A famous chef has caused a stir online for deciding to ban vegans from his restaurant after a customer complained about their meat-free meal.
UK-born chef John Mountain – who has appeared on TV cooking shows like Great British Menu and Chef Race UK v US – has decided to take on the entire vegan community after receiving a relatively mild-mannered complaint.
Taking to Facebook, the celebrity chef said that he had made the decision ‘for mental health reasons’, writing: “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre for mental health reasons. We thank you for your understanding.”
He explained: “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant and asked if there were vegan options.
“It was my only shortfall. I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.”
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However, after offering to accommodate her it transpires he swiftly forgot about the customer’s needs – blaming his forgetfulness on being distracted by catering for a private party.
He explained how this, in turn, led to his sous chef fuming at him for “not telling them about the vegan customer.”
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Ultimately, because of this, the vegan customer was given just one option – a “vegetable dish” costing $32 which she later described in an online review as “okay but not that filling.”
Her feedback continued: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef.
“I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last.
“If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.”
In response, Mr Mountain went in all guns blazing – having taken some offense at her polite feedback.
‘As for vegans/vegetarians being a very low minority, especially in the northern burbs’ I try to accommodate everyone else,’ he posted on the restaurant’s page.
‘Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your s**tty experience and I look forward to not seeing you again.
‘You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue. You are now banned.’
He then reiterated the ban with a further post on Google Review, which read: “But if you beautiful vegans want to join together and slag off my business then good luck, keep going, let’s see what my customers think.
“And from now on ALL Vegans are now banned from my restaurant. Thankyou for your disgusting review and please enjoy the Currambine. Xx”
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Johnnie Mountain runs the Fyre restaurant in Perth, Connolly.
Featured image – Johnnie Mountain/ Fyre Restaurant
Eats
Yard & Coop – The Manchester institution taking the Christmas Markets by storm… again
Harry Quick
Firm favourite Manchester restaurant Yard and Coop is back on the Manchester Christmas Markets this year, giving us our annual fix of fried festive favourites – and they’re clucking lovely.
Their restaurant – a staple favourite in the Northern Quarter – is also whipping up some incredible festive specials.
Yard & Coop Christmas Markets
Yard and Coop at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc GroupYard and Coop at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
The much-loved Northern Quarter establishment, famed for its buttermilk fried chicken, has pitched up once again on St Ann’s Square.
They’ve whipped up a menu of their classic chicken dishes, each with a festive twist, and you don’t have to look far to see someone walking around with a cone full of the fried stuff.
This chicken institute has made some of the best salt and pepper-loaded fries around. The sticky sweet soy sauce coats the fries along with a heavy dusting of the salt and pepper blend and crispy deep-fried seaweed. Obviously, they are loaded with pieces of buttermilk chicken breast, but that goes without saying.
Yard and Coop at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the ‘Dirty Santa’ tray was certainly that. Fried chicken and fries covered in lashings rich chicken gravy, hot cranberry sauce and a sprinkle of parsnip crisps for a texture sensation. Even after eight billion mince pies I reckon Father Christmas would have room for these.
A returning favourite has rightfully made its way back onto the menu too. Chicken and fries piled high inside a waffle cone drizzled with BBQ and ranch sauce. It’s a bit of a messy one but that’s the whole point – you eat the cone at the end, so you clean up your own mess!
Yard & Coop festive restaurant specials
All systems are still a-go back in their Northern Quarter base in time for Christmas. Everything is better inside a Yorkshire pudding, right? Well, this festive craze has been beautifully adapted to incorporate Yard and Coop’s signature buttermilk chicken.
It’s Christmas dinner with all the trimmings wrapped in a soft Yorkshire burrito. Oh, and there’s a massive pot of chicken gravy to dip if you weren’t hungry enough reading this.
If you want to go the whole nine yards, the ‘Winner Winner Christmas Dinner’ is back and better than ever. Fully loaded with fried chicken breast, crispy fried potatoes, cheesy mash topped with homemade stuffing balls, creamed sprouts, cranberry hot sauce and buttered kale.
Sprouts are famously a bit hit and miss, aren’t they? Well, not these. Even the most devout brussels sprout hater would be converted by Yard and Coop’s homemade sprout bhajis. This little taste of India accompanies the real showstopper of the selection.
Yard and Coop’s ‘Boxing Day Burger’ transports you to that post-Christmas takeaway slapped between a seeded brioche bun. The signature fried chicken is smothered in their Ruby Murray sauce and stacked alongside cucumber raita salad, a couple of mini poppadoms and those delightful bhajis. Good luck getting it all in one bite, it’s a biggun.
You can find Yard and Coop on Edge Street and at St Ann’s Square at the Manchester Christmas Markets until 21 December.
Nando’s adds new peri mac and cheese, warm chocolate puddings, and more to its winter menu
Emily Sergeant
PERi-Mac & Cheese, and warm chocolate puddings are just some of the new dishes Nando’s has just added onto its menu.
Just as the temperatures have plummeted outside, and it begins to look a lot more like Christmas as the days go on, Nando’s has decided to add a handful of new winter-warming dishes to its menu this week, and they’re now available to get stuck right into.
The South African-founded Portuguese-inspired chain is, of course, known for its chicken and legendary spice lineup, but foodies equally love it for its wide range of side dishes and desserts too.
And it’s those accompanying sides that the restaurant’s focussed on this time around.
Arriving on the menu this week, and now available to order at the over 460 Nando’s branches right across the UK, is a couple of new savoury sides – including the brand-new ‘PERi-Mac & Cheese’, which is made up of cheesy macaroni with a crunchy, garlicky, PERi-PERi spiced crumb topping, and the ”Leafy Green Salad’, which is doused in a sweet and herby vinegar dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and topped with toasted PERi-PERi seeds for that little bit of crunch.
For those with a sweet tooth, and looking to warm up on winter nights, there’s the also-new ‘Warm Chocolate Pud’.
This indulgent new dessert is a soft and fluffy sponge with a chocolate fondant centre, and served with vanilla ice cream and a sweet orange curd that’s even got a hint of chilli.
Nando’s has added a handful of new and limited-edition dishes to its menu for the winter / Credit: Nando’s
The traditional Portuguese classic ‘Pastel de Nata’ has also made a winter comeback, but this time, with a brand-new “custardy, flaky, buttery” recipe.
Also making a comeback for a limited-time only, after Nando’s fans went wild for it the last time it was here, is the ‘Smoky Churrasco’ spice, which is a Portuguese garlic BBQ spice, and classed as ‘Hot’ on the PERi-ometer.
It’s made with zesty lemon, garlic, and herbs with notes of smoked paprika, tomato, and PERi-PERi.
PERi-Mac & Cheese, warm chocolate puddings, and more are now on the lineup / Credit: Nando’s
There’s also the brand-new ‘Garlic Churrasco Burger’ too, which is made up of two flame-grilled chicken thighs, pink pickled onions, mixed salad leaves, and all-new churrasco PERinaise between two slices of garlic bread.
Georgina Pellant -
20th June 2023 
