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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect pubs to serve a decent vegetarian meal?

350 replies

Allshallbewell2021 · 15/12/2023 01:21

Three pub meals over the past three months have been dire or inedible. One risotto (rice not cooked) one bean/taco meal (clearly from a tin really grim), one Xmas dinner butternut squash thing (clearly from the freezer, slimy and disgusting).
And not cheap either.
Tonight I had chips, peas and battered halloumi (too much straight cheese for anyone) but quite nice.

Is a good vegetarian pub option not economically viable?

OP posts:
Talkinrubbishagain · 16/12/2023 19:50

How I agree. Most pubs serve awful veggie meals and charge a fortune. I feel like giving them recipes. I remember a pub advertising veggie …and the one choice was a salad. That was lettuce,cucumber and tomato. Wow! I couldn’t make a fuss as someone had taken me there. It was a few years ago so I hope that they’ve improved by now.
we do have one pub that’s good though. Their nut roast is excellent.

H007 · 16/12/2023 19:56

I find that vegetarians options have got worse since vegan options have increased. I presume it’s because they feel they can kill two birds with one stone unfortunately for the veggies.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 16/12/2023 20:04

They can cook and serve whatever they want it's their establishment

They have to comply with the Equality Act which means catering for protected characteristics - the most obvious ones here being beliefs (veganism or religious) and disability (allergies).

Businesses cannot do what they want, despite it being an oft-written MN mantra.

Mcemmabell · 16/12/2023 20:05

MrsSimz · 16/12/2023 18:18

My husband is coeliac too. He hates eating out as either there is barely any choice or cross contamination is just not taken seriously and he becomes ill for the next few days. 😢

I have the same problem. My poor husband will have symptoms similar to food poisoning for 24 hours after he inadvertently eats gluten. He's so anxious about choosing a place to eat and the are a lot of places I wish we could go to that are just off limits. We joke that as the vegetarian I'm the easy one to cater for.

MadeOfAllWork · 16/12/2023 20:20

enchantedsquirrelwood · 16/12/2023 20:04

They can cook and serve whatever they want it's their establishment

They have to comply with the Equality Act which means catering for protected characteristics - the most obvious ones here being beliefs (veganism or religious) and disability (allergies).

Businesses cannot do what they want, despite it being an oft-written MN mantra.

Really? So if they don’t cater for someone who keeps kosher for example they could be in trouble?

Tokek · 16/12/2023 20:21

EdithStourton · 16/12/2023 17:41

Oh honestly back again. Most of what is fed to cattle in the UK is silage (made of, uh, grass) or crop residues that people cannot eat. And cattle are usually kept on land which is too hilly or too wet or too dry or too stoney or too infertile to grow arable crops. Most pasture near me is either currently under water or has been under water in the past six weeks, since it's water meadow, doing what it does best. It will grow beautiful grass in the spring, when it will still be too boggy to plough and sow, and the farmers will turn out cattle and sheep onto it. The cattle are currently wintering indoors eating silage, and the sheep are either on stubble turnips cleaning out and fertilising arable land, or grazing pasture on land which isn't sodden but which just doesn't produce decent crops.

You could argue for not grazing water meadows, but then the wildlife that loves them would suffer, and we'd lose a fabulous source of top-grade protein which we'd have to replace.

Show quote history

You can easily have ruminants graze without eating them, though.

If we weren't using so much land for the hugely wasteful animal ag industry, we wouldn't have to use every tiny little bit of land left for farming and those otherwise infertile uplands could be rewilded in the way that so much of our land desperately needs.

EdithStourton · 16/12/2023 20:43

Tokek · 16/12/2023 20:21

You can easily have ruminants graze without eating them, though.

If we weren't using so much land for the hugely wasteful animal ag industry, we wouldn't have to use every tiny little bit of land left for farming and those otherwise infertile uplands could be rewilded in the way that so much of our land desperately needs.

Show quote history

I don't think you actually read my post.

Barney60 · 16/12/2023 20:59

Totally agree, recent works Christmas do, i ended up with chips, i item was vegetarian which i couldnt eat.
Disgraceful, either "pretend taste like" real meat or no thought.
I hate eating out now, even a basic pub meal is pretend meat why oh why cant they make a basic omelette, i can get them abroad!

Petrine · 16/12/2023 21:02

enchantedsquirrelwood · 16/12/2023 20:04

They can cook and serve whatever they want it's their establishment

They have to comply with the Equality Act which means catering for protected characteristics - the most obvious ones here being beliefs (veganism or religious) and disability (allergies).

Businesses cannot do what they want, despite it being an oft-written MN mantra.

Surely not…

I can’t see how can every restaurant possibly cater for every religious requirement, every allergy, every dietary requirement - gluten free, coeliac, dairy free, lactose free, Vegetarian, vegan, paleo… the list goes on

Bookgrrrl · 16/12/2023 21:37

VeryGoodVeryNice · 16/12/2023 19:42

I’m veggie too. Pubs are hopeless at catering for us, generally speaking. And chefs don’t seem to have a clue about what is actually vegetarian and what’s not, eg Parmesan being put on veggie dishes. Yes I know vegan Parmesan is available but in 💯 of cases when I’ve queried whether it is the vegan version, it’s been a no, accompanied by a blank stare. C’mon, it’s not like vegetarianism is a new thing, and things are labelled with a V these days, it’s not difficult to navigate.

Ugh so true! I would say at least 85% of restaurants think parmesan is veggie. I’ve been telling them for more than 15 years, and I cannot be the only person doing it! How is there not more awareness by now?

VeryGoodVeryNice · 16/12/2023 21:58

@Bookgrrrl its so annoying isn’t it. I had one chef who was genuinely grateful to have the mistake pointed out to him, and said he was glad he was now better informed, but generally they are snotty because you’ve dented their ego and they try and make you feel like you’re just being difficult, not wanting to eat the acid from calves stomachs.

And even more annoying, a lot of the time if you ask for whatever ‘the’ option is without the Parmesan, it’s a no because ‘it’s already mixed in’. Right…so I’ll have chips then 🤨

Bookgrrrl · 16/12/2023 22:30

@VeryGoodVeryNice yes! Or they say yes it will be left off and then it appears smothered in Parmesan anyway!

TenacityWins · 16/12/2023 22:43

I've seen parents leave gifts for school office staff. A more visible role.

Spain1980 · 16/12/2023 23:14

My child and their partner is vegan. I don’t find it a problem finding good places to eat with them. Use Happy Cow website https://www.happycow.net/ It also notes vegetarian places

eggandonion · 16/12/2023 23:37

The closest listed to me are Dublin which is 180 km away...Paradiso in Cork is local to me but very expensive.

Elphame · 16/12/2023 23:43

I had a look at the Happy Cow links. All of the local places are well known to me and I wouldn't class them as great for veggies and one caused a local scandal for a shocking case of animal cruelty.

tiktokontheclock · 16/12/2023 23:52

Grapefruitsquash · 15/12/2023 05:50

I hate there's very few veggie choices now in favour of vegan. Why can't there be both? I asked for normal (not vegan) cheese on a veggie burger recently. The waitress said they couldn't do that because then it wouldn't be vegan. I explained I'm vegetarian not vegan and want proper cheese. But no, not allowed as it's a vegan dish. Ridiculous.

Exactly. I've had this. I don't want plastic cheese with my vegan burger (which I'm being forced to have as there's no veggie option), I want normal cheese. As a veggie I also don't want a grilled mushroom in a burger, I just want a patty of vegetables which is both filling and healthy. It used to be possible, now vegans rule

DahliaMacNamara · 17/12/2023 00:01

Just take the sheeze off. I don't want it replaced with dairy cheese. Can I have that?
No.
Bye, then.
No issue at all with eating vegan food. But make it food.
And while we're complaining, I had a look at the most popular local independent restaurants' Christmas menus. No fakery, which is a mercy, but one had risotto with squash and kale, and the other offered beetroot risotto. Both vegan. Again, at least it's real, but it's so embarrassing to finish off a small puddle of rice in minutes while everyone around you is fighting through mounds of roast dinner.

choc1cheese1 · 17/12/2023 00:20

Well said! 🤔😋

GrannyRose15 · 17/12/2023 01:23

Mirrormeback · 15/12/2023 02:56

You choose the Pub / restaurant that serves the food you want

It's a bit urm entitled to expect the pub / restaurant you choose to go to to serve the food you want

You're the one choosing so just go somewhere else

They can cook and serve whatever they want it's their establishment

Exactly what I was going to say.

MintJulia · 17/12/2023 01:31

A lot of pubs only sell frozen food that can be reheated, or microwaved, and I think veggie food is more fragile & easier to wreck.

Our local used to keep a huge pot of thick veggie soup on the go, and I'd have a bowl of that with some crusty bread for £5. It was always good and filling.

MintJulia · 17/12/2023 01:39

@enchantedsquirrelwood 'They have to comply with the Equality Act which means catering for protected characteristics - the most obvious ones here being beliefs (veganism or religious) and disability (allergies).'

Not true. A restaurant can serve any food it wishes, obviously within health & safety guidelines. They are under no obligation to serve veggie, vegan, kosher, halal or anything else. Nor to cater for any allergies.

The food must be labelled accurately though and they are supposed to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled access.

Ukrainebaby23 · 17/12/2023 05:41

I had gammon and salad today, tbh the salad was OK, the gammon was average, the service was below par. I think it's the col problem, rather than specific to vegetarian. And u agree, trying to accommodate vegam/veggie/gf/ other on one dish means no one wins.

The deep fried cauli was amazing though, need to remember to ask for something less toxic than the periperi next time 😆.

Wellwellwhathavewehere · 17/12/2023 07:26

Definitely true that vegan and vegetarian meals are often clubbed together, sometimes even with gluten free too.
The simple reassign is that they are the lowest sellers in the menu, and that by grouping them together the average weekly sales are relatively better - whilst at the same time keeping space on the menu for dishes with a higher turnover.

However, there are definitely signs in the industry that because sales of “fake meat” (soy/pea protein etc) are slowing down , there is an increase in more vegetable based mains options again. That should be better for everyone, and a bit healthier too.

Newuser75 · 17/12/2023 08:12

@GrannyRose15 yes but the thing is is that the vegetarian food anywhere seems to be rubbish. With the exception of Indian/asian food.

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