The Swan Chappel – Vegan Steak and Sunday Food

On this foodie occasion, we went to The Swan in Chappel, a small village in Essex.

We had booked a couple of weeks in advance, as it does seem to get booked up quite quickly on a Sunday. So if you’re interested in going here, that’s worth keeping in mind.

We arrived for our booking at 12:30pm, and it started getting busy quite quickly.

As it was a lovely summer day, we sat outside. They have a patio area and a garden. We ended up sitting in the garden near the smokers’ end, even though we’re not smokers, because it was closer to the restaurant. The patio was even closer, but we didn’t realise that at the time, and we were happy enough where we were sitting anyway.

As it was a Sunday, I ordered from the Sunday menu.

What we had

Bang Bang Cauliflower Wings (£6.95)
For starters, I went for the Bang Bang Cauliflower Wings because they sounded really good, and I couldn’t wait to try them.

When they arrived, the first thing I noticed was how big the starter was. I’ve honestly seen smaller mains before.

The cauliflower wings were topped with sesame seeds, cashew nuts and spring onion. They were very tasty and had a good kick of spice to them.

Vegan Steak and Chips (£17.95)
For the main, I had The Swan’s version of vegan steak and chips, served with onion rings and a grilled tomato.

The vegan steak was made with Portobello mushrooms, sunblush tomato, vegan mozzarella and basil, which was a really nice touch. It was then finished with a pumpkin seed and walnut crumble on top.

I really enjoyed it. It was nicely presented, and it felt like they had actually thought about the vegan option rather than just throwing something together and hoping no one noticed.

This cost £17.95, although I think you do pay more if you go on a Sunday. From what I remember, this same meal was available for £10.95 on steak night on Thursdays, so that’s definitely worth noting if you want to save a bit.

Drinks and final thoughts

The surprise for me was that they had coconut milk as a dairy-free milk option, as well as decaf coffee. So I had a decaf coconut latte, which was a nice little bonus.

I’m not sure if they had a vegan dessert. Maybe one of the sorbets or ice creams was suitable, but to be honest, I couldn’t eat any more anyway. I was absolutely full.

Overall, I thought the food at The Swan Chappel was really good, and everything was presented really well.

I’d definitely return again.