Trendy vegan restaurant in Shoreditch makes history as first plant-based UK eatery to win a Michelin star (with culinary nepo babies at the helm!)

A vegan restaurant in London has made history after becoming the first plant-based eatery in the UK to win a Michelin star. 

Plates, which opened just seven months ago in Shoreditch, wowed food critics and inspectors with their entirely plant-based menu.

Siblings Kirk and Keeley Hayworth, the children of fellow Michelin star chef Nigel Hayworth, received the cookery accolade on Monday. 

Describing the ‘honour’ of being awarded the star, Kirk revealed it had been a dream of his since he was a little boy. 

No doubt inspired by his father who was head chef at the prestigious Northcote for almost 20 years before setting up his own gastro-pub The Three Fishes, Mr Haworth told The Telegraph: ‘Earning a Michelin star is such an incredible honour and a lifetime goal since I was a young boy.’

The plant-based chef turned to veganism in 2016 to help him manage the symptoms of Lyme disease. A year later, his new diet inspired him to partner with his sister and start working in the development kitchen.

Mr Haworth trained at several Michelin-starred restaurants, including The French Laundry in California and Northcote in Lancashire, before starting his own business.

And it’s not the first time the cook has been recognised for his plant-based cooking.

The Michelin-starred chef appeared on BBC Two’s Great British Menu last year, reaching the final and offering up the show’s first completely plant-based banquet.

Judge Tom Kerridge described his winning dish as ‘first rate, magical, unbelievable’ and he was crowned the winner. 

When not appearing on TV, Mr Haworth and his sister spend their time perfecting their dishes for the restaurant which has 45 covers. 

Their menu offers kabocha squash & ginger soup, potato dumplings, herbaceous pesto and mung & urad bean lasagna with miso & chive sauce as well as Caramelised Lion’s Mane, smoked shio koji, bread caramel, cauliflower cream & black truffle jus.

For dessert, diners can choose between a rice pudding flavoured ice cream with rhubarb, chewy beets and mulberries or raw cocoa bean gateau with a sour cherry and coconut blossom ice cream and drizzled in an African pepper, toasted macadamia and raw caramel sauce.

And inspectors were wowed by the food on offer, calling their dining experience as ‘groundbreaking’ before adding the menu could ‘convince the most committed of carnivores’.

In their review, they wrote: ‘Kirk Haworth is a classically trained chef, and you can see that in his impeccably made sauces; what’s most interesting is how he has adapted this to plant-based ingredients in such a clever way. 

‘What’s more, the depth and balance of the dishes was superb; each one came with layers of flavour and texture that all worked together in brilliant harmony.’

Michelin’s latest ground-breaking award comes after the guide has given itself a makeover to update itself and stay relevant amid a battle with food influencers.

The prestigious guide, which recognises some of the best restaurants in the world, can traditionally award up to three of the prestigious stars – and can make or break eateries’ reputations.

While it was once arguably the only review that mattered to top chefs, the guide – first founded in the early 1900s to help motorists know where to dine – is now suffering from fierce competition.

The rise of food influencers and online reviewers can now send restaurants viral almost immediately – offering a boost to local cuisines that can see long queues form overnight.

As well as promoting previously unknown finds, the online world of influencing also offers diners a world of choice at often far cheaper prices than any Michelin starred restaurant.

The Michelin Guide has now had to bring itself up to date to stay relevant to diners in the UK and around the world, who are increasingly focused on eating out but less interested in fine dining.

It comes amid a controversial history which has seen a range of famous chefs renounce their stars due to the ‘pressure’ which comes with them.

As part of its makeover, the Michelin Guide has now brought in a new star to appear to younger generations and environmentally conscious foodies known as the green star.

The award is given to restaurants assessed to be at the forefront of their field when it comes to sustainability.