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The 2019 Good Food Guidewill feature a list of restaurants with a dedicated vegan menu for the first time.
Published by Waitrose & Partners, the guide features a list of top dining spots in the UK. The inclusion of eateries offering vegan or veggie menus is a reflection of growing interest in meat-free dining.
One of the restaurants in the spotlight is the fine dining Gauthier Soho. According to owner Alex Gauthier, the menu is currently 75 percent vegan, and he intends to reach 100 percent within 18 months to two years.
Gauthier
Alex Gauthier ditched animal products following protests by animal rights charity PETA in October 2015 – which ultimately led to him going vegan.
Speaking at the Restaurant Congress event in London earlier this Summer, he said he didn’t want to keep ‘ignoring what’s happening’ in animal agriculture, adding: “I decided in our kitchen we would not be creating any more new dishes involving meat and fish or things with eggs and butter. The pure creativity has to lie with veganism.
“People will know there will be no impact on animals when they come into our restaurant. We are going from serving 20kg of foie gras every week five years ago to having no impact on animals, which I think is wonderful.”
‘Vegan is not a fad’
According to Good Food Guide Editor Elizabeth Carter: “As far back as 2014, The Good Food Guide noted that some of our top chefs were taking a more vegetable-focused approach, with meat playing a bit part.
“Chefs such as Alexis Gauthier, who is looking to transition to an entirely vegan menu by 2020, are paving the way.
“Following a plant-based diet is neither a trend nor a fad, but a lifestyle choice which is set to shift up a gear in the years to come.”
The 2019 edition of the Good Food Guide (£17.99) is now on sale.
