wafer thin' ham for the veggies too


some places are lousy, the OP did the right thing - go to somewhere that is trying to get your custom, don't settle for second best.

Haha, I agree with these posts!

I am vegetarian and I enjoy eating out. HOWEVER, I don't like mushrooms, and i'm not going to pay a tenner for pasta in tomato sauce!

It highly affects which pub or restaurant we go to, so some places are actually dissuading customers from going there!

I'm not a fan of mushrooms either, so if they're the main part of the one veggie option I'm scuppered. Also, all vegetarians aren't on a diet - I may not eat meat but I'd still like something filling please!

It's not hard to have a few choices - maybe if a chef creates a good veggie dish some non-veggies may in fact order it too!

It must be a few years since I've eaten out. As a vegan in your average mainstream restaurant/pub, there would probably be no option other than a side salad! Maybe a jacket potato if I was lucky. But I probably coudn't have even something as simple as baked beans on it, as chances are they'll contain lactose or something. I'd have to ask to see the ingredients list, and that can make me feel awkward and uncomfortable. Plus I'd doubtless get looked at as if I had two heads at the mere mention of the word 'vegan'!

And you veggies think you have it tough!

But to be honest, even if I was offered a half decent-sounding vegan meal in a place other than one known for its quality vegetarian/vegan catering, I wouldn't want to eat there as I have contamination issues, and not unjustifiably...

I know what you mean. I was sent a link to a page on Pizza Express's website the other day - it's here if you want a look - and I was interested to see that they seem willing to cater for vegans. (Not to imply that others are unwilling, but the complete lack of a vegan option in other places makes it difficult if not impossible to go there). However, and I could be doing them a huge dis-service here, given the nature of what they sell, they use a lot of cheese, and as such I would still have big concerns over cross-contamination issues.

I think that's utterly reasonable, a very famous 'vegetarian' restaurant here in Athens uses solely non vegetarian cheese (in almost all the dishes), there are no vegan options and downstairs from the restaurant in an 'accompanying' kitchen (your guess is as good as mine as to what that means) there is a take away kebab outlet! Admittedly this country is about 20 years behind in the healthy/modern food stakes but it's fairly worrying as a specialist outlet!

I also think in general any food issues that come up are still widely un catered for in restaurants - sure the supermarket tells you about gluten, wheat etc.. but most affordable eat out places just hope you've got an undiscerning palate and no ethical hang ups.

Snowfairy speaks the truth

oooooh you're in trouble if you don't like mushroom and you're a veggie aren't you, I find it's either mushroom stroganoff, mushroom risotto or stuffed mushrooms, gotta love choice

Yes, this is exactly the type of thing I had in mind. I'd need to know that the vegan foods were being prepared completely separately from the non-vegan, with clean utensils and pans that hadn't just been in contact with meat/cheese etc. Also I'd worry that the person making my vegan food might be handling it after handling animal products, and not changing gloves/washing hands in between. In a busy kitchen, with staff rushed off their feet, I really can't see them having the time to give much thought to these issues. But I would hate to have to ask whether such standards were being applied, as that could be seen as highly offensive, and it's never a good idea to offend the person making your dinner!


How do they get away with that?! Are the 'vegetarian' customers aware that they're eating rennet but just don't care? I can only assume that they have an odd definition of the word 'vegetarian'!


Agreed. Though I have to say that unless veggies/vegans get themselves out there and specifically request suitable meals in these places, the demand won't exist and so will remain poorly catered for. However, even knowing this I still can't bring myself to take my own advice, due to my reasoning above...

Yes, I do, luckily but your choices are seriously limited, if you don't like mushrooms and/or are vegan.

Simple thing to do .. if the restaurant only has a 'vegetarian option' then give it a wide berth like i do

As for Europe, i just don't eat out over there!!

The OH is Veggie and also lactose intolerent so that pretty much rules eating out in British pubs/restaurants as there's usually one veggie option that is usually swimming in cream. Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian restaurants in this country have a much wider choice for him.
I'm not a veggie but if I had a restaurant I would have about 10 main courses - beef, chicken, lamb, pork, two fish, a shellfish and three veggie mains. I'm not a massive fan of Wetherspoons but they do have a wide choice of veggie food and all the dishes are clearly marked with a V sign and those dishes that may contain nuts so i can't fault them on that.

Just found this site. http://www.veggieplaces.co.uk/
My way of thinking is if they have certain ingredients and the food is cooked fresh then places should accommodate you. I cooked in a local traditional pub and I could have whipped up all sorts of veggie dishes if someone wanted them - no more difficult than cooking what's on the set menu.