Harvester Restaurant

[Daffodil]

I have to say well done to Harvester restaurant

went for meal last night with a load of omnis and it's the first meal out that i've enjoyed in ages.

i had the salad bar but asked for a plate and had it as a main course - loads of vegan choices - had a huge plate full. then for dessert they had fruit skewers (i asked for it without ice cream) there were strawberries, 2 types of melon and pineapple on 3 skewers.
really enjoyed rather than the usual side order of chips i end up having everywhere else.
shall be going there more often, shame there isnt one closer to my house that's all.
anyone else like harvesters?

[Risker]

Doesn't sound all that good to me, did you just have a plate of salad then a plate of fruit? How much did that cost you? I think I'd be quite disappointed with that.

[harpy]

Hmm, I'd be happy with a plate of salad followed by a plate of fruit, as long as it was nice salad and fruit. I like going to places that can produce some kind of vegan meal without making a great song and dance about it.

[VeganMonkey]

What kind of salads were they daffodil? Plain lettuce, cumumber, tomato etc or stuff that had actually been' created'?!

[Daffodil]

well i love salad and fruit personally.

they only charged £3.70 for salad.

it was stuff like lettuce, cuc, toms, grated carrot, sweetcorn, beetroot, kidney beans, bell peppers, i had a huge plateful and the option to go back for more! there was also breadrolls but i wasn't sure if they were vegan or not.
it was the perfect meal for me anyway and like i said, a refreshing change to struggling to find something i can have on the menu (i normally end up having side of chips).

[VeganMonkey]

Well you can't argue with the price and it's certainly more balanced than chips! I kind of agree with Risker though - I'm not that impressed unless I feel that the meal has actually been put together in some way rather than just a pile of components. If I was having a salad like that I'd at least want a dressing or some hummus (neither of which I got last time I had salad in a pub..)

[Cherry]

I went to a harvester with a load of omnis just before Christmas. I wasn't expecting to be able to eat ANYTHING, so I was quite pleased, but I don't think I'd go back there on purpose. I had two massive bowls of salad, bread rolls (part of the salad bar - I asked the chef what was in them and he tore the label off the box and brought it to me ) and fries without seasoning.

[Quantum Mechanic]

Well you can't argue with the price and it's certainly more balanced than chips! I kind of agree with Risker though - I'm not that impressed unless I feel that the meal has actually been put together in some way rather than just a pile of components. If I was having a salad like that I'd at least want a dressing or some hummus (neither of which I got last time I had salad in a pub..)

Yeah - they should offer at least one main course vegan dish - like a curry or a mushroom risotto or sweet and sour garbanzo beans - vegan options that don't make some veggies go looking for cheese and which are bound to tempt omnis, too! Salads are good occasionally (or more often for lunch), but they're not sufficient as the "vegan option".

[Marrers]

. . . I'd be quite disappointed with that.

Me too!

eta I haven't been there for quite a few years - used to have to go there for family meals and seem to recall a plain jacket potato and beans from the children's menu with melon to start and for dessert!

[f2097]

There is one round the corner from where I work and a few years ago we went through a phase of going there. Originally they had a decent selection of things that could be made vegan, but as the time went on it was less and less.

I had to go for a family meal there once, it was a disaster. I had to have like 3 starters as a main and it was something ridiculous like a plate of mushrooms. The server was really rude and like all "just have a steak FFS" at me. Which made my parents angry and we ended up having a big argument lol.

Then last year we went to harvesters a couple of times and it was better. There still wasn't anything remotely vegan on the menu so it was plain salad and chips :/ They used to only charge us for the chips though so it was cheap and I guess I could've sneaked some vegan salad dressing in

There was that gross TV programme on them though about how they never change/clean the salad bar and just put more on top. That they don't clean the kitchens properly and its all frozen microwaved gunk.

[jackie]

bread rolls (part of the salad bar - I asked the chef what was in them and he tore the label off the box and brought it to me ) .

were they vegan?

[jackie]

The server was really rude and like all "just have a steak FFS" at me. Which made my parents angry and we ended up having a big argument lol.
.

well i did ask if they did any vegan options but he said they are a grill and it's not the type of place to go if you're vegan (he was vegetarian himself).

well i was pleased with my meal anyhow, thought at least someone would have agreed lol.

[jackie]

hmm i seem to have 2 logins on here..... this is weird.....

[Ruby Rose]

I'm pleased that you had a good meal, Jackie - and that Harvester fitted the bill for you and your family so that you could feel "normal" at the family meal. It's always the case that there are two elements to a good meal out: the food and the company, and for you on this occasion, both came up trumps. For me, I'm quite picky about the food part - I wouldn't choose a salad or chips for a dinner typically, so I think it wouldn't have been as good an evening for me. (I've never been to a Harvester btw - maybe I should put that in the thread about missing out on significant chunks of popular culture?!) I think that's all that other people are expressing.

[harpy]

I agreed with you, Jackie/daffodil !

I suppose I have different standards for (a) the sort of meal that I'd actually choose given a free choice and (b) the sort I would be glad to have if I were eating out with omnivores and hadn't managed to badger them into coming to a veg*n restaurant From your account, Harvester seems a good example of (b)

[Daffodil]

there's an old thread - I googled "vegan harvester" and this thread was the top result lol

we're taking mum out for a mother's day Harvester this eve (don't think i've been there since 2009! lol)... hoping I can still have the salad bar/fruit skewers thing tonight..... nice and refreshing

[nathanjh13]

"Avoid Harvester" is the message here surely? You went to the buffet and, with salad available to all, had a plate of salad. This is nothing that champions Harvester. If anything, it reminds me of why I'd avoid Harvester. In fact, looking at their menu (http://www.harvester.co.uk/pdf/harvester-main_menu.pdf) they're far from vegan and likely never will be.

Daffodil, your ebullient good nature is getting the better of you here