Wild Thyme, Norwich, Norfolk

After taking a short break from blogging to move house, I'm back. With lots of blogs to write up I thought I’d start with a little gem I discovered in Norwich recently.

With the world population increasing and new emerging middles classes in countries such as China and Brazil, demand for meat has soared. Leading experts cite consequences ranging from rapidly increasing prices, to climate change, and even the potential need to look at test tubes as the solution. As a result, we’re being urged to eat less meat and the recent trend for #meatfreemondays has become very popular. It used to seem that vegetarian food in the UK was an afterthought to most menus, a damp tasting aubergine in a nondescript tomato sauce, now vegetarian food is influenced by flavours form around the world and can be, and often is, exciting and vibrant.

The food is certainly exciting vegetarian fare at Wild Thyme in Norwich. Wild Thyme is nestled in a small courtyard next to a wholefood store (where you’ll find some great gluten free products), in the heart of Norwich. I've been twice in the last couple of months, the first time with some work friends and the second with my wife. Both times I've been hugely impressed. I've enjoyed an excellent salad of goat’s cheese, wild mushrooms and pumpkin which came with a tangy vinaigrette which balanced the dish perfectly. Sweet potato wedges are baked to give sweet gnarly skins with soft centres; so often can sweet potato wedges become sweet crisps or damp mush. I've had the bubble and squeak, packed with veg and topped with a perfect poached egg and piccalilli. Indian spiced pea, potato and peanut cakes are served with a tangy tomato chutney, their crisp exterior hides a tasty filling. It is simple food, superbly executed. It’s great value too, starters (easily enough for lunch) are around the 5.95 mark and mains around 8.95.

The menu is clearly marked with dishes that are gluten free and there’s even gluten free bread available for sandwiches or to dunk in what sound like sumptuous soups. Many of the dishes are vegan too, so would be good for dairy free too. One of my friends said I’ll have to tell my vegetarian friend about this place’… I’d say tell all your friends about this place and let’s all embrace a little less meat without compromising on flavour.

El Piano, York

I hope you all had a fantastic festive break. I spent a couple of days in my home town, York. We were staying in a budget hotel and thought we could do a little better than their breakfast so decided to venture out. We went for brunch at El Piano. I'd always been slightly put off by the concept of El Piano - vegan - and so had never tried it whilst I lived in York. But it's also 100% gluten-free. As any coeliac will testify, it's just nice to eat somewhere where there's no doubt in the back of your mind and you don't have to check and double check with the waiting staff whether things are gluten-free. How would a brunch, without any trace of meat be? I'm used to writing about perfect pulled pork and amazing ribs, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

It certainly impressed. It's like walking in to a Spanish grotto. It was small but cosy and there was a hearty aroma which I didn't expect from vegan food. Bizarrely, it's a mini-chain - with two other restaurants, one in Malaga, the other in Granada. Although the food clearly has influences from around the world the way in which your order is similar to Spanish tapas. My girlfriend and I both opted for the selection of mini plates, where you get three dishes plus rice each for £12.95. We were maybe a little ambitious as they were generous portion sizes.

The 'thai, thai' - a thai potato salad which had all the essential flavours of lemon grass, coconut and lime was fantastic. The corn fritters were probably my favourite, there was a kick of chilli and served with a cool salsa, they were a winning combination. The frijoles cubanos or black beans were probably the only let down - as there wasn't a whole lot going on. However, the dhal and falafels more than made up for that - both packed with flavour. The rice was also perfectly cooked and well balanced.

El Piano, also takes it's eco-credentials serisouly, and it was great to see that they even gave you the percentage of food grown locally by each dish. I think sustainability is going to become increasingly more important for successful restaurants.

All this got us thinking. After over-indulging throughout the festive period - could we be vegetarian for a week? So we've designed a week long menu, starting today and it's looking tasty! I'll post all the recipes and pictures next week and let you know how we got on.