Exquisite Dining Experience

The small town where I live does not cater for vegans as such and it is extremely difficult to eat out. There is no vegan venue and most menus don't have a vegan option and if they do its not detailed. Whenever you want to eat out you have to give plenty of warning and explain what vegans eat. It gets a little tiring and when you know you can cook something tasty at home you start to forgo the option of eating out. Things have started to change in this small town and I'm starting to find out the options available to vegans. I'm intending to do a review of places to eat that are vegan friendly sometime soon.

However, as my friend and I were celebrating our birthdays we wanted to be spoilt and the full dining experience was what we were after. We decided to push the boat out as we were celebrating and decided that nowhere in town took our fancy. Just outside the town is a hotel, restaurant and wedding venue called the Moathouse at Acton Trussell and we decided that this was what we were looking for and booked a table. I emailed the restaurant a week earlier to ask if they could cater for a vegan diet and asked if they could send me some options of what could be offered. My oh my I was not disappointed! The options they sent were:

Starters 
Sweet chilli & cumin soup, coconut milk & toasted almonds 
Risotto of garden peas, broad beans & garden mint 

Mains
Local asparagus, basil & pine nut pesto, roasted red peppers, breaded tofu with semi-dried baby plum tomatoes 
Roasted egg plant, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, plum tomato & basil fondue, crispy rocket 

Dessert
Poached pineapple , star anise, coconut milk, lemon grass, pineapple sorbet 
Roasted peach, raspberry gel, raspberry coulis, strawberry sorbet & garden mint

After what seemed hours of deliberating I decided on the risotto for my starter, followed by the local asparagus and breaded tofu dish for my main and to finish off my dining experience, I liked the sound of the roasted peach dessert. I emailed the restaurant back and couldn't wait to try the food.

We arrived at the restaurant all dressed up and were shown to our tables. We were treated like princesses, it was an amazing experience. I was not let down by the food at all, it was exquisite. The presentation was out of this world and every mouthful was an explosion of flavours. 

After ordering drinks, confirming my choices and my friend choosing from their extensive menu we were presented with an amuse-bouche. Our waiter confirmed that mine was vegan and placed it infront of me advising that it was a sweet potato and mushroom soup. It was out of this world I couldn't wait for my starter.

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the food (or anything else) as I was too excited to delve in as soon as the food was put on the table. You will just have to take my word for it!

The starter was extremely tasty and the tender sweet peas, and baby broad beans complimented the mint perfectly. 

My main dish was an out of this world experience. I had no idea how the dish would look as the option just listed a range of foods but it was heavenly. The breaded tofu melted in your mouth and the breadcrumbs held so much flavour, the tomatoes and roasted peppers introduced a sweetness to the dish and this was complimented by the basil and pine nut pesto.The locally grown asparagus finished the dish of perfectly and the tips were like small treasures woven throughout the dish. This was served with baby new potatoes, tender green beans and mange tout. 

I didn't think the food could get any better but when the dessert arrived I think I went to heaven and back. I'm not really one for desserts I'm more of a savoury person but this dish stole my heart. The presentation of the dish was delightful and at first I didn't want to spoil it, but my taste buds could hang on no longer and I delved straight in. The roasted peach was baked to perfection and the cubes of raspberry gel melted in your mouth. The raspberry coulis and strawberry sorbet were a perfect match with a hint of garden mint.

Overall I couldn't fault the food or service and we had a fantastic night catching up. I will definitely return I just hope it's soon! 

If you live near by you must go and experience the food, its worth it!