With so many of us seeking out Vegetarian and Vegan food, chefs across Ayrshire & Arran are firing their culinary imagination. Gone are the old-fashioned nut roasts. In their place, you’ll discover restaurants, bistros, cafes, coffee shops, hotels and B&Bs serving up fabulous, locally sourced Vegetarian and plant-based food and drink, bursting with flavour and invention. Read on for a little taste….
AYRSHIRE & ARRAN VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN TRAIL
VEGAN EARTH
LAIRD’S TABLE
THE COFFEE PRESS
BUCKLEY’S
SCOTT’S TROON
UNITY GRILL
THE BLAIR
STONEWATER HOUSE
THE NICHE
THE FOX & WILLOW
BRIG O’ DOON HOTEL
THE HONEYBEE AND THE HARE
Tickle your tastebuds at this café where everything is Vegan ’from the butter on your scone to the cream in your soup’. Grab a Moroccan Falafel Panini on the go or settle down to some hearty goodness with a Handmade Black Bean, Beetroot and Mushroom Burger or a packed Buddha Bowl. For the kids, there are Vegan Nuggets or Fishless Fingers. Oh, and yummy pancake stacks for everyone!
Just like the historic grounds, the menu at this restaurant/café changes with the seasons. Enjoy freshly baked breads and heavenly eats like the Vegan Deli Plate with zesty homemade humus, artichoke and Dukkah. Kids can create their own Thali plate and ‘canine friends’ have their own outside dining area. In a group? Burn off calories stacking crates – Not the kitchen variety but one of Craufurdland’s outdoor adrenalin activities!
Drop in for a cup of ethically grown coffee with organic milk from nearby Mossgiel Farm and you’re likely to linger for breakfast or even brunch! Enjoy the cosy atmosphere as you settle down to treats like the Vegan Chilli, Lime Spiked Smashed Avocado, Tomatoes and Peppers on Toast or a bagel or sandwich with Humus, Vegan Feta and Sunblush Tomatoes. Then it’s those tempting Vegan cakes….
With a motto like ‘Good Food, Good People, Good Times’ you know you’re in for something special at this café/bistro on Prestwick’s bustling main street. Dishes are fresh, seasonal and locally sourced with scrumptious Vegetarian options like ‘Goats Cheesecake’, Potato and Aubergine Curry and the bumper veggie breakfast.
Nestling between countryside and coast, this is ‘your home from home’ with great food and drink in comfy surroundings. Country fare made from fresh local produce includes Vegan Chickpea and Mixed Vegetable Curry with Pear Chutney and Coconut and Whole Roasted Pepper with Mediterranean Couscous. Then, when you feel like you just can’t leave, that warm Vegan Chocolate Brownie, well, it just has your name on it….
‘It’s Foxy time!’ at this gastropub named Scottish Restaurant of the Year in The Dram’s Scottish Bar and Pub Awards 2021. Vegetarian and Vegan combinations include the humorously named ‘KFC’ – Spicy Korean Fried Cauliflower – and Mango and Avocado Tacos. But where to eat? Is it the restaurant or bar or do you switch your dining experience right up in a garden ‘Dome’, their intimate, individually decorated mini ‘dining rooms’!
It’s a feast for all the senses as your listen to the breeze whistling through the yacht rigging, drink in the Marina views and choose from tasty Vegetarian options and a Vegan menu. After delights like Beetroot and Truffle Cream Cheese, it’s sweet sailing with mains like Nagasaki Crunch, with black sesame and chilli crusted vegetables, and seriously more-ish desserts. If you can, ‘Chip in’ with some Invisible Fries – 0% fat and 100% to charity.
Striding up Goat Fell or enjoying a gentle round of golf, ‘Burst into Breakfast’ with nutrient loaded Rainbow Fruit Kebabs, drizzled with berry sauce and soya yogurt, a Breakfast Smoothie Bowl of spinach, cucumber, fruit and nuts or The Big Stonewater Breakfast at this Vegan B&B. Hard to leave all that mouth-watering wholesomeness behind? Order one of their filling packed lunches the day before!
Take in a slice of history at this romantic getaway, built in 1827 and looking over the Brig o’ Doon, the original 15th century cobblestone bridge immortalised by Robert Burns in ‘Tam o’ Shanter’. The restaurant, eponymously named after the witches and warlocks from whom his lovable mock hero flees, has both Vegetarian and Vegan menus. Dishes range from delectable Fresh Gnocchi and Wild Mushroom Risotto to Chickpea and Cauliflower Kasoori Rice Pilaf.
Feed your heart knowing that all profits at this social restaurant help challenge food poverty. Is it a Vegan Chunky Monkey – American pancakes loaded with cheeky pecans, maple syrup and sliced banana – or the TLT Brunch Sandwich with seasoned tofu slices? Still feeling generous? There’s always room for a slice of Vegan strawberry shortcake! Check out their sister endeavour Refilled by UG and do your bit to help reduce plastic consumption too.
This waterside restaurant serves up delicious Vegan and Vegetarian light bites, salads, burgers and wraps for adults and children. Will you go for authentic aromatic South East Asian flavours with their Panang Thai Curry or tuck into their Vegan Spiced Sweet Potato Burger? Feeling nicely full? You could always walk off all that good food on Irvine Beach or stride out to Troon, just over six miles along the coast.
It’s cooking and crafts all the way in this café and gift shop. Melt into their house Mac and Cheese, enjoy Vegan and Vegetarian paninis or try their Non-Sausage Roll, a winning blend of butternut squash, sweet potato and curry spices wrapped in puff pastry. Then it’s time for a wander around the whimsical artwork of Deborah Sheehy….
*Please note, individual dishes may change.
