Filmore & Union High Street Skipton - 17th June 2016

Filmore & Union is a Yorkshire based company, with several venues throughout the county and this was my second visit of 2016 to Skipton.

The interior is as inviting as the outside, with cool, light colours and has a beachside restaurant kind of feel, chilled and relaxed.

I wanted to visit for dinner, so I sent an email, asking about vegan options and had the most fabulous reply, from Head Chef Gemma, who happens to be vegan too.   She went into detail about what she could make and assured me that, on the night, I would have plenty of choice, she was not wrong!

When we arrived the vegan menu I was offered, was stupendous, specially created for me, such care and attention to detail.   I had a difficult decision to make and kept changing my mind, hardly surprising as it all sounded fantastic.

I had checked out their wine list, prior to our visit and there were several vegan choices, so I opted for a very nice Cave De Turckheim Reisling, which I love.

My starter was aubergine and cashew pate with garlic flatbread and celeriac and orange salad, it was fantastic, beautiful presentation and delicious.

My husband had stuffed courgette squash, with quinoa risotto and spiralised daikon, a picture on a plate, he loved it and he is not even vegetarian, never mind vegan.

My vegan burger main course was the best ever, a falafel burger with spinach houmous, on lovely light bread, sweet potato fries and caramelised red onions.   I feel its unnecessary to wax lyrical about this dish, the photos say it all.

I was getting pretty full by this time, but who could resist the two vegan puddings I was offered, so it just had to be vegan brownie with warm maple coconut milk, fruit compote and fresh berries.   It is not often I demolish three courses, but on this occasion, it was impossible not to, it was that good.

We were looked after by Anna, Front of House Manager, who always had a smile and looked after us so well, it turned out she came from Poland and was multi-lingual, which must be a great asset when foreign visitors arrive.   It was a real pleasure to finally meet Gemma, a very talented young chef, not long in the position of Head Chef, but I can understand why, this girl can cook and she was full of passion when she talked about cooking.   They were a young professional and enthusiastic team and I hope the company realise what an asset they are.

Gemma (left) and Anna (right)

We were impressed with the whole experience, I was bowled over by the vegan choices and sitting in the pub down the road later, we were planning a return visit.

I highly recommend Filmore and Union, as they always offer vegan options, with particular emphasis on dietary requirements, allergies and intolerances, without compromising on flavour and I cannot wait to revisit, sooner rather than later.