How to reach plant-based 2.0

The number of people adopting a plant-based diet continues to increase, so as Veganuary 2025 gets into full swing, we find out how you can captivate this burgeoning market by talking to those providing meat alternatives for menus and the chefs who are already pleasing their plant-based punters.

How do you know if someone’s vegan? - Don’t worry, they’ll tell you within two minutes of meeting you

I like making jokes about vegans, but never about tofu - That’s just tasteless

Vegans and their lifestyle choices have been the butt of jokes in the past, but now it seems the joke is on those who scoff at plant-based dining. 

The Rise of Plant-Based Dining: Why It’s More Than Just a Trend

Last year, research by Finder estimated there were 2.5 million vegans in the UK, a rise of 1.1m on the previous year and last January, 25 million people decided to give up animal products according to Veganuary, the movement designed to inspire and support people to try vegan.

It’s not just a trend restricted to January, either, with Finder estimating that 15 million people will adopt a meat-free diet by the end of this year.

As a chef, these figures may not surprise you: The industry has tapped into the growing demand for meat-free, with all restaurants – even meat-focused ones like Nando’s and Miller & Carter – adding vegan dishes to their menus.

But, has the industry really kept pace with demand? Aren’t most restaurants simply paying lip service to their vegan customers by providing an option or two? Shouldn’t restaurants actually be putting more plant-based dishes on their menus to cater for this growing demand?

“If you’d have asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have most definitely said yes, but now, no,” answers Daniel Watkins, head chef at plant-based restaurant Holy Carrot.

“I think chefs are actively including a high number of plant-based or at least vegetable-forward dishes on their menus.”

Greg Lambert, executive chef at Six Rooftop at Baltic, Newcastle, is one such chef actively embracing plant-based cuisine while continuing to cater for diners who still eat meat and fish.

Greg introduced a plant-based tasting menu (with six or nine dish options) alongside the Land & Sea tasting menu at the end of 2023.  The menu, which features dishes such as beetroot tart, plant feta and roasted hazelnuts, and celeriac linguine, ‘Cacio e Pepe’, with sticky barbecued maitake mushrooms, has been a hit.

“Pre-Covid, about 2% of diners were choosing plant-based dishes and in the last year about 15% have opted for our plant-based tasting menu,” he says. “We don’t know how many of those [choosing the plant menu] are vegans. Actually, I don’t think it’s because there are more plant-based diners, I think it’s because people want to try something a bit different.”  

As Greg suggests, widening the number of plant-based dishes on menus isn’t just about appeasing non-meat and fish-eating diners and making them feel welcome, it can also give open-minded meat-eaters a reason to return.

“Offering a variety of plant-based dishes creates more opportunities for customers to try delicious plant-based food,” agrees Stephanie Lee, brand manager at Mr Organic, producer of over 100 plant-based products, currently available in retail. “It can widen one’s perspective, while expanding the offering to more people, so that those who follow a plant-based diet can enjoy too.”

How Restaurants Can Balance Traditional and Plant-Based Menus

It’s this inclusivity aspect that is one of the major benefits of adding more plant-based dishes to menus, says Preyesh Patel, co-founder of Eat Curious.

“It provides an option for those that are plant-based or vegetarian but also flexitarians and consumers that are conscious about their environmental impact so wanting to cut back on their meat intake,” he explains.

Eat Curious has developed a range of dehydrated plant-based products for foodservice (now available through Vegetarian Express, Bidfood and Brakes). The pieces and mince are made from protein concentrates of peas and fava beans, are free of all 14 major allergens, and are produced sustainably.

Preyesh says rather than simply catering for diners who have adopted a plant-based diet, Eat Curious products have been designed to be eaten by everyone, whatever their dietary requirements.

“Our main focus is on better quality plant protein options for both blended and plant-based applications,” he continues.

Why Plant-Based Dining Appeals to More Than Just Vegans

While a large number of restaurants serving meat and fish have added plant-based options to menus, one of the biggest shifts in the market has been the emergence – and popularity - of plant-based restaurants.

Tellingly, those running exclusively plant-based restaurants say they aren’t solely frequented by vegans, meaning diners of all persuasions are clearly comfortable with the concept. Holy Carrot hosted ‘predominantly vegan’ diners when it first opened, says Daniel, but is now a ‘mix of all – meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians’.

“I also think the fact we don’t use additives in our dishes is appealing to the health and fitness crowd too. The clientele is definitely not linear at Holy Carrot,” he adds.  

Vegans aren’t the ‘bulk’ of customers at Mallow, the plant-based restaurant with sites in London’s Borough Market and Canary Wharf, either.

“Often we get people who don’t realise they’re in a vegan restaurant,” claims chef Sarah Wasserman, director of food and brand at Mildreds and Mallow. “That feels like a win for us.”

How Chefs Are Innovating with Vegetable-Forward Dishes

One of the reasons for this is Sarah’s approach to dishes. She is curious about, and inspired by, cuisines from around the globe where meat traditionally isn’t the central focus of a dish.

“The mistake a lot of people make when they start wondering about what to cook for vegans is how they are limited by that choice. If you flip that idea on its head and say ‘what kind of new things am I going to find out about and what new dishes can I cook?’ you open up opportunities,” she says.

“If you say ‘I'm going to explore vegetarian Indian, Sri Lankan or Japanese cuisine’, then it gets exciting. It’s more fun than hitting the freezer section to find out what you can replace a chicken breast with.”

Main dishes on Mallow’s menu are currently inspired by dishes from all over the world, including Italy (porcini ragu lasagna); China (mapo tofu) and India (pakora masala). As a result, it’s a menu that’s exciting, not limiting.

Plant-based dishes have naturally appeared on the menu at both Colonel Saab Indian restaurants in London since they opened in Holborn Town Hall and Trafalgar Square, because in certain Indian regions, people only eat vegetarian food, says executive chef Sohan Bhandari.

Main dishes such as the Falahari curry kofta – kofta rolls made with lotus stems and beetroot – and Gutti vankaya – baby aubergines in a tamarind gravy – therefore easily sit on the menu amongst those featuring meat and fish.

Nevertheless, Sohan is planning to increase the number of vegan dishes so at least 25% of the menu is plant-based in the future, to cope with increasing demand and improve inclusivity.

the move to Plant-Based 2.0... A Shift from Imitation to Innovation

If you want to expand your plant-based options, or even follow the likes of Mallow and Holy Carrot and go completely plant-based, how do you go about it?

Forget the notion that you’re replacing meat, fish, or dairy with a direct comparison in dishes, say chefs and suppliers. Plant-based dining 2.0 is about creating a delicious dish, that just happens to be free of animal products.

⁠”We are pushing to dispel the preconception that plant-based ingredients are limited in application. They can be a lot more than a replication of meat products,” adds Preyesh at Eat Curious, which has created a number of recipes featuring its pieces for inspiration, including a Korean bulgogi and a Thai green curry.

Sarah reminds us that meat isn’t all that flavourful without seasoning or being cooked in the right way, so instead suggests focusing on developing flavours and textures in a dish to make it appealing. She suggests using ingredients such as miso, or olive oil to add a depth of flavour, or trying cooking methods, such as charring to add an interesting dimension.

Using quality, seasonal plant-based ingredients like beans, Italian tomatoes and cold-pressed Tuscan olive oil are good foundations for dishes, believes Steph at Mr Organic. “Making a dish taste delicious does not have to be complicated, but it is all about using the best ingredients. Cooking with fresh seasonal vegetables plays a huge role in making the dish sing, along with the use of fresh herbs.”

Greg agrees that using quality ingredients is essential. He makes bread with a local, ancient grain called Emmer at Six at Baltic, which is served warm with plant-based whipped butter that may feature seasonal herbs and ingredients (ie grated chestnut for winter). He also ensures the vegan tasting menu is approached with the same care and creativity as the one including meat and fish.

Daniel describes his approach to creating plant-based dishes as treating the star ingredient ‘as a whole.’

“I mean that in the sense that I embrace the entirety and the beauty of the whole vegetable,” he explains. “Take the Delica Pumpkin dish we have at Holy Carrot - a fan favourite. I roast the pumpkin for the main element of the dish, then roast the offcuts and seeds from within, roast and smoke them to make a stock, which gets reduced down into a tare. I then brush the tare onto pieces of the pumpkin whilst they cook. Serve this on a wonderful almond ricotta and you’re good to go.

“I guess you could say my approach is complex but simple in essence; and celebrating the whole vegetable not simply mimicking something else.”

Creating Exciting Dishes Without Animal Products

There are exceptions to the meat replacement concept in plant-based cookery. Sometimes, Sarah says, vegans crave a dish with substance, like a burger.

To satisfy this craving for diners at Mallow, Sarah has put a ‘chick+n burger’ on the menu, featuring Tindle plant-based chicken.

“There are some who think that vegans should just eat vegetables and don’t get the meat substitutes. Vegetables are great but sometimes you need that texture,” she counteracts.

Some ingredients used in Indian cuisine – like jackfruit - naturally mimic meat.

“We don't use manufactured meat, but we do love to use soya chaap (pureed and dried soya beans shaped into small cubes) and jackfruit as meat alternatives in India,” Sohan says, adding that he likes cooking with both for their versatility, volume and ability to soak up flavours from other ingredients.

When it comes to cooking plant-based food, embracing the practice and opening your mind to the possibilities it offers as a chef is the only ‘rule’ to follow, says Greg, adding that using plant-based ingredients can boost profitability.

“We're complaining about how difficult hospitality is. Margins are getting way tighter and we need to get as many customers coming through the door, so embrace all types of customers by offering plant-based. I’m not going to tell chefs what they should and shouldn’t do, but I can only see benefits.”

My favourite plant-based ingredient:

Sohan Bhandari: Jackfruit 

It’s so adaptable and it takes on a range of flavours. If you buy the fresh jackfruits and marinate them, they look like meat pieces. Or you can cook them out and shred the pieces and it has the texture of pulled pork.

Greg Lambert: Potato

It's one of the best ingredients you can get. You can do a million things with it. At the moment, we have a potato linguini on the menu. The linguini is made from potato, cooked for 20 seconds so it’s al dente and is served with a really rich, creamy parsley sauce and fresh winter truffle grated over.

Sarah Wasserman: Miso

You can put miso in almost everything and it makes everything better. You can use it in a stock-based soup base and it makes a great component of a glaze. For example, if you stir miso, maple syrup and a little sesame oil together and glaze a vegetable with that, you get a really good intensity of flavour.

Daniel Watkins: Fermented garlic

I have it in the pantry at all times, both at home and at Holy Carrot. It’s a great addition to many dishes.

(Written by Emma Eversham)