'This F**k Veggies Mentality Needs To Stop'

WHY do vegans generally have such a bad rep? They’re not doing any harm – quite literally, yet much scorn is poured upon their life choices. Hoping to challenge this perception is Chef Matthew Nutter who recently opened a new vegan restaurant, The Allotment, in Stockport.

Sixteen year olds in catering college are being taught a ‘fuck vegetarians’ mentality...

The first thing you notice about young Matthew is how un-ranty he is about it - after all, there’s some truth to the joke ‘How can you tell if someone’s a vegan? Because they’ll tell you immediately.’

Originally from Atherton near Bolton, Nutter cut his teeth in restaurants across France before travelling to India in 2013 where his exploration into veganism really took off. More recently Nutter ran a vegan pop-up in Liverpool.

“I was also a marathon and ultra marathon runner," Matthew casually drops into the conversation, “and I started reading about vegan runners, about how they digest food, how it's turned into energy quicker and how you also recover faster."

Straight in with the obvious question then... where do vegans get their protein from?

MN: “In my research, no-one is ever really protein deficient. I’m so into my health and fitness but have never had a problem. I have hemp in smoothies, I eat beans, lentils but not once have I ever felt deficient. I completed a half marathon in one hour 45 minutes."

How did Allotment come about?

MN: “We started cooking vegan food at pop-up events. Obviously we were keen to set up in Chorlton (Manchester's cradle of veganism), but found it too expensive. Once we found this fantastic corner unit near the market we discovered how much of a supportive community there is here, like the Baker’s Vault, Remedy down the road and all the guys in the market. There’s also a real up-and-coming vibe here, with Samuel Buckley building A Restaurant Where The Light Gets In round the corner.

You launched two weeks ago, how's it gone?

MN: “It’s been unbelievable. We had a lot of doubt, but everyone knows someone who’s a vegetarian and everybody wants somewhere nice to eat. We’re only open Thursday to Sunday evenings so Siobhan (his work/life partner) and I can achieve some balance now we have a little baby” (their son was born only a week before they opened the restaurant.)

Nutter outside the newly opened Allotment on Vernon Street

Have you had many meat eaters coming in?

MN: “I’d say about 40% of customers so far. We’ve got a mixed grill on, I purposely put that on for the meat eaters but the majority of vegans want something meaty with a bit of texture.”

A mixed grill? What's in that then? 

MN: “Confit aubergine, which we chargrill to add a bit more flavour, in a four peppercorn spice like a peppered steak. Then we’ve got a buckwheat sausage which is smoked, a chargrilled portabello mushroom, some South Carolina lentils with a mustard tomato sauce and some rosemary mashed potato. All together that makes a really meaty, tasty combination."

Why do most chefs hate vegans?

MN: “I think part of it is the same as why many chefs hate pastry sections. It’s all about patience, time and detail. Perhaps they see vegans as a bit feminine? It’s like the brain can’t compute making a dinner without meat being the main part, but it’s easy. When most chefs write menus they think, ‘right, we’ll have a chicken, a fish, a meat and we’ll put some kind of potato with it’. That's lazy. Chefs should really look at vegetables and put some thought into all the exciting things they could make, aside from just a chilli or a curry.”

So how would you go about changing attitudes?

MN: “I have friends who are really proud of me opening this restaurant, but still scared at the thought of a meal with no meat. It’s weird because they love the food I cook and the flavour. All they’re doing is eating food, with the same flavours, it’s just vegan – in fact I hate this word vegan because it’s so demanding on everybody. It’s just food that happens to not include any animal products.

“Take away meat and you are left with everything else – there’s so much choice. Go into a health food shop and you’ll see things like kombu seaweed that really open your eyes to creative possibilities. I challenged my commis chef, Vic, to come up with a really good vegan ice cream and the one she made was the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever tasted, made from cashew nuts and sugar syrup.”

Nutter's crudites and hummus

Tell us more about your puddings

MN: “I love making desserts. We’ve just discovered white sweet potatoes from Uganda. They cream up incredibly so we use them as a white chocolate mousse or a crème brulee. We also use normal sweet potato in a custard, as they’re a little bit sweeter than the white ones and less starchy.

I’m not too keen on using sugar but we are experimenting with lower GI sugars like coconut sugar which is like sticky toffee pudding in itself. Then you’ve got things like pure maple syrup. The chocolate we use is 73% dark chocolate, 100% vegan and it’s wonderful – but not cheap."

Speaking of cheap, shouldn’t removing the meat mean your menu is cheaper?

MN: “You’re not taking away the skill or the time. We’re not just simply boiling a few carrots. We use a lot of organic ingredients too which have a premium on them. We’re also paying for quality staff. People might look at the menu wondering why it’s £18 for a mixed grill, but then they’re walking away stuffed. The tasting menu is ten courses for £55 – that’s great value. To me it doesn’t seem a lot and there aren’t many good places to eat at that price.”

Do you feel like you have a moral duty to spread the word?

MN: "I just want chefs to realise what's out there without relying on animals. Sixteen year olds in catering college are being taught a ‘fuck vegetarians’ mentality by older chefs. They’ve got to realise that when they say this kind of thing, not only are they discriminating against vegans and vegetarians, they’re not helping these young chefs to develop their skills.

"No-one would go into the kitchen and say ‘fuck that fish section,’ you need to learn every part and the vegan, gluten-free part is exciting. It’s not even about following a fad, places like Noma and l’Enclume are all over it, because it’s amazing and chefs really need to see what’s out there."