Food review | Sunday lunch at The Ship Inn, Newcastle

The Ship Inn is located in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. It's Newcastle's first vegan pub with all their food being 100% meat, egg, and dairy free. Some of their beers may not be suitable for vegans but they're clearly labelled and the knowledgeable and friendly staff are on hand to help.

Having read so many great things about this pub on the vegetarian / vegan Facebook groups I belong to I couldn't wait to try it out. I contacted them via their Facebook page and booked a table on Mother's Day for myself and a meat loving friend. I booked about a month in advance as I thought it might be busy on Mother's Day but there were still a couple of tables had we not booked.

By the time the day arrived I'd been called upon to deliver some training in Lincoln for work so I knew that I had to eat and dash. Upon arrival at midday we found our table and perused the menu. It was an absolute pleasure to know that all of it was vegan!

Now, on to the food! The menu stated the soup was beetroot soup, which we both opted for and then were then informed it was actually butternut squash soup (£5). This didn't bother me at all as I prefer butternut squash soup and it turned out to the one of the tastiest I've ever had! It was such a treat to get bread and 'butter' too. I followed that with a suet pudding filled with mushrooms and chestnuts (£10). The veg was delicious, the potato was lump free and the gravy was tasty, although very watery (this is personal taste, of course!) My friend opted for the pie (£10) which he enjoyed. Although I was pushed for time I still ordered a dessert of sticky toffee pudding with ice cream which was without doubt a real treat! I finished off the meal with a soya latte.

The best thing about Sunday lunch at The Ship is knowing that everything you order is vegan without having to check. It's a pleasure to not spend ages looking at allergen information to decide if a roast potato is safe to eat. The food service was a little slow, with it taking two hours from arriving to actually leaving. This didn't bother me (despite me having a 3 hour drive ahead!) but it's something to bear in mind if you have something else to do!

I was so taken with The Ship that I convinced my meat loving dad and brother to come with me and my husband last weekend. Again I booked a table via their Facebook page. Unfortunately my family were no longer able to make it so I informed The Ship and asked for a table for two. The reply I received was quite surprising, stating they don't reserve tables for two and to just show up. This was somewhat confusing as they had reserved a table for two only a fortnight before... It also meant we weren't able to go for dinner again at The Ship because we live too far away to turn up on the 'off-chance' of a table.

Pros: 
All vegan menu
Delicious food
Presentation of food
Informative and knowledgeable staff
Great selection of drinks
Friendly atmosphere
Great beer garden

Cons:
No website = no online booking
Watery gravy
Don't take bookings for two people (at least from me!)