In a fine dining scene drowning in truffle shavings and wagyu foam, Plates London has done something no UK vegan restaurant has managed before - it’s bagged a Michelin star. Not a ‘green star,’ not an honourable mention, but an actual, bonafide Michelin star. Given the UK's relentless obsession with meat, dairy, and butter-drenched everything, this is no small feat.
Chef Kirk Haworth, the mastermind behind Plates (exterior shown left), isn’t new to the fine dining world. Having trained in top restaurants, he took a sharp turn into plant-based cooking after a personal battle with Lyme disease. The result? A menu that doesn’t just swap meat for mushrooms but actually redefines what plant-based fine dining can be.
Forget the tired stereotype of vegan food as bland or restrictive. Plates serves up dishes like ‘Mung & Urad Bean Lasagne with Celeriac, Miso & Chive Sauce’—which sounds complicated because it is. But it works. Every plate is a precise, well-balanced exercise in flavour, proving plant-based food deserves a seat at the fine dining table, not just a backhanded ‘vegetarian option’ tucked away on a menu.
The Michelin Guide has been slow to acknowledge the shift, despite an ever-growing demand for plant-based dining. While cities like New York and Los Angeles have had vegan Michelin stars for years, London has finally caught up. The real question is, why did it take so long?
Source: Plates London - Various dishes from their Michelin Star menu
For those tired of fine dining leaning on luxury ingredients rather than skill, Plates is a refreshing change. Michelin may have just caught on, but diners looking for something genuinely different have known about it for a while.
Now, the real test begins. Will this be the start of more plant-based stars, or just another token nod from the Michelin machine?
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