The 60s - a time of bell-bottoms, tie-dies and a belief that new ideas could change the world. At the heart of the revolution stood London's Carnaby Street with Cranks, the UK's first ever vegetarian restaurant, at its centre. Well, at number 22. Whilst we might not have been rewriting the political rulebooks, we were rewriting the cookery books. We believed that a healthy, soul-satisfying diet didn't have to include meat, mush or stodge. We believed health and taste could go hand in hand. We believed good food could take you to a better place.
On our first day of business, 21st June 1961, we had no idea how much food to prepare. We hadn't advertised the opening of the restaurant, so we were pleasantly surprised when a steady stream of people came in to fill our seats. They saw a modest-sized ground floor and basement where every item of food and furnishing expressed the same values: simple, natural materials used in a direct and craftsmanly way.
On the menu were mainly salads, but of a completely different kind from what most people would have connected with the word - these salads could change the eater's whole view of vegetables. The vivid combination of ingredients and colours, crisp from fresh cutting and dressing were teamed with equally fresh wholemeal rolls, soups, savouries and puddings. All complimented by a now familiar environment with solid, natural-coloured oak tables, heather brown quarry tiles, woven basket lampshades hand-thrown stoneware pottery and hand-woven seat covers.
For us, the mind altering 60s never stopped. We're very much committed to our vegetarian ideals, but we're not on a mission to change the world. We'd simply like to give people the opportunity to explore the delicious world of vegetarian food and experience the benefits of a more balanced diet. That's what Proper Food is all about.