Gourmet Food Parlour embraces greener choices this Veganuary

Gourmet Food Parlour, leading independent Irish restaurant and catering group, has been at the forefront of Irish food trends for almost twenty years. This Veganuary the brand is trialling a new approach to greener meal choices, not by driving vegan only dishes but by giving customers the opportunity to try something new and the flexibility to make a dish of choice suit their personal taste. The team at Gourmet Food Parlour has noted a rising trend in vegetarian and vegan orders, the Veganuary offering has been launched to meet that growing need from new and loyal customers alike across both the group’s restaurants and catering division.

Gourmet Food Parlour is known for its varied offering from breakfast to brunch and lunch to dinner, there is something for every palate and dietary requirement on the menu of hearty yet refined dishes. One particular aspect that customers love is the specials menu, which is regularly updated with a variety of unique dishes. This Veganuary customers can except a selection of flexible dishes on the specials menu, for those who want to try something new. The dishes are designed to be vegan but are meat and dairy optional, creating a perfect balance for vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians alike.

Customers can expect specials such as:

The Bhaji Burger consists of two crispy onion bhaji’s, baby gem lettuce, beef tomato, vegan curry mayo, vegan mint & coriander yogurt all served on a vegan burger bun. For customers who aren’t vegan, there is an option to swap out a bhaji for a fillet of chicken perfectly marinated in tikka masala seasoning.

The Green Goodies Pasta, a must for those on who are obsessed with green veggies, includes vegan Calamarata pasta, grilled tender broccoli, baby spinach, vegan basil pesto, toasted almonds and nutritional yeast. For non-vegans, it’s optional to remove the nutritional yeast for grated parmesan, and for those who want to bump up the protein of the dish just add grilled chicken.

The unique and flavourful Wild Mushroom Melt is the ultimate bougie toastie. Packed with wild mushrooms sauteed in garlic and parsley, caramelised onions, rocket, vegan cheese and served with a side of parsnip crisps. For those who love cheese but don’t fancy meat, swap out the vegan cheese for Gruyère.

The Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is a must for those enjoy a salad packed with flavour and nutrients. The dish includes roasted spiced sweet potato, beetroot, baby spinach, roasted Cajun chickpeas, bulgar wheat, tossed mixed seeds, smoked tofu and topped with a vegan lemon & chilli yoghurt dressing. Not vegan? No worries! Customers can add grilled chicken or prawns.

Catering customers can also expect to avail of Veganuary options. The catering division at Gourmet Food Parlour is busy this January working with a variety of corporate clients to produce in-office catering as employees return to the workplace for the new year. A plethora of greener catering options are available, from vegan desserts to buffet style breakfast and lunch options to much more, the catering team at Gourmet Food Parlour create customisable menus depending on the preference of the client. Additionally, the team at Gourmet Food Parlour has created a promotion around Blue Monday. Coming up on January 15th and considered the most depressing day of the year by many, Blue Monday can be a difficult day but Gourmet Food Parlour wants to help clients banish those blues with fantastic catering options to foster goodwill with employees and create happy workplaces through conversation and great food.

On the launch of the Veganuary specials, Scott Langley, Marketing Manager at Gourmet Food Parlour, said: “We wanted to do something different at Gourmet Food Parlour this January. Veganuary is already a popular trend for those making changes to their diet at the start of the year, but we wanted to put a slant on it that felt more inclusive. Gourmet Food Parlour generally has a menu that caters to all, and we have noticed that our vegan options have been increasing in popularity over time, so we wanted to showcase some more green dishes while also catering to meat-eaters. We have created meat optional specials for the month of January which allows customers to try something vegan or not, depending on their preference. A byproduct of creating new vegan dishes is the enthusiasm from our culinary team who got to flex their creativity and experiment with new flavours, which we believe customers will be very excited about. We can’t wait to get feedback on the new dishes and if people enjoy them as much as we expect then these vegan options might even become a permanent staple at Gourmet Food Parlour.”

For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.gourmetfoodparlour.com.