Having experienced a few dud vegan meals of late I started to feel like Canny Food would become a bitch fest! Following on from the poor show of an afternoon tea recently at South Causey I was reticent to try out Little Green’s version of the British classic for fear of further disappointment. That said, one hopes visiting a vegan establishment would mean the kitchen ‘gets’ your dietary requirements and also are pretty well versed in knocking up dairy and egg free alternatives.
From start to finish the experience was top notch. We were welcomed with a glass of vegan Prosecco and asked what tea or coffee we’d like with the selection of cakes and sandwiches we were to be served. Lucy, the chef who prepared the tea, came out and talked us through what she’d prepared as part of the offer.
I have to say we were blown away when it came out of the kitchen and was placed in front of us. Rather than fruit skewers, dry scones and lacklustre sarnies, we were presented with an impressive display of treats. It definitely had the WOW factor.
We started with the sandwiches, served on soft rolls. The fillings were Cheese & Chutney, Beetroot Pate & Feta and Vegan Salmon. The fish free alternative was made by marinating thinly sliced carrot in a special sauce. As someone not keen on fish before veganism I was sceptical but it was very tasty.
Having lamented about the savoury selections on other teas I’ve had over the years this was streets ahead.
The sweet selection was splendid too. Instead of it being a second thought, you could tell Lucy put so much time and thought into the flavour combinations and presentation. Vegan cheesecake topped with meringue, Chocolate Battenburg and the Bakewell Cake were the clear winners for us.
I found the chocolate truffle, which was dipped in contrasting sharp raspberry powder, very rich. That said, I think I’d just eaten so much by that point I was struggling to finish off the last morsels. The refreshing green tea blend I chose to accompany did help to cleanse my palate. I’m also not a huge fan of peanut butter, so the Squares weren’t my favourite morsel. They tasted just like Reeces Cups if that’s your bag, so to speak.
The scones were an absolute treat. There was a Sundried Tomato savoury version which was served with dairy free butter, as well as a Lavender scone with homemade jam. Everything worked well together. I didn’t get a hit of lavender until I used the cherry jam, but then the flavours were subtle to develop.
Our tea was kept topped up and the service was fantastic. As well as giving kudos to Lucy for her hard work behind the scenes, Stephen and Sarah deserve special mentions for their warm welcome. The Spring Afternoon Tea is available Thurs to Saturday between 2 and 5pm. Advance booking is required. Find out more on their Facebook page here.
Thanks for reading,
Pip x
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