This Michelin-awarded restaurant in Bath went vegan and nobody noticed

As one of the country's most innovative vegetarian restaurants, it's no wonder that Acorn in Bath has become the UK's first vegan restaurant to be recognised by the 2019 Michelin Guide. As the vegan trend continues to rise, however, it's perhaps more surprising that Acorn did not jump on the bandwagon.

Instead, customers flocking to the vegetarian restaurant did not noticed the menu's shift to providing filling, creative and high-end plant-only meals that were 100% vegan-friendly.

The restaurant's owner and head chef Richard Buckley revamped the menu in October 2018 after realising his team had enough stand out vegan dishes to pack each course with something for every guest's taste. To complete the move Buckley, author of cookbook Plants Taste Better, also quietly brought in a vegan drinks menu – including wine and beer.

"It was amazing, nobody noticed," said Buckley. "The trick was not trying to veganise anything, we just served the most interesting food we could make from plants and everyone just went with it." >>

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"I think it is a real validation of how far vegan food has come that people aren't looking for lumps of animal protein and fat to make a meal but are instead looking for interesting ideas and quality ingredients across the board."

Acorn has an a la carte menu, two- and three-course set menus, and a five-course taste menu that can be matched with vegan wines. Dishes include mushroom parfait, cauliflower cookes in various ways with almond milk croquette, and desserts including chocolate and coffee parfait or slow poached quince with walnut sorbet.

"It was a wonderfully fulfilling experience though, to prove that you could easily continue to prosper as a quality restaurant without having to have any ethical compromise on your plates."