It’s a little-known fact that the modern vegetarian movement has its roots in Greater Manchester. Back in the early 19th century, a Salfordian minister called Reverend William Cowherd – a beautiful irony – encouraged plucky members of his small group of followers, the Cowherdites, to abstain from eating meat. In doing so, the good reverend unknowingly laid the philosophical foundations for what was to become the Vegetarian Society, formed in 1847 with the support of prominent members of his church. It’s a lovely detail from history, and just one of many surprising facts that proud Mancunians have a habit of throwing around, usually followed by the ubiquitous Tony Wilson quote: ‘This is Manchester, we do things differently here.’

A group of people actively renouncing a meaty staple in the midst of a period of great poverty stemming from the Industrial Revolution is, to be fair, a pretty neat example of bucking the status quo. Fast-forward 200 years and it is, of course, no surprise that Greater Manchester is teeming with vegetarian restaurants, from unassuming back-alley curry houses such as This & That to glossy, Scandi-chic tasting menus at the appropriately named 1847. But with 2019 hailed as ‘The Year of the Vegan’, Manchester has been modestly building on its noble pedigree, creating a vast vegan scene peppered with a gaggle of truly top-tier spots helmed by Mancs who possess an infuriatingly natural ability to combine creativity and cool with very little pomp and ceremony. These are some of the best vegan restaurants in Manchester.