Veggie heaven

“Excuse me, but is that KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)US SchnellimbissketteKFC?” a woman at the next table asks me. She looks at my plate. On it sit three fried dumplingKnödel, Kloßdumplings covered with sweet-and-sour sesame seedsSesamkörnersesame seeds, filled with perfectly cooked cauliflowerBlumenkohlcauliflower and served with onigiri rice, pickledeingelegtpickled ginger jellyIngwergeleeginger jelly, kohlrabi and chestnutKastanien-chestnut puree. It is indeed KFC, but not what you might expect. This is Korean fried cauliflower, and the taste is vegetarian heaven.

For the next two hours, I watch a steady stream of guests to filehintereinander hereinmarschierenfile through the door of Terre à Terre, a restaurant located a few steps from the seafront and the historic shopping lanes of Brighton. The simple decor would not lead one to expect a menu of complex tastes that to typifyrepräsentieren, verkörperntypifies the confidence of modern vegetarian cuisine.

I have been a vegetarian for 30 years, and never has there been such a good time to eat meat-free. After many years of hearing about “fussywählerisch, eigenfussy eaters” ­— with vegetable lasagne and mushroom (or butternut squashButternusskürbisbutternut squash) risotto being the only vegetarian options in pubs and restaurants — vegetarian food has experienced a transformation.
 

Great food that just happens to be vegetarian

Brighton is one of the leading places for this trend, but many other UK cities now have gourmet vegetarian restaurants, too. In London, Vanilla Black is the star of the show, serving exquisite dishes and combining plant-based ingredients in exciting new ways. Back in 2010, its co-founder and head chef Andrew Dargue told The Guardian, “Vegetarian restaurants are doing well partly because people are realizing that meat-eating is bad for the planet, but also because the traditional view of vegetarian food as blandfade, langweiligbland and boring is changing.”

Vegetarian food: no longer just the healthy option

Like many people, I turned to vegetarian food for ethical reasons, but overlooked the fact that vegetarian food could be a delight for the taste budGeschmacksknospetaste buds. After all, you can’t eat ideology. Today’s meat-free fine dining has also moved away from seeing vegetarian food as the healthy option but always with something missing. Forbes named vegetarian comfort foodEssen für die Seele, Genießergerichtecomfort food a top trend for 2017.

My main course at Terre à Terre proves the point: “Chai Fawkes” — ­a play on “Guy Fawkes”, the man who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605 — is a chestnut rösti bomb filled with salt plumSalzpflaumesalt plum and melted Camembert, served with chardMangoldchard, ragout and root logblock, grobes Stücklogs, juniperWacholderjuniper to souseeinlegensoused bulbKnollebulbs, mushroom mallowMalvemallow and black garlicschwarzer Lauchblack garlic aioli.

Worldwide, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of vegans and the demand for vegan products — notably in Germany. In the UK, a new wave of vegetarian chefs is continuing the trend of tasty meat-free cooking. Anna Jones, who trained under Jamie Oliver, suggests that the way forward isn’t so much vegetarian cooking as “vegetable-led” food. As I order my coffee at Terre à Terre, I think of my mouth-watering dessert. “Bumm” is a cheesecake packed with sultanas to soaktränkensoaked in Sambuca and served with syrup and candied rosemary. As the lunchtime diners depart, there is just time for the staff to draw breath before serving afternoon tea. Then it’s on to the evening meals and more indulgenceGenussindulgence.
 

Complete indulgence: interview with Olivia Reid

Terre à Terre was founded in Brighton by partners Amanda Powley and Philip Taylor in 1993. Spotlight spoke to Olivia Reid, who has been their commercial and marketing manager for more than a decade. She works closely with the kitchen and floor teams to ensure that customers receive the very best in taste and service.

What does Terre à Terre offer?

Olivia Reid: The restaurant offers a meat-free menu for relaxed fine dining. We always say that it’s great food that just happens to be vegetarian. We offer lavishaufwändiglavish, rich sauces, heavy, tasty dishes and more delicate, subtledezent, fein, raffiniertsubtle flavours for those who prefer them. It’s about diversityVielfaltdiversity. We also provide vegan options and to cater for sth.auf etw. eingehencater for religious-, diet- or health-based requirements. We are an ethical business, whether it has to do with buying, recycling or food management.

Is there any particular focus of country, culture or cuisine?

Olivia Reid: When the restaurant started, it was an opportunity to engage in cooking from any discipline, any country, and to mix it up. There are no rules. Our food is very high prepaufwändig zubereitethigh prep. There can be up to 50 elements in an individual dish.

What are the biggest changes in vegetarian menus over the past 25 years?

Olivia Reid: We have seen huge growth in exclusive vegetarian restaurants and a lot more choice now on all menus. It is about complete indulgence — but without meat. I think a lot of chefs are more aware of that now. They don’t feel as if it’s a compromise or only half a dish.
 

It is about complete indulgence — but without meat

So ultimately, it’s about taste?

Olivia Reid: Yes. Vegetarian options are now about choice, not necessarily ideology. It’s not our position to question why customers request their meals to be meat-free, vegan or free of anything.

Does vegetarian cooking push chefs to be more creative and inventive?

Olivia Reid: They must have a greater understanding of how to achieve intensity of flavour and textureBeschaffenheit, Konsistenztexture. When you’re cooking for people who aren’t vegetarian, you have to remember that they’re used to a balanced dish with a combination of textures and tastes. You have to make sure you deliver that.

Do you get good feedback?

Olivia Reid: Our customers are about 80 per cent meat eaters. People say how filling and satisfying our food is. They are surprised they don’t miss the meat or walk away feeling there was a gap. But we’re not a health-food restaurant. Our agenda is indulgence.

Recipe: Apple Tattie Pave Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 kg Desiree potatoes, to peelschälenpeeled and thinly sliced
2 onions thinly sliced
2 large cooking apples, peeled, to coreentkernencored and thinly sliced
500 ml stockFondstock

Place the potatoes, apples and onions in layers in a to lineauslegenlined baking dishBackformbaking dish, seasoningGewürzeseasoning each layer individually. Add stock to cover, then put a layer of parchmentBackpapierparchment on top to prevent the pie drying out. Bake at 180 °C for about 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle goes in without resistance.