The Round hill bar casts a warm glow through its windows on a chilly evening in Brighton, drawing people in. Inside, the kitchen is passing out dishes that appear familiar at first Sunday roasts, pies, and burgers. However, upon closer inspection, a minor change has occurred. The beef roast is composed of seitan. The gochujang lacquered cauliflower wings are crunchy. The pub kitchen is still clearly visible. The ingredients, however, provide a somewhat different perspective.
More regions than one might anticipate in Britain are witnessing that subtle shift. The nation that developed its whole culinary identity around fish and chips, pies, and pints is experimenting with plant based cookery, sometimes with caution and other times with enthusiasm recently, in Leicester, one of the more spectacular examples came to light.
With a handmade sign in the window stating rather clearly that there weren’t plenty more fish in the sea, a modest fish and chip store shuttered its doors. The founders, Aatin Anadkat and his spouse Helen, had become concerned about how their company was affecting the environment. They relaunched under a new idea called Positive Kitchen, providing vegan cuisine wrapped in compostable materials, after months of research and some introspection.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Topic | Plant-Based Shift in UK Pub Kitchens |
| Region | United Kingdom |
| Key Figures | Aatin Anadkat (Positive Kitchen), Gavin Fernback (The Fields Beneath), Ryan Edwards (The Queen Inn) |
| Industry Context | Hospitality and Foodservice Sustainability |
| Major Trend | Growth of flexitarian and plant-forward menus in pubs and cafés |
| Notable Example | The Queen Inn, Cwmbran – fully plant-based pub menu |
| Estimated Market Context | Around 31% of UK consumers identify as flexitarian |
| Reference Website | https://www.proveg.org |
On the day of the store’s reopening, I felt as though something somewhat radical was taking place in a relatively normal neighborhood. Anadkat later acknowledged that the choice wasn’t just business related. He claimed that it was more difficult to overlook the environmental issue when he was raising two small children. It’s hard to ignore how frequently narratives about plant based hospitality feature this type of introspection.
However, the change goes beyond philosophy alone. The discussion includes economics as well. Flexitarian eating, or cutting back on meat rather than giving it up entirely, has been gradually but noticeably increasing in Britain’s food business. According to surveys, about one third of UK consumers currently fit that description, subtly altering menu expectations in the process this shift presents both opportunities and challenges for pub proprietors.
The Fields Beneath cafes in Camden and Kentish Town are owned by Gavin Fernback, who recalls the moment he realized his kitchen needed to be transformed. In its early days, the cafe sold about a pig’s worth of ham and cheese sandwiches and croissants every month. Fernback’s own vegan diet caused that fact to become unpleasant. However, eliminating meat from a London cafe’s menu was hardly a clear business decision, particularly given those sandwiches were top sellers.
So he made a slightly devious attempt the cafe started telling its patrons that it had run out of ham. The previous menu gradually gave way to plant based substitutes, item by item. With a campaign urging consumers to adopt plant based substitutes, Fernback gradually eliminated the last holdout, milk for coffee. Many patrons hardly noticed when the cafe went completely vegan. That response may reveal something about the current state of the culture. For many diners, the only need is that the food taste nice.
But the overall picture is chaotic. It may disappoint anyone who anticipates a straight path to a future entirely plant based. In fact, some restaurant chains have recently cut back on vegetarian selections in response to growing expenses and shifting client preferences. Meat dishes high in protein, particularly chicken, are once again popular in several markets. From the outside, it appears that the initial excitement surrounding vegan cuisine has somewhat subsided. However, cooling does not imply going away. It appears that the category is becoming more pragmatic, motivated more by regular eating habits than by novelty.
This subtlety is seen in bars such as The Queen Inn in Cwmbran. A few years ago, the establishment eliminated all animal items from its menu, substituting plant based renditions of typical pub fare like cauliflower steaks, chicken and bacon pie, and f*sh and chips. It’s not the menu itself that is unexpected. It’s the assembly. Ryan Edwards, the proprietor, claims that the majority of the patrons are not vegan. Families, football lovers, and birthday groups are among the frequent patrons of pubs who are interested enough to try something new but yet anticipate comfort food.
That is almost ironic in some way. At first, the plant based movement presented itself as a sort of food uprising. It is now subtly integrating into Britain’s most traditional dining environment. When you walk into the dining area of a bustling plant forward pub, you’ll recognize the scene: clinking glasses, stacked Sunday roast plates, and friends arguing over what to order. The tiny change is concealed in the constituent specifics. Whether the bar industry will eventually totally shift in that direction is still up for debate.
The price is still hefty. Spending is a concern for diners. Food trends also have a tendency to shift more quickly than anyone expects. Walking past bar chalkboards that now display vegan pies or mushroom wellingtons, however, gives me the impression that something more profound is taking place. Not really a revolution, though. One dish at a time, more akin to a progressive menu overhaul.
i) https://www.weareharrison.com/gb/how-are-plant-based-food-trends-impacting-the-hospitality-sector/
ii) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/21/uk-restaurants-meat-vegetarian-vegan-food
iii) https://www.restaurantsbrighton.co.uk/the-roundhill-a-plant-based-pub-and-kitchen-thats-attracting-visitors-from-far-and-wide/
iv) https://www.cheshirecatpubsandbars.co.uk/cooking-up-change-at-the-vegetarian-society-hq/