Edinburgh hotel offering new vegan afternoon tea

Growing numbers of people are choosing to go for a plant-based diet, so an Edinburgh hotel is creating a special afternoon tea for them.

With an estimated 7% of the UK population now opting for a vegan diet, Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Mile Edinburgh is delighted to announce that is has partnered with esteemed Edinburgh café Pumpkin Brown to create an organic, vegan afternoon tea.

It will be on offer alongside its traditional afternoon tea served in Cucina restaurant. Catering to a wide range of dietary requirements, the tea will also be gluten, dairy and refined sugar free.

The Pumpkin Brown Afternoon Tea at Cucina has been designed by Edinburgh’s leading health food café, offering raw, plant-based and organic dishes, in partnership with Cucina’s new head chef Andy McQueen.

Costing £25 per person the tea will offer treats including mini blueberry and lemon cheesecake, mini chocolate tarts, mini rocky road tray bakes, juice shots, sandwiches, savoury quiches and scones with jam and clotted cream.

Katy Duncan, head chef at Pumpkin Brown, said: ‘Over the past two years here at Pumpkin Brown we have watched Edinburgh fall in love with healthy eating.

‘The plant-based diet is becoming incorporated into menus across several local and commercial business within the city.

‘Teaming up with the Radisson Collective for this project has been a great opportunity for us to show Edinburgh that treating yourself doesn’t have to be to the detriment to your health. Afternoon tea can now be nutritional and ethical as well as utterly indulgent.’

Head chef Andy McQueen said of the decision to create a vegan afternoon tea: ‘Be it for animal welfare, health or environmental reasons, veganism is of rapidly growing importance to our guests.

‘We wanted to ensure we could meet that demand with an offering that does not compromise on flavour, it therefore made sense for us to partner with Pumpkin Brown who have a wealth of experience in this area.

‘We are proud to launch our new afternoon tea and believe that even those guests who would normally not choose to go vegan will be impressed by how good it is.’

Located in the heart of Edinburgh, with entrances off both The Royal Mile and George IV Bridge, Cucina has long been a leader in the culinary sector and has an ongoing commitment to sourcing local, sustainable produce.

The vegan afternoon tea with tea and coffee included costs £25 and will be served daily from 2.30–5pm.