• 2
• Great Menu; Beware As Staff Clueless Re Veganism

PROS: A pleasant restaurant in picturesque Ludlow with attentive staff boasts menu options for most dietary requirements using fresh & often local produce, including separate sections for both vegetarian & vegan dishes. Evening menu for our visit - starters of homemade houmous & pitta bread or pea-&-bean soup of the day. Mains: Jamaican Sweet Potato Casserole; Red Lentil and Cashew Nut Bake; Red Pepper stuffed with Quinoa, Mint, Apricots & Courgettes served with a Butternut & Red Pepper Sauce; or a salad - all served with stir fried veg & potatoes. Three vegan cakes were available: spiced apple, apricot flapjack & chocolate cake; no soya cream/ice-cream/custard or soya milk on offer. The vegan food itself was tasty & beautifully presented, although small portions & medium to expensive price range. CONS: We had high expectations after such care for catering for different dietary needs was mentioned on their website, outside board & menu. However, none of the three staff on duty had any clue about veganism & delivered non-vegan food to us for every course! Distressing enough for ethical vegans, this is extremely dangerous for those with allergies, so if you wish to risk eating here please double-check at every stage of your meal, as we did. After checking the soup of the day was vegan & ordering from the vegan menu: - Complimentary covers of bread & olives arrived with obvious butter. On asking if the bread was vegan, we were told no & apologised to for giving us food we couldn't eat. - The kitchen had confirmed soup was fine; it was served without the advertised crusty roll (replacement pitta would have been nice). - Main course looked lovely, with Dauphinoise potatoes served in a separate dish. Initial bite tasted cheesy - we checked & were told it was dairy cheese. Replacement wild rice was delivered promptly but my comment on how dangerous/upsetting this was met with no comprehension. - A neighbouring diner came over to apologise for poor service; we thought she might have been the owner but she didn't assist the staff & the mistakes continued. - Dessert; we asked which were vegan & were told three interesting cakes. Upon asking if there was anything to accompany them, we were offered cream, custard or ice cream. To double-check, we asked they confirm these were all vegan: they were all dairy. - At the end of the meal, our bill came with two wrapped chocolates. These were non vegan too. Nice food but uncomfortable experience, so cannot recommend.