Situated 15 minutes outside of Manchester in the affluent Didsbury neighbourhood, Greens has become something of an institution for Manchester vegetarians and foodies alike, serving up delightful vegetarian fine dining over the last eight years. Though the menu tends to stay the same for long periods, (mainly to ensure old favourites like the Cheshire cheese and sage sausages are not removed) there are enough new innovations every few months to keep people coming back to try new vegetarian meals. Current popular dishes that are worth trying include the oyster mushrooms and Chinese pancakes as well as the veggie sausages in bubble and squeak beer gravy. Also thoroughly recommended is the goats cheese and beetroot pie, which is accompanied by a delicious and elegantly laid out salad.

As ever the staff were friendly, attentive without being pushy and new the menu inside out, able to recommend their own favourites and knowledgeable enough to know which wines work with which dishes. If you’re heading there on a weekend you’ll almost certainly need to book, but it is well worth it, as the place is relaxed but buzzing and will offer you a thoroughly great fun, and delicious, night out.

Prices are reasonable and when you’re done there is an excellent pub over the road, the Metropolitan, and a taxi rank nearby in case you’ve overdone it. Recommended.

Alex is a financial blogger and writer and a vegetarian. He loves writing about vegetarian food and green issues although he spends most of his time writing about finance and business from mortgages to taxes to payday loans .