Georgian Bath is chock a block with tourists and shoppers on a sunny afternoon in August and finding somewhere pleasant to eat away from the throng can be quite a challenge.

Dodging the living statues, camera-toting Americans and crowds of French students as well as scores of summer students and the usual enthusiastic pack of shoppers we made our way to the Porter Bar, with its promise of a wholesome vegetarian menu.

The Porter Bar in George Street is only five minutes away from the hectic city centre but a world away from the crowds.

On the Saturday in question, the bar was quiet and the generous outside seating area was only half full.

The Porter boasts it is Bath's most famous vegetarian pub though I suspect it is the only one with a full vegetarian menu served all day, from 11am to 9pm.

If you are looking for vegetarian haute cuisine and sophistication, then the superlative Demuths restaurant might be a better choice, but for well cooked and swiftly served veggy pub grub, the Porter Bar is hard to beat.

The pub is very popular with the local student population and boasts a busy programme of live music and comedy in the Cellar Bar, beneath the pub.

Inside, the Porter Bar has very traditional pub dcor, not particularly smart and perfumed with beer, but pleasant enough.

As the weather was warm we took advantage of the outdoor dining area, an attractive pavement with pretty hanging baskets.

The menu boasts a range of main meals, all costing £5.25, including vegan ratatouille, mushroom stroganoff and spinach lasagne.

A vegetarian breakfast is served for £4.10, and other pub favourites on the menu include ploughman's, nachos, hot pies, salads and shepherd's pie.

I ordered the cashew nut curry, a spicy vegetable and coconut curry with nuts and sultanas, served with rice, a poppadom and mango chutney.

My partner chose the vegan chilli, with red kidney beans, mushrooms, sweetcorn and peppers, served with chips and a salad garnish.

Both meals arrived within a few minutes and our plates were laden with generous quantities of fragrant, spicy food.

The curry was rich and tasty, with plenty of cashew nuts and more rice than I was able to eat.

The chilli was fruity and hot, packing a pleasing punch.

The menu is GM free and the pub serves up organic Fair Trade coffee so you can eat and drink with a clear conscience.

For two meals and drinks the bill came to £13.50 which seems very reasonable.

I can see why the pub is so popular with students.