You might be surprised to learn this, but growing up I was brought up as a vegetarian. My parents have been vegetarians for many years, long before I was born even, and for the majority of my childhood I didn't know any different. I chose to start eating meat when I was sixteen, and haven't really looked back since. I still very much enjoy vegetarian food and seeing as I still live with my family, most of the time I still eat it. Whenever we would go out to eat, we have always struggled with finding vegetarian options on menus in restaurants; I remember sometimes my parents having to ask for meat to be left out of a dish because there simply wasn't an option on offer. So, to find a fully vegetarian restaurant is very rare indeed - let alone a good one. With that in mind, allow me to introduce to you The Cheerful Chilli!




The Cheerful Chilli Restaurant & Tearooms is based on Otley Chevin, actually really quite close to where I live. It's one of those hidden gems, that you drive past all the time but never get chance to visit! On this occasion we were celebrating my dad's 60th birthday, and it's somewhere that him and my mum had always wanted to try. It's tucked away in a converted farmhouse off the main road into Otley, and it is a beautiful location, with green fields and woods surrounding it. When we were visiting there was a wedding party being held in the building next door, and it looked lovely! I think that this is something the owners have started to do recently, and it would definitely be a venue I'd consider should the opportunity ever arise. They had their own gardens with lots of colourful and pretty flowers, and even some herbs too, along with a courtyard for al fresco outdoor dining. Everything on the menu at The Cheerful Chilli is vegetarian, with some dishes vegan and/or gluten free (at least this is what I remember the menu saying!) They try to use as much locally produced food, homegrown vegetables and fairtrade products as possible, which I think goes a long way to the overall fantastic quality of the food that we had.




From reading about other people's experiences I know that the restaurant is popular, and is especially busy at weekends, often being booked up. When we went on a Saturday evening it seemed pretty quiet at first, but by the end of our time there it was completely full up. So, they must be doing something right! When we arrived and went in to be seated, it was quite a bit smaller than I had anticipated, but not in a bad way. It is very quaint, cosy, and unpretentious; it looked more like a family home than a restaurant! I didn't manage to get any pictures of the inside as it was so busy, but the decoration was very quirky and I loved the individuality of how everything had been put together. For example, some of us for our meal were sat on what appeared to be an old church pew! There was some fantastic artwork on the walls, and each table had a little vase of fresh flowers; little touches that make a big difference. Once we were seated, we set about bringing out our bottles of booze, as it can be a "BYOB" affair if you wish; although we realised when we looked at the menu that they had actually started to sell their own. This, along with other elements, really needs to be updated on their website as there is no mention of this at all!




The variety of dishes available on the menu are really quite staggering for a vegetarian restaurant; from quesadillas to pizza, there is something for everyone to enjoy - even the most avid meat eaters. We decided to have starters, and me and my brothers decided to go for the Chilli Nachos Plate; baked tortilla chips, with a filling of refried beans and mature cheddar and served with salad. I hadn't had nachos for a very long time, so I was ready to indulge! Martin and my brother's girlfriend chose the Potato Skins; smoked paprika seasoned skins filled with mature cheddar and served with soured cream and barbecue sauce. My dad and other brother decided to share the Mezze Platter, which included falafel, hummus, olives and vegetable crisps amongst other things. Now, I'm saying this as a positive thing, but also as a warning; the portions at The Cheerful Chilli are not just big, they are huge. I would have been thrilled with my nachos as a main course, but as a starter it was a little bit alarming! The potato skins were more like giant potato wedges, and as for the platter... well, let's just say we all wondered how my dad and brother were going to eat it! I think it was agreed around the whole table that the starters were fantastic; the tortilla chips on my nachos are the best I've ever had, and the filling was really rich and tasty without being stodgy. The potato skins were also delicious, with a crisp skin and soft middle, and the dipping sauces were well balanced too. The platter was surprisingly wiped clean (with help from everyone around the table having a pick at it, of course) and everything on the plate got a big thumbs up.



We still had to leave some room for our mains of course, and they were swiftly delivered not long after we had finished our starters. I decided to go for another dish that I had not had in a while and chose the Tacos; three tacos served with chillied vegetables, refried beans, tomato salsa, soured cream, and cheese. I can't remember what everyone had, but I know that my brother had the Blue Cheese Burger (mature Stilton burger, topped with mature cheddar cheese and served with tomato chutney and garden salad), and my dad chose the Aubergine Involtini (grilled aubergine and courgette rolls stuffed with feta, spinach, mint and pine nuts in a tomato sauce, with tomato relish and salad). Again, the portions were generous and I could tell that I wouldn't be able to finish everything on my plate. It turns out I was right, but not wholly for the reason I thought; the chillied vegetables in my dish were very, very spicy, to the point where I could only have a small amount. My brother's girlfriend and Martin found it to be the same with their dishes; it might be an idea for The Cheerful Chilli to use a symbol like a chilli next to their hot items on the menu to indicate as such, as I wasn't expecting it to be that hot! That being said, the refried beans were fantastic, if not a little on the dry side, and my dad thoroughly enjoyed his meal and certainly had no complaints. It was just a shame that I couldn't fully enjoy my main course; I might have been more inclined to choose something like the pizza instead if I had known it was going to be so intense.



Overall, I think The Cheerful Chilli has done an extremely good job at filling that gap in the market of good vegetarian options. The food portions are generous and very well priced, the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and it is able to cater for large groups as well as couples on a romantic evening out. I think just a few tweaks are needed here and there, to make the restaurant even better. As mentioned previous, a heat indicator on spicy options on the menu would be useful, so that diners are informed before making their choices. Also, their website desperately needs updating; there are several items on the menu in the restaurant that are not listed online, and the prices are different too. I have a feeling that they've not done much to their website since its creation, and in this day and age that is not something that can be overlooked. Potential diners need accurate information about what is available, and a lot of it is currently missing. By doing so, they can probably see more customers wanting to make a booking, adding to their already incredibly popular status. Despite these suggestions, we had a wonderful evening at The Cheerful Chilli and we will more than likely be dining there as a family again in the future.