The Walnut Tree in Mid Suffolk

Dead easy to find (right on the A140) and an entire menu of vegetarian dishes, plus Specials board.  A promising start.  Since it was lunchtime we opted for mains and desserts.  The black bean and sweet potato enchilada and the roasted mushroom Wellington were both very well received; as were the fresh strawberry and lime cheesecake and salted caramel chocolate cake.  Plentiful portions and every mouthful was a treat. Service was very personable and effective too. This driver was pleased to find that they stock St Peter's. Even the decaf coffee was better than most. It's a shame I don't live closer; based on this experience the size of the menu would merit many return trips.

I'd give the place 3.5 if I could, because the restaurant is charming, the staff were lovely and the loos were clean. Four of us stopped for an early lunch. Two of us had the tofu/lettuce wrap sharing platter and thought we'd try the Lebanese vegan 'meatballs' too. One of us had the mushroom Wellington from the main lunch menu and the fourth had meze. The mushroom Wellington came with fresh, well-cooked greens and small potatoes and was declared very good. The sharing platter looked initially attractive, but the hoisin sauce/jackfruit lettuce wraps were overpoweringly sauced, we were underwhelmed by the large chunks of deep-fried tofu and the Lebanese meatballs (which were £6.90 if I recall correctly) were six marble-sized deep-fried balls which seemed to be made of dry-textured soya protein. Our friend with the meze had (deep-fried) patatas bravas and deep-fried halloumi. He said that the spicy tomato sauce seemed more like concentrated tomato paste from a tube than a proper tomato sauce. Given all the 5* reviews it was disappointing. Looking round, the main lunch meals (such as the Wellington) seemed more like 'proper' food. The meze/ sharing platter menu seemed dominated by the kind of deep-fried bits and pieces any of us could buy from a supermarket. I think from all the excellent write-ups we'd expected something more home-made and carefully spiced, not just sauce from a jar and halloumi from a packet. And we certainly didn't expect everything to be deep-fried.

Fantastic. Choice was amazing, food colourful, plentiful and extremely well presented. The staff were friendly and well informed, the food satisfied one gluten free vegan, one vegetarian and two meat eaters with much praise from all. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful setting. Very friendly welcome. We had coffee and cake and a sharing platter. Everything was excellent. I would highly recommend.

Ive had several delicious meals at The Walnut Tree. It is a wonderful restaurant & the staff are friendly & welcoming. The Aubergine & Chickpea Madras was excellent. However I was disappointed with the Plum Cobbler which was on the ‘specials’ board. A Cobbler should have a Scone topping , but this was just like a Sponge Pudding with stewed fruit at the bottom! Hence 4 stars for the food rating !

I know how important reviews are to any hospitality establishment and therefore I chose my words carefully. I want to say at the outset that the serving staff were absolutely lovely, however, some of the food really wasn't. Enjoying a particular dish obviously comes down to what you have chosen from the menu. Half of our party had a sharing platter which was good. One of the other starters was a boa bun which was uncharacteristically dry and boring. The real disappointment was with the main meals, especially the mushroom and ale pie which I can only describe as awful. It looked as ugly on the plate as it tasted, it was also the strangest looking pie that you could imagine. On top of the pastry case there was a 'disc' of pastry purporting to be a 'lid' which didn't reach across the pie, but rather sat alone like a ritz cracker on the top. The pie's contents were the bitterest tasting filling that I have ever tasted and inedible. This pie was totally surrounded by a slick of thick congealing gravy which was revolting, wherein also sat overcooked floppy vegetables which lay, inert, so reminiscent of bygone school dinners. I was relieved when it was at last cleared away. I hoped that the vast choice of desserts on offer might come to my rescue. I opted for a safe bet, the raspberry trifle. This was so much like a school pudding as to take me right back to the dinning hall. The custard was thin and cheap tasting, the jelly was weak and tasteless with a spray cream swirl perched on the top, granted there was one fresh raspberry and a spring of mint there too. I am sorry to have to leave such a negative review about what is after all a rare thing, a totally vegetarian pub restaurant. I gave it three stars because of the venue and the lovely lady who served us.

Amazing meal. Just loved this place. Can't wait to return. Beautiful surroundings.

Went recently on a whim and had a delicious salad sat out in the garden. Lovely staff and atmosphere.

We had a wonderfully delicious meal. We will certainly be back.

Don't get to go as often as we used to as we moved further away, however we go occasionally for a special treat. The food, atmosphere and service are always brilliant, never have any faults! Love this place.

Brilliant food, imaginative and delicious, with excellent staff and a lovely atmosphere.

Absolutely delicious food in a lovely environment. Vegan sundae was a particular highlight. The service was wonderful, we felt very welcomed.

Visited here for a family dinner because relatives were staying nearby. The food is excellent (all vegetarian/vegan) and service was welcoming and efficient. They coped easily with the our group's various allergy and intolerance requirements. And the bill came to less than I expected! highly recommended.

Visited The Walnut Tree for a family dinner because relatives were staying nearby. The food is excellent (all vegetarian/vegan) and service was welcoming and efficient. They coped easily with the our group's various allergy and intolerance requirements. And the bill came to less than I expected! highly recommended.

Have driven past plenty of times, finally tried it. I am not vegetarian but the food was delicious. Fresh ingredients freshly cooked. Great service, lovely old building and good background music. Private tables. Highly recommended and reasonably priced for such quality.

So refreshing to find a menu complete vegetarian, especially as this was a lovely pub on route whilst we were driving. Amazing food, highly recommended!

Love this restaurant. Not only fully vegetarian but vegan options too. Variety of cuisines. Staff friendly. Lovely garden with plants and peices for sale. Been twice but will be returning again.

Such an atmospheric traditional country pub with a gorgeous garden and shop. The food was delicious and most of the menu was vegan or could be adapted to be vegan. Lots of gluten free options too and a very tasty dessert menu. Couldn't recommend this place enough, we will definitely be returning.

Amazing first visit here, food was stunning. We have left with some of their food from the shop to eat at home.

Visited the Walnut tree on Wednesday 14th August for my partner's birthday. It was very busy but we had booked. So lovely to see a restaurant full of happy people. We had an absolutely beautiful meal and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The food is fantastic and the staff are really lovely too. Many thanks. You deserve to be busy as you are fantastic. How wonderful to be able to go somewhere and have so many vegan things to eat without having to worry! Regards.

I was a sceptic but now I am a believer. Every course was wonderful..garlic mushrooms, followed by roasted mushroom wellington, finishing with a rocky road. Staff were swift and knowlegeable. Recommended.

Absolutely wonderful meal, great choice and the staff are amazing. Can't wait for out next visit! Definitely advise booking!

Just had the best ever vegetarian lunch. Such a treat to go out as a veggie and get a well cooked tasty meal. If I could give a TEN I would. Well done

We've been here a few times with our friends & have never had a bad meal or experience, my Wife is the only veggie among us but the with these awesome meals the rest of us really don't miss the meat from our plates, we will certainly be back again & again!

Food very good. Service poor. Left waiting 40 mins to order good, wasn't even that busy so not sure what took them so long

It's rare to come across somewhere with a totally vegetarian/ vegan restaurant so this was a real treat. We had the flatbread and the burrito but could have chosen almost anything from the menu. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant.

Fantastic range of food and always very tasty. My favourite place to eat. Staff always so lovely.

Wonderful experience. The Olds booked this place for my 50th Birthday. Mum has to stay away from crowds, Dad is diabetic and the other half is gluten intolerant. The Walnut Tree could not have handled it better - even though it was lashing down with rain, they were more than happy to accommodate us in the covered area in the garden, heaters on, cosy as anything. Wifey was almost bouncing with excitement - being both vegetarian and gluten intolerant can be an extremely boring dining experience, but not so here - we all had multiple choices for every course. Sam, our wait person was knowledgeable, patient, and fun. Food outstanding - will be back, even if the Olds move out of area!

What a wonderful experience. As a family of four we had 3 different needs. We had to sit outside as one of us has a medical condition and has to stay away from people. One is a diabetic and I am gluten intolerant and a vegetarian. ALL of our needs were catered for in a natural way, no fuss. Sam, our host, is very, very knowledgeable about how to direct us for our diary needs, making choosing so much easier. The letter W (short for Without) was well displayed on the menu, which included a diverse choice of foods. Thank you Chef. Oh! and as an added bonus all the toilets have a well situated handrail by every toilet, Men's and Ladies.

Amazing!! Really lovely place with great food and quick friendly service.

Always consistently superb imaginative vegetarian fare here. Cooked and served with a smile. Whilst I'm not personally a vegetarian it doesn't stop me enjoying this great food. Give it a go!

This is a wonderful vegetarian pub. The variety on the menu is fabulous and interesting. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. We also took away dishes from their take away menu for my hubby whilst I was away, he loved them and is on his way to becoming a non meat eater.

Add to the great options to eat there the frozen meals in the shop were awesome

Very nice vegan / vegetarian pub

Lovely place to eat. Staff were so friendly and accommodating. Food is out of the world tasty. Will def be back Thanks so much.

Excellent vegan menu. Superb quality and value. Easy parking.

Just came back from lunch at The Walnut Tree and can't recommend it enough. No wonder reviews are so good- place is lovely and food amazing! We had mushroom wellington and stilton stroganoff and they were fabulous! We'll def be coming back!

Fantastic service and food. Couldn’t ask for anything better. I wish I lived close enough to visit more often. I had the fish cakes and my husband the jackfruit pie followed by rocky road sundae and pear and ginger sponge, everything was delicious. 10/10

We are pescatarian and often struggle finding places to eat which offer something other than fish and chips and soya based burgers. The Walnut Tree specialises in vegetarian food. They understand flavours and know that people want value for money. We have been coming here ever since Jan took over what was The Buck’s Head and we have never been disappointed. The mushroom wellington is amazing as is the jackfruit “steak” and ale pie. Thank goodness their are so reasonable because it means we can visit more often.

Really warm and welcoming people, amazing food and so many GF and DF options.

If you're veggie, you'll love the sheer amount of choice and delicious, perfectly cooked food on offer here. If you're not, give this place a go to see how great veggie meals can be! Highly recommended, an oasis of innovative veggie options in a desert of meat-and-fish-obsessed restaurants.

What a little gem this place is, setting for the restaurant is really lovely. Great bar area. Staff are spot on and very attentive. Food is just amazing, definitely will be back and recommend this place to all x

What a lovely pub to visit for a lovely meal. My wife and I visited the Walnut Tree as I wanted to treat my wife to a vegetarian experience as she is a fussy eater and 95% vegetarian! I am a meat eater, but looking at the menu I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and tasty sounding meals available. We had Harissa Halloumi Skewers and Mushroom Arancini for starters…delightful. Mushroom Wellington and Bean/Sweet Potato enchiladas were the mains and again plentiful offerings and very tasty. Dessert was a raspberry trifle and blackcurrant sorbet, both following the same suit of tastiness. I must point out that the two female staff that we encountered were excellent hosts who were friendly and welcoming. Would I eat here again? Definitely. Would I recommend anyone eating here? Absolutely!

I'm not a vegetarian, but the meals and deserts are lovely.

I had read very good reviews of this restaurant and was looking forward to the experience. However left disappointed by the quality and presentation of the food . Starters served on plates with out any of the listed accompaniments - so basically packet bought tofu and mozzarella sticks deep fried on a plate - unappealing and dry . Main course - Menu description - Lebanese flat bread with “meat balls “, avocado, pomegranate, pine nuts , and salad . Reality - inedible paper thin flat bread , dry salad with no dressing , no avocado, pine nuts or pomegranate , and a puddle of oil from deep fried “meatballs”. I struggle to understand the difference between reviews written a few days earlier and my experience and can only assume they were operating without a chef.

Saw the Walnut Tree recommended so thought we'd give it a go. WOW!!! AMAZING FOOD EVERY SINGLE TIME and we have started going every week! The staff are super accommodating, prices are dirt cheap and portions ENORMOUS! The yummy takeaway+freezable meals (£20 for 5 meals!) in their shop keeps us going throughout the week. Loads of parking on the main Diss to Ipswich road and the place is always buzzing with great energy from the youngies to the oldies. ANY MEAT EATERS - PLS GIVE THIS PLACE A GO - YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

Absolutely divine! The food is to die for and lots of choice.

Went for a family birthday lunch today and the food was absolutely delicious, fantastic service the team couldn’t have been more attentive and welcoming. We live about 45 minutes away but will certainly be returning!

Lovely lovely food, very generous portion sizes, very fairly priced and lovely staff. Well worth the hour trek from Sudbury!

Went as a party of 9 plus toddler for a landmark birthday. All my requests re seating etc had been met. Everyone agreed the meal, which is all veggie, was fantastic, tasty and plentiful. The service and atmosphere was relaxed and efficient, no hint of being rushed. And come the end I was delighted the bill. Was less than expected!

Nice surroundings, good service & wonderful food.

Went for a meal for my birthday. Great choice of dishes. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Nice leisurely meal.

Absolutely superb definitely coming back

Easily the best veggie pub in East Anglia.

Went with our veggie friends. We are not vegetarian ourselves but we were delighted with the choice and standard of the food. Lovely flavours and served pipping hot. Staff were really attentive and friendly. Best meal out we have had in a long while and will certainly visit again.

Excellent lunch! Spoilt for choice here. All the meals that came out looked amazing. Good size portions and great care taken. We bought five of the frozen meals to take away which were all wonderful, especially the chickpea korma 💚

What a great place to eat, such a large selection of meals and very generous portions as well as being delicious. My friend has gluten and dairy intolerance and was able to have plenty of choice. We were looked after by very polite and attentive staff, the atmosphere was really lovely, it could not have been any better, I will definitely be returning.

Just… superb. We love vegetarian food but have never heard of a pub offering just this cuisine. We went with friends who live in the area when we were visiting for the weekend. Gorgeous - large! - starters. The mains were varied and extremely tasty. Those who had room for desserts were more than satisfied. Very friendly staff nice atmosphere. Would certainly recommend and hope to return at some point.

Friendly staff, log fire and comfy sofa, the restaurant needs a makeover but above all the food is tasty and the ambience is pleasant.

We’ve been wanting to visit here for a while but it’s around an hour from where we live, the stars aligned with an event in Ipswich so we were finally able to book a table. For me this is exactly what I had been missing, that pub food vibe, well thought out home cooked type food. Although the restaurant is veggie I was very impressed with the amount of dishes that could be offered vegan and so had a lot to choose from. I went for the Wellington and hubby had a dish from the specials board, both were really enjoyable. We were so impressed with the menu we went for the full 3 courses which we rarely do, and really enjoyed all of it. The service was outstanding, very responsive without being pushy and everyone was very friendly. Pub had a cosy vibe and tables were laid out in a way that felt quite intimate and is if you were away from other diners. We really enjoyed the whole experience and would definitely visit again.

We've been dining here off-and-on for seven years or so, (and at the Red Lion prior to that) and always been enthusiastic about it (see previous reviews) - until our last visit in 2023. On that occasion, we were treating some friends, having previously raved to them about the experience, and were embarrassed to endure below-average food. We didn't review, in the hope that it was just an off night, but we didn't come back for 9 months... This time round, we were hopeful that things would be so much better... So, Valentines, and the first glitch was to discover that it was a fixed-price 3-course menu. We were not warned about this when booking (we rarely eat 3 courses) and at £35 each, it was more than we usually spend, but hey ho.... Next was the chore of trying to read the menu. We had mentioned this on previous visits in that the tiny text on coloured paper and VERY dim lighting makes it an almost impossible task. "Lots of customers use their phones", our waitress advised. (I'd left mine in the car...) Clearly many people had grumbled about this, so why on earth haven't they done something about it? Maybe they could have loan torches? Our starters were nice, but unremarkable. Our mains (we both chose their renowned Mushroom Wellington) were lovely, but the accompanying veg was luke warm and so undercooked as to be uneatable. We both like 'al dente', but not raw! I would have expected a venue like this to have veg-cooking bang-on every time. The desserts were also not up to scratch. My wife's cheesecake had a rock-hard base and runny texture, which made it a 'mess' - and not from Eton! The 3 "churros" I chose were tiny and bland (looked like they came out of a packet), and came with a half a strawberry and a glass of luke-warm hot chocolate. A bizarre and unimpressive combination... The whole meal was such a disappointment, and whilst we made our feelings clear to the (lovely) staff, the best they could offer was "if you email maybe we can put it right". We discussed this, and decided we will not be returning, so making any kind of formal complaint would be pointless. It's a shame in that we love the staff, the venue, and the ambience (apart from the lighting) - but sadly, not the food...

Went twice in one week while visiting the area(husbands birthday treat.) I had the enchilada and a peanut butter torte (which was fabulous) on the friday and today( sunday 11th feb) i had a roast minus the yorkshire pud for the vegan option and a chocolate orange torte. The roast was delicious as was the torte. Service throughout was fab too, couldn't fault it.

I can’t rate this restaurant highly enough. We often visit. The food is high quality, reasonably priced, with lots of choice. The setting is a lovely old Suffolk pub with a cosy atmosphere. The staff are all so friendly and attentive. We love it and keep coming back for more!

Excellent food, great service, good prices. Food was also served pretty quickly so the kids didn't have time to get restless, always helpful! First time dining here and we were all really impressed. The kids liked their options, and we had excellent pasta and enchilada meals, great flavours, fresh veg and salad. Desserts {churros, cheesecake, ice cream for the kids) were also fantastic.

First time visiting here today. Gave up meat 2 years ago and have been meaning to visit but life got in the way. What a fantastic place. The menu was fab as was the specials board and I had a hard time choosing. My husband had the Wellington and from the board I had the beetroot, lentil and chestnut bourginion, both delicious and great portion sizing. Won't be long before another visit

Absolutely wonderful! I'd love to go there again. Xxxxx

Four of us for a birthday celebration lunch, The food was fantastic - DIY chinese pancakes with jackfruit for starters, mushroom wellington / sweet potato enchiladas /chunky chips and curly fries for mains and rocky road sundaes and raspberry trifle for dessert. All absolutely wonderful, full of flavour and really filling portions. Friendly staff, a quiet relaxed vibe, no rush and all good value. Cannot recommend more highly, we will definitely be back.

Absolutely phenomenal food and service. Can highly recommend and will definitely come again. Very good portion sizes and beautifully presented dishes. Very carefree ordering of food for vegans, with so much to choose from. The deserts were amazing too. Lovely choice of drinks from the bar. All in all a fabulous evening out and already planning our next visit!

Amazing food, friendly staff, lovely atmosphere. If only we had one of these near where we live! 100%. Best vegan menu I’ve seen in a while.

Great food and great service! Highly recommend

What a lovely place to go for brunch. We had a vegan breakfast, a vegetarian one and a stilton dish. All were perfectly cooked. The bubble and squeak was divine and the service was excellent. As it was cold outside we were given a table next to the log burner. Our dog was welcomed and we loved the place.

We've been to this Vegetarian/Vegan pub-restaurant many times over the past few years, sometimes with friends and sometimes, just the two of us. Every time the service has been friendly and helpful with the menu options. My wife is vegan and this is the best menu from a vegetarian and vegan point of view for miles. In fact, I can't think of a better Veggie/Vegan menu anywhere. This time we bought some in-house ready meals from the attached shop so we're looking forward to trying those. 5* for food and service in my opinion.

The best veggie/vegan place I've eaten at! My only complaint would be there were so many mouthwatering choices on the menu that I had very real FOMO as I couldn't order them all. When we'd finally made our decisions drinks came quickly, the food was delicious, portion sizes hearty, and at a very good price. The welcome was warm, wait staff all attentive and proactive, our drinks were kept full and courses came in good time. Lovely atmosphere, beautiful setting, we can't wait to come back.

Super vegetarian food at this lovely restaurant. This was our first time there, but we will definitely be returning. The menu had a good range of dishes, and ours were really tasty and well cooked. Portions were excellent as well. Coupled with the friendly service and very reasonable price, this is definitely recommended.

As vegetarians we get used to eating out where the options are risotto or pasta! This restaurant left us spoilt for choice. The staff were warm and welcoming. The log burner was glorious. Only downside is it is over 2 hours drive☹️

We’ve been a few times as a couple, and went as a family group on Christmas Eve to celebrate my wife’s birthday. As usual we were made very welcome, the food was delicious, service was great despite how busy it was, and the staff were lovely. Enjoyed it so much we’re coming back to celebrate my 80th in April! If you’re a meat eater, as are we, don’t be put off because the food is imaginative as well as delicious.

So I went for my firms New Year staff outing. One of my team is vegetarian so I wanted her to have a better range of food than you average pub. This is the best place to go interesting dishes lovely staff. I can not...

Amazing food - didn't miss meat at all !! Definitely coming back soon. Plants in bathroom needed water though :-)

Really impressed with the food. Great menu. Dont ve put off by it being veggie. Everything we had was delicious and well priced. The service was helpful and friendly. Just what we needed after suffering in the recent floods!

I'm not really a vegetarian fan, but those I was with really rated this place.

I am not a vegetarian but the meal was very nice and the service was very good.

Although not a vegetarian, the food here is fantastic. Visited last night, 21/12/2023, and enjoyed a great meal. The two ladies who served us were friendly and fun with a good sense of humour. And thank you for recommending the tiramisu!!

I'd challenge ardent carnivores to not enjoy a meal here. There is a wide choice of dishes, each one unique and imaginative in flavours. Service was efficient and friendly. The restaurant was quite quiet on the evening we visited, so there was a lack of...

Without doubt, the best vegetarian meal I've ever had. Lovely atmosphere. Really friendly staff. Can't wait to return!

Absolutely delicious food and fantastic service. Highly recommended superb variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes.

Good location with plenty of parking. Cosy and warm with log burners. Friendly and helpful staff and good food.

Beautiful place, amazing all vegetarian menu, finally a place I can walk into and order anything on the menu and be impressed! The Wellington is delicious!!

Fantastic service and fantastic food look forward to visiting again.

Oh my days what a fantastic place. Great food interesting ciders and beers friendly staff. I will be back many many times.

An accidental find on the back from Norfolk to Essex but now I make a point of going whenever I can. Gorgeous food in a beautiful building with a very pretty garden. I had the Buddha bowl and it was amazing, so fresh with homemade...

I am a huge fan of the Walnut Tree and yesterday introduced my mum, sister and niece to this wonderful restaurant. We had such a great lunch - the food was sensational as always and all the staff were so friendly and kind. Thank you...

Excellent veggie and vegan food. Friendly and helpful staff. Continues to be our favourite eating place.

Always lovely food and service.

Been here twice with friends who are vegan. Both times have really enjoyed the evening meals. First time, I had a mushroom stroganoff and second time a whole field mushroom in puff pastry with seasonal veg. So delicious. The dessert list is amazing, in fact the best choice ever. I had the raspberry trifle first time and clematine posset the second. Its very hard to choose as the desserts all sound amazing . Even if you are not vegan and my husband and I are not, you are bound to find something. Really impressed with the friendly and quick service. Will certainly return.

I love this place. The food is amazing and the service great. A lovely atmosphere with friendly staff. I have been loads of times with my family and friends. The desserts are delicious.

Had a very welcoming experience with The Walnut Tree a few days back. Three of us tried a diverse array of menu options and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Staff were lovely, as was the atmosphere of the place. How on earth I managed to miss this place for 6 years is beyond me. I'll be sure to return. Thanks also for the birthday sparklers. They never get old!

Absolutely fantastic Sunday Lunch

Fantastic food! Veggie and vegan. Soooo much choice. It can be hard to please my family re veggie and vegan food and they loved it and said they would go back

We were recommended The Walnut Tree by a family member and was a must for me to visit being vegan. The food was exceptional, I had the Buddha Bowl and my partner had the Enchiladas and Cheesy Garlic Bread. The portions were enormous! The restaurant...

I’m not vegetarian but visited here with two friends who are. The food was amazing, I had the cauliflower cheese pie and it was very nice and the chips were great. The coconut icecream that I had for dessert was amazing. Generous portion sizes, great...