FOR the first time ever, a vegan business has been voted #1 on TripAdvisor. Twelve Eatery in Bournemouth which opened in November 2018, has won fans with its selection of organic cocktails, vibrant juices and plant-based food.

Now it has just made hospitality history by being the first vegan restaurant to claim the number one spot for restaurants in Bournemouth on TripAdvisor. The UK’s first 100 per cent organic, plant-based bar and restaurant is the creation of co-founders Dalton Mello and Greg Rush.

Menu favourites include a full English breakfast made from scrambled tofu, mushrooms, spinach, tomato, hash browns, beans and sourdough toast, beer battered tofu and chips, served with a dash of pea puree and tartar sauce, and pulled jackfruit and black bean burrito.

And it’s not just what they call “a cruelty-free menu”, Twelve has also ensured the restaurant is a single-use plastic-free establishment and they aim to be a zero waste restaurant in the coming years.

The eatery is also in the process of setting up an allotment where they will grow produce from their own food compost and are, overall, proving to be a breath of fresh air.

From the Farrow & Ball eco-friendly paint to the luxury vegan leather seating, the gold cutlery and the compostable serviettes, no detail has been overlooked.

The duo spent years at the height of London’s hospitality scene working at The Ivy, Sexy Fish, The Burger & Lobster Group and Gaucho among others. Turning vegan four years ago, the pair now have ambitions for Twelve to become the UK’s first vegan restaurant chain.

Mello said: “We are passionately committed to offering British produce, no frozen food or microwaves; just fresh organic food sourced as locally as possible. Every dish is created to include the average daily recommended amount of B12 – hence ‘Twelve’– as this is the vitamin that vegans are most likely to be deficient in.”

Twelve is also the UK’s first organic bar offering 100 per cent organic cocktails made with fresh cold-pressed juice and fair-trade blue agave, as well as an organic wine list, beers and range of spirits.