The Sussex restaurant with something for everyone – stunning views, special events and fantastic food

We were invited along to Boat House Chichester, in Chichester Marina, to eat at the waterside venue's first ever Vegan Night, spearheaded by head chef Rob Mcleary.

The Vegan Night, a three-course menu with a choice of vegan wines, cocktails and mocktails, was planned to coincide with the end of Veganuary.

Rob said: "We decided to do a vegan night because vegan food can get forgotten sometimes, but it can be packed full of flavour.

"I think that the world is changing and people's approach to food is changing, so we wanted to highlight just how much variety and flavour there is to enjoy."

Everything on the menu sounded nice, so my friend and I decided to share each of our courses so we got to try as much as possible.

The Crispy Polenta with sautéed mushrooms and salsa verde starter had crispy and soft textures and packed a real flavour punch. The Smoky Babaganoush, with toasted seeds, crispy onions, roasted red peppers and pitta bread was a welcome change from hummus, and full of smoky flavour.

We adored our mains – Spiced Celeriac, Carrot, Pearl Barley and Feta Brio Pastry with truffled curly kale and onion relish and Roast Butternut Squash Wellington, with pickled carrots and cashew cream. You would never have known there wasn't dairy in them as they were every bit as hearty and filling as if we'd been eating meat.

Full, but determined to try puddings, we had the Chocolate, Coconut and Peanut bar with vanilla ice cream, which was rich and indulgent, and the Apple and Blackberry Crumble with custard. They were so yummy and showed that puddings can be done well for those wanting to eat a plant-based diet.

The plan is for Veganuary night to be the first of a series of monthly events.

The Boat House Chichester team will be working with supplier Something Fishy to do an event, along with something with the Albourne Estate, and a gin night and a mussels and cider evening. There will also be a pizza oven outside in the summer.

"We want to give people something different. The idea is to showcase all that West Sussex has to offer," Rob said. "We want to champion that local produce. It's the way I have always worked and it's the way it should be."

Rob has been at Boat House Chichester for five months and said is loving being so close to the water. "It's a lovely place to be, and on days when you see the sun set right across from us it's gorgeous."

Rob said Boat House Chichester has a 'stable menu' with customer favourites like fish and chips available all the time, but he is 'supplier led' so will change the specials menu regularly to reflect what's good and in season.

He added: "I think if you look at our menu we appeal to everyone. We have small plates, classic dishes and specials. You can come and have a full meal, or just a drink and a light bite after a dog walk."

The three-course vegan night would have cost £35 per person. For more information about Boat House Chichester and its upcoming events, see https://www.idealcollection.co.uk/venues/the-boathouse-cafe-chichester/