Where: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
When: Sunday 5th – Monday 6th September
I spent a quick stay in Nottingham with my best friend in September. We had lots of fun, and packed loads in. Reunited after almost 19 months, we definitely made the most of our time in Nottingham, as tourists as well as catching up, of course.
Obligatory themed post-escape photos, Cave Escape, 63 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FN
First stop was Cave Escape, my best friend is an Escape Room addict and is also super smart, and we both wanted to check out the Nottingham subterranean caves. So booking an Escape Room at Cave Escape seemed like the perfect activity. We had first of all booked Carfax, this room has a Dracula theme, dressed in Victorian paraphernalia, with interesting puzzles related to the story and some surprises along the way. You could still feel the atmosphere of the caves, and ghosts were also with us to give us clues. We escaped with 8 minutes to spare and went on to do Cave Escape’s other room – Monuments. This one is intense, with a WW2 theme, based on The Monuments Men, it, as our lovely Games Master told us – is more cave-y, so we could see a bit more of the fascinating interiors of these historical caves whilst doing the puzzles. This one was slightly more difficult and is aimed at 3 people or more, so we didn’t quite make it out in time. Both escape rooms were brilliant, and a fun way to experience the Nottingham caves. The following day, we also went to Escapologic and escaped their ‘Howitz’ room, themed around a haunted toy shop, very creepy.
Afternoon Tea at The Pudding Pantry
Vegan Afternoon Tea, The Pudding Pantry, 27/29 Trinity Square, Nottingham, NG1 4AF
€19.95 per person
Post escaping, we had booked in for afternoon tea at The Pudding Pantry. The Pudding Pantry boasts many vegan cakes and treats and I had visited their outlet in Sherwood previously and had delicious cake and milkshake. The afternoon tea consisted of various sandwiches, scones and cake. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best experience on this occasion. The afternoon tea had been pre-made and the sandwiches had become a little limp and quite soggy on the bottom. The vegan feta sandwich had too much margarine on and the flavours were overpowered by it. We were also inside and the tables were extremely close together, which made us both uncomfortable since we’re stilling coming out of a pandemic. However, the cakes were lovely, there was a lotus cupcake, peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake, oreo brownie and even fudge. They were fab, so in light of this and my previous experience, I would still recommend The Pudding Pantry for dropping in and getting a coffee and cake.
Vegan nachos with a black bean side dish at Las Iguanas, 4 Chapel Quarter, Chapel Bar, Nottingham, NG1 6JS
For dinner we went to Las Iguanas, we had a couple of other restaurants earmarked for the evening but they weren’t open on Sundays, so I would beware of that when making plans. However, Las Iguanas was great for its vegan options. The nachos were topped with vegan cheese, salsa, guacamole and cashew cream, I had black beans on the side which was also topped with cashew cream and vegan cheese. I was very impressed. The last time I had ‘vegan nachos’ at a restaurant was in Dublin, it consisted of a bowl of tortilla chips with a dollop of guacamole and a dollop of salsa, for €9. So it was great to have actual alternatives to the usual non-vegan accomaniments. Really tasty.
Breakfast at the Cosy Club
Vegan Shakshuka, Cosy Club, 16-18 Victoria Street, Nottingham, NG1 2EX
We went to The Cosy Club in the city centre for breakfast the next morning, and having really enjoyed the branch in Taunton, I was looking forward to this very much. What I wasn’t prepared for was the incredible setting. The Nottingham Cosy Club is set in the Reform Club building which according to the website pays tribute to its time as the Victoria Club Casino which it was transformed to in the 1960s. It is lavish, with chandeliers, oil paintings hanging up the stairs and luxurious thick curtains reminiscent of a National Trust house. I veered from my usual greedy option of trying cooked breakfasts and went for something different, and I was delighted. I went for the vegan shakshuka, having no clue what shakshuka was, vegan or otherwise. Instead of egg, there was tofu, in the most flavourful, delicious tomato sauce. Highly recommended.
Latte with oat milk, The Magic Garden, 24-26 Low Pavement, Nottingham, NG1 7DL
We popped into The Magic Garden because of its beautiful entrance, an arch of greenery guiding us through a building to a large garden outside. It was a really sweet place, I had a lovely soya latte. We didn’t eat here but the menu has a few great looking vegan options on it, I’d definitely come back to try it. Especially in this atmosphere of the pandemic, it was nice to sit outside and have lots of space.
Vegan donuts, DoughNotts, 14 King Street, Nottingham, NG1 2AS
For the final stop of the whirlwind stay, we popped to DoughNotts. If you have a sweet tooth, this is a must for any visit to Nottingham. These got a little bit melted on the way back to where I was staying, the temperature was in the mid 20s! Nevertheless they were still amazing. Front and centre is tiramisu, at the back there is the Oreo donut, I think it was called soil, and then the lemon paradise donut. Excellent, different and delicious. I already did a post solely on DoughNotts in 2018, that branch has since closed down. Currently the branch in Nottingham has no seating, so it’s all takeaway, but all good.
We had a great time flying about Nottingham, eating, drinking and escaping, and would highly recommend it. Nottingham is full of hidden gems, both in the cultural and culinary sense. We stayed at The Premier Inn on (7 Chapel Quarter, Nottingham, NG1 6JS) which was a great location and the receptionists gave the best customer service I’ve experienced in a long time.
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