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SUPER NATURAL: 2025 extras as 50th approaches

climatenewcastle

Updated: 6 days ago

Cutting edge, yet heading for its 50th anniversary – Super Natural is proof of the pudding that vegan hospitality is not just for Veganuary! (For all our Veganuary info, see our blog, here.)

 

Back in 1976, the eaterie was Newcastle’s first vegetarian restaurant. Its venue close to the City Library was so unusual, BBC Look North did a report on it. People thought non-meat/fish menus would never catch on.  

 

Super Natural has proved doubters wrong. Nowadays, it’s based at the heart of the city in Grainger Street, and this Veganuary has revamped the 2025 menu and added a deli counter so customers can take its plant-based treats home, as well as eat out.


Super Natural's team are determined to offer a radical service that pushes boundaries so cleverly that many people don’t even spot it! The menus have a wide range, from Sunday Roast to snacks, yet all its bar offerings and a high proportion of menu items are vegan. It makes an exception for dairy milk for the small percentage who still prefer it (usually in tea) - but hopes people's requests for that transition phase will eventually pass.

 

So the Burns Night menu has all the traditional elements: Home-made Haggis, with Neeps and Tatties and Cranachan. And Valentines Day offers the All-American Burger and “Chicken” Dansak alongside Rustic Mushroom Stroganoff and Lasagne with Provencale sauces

And the 2025 Menu is bigger than ever – a new favourite is Baked Feta with house made Focaccia, and the Nut Roast (with Gravy, Yorkshire Pud and a plateful of extras) has become so popular, it’s now developed from being a Sunday treat to feature in the main menu.

 

Manager Andrew Bloomfield explains: “The menu is designed to appeal to everyone in a mixed group, so there are dishes for people who prefer plant-based, but meat eaters see food they’ll enjoy as well. And of course there are variations for allergens and different cultures as well. It helps people to forget any idea that plant-based menus are somehow different from a normal meal out”.

 

The restaurant also supports special causes, such as Newcastle cat and dog shelter, Bryson's animal shelter and North East Animal Rights, which holds meetings there (meet NEAR's organiser Anna here in our Veganuary blog).

 

For seasoned climate campaigners, Super Natural’s menu can be disorientating. Pioneering outlets tend to be based on the fringes, with menus and décor deliberately different from the high street. At first glance, Super Natural bears no relation to that – but it’s worth that second glance!

 

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