Bed. Broccoli. Brilliant.

Chantal indulges in her personal idea of heaven at Australia’s first and only vegan B&B in country Victoria.

If there were a utopia on Earth, Bed and Broccoli is the place. A paradise for animals and people.

Situated in Katandra, just 15 minutes from Shepparton in country Victoria, Bed and Broccoli is an old dairy that has been heart-warmingly converted into a charming self-contained bed and breakfast. Making this an even more exclusive experience is the fact that this little country haven is Australia’s first and only vegan B&B.

Bed & Broccoli’s friendly residents

Owners, Nikki and Scott, welcome you with open arms. Hospitality is second nature here. Tasty meals served at your door, a friendly place to sit and share a glass of good wine and soak up the ambient atmosphere, and the chance to learn about the individual stories of each and every happy resident.

Rest assured, Bed and Broccoli may be a vegan establishment but it has absolutely everything to make any and every guest fall in love with this tranquil paradise.

Cruelty-Free Bliss

The Food:

Oh the food. I’ve never eaten as well as this in my life. If you think vegan food is all lettuce and carrots, Nikki’s culinary skills will leave you drooling over your words.

On arrival we were treated to a bottle of Yalumba chardonnay, fresh focaccia bread with sumptuous homemade dips and sweet, flaky and freshly baked baklava.

Tucking into some vegan pasta yumminess

Dinner was a salivatious feast. We greedily devoured spaghetti with rich, thick tomato and basil sauce served with fresh, crusty garlic bread. Then we shared the Turkish gozlemes—thick and crusty on the outside, delicate on the inside— washed down with a nice drop of cabernet sauvignon.

Dessert was button-poppingly spectacular: butterscotch pudding, dripping with sauce and finished with soy ice-cream. Oh my!

However, nothing beats Bed and Brocollis’ breakfast. Tofu scramble with pan-fried mushrooms and tomatoes—sure beats any egg I’ve ever had! The sweet poffertjes with strawberries, maple syrup all dusted with icing sugar had us licking our plates.

Mmmm, delicious vegan brekkie

The Animals:

No vegan retreat is complete without the company of some four-legged and feathered friends. Upon arrival Chaz and Kahn, the resident dogs, happily greeted us.

We giggled like children as we fed and cuddled up to Frankie and Pacific, two bobby calves rescued by Nikki and Scott from a neighbouring dairy farm. And Squirty, the ex-dairy cow, allowed me to stroke her overused belly and marvel at her stunning, almond-shaped eyes.

Heff the rooster and his happy harem of lady chickens

Heff the rooster and his happy harem of lady chickens were also curious to meet us. They cheerfully strutted their stuff, bathed in sunlight, and pecked through the garden. All was how it should be.

Bed and Broccoli is a whole lot more than its name suggests: food that makes your knees weak. Animals that make your heart melt. And people that welcome you like old friends.

My husband and I have never had a more welcoming, friendly and warming experience. A bed and breakfast to change the world for the better.

[slideshow post_id=”4046″].