Vegan Plant Based Cuisine + the Cambium

Hey everyone!

I had the opportunity to stay at the gorgeous Careys Manor and Senspa, which was actually my first partnership that transitioned my blog from beauty into beauty with travel. Part of my review was to attend both the inhouse Thai restaurant the Zen Garden and the second taster menu at the Cambium, to experience their vegan options.

So to start with, the staff at the Cambium were amazing and we were treated with absolute courtesy and attentiveness throughout the meal. I was a bit nervous to try the menus because sometimes I’m fussy with carbs as I’ve been on this strict pre-surgery diet, but I was amazed at the nudge to health and wellness within the sophisticated vegan cuisine. There was so much that I found came from local resources; from the bar that was in the entrance to the restaurant. They sampled many herbs and berries from the local garden and even the fungi used in many of the meals actually grew in the New Forest. It was a nice contrast to the Thai experience because there was more to offer. This was a vegan taster menu that covered all the bits they do in smaller versions so we had six courses. To purchase traditional starters it’s about £8, mains are £19. This menu would have been £65 per person.

So let’s break it down. We were served with a choice of wines, shock horror miss alcoholic Joseph Harwood (I’m kidding, I barely drink but if you were to ask the Baron you’d think I was practically pickled.) I decided against any wine and we had some bread and some gorgeous purees to start, one was a basic hummus, it wasn’t heavily flavoured but was delicious with the two types of bread, and there was a carrot puree which was yummy.

Then we begin meal one of the tasters. So each meal was kind of like what you’d expect to have at a health retreat, it wasn’t massively indulgent, there weren’t latherings of sauces but what it did offer was lightness, taste, and texture. Everything was carefully selected to go together and every bite was an experience. We had a variety of broccoli types and tempura with some greens and cauliflower, it was pleasant. Would I have had it with tabasco at home? Of course, you know me, I’d eat chilli off the plant, but it was a great intro to the menu.

Next was this very textural sort of gyoza style dish in a puree, I’m not entirely sure what was in this but they described it as a pesto but it wasn’t basil at all. I assume it was parsley but I’m not entirely sure, the taste was a greener flavor and the lightness was really lovely. I liked the pickled ginger slithers ontop as a contrast to the crisp of the garnish, it was just a nice bite and I enjoyed it. There weren’t any heavy ingredients in any of the choices so it was all really interesting to pick up the subtleties.

Next was a full tempura dish with all different vegetables. I really loved this one because it was as if each component had been treated slightly differently but still had the outer shell you’d expect from the batter, it was surprising. I liked the tastes and the puree was a sweeter carrot type base so it went nice with the dry texture and the greener flavour, it was just another light and a lovely meal.

I definitely think that we could have skipped the first meal and just had the tempura for some variation as there were some similar vegetables but it was still nothing to complain about because we ate it and it was delicious. I guess if you were to pick these individually you’d have one or the other but I still think that they could have switched it up.

Next, was this really artisanal but beautiful risotto which had again locally sourced mushrooms and nuts. My god this one packed a punch and was so garlic heavy that I absolutely loved it, but I think my mum would have fallen over like a vampire. It was very creamy for a vegan base and I ate it pretty quickly. I loved it and it was the stand out of the choices. I thought it delicious.

The decor of the restaurant actually reminded me of my last apartment because I had the same color and furnishings so I really loved it, it reminded me of being at home. I was saying to my team, who were on location with me to assist with some of the filming, that the whole vibe of the hotel is just really chilled and I could imagine you going there and just having a proper break from life, because each room is quiet and the vibe of the staff was so polite. It’s definitely not taken advantage of by young people as we were by far the youngest there, but again this is why I wanted to branch out into this area of work because I don’t see enough people who look like me, who experience life like me, spend time in these types of retreats and it is so important, not only for your physical health with treatments and a break from heavier foods but for your mental health.

So onto the desserts, and they were again more plant-based, and the first was a locally sourced strawberry, but there were cubes of a candied beetroot? I’ve never had beetroot before in a sweet way so this was really lovely and it surprisingly went together perfectly. The fresh fruit was also such a nice lift after the garlic from the prior dish and was really complimented by the sweetness that was under the sorbet. It would have been perfect on a summer day, it was just that type of dessert.

Finally, there was another type of sorbet, this time I believe it was raspberry but it was not too dissimilar from the prior dish, and this was on a bed of avocado-based chocolate mousse that was amazing. So it was basically a super healthy, super delicious and high-end meal experience and the restaurant and the staff were extremely professional and hospitable.

Out of five, I’d give a four-point seven five and the only reason for that is the repetitive-ness of the first couple of tasters. I think they could have done something fancy with some locally sourced nuts as the first option and it would have given some nod do the risotto. But overall SO delicious and so good!

Let me know what you fancy out of the tasters in the comments!