Nottingham’s New Art Exchange recently celebrated the launch of their 100% Plant Based Cafe Bar with a little bit of pizazz. Writer Dani Bacon went along to the official launch party to try out the new food...
Perched between two brick-and-mortar buildings in the area of Hyson Green, you’ll find an unusual black box structure. No, this isn’t the Borg Cube, it’s the New Art Exchange - an award-winning gallery and creative space, particularly dedicated to promoting culturally diverse arts. On Friday, I had the tasting pleasure of being invited to the official launch party of their 100% plant-based cafe bar, and there wasn’t a plain vegetable burger in sight.
At 3pm, the afternoon kicked off with some delightfully creamy oat milk coffees and a vegan cookery presentation by Katie and Verna from ‘Food for a Future’, a volunteer organisation that provides vegan food demonstrations for festivals and events. After cooking whilst enthusiastically answering many of the attendees' questions, the duo presented a gorgeous bowl of red lentil fritters with cucumber dip, and later a brownie topped with cranberries and almonds.
When speaking about the decision for the cafe to become fully plant-based, Anita, Head of People and Operations at NAE, says that the organisation’s “…social responsibility extends beyond other galleries.”
Anita joined NAE in 2008 when it first opened, and has both witnessed and heavily contributed to the development and success of the gallery over the years.
Expressing herself with utter joy, Anita describes how the building’s early years included a small cafe with two hobs in the kitchen that served simple drinks and cakes. Within two years, the cafe began selling samosas, stews and specials. As the menu grew, so did its popularity - and, with that, Anita’s ideas. “We began cooking workshops and I teach a samosa-crafting workshop. Food became part of the creativity - an art.”
When the pandemic hit, like countless other businesses, NAE closed, so Anita asked herself, “What could we do when the cafe re-opens?”
Upon closure, the menu happened to contain only two meat items due to the vast cultural range of food options available. From this came the realisation that they were already teetering on the edge of a heavily plant-based offering. Factoring in benefits of a plant-based diet, including human health, financial cost, the impact on the planet and animal welfare, Anita and the NAE team thought it was a no brainer to maintain the positive ethics of the space by becoming fully plant-based.
Fast-forward to 2023 and the cafe is heaving with customers, a hugely diverse and now 100% plant-based menu (with gluten free options), and even a community cafe initiative that helps to tackle food poverty - a cause celebrated by the local area.
Before the day ended with live music from the band Fat Digestive, the cafe bar served many trays of vegan canapés, draped with flavour, intrigue, and perhaps a little bit of culinary madness. Who says plant-based diets were all about carrots and grass? Definitely not me!
nae.org.uk39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 6BE
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