Veganuary: I tried the food at The Queen Inn, Cwmbran

It’s fair to say meat-free food has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

When I first became a vegetarian almost 30 years ago it was slim pickings when going out to eat – I’ve had more vegetable lasagnas and nut roasts than I care to remember, and, with apologies to Linda McCartney, attempts at ‘pretend meat’ had a long way to go.

Today, everywhere you go has multiple meat-free options – and there’s some genuinely delicious options out there.

And there’s no greater sign of that than The Queen Inn in Cwmbran – already a popular place to eat in the area – making the move to become vegan-only in 2022. Since then it’s gone from strength to strength, and this month was named one of the five best vegan places to eat in the whole world.

Redefine Meat™ flank steak at the Queen Inn, Cwmbran (Image: Newsquest)

My partner and I have eaten there a few times before, but the menu is always evolving, so what better time to pop by for dinner.

This was also the very first time we brought our puppy Pippin out for dinner with us – the Queen advertises itself as dog-friendly, and when I called up to book and I double checked this was right and was told “we like dogs even more than people”. I know how they feel.

We arrived on a very chilly Monday evening and were seated immediately, and given a blanket for Pippin to wrap himself up in.

The menu is impressively expansive and features everything you’d expect at a quality gastropub – minus the meat. Burgers, curries, pasta, pies, steak, pies, and more – it’s all there, and it’s all vegan.

I had a pint of beer – which I cleverly didn’t write down the name of, but went down very nicely thank you very much – while my partner had a Coke while we picked what we’d have, and Pippin enjoyed being fussed over by the staff and meeting some of the other customers’ dogs.

Pippin choosing what to have at the Queen Inn, Cwmbran (Image: Newsquest)

I’d long wondered what a proper vegan steak would be like – I did attempt to cook one out of a packet once, but that didn’t go down as one of my more successful culinary ventures - and I decided this was my chance, choosing the Redefine Meat flank, with stilton sauce, while my partner picked the cauliflower and red pepper Keralan curry with half and half, along with all the curry essentials.

When our food arrived the steak, frankly, looked indistinguishable from a ‘real’ one, with a pleasing red-brown colour, and a generous portion of peas, chips, onions rings and greens on the side, Having not actually eaten a steak since the 1990s, I can’t honestly compare it to a regular one, but it had a wonderfully firm, but not too firm, texture, and tasted delicious.

If that’s what vegan steaks are like these days, I’ll be having that a lot more often.

My partner’s curry looked absolutely mouth-watering, and when she let me sneak a forkful was absolutely bursting with flavour. I’d happily have eaten the whole thing.

With just enough space for dessert, my partner picked the vanilla cheesecake – incredibly light and creamy – while I had the jaffa fudge cake, which was delicious.

Vegan vanilla cheesecake at the Queen Inn, Cwmbran (Image: Newsquest)

We also got Pippin a tub of dog-friendly peanut ice cream - a not-insignificant portion for a little dog, we decided we’d let him have half of it and take the rest home to put in the freezer and keep for later. No surprises what happened next – we blinked and the whole thing was gone and Pippin was furiously licking the cardboard to get the last remnants of flavour out.

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If there’s a better seal of approval I can’t think of one.

The bill – two mains, two desserts, two drinks, and Pippin’s ice cream – came to £60 – with my steak accounting for almost half of that.

That top five in the world ranking is well deserved – so if you’re trying out Veganuary this year – or if you know a meat-eater who swears nothing compares to a real steak – The Queen Inn is the place to go.