Mellee’s Kitchen @ The Nectar House

The Nectar House is fully underway with their pop-up kitchen with a stint from Salt Street under their belt and now Mellee’s Kitchen taking the helm.

Mellee’s kitchen cut their teeth on the festival circuit serving crumpets but have decided to come inhouse to flex their culinary muscles with a fully fitted kitchen. They haven’t forgotten their roots however, with the savoury crumpet coming (rightfully) highly recommended by everyone at the cafe.

I dragged a mate along for a cosy catch up and we took a seat near the huge front window, letting in what should have been the last of the summer light but really protecting us from gale-force windows blowing outside.

The menu comprises of either fishy dishes or vegan options made up of small plates and main meals. We opted for starters, her going for the battered calamari and me, that infamous housemade savoury crumpet topped with vegan cream cheese and lashings of Bee The Change honey. The crumpet looked like a piece of artwork quite frankly, topped with edible flowers picked from the cafe garden. I didn’t stop myself running a finger around the bowl for every last drop off that sweet honey.

For main I opted for the goujon burger, because fish finger sandwiches are a delicacy in this house, and my mate opted for the butternut squash risotto special. My goujon was very generous in size and encased in a light batter with no grease. Spread with sriracha mayo and topped with sweet gherkins, it was my perfect fish burger. The risotto came in a very generous portion, plenty of flavour coming from the sweet squash and vegetable stock meaning any meaty element wasn’t missed at all. It was a real taste of homemade cooking. We also shared a fresh olive and onion salad which helped to cut through the strong elements of each of our dishes.

To finish we couldn’t resist ginger nut cheesecakes, topped with whipped vegan cream cheese, blueberry compote and those delicate flowers again. The buttery, gingernut base was a joy to eat and whilst the compote was sweet and tangy.

We had a lovely meal in all at The Nectar House courtesy fo Mellee’s Kitchen and I for one am grateful for a relaxed, local place with a rotating kitchen. When you have vegan food made with such love, it’s not hard to have an entire meal cutting out animal products if you so choose, whilst sustainable fish is a great meat alternative.

Find the current menu on The Nectar House’s facebook page.