Ten years ago a vegetarian guest at a private dinner got the garnish without the protein. Today a competent chef will carve a whole roasted cauliflower, celeriac or hispi cabbage at the table for everybody, and the carnivores ask for a second slice. The change is technical rather than ideological: ferments, ash, roasted vegetable stocks and long slow roasting give vegetables the depth that used to come from a bone.
Why it is harder to cook
Because there is nothing to hide behind. A vegetable centrepiece needs seasoning at three stages, a sauce with real body built without meat, and texture, which is where most attempts fail. Our plant based profile sets out the questions to ask a chef, and the texture test that separates the trade from the trend.
The practical benefit
One menu instead of two. When the centre of the table works for everyone, the kitchen cooks one dinner, the service carries one plate, and the guest with the dietary requirement stops being a logistical event. Our summer garden menu is built that way.
