Vegan eatery the Greenhouse Cafe has opened in Felixstowe on Orwell Road.

Diners following a completely plant-based diet now have even more choice in Suffolk, with a brand new café having opened in Felixstowe.

Known predominately for beachside fish and chips and ice cream, the seaside town is undergoing a period of change for the better and Kate White, owner of Greenhouse Café on Orwell Road, thought the time was right to inject Felixstowe with a little bit of vegan love.

Kate, who lives in the town with her husband, said: “Last winter I walked past the shop loads of times. I’d had a rough personal life for a little while and kept looking at it thinking ‘what if’?

“The seed was planted and I decided to come and have a look around. My husband came on board and we decided we had to buy it. When we had the offer accepted my daughter who’s a vegan and lived in London asked if she could set up the foodie side of it. We felt there was a need for something a little bit different here.”

East Anglian Daily Times: It has been opened for just over a week now. Picture: RACHEL EDGEIt has been opened for just over a week now. Picture: RACHEL EDGE (Image: Archant)

During the summer and early autumn months the family (including daughters Alice and Evie) have been working tirelessly together to bring the Greenhouse Café to life, with Kate adamant it be called plant-based and not vegan which she says is “quite an emotive word”.

Everything in the café is suitable for those living a vegan lifestyle, although dairy milk is offered to those who want it. “I want to encourage people to come in who are not vegan to see how delicious the food can be,” Kate adds. “We want people to have a mindset change and this is a gentler way of doing that. I’m vegetarian and I do try very hard to be vegan as much as possible but I must confess I do still eat cheese. I’m exactly the kind of person I’m trying to attract here. We want to encourage flexitarianism so we’ve got things like our nossage roll, which is very similar to a sausage roll, in fact, you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. It’s little things like that which will help steer people away from meat and to try something new.”

Open from 9am, the contemporary and very green interior is a cool addition to the town, beginning in the mornings with everything from the signature Greenhouse guacamole and homemade salsa on toasted bread, to a breakfast stack of nossage patty, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes in an English muffin. Then there’s the homemade granola, scones, cakes and “amazing blackcurrant croissants” – all of it homemade.

“From 12noon we’re doing a special dish of the day. When we launched it was a fungi pie which was supposed to be a vegan alternative to a fish pie with mushrooms and the sauce and capers and mash on top. That will change daily, and we’ll always have soups, and ‘fill em ups’ which are fresh bread filled with things like ‘chuna mayo’ or roasted vegetables and hummus.”

East Anglian Daily Times: The plant based cafe serves breakfasts, hot lunches and bakery items. Picture: RACHEL EDGEThe plant based cafe serves breakfasts, hot lunches and bakery items. Picture: RACHEL EDGE (Image: Archant)

Cakes change daily, with gluten-free options baked locally. And the drinks menu is very much focussed on being ethical and local too, sourcing Marimba for hot chocolate, Kandula tea from Cambridge, ChariT, which supports social projects, and Wonky Fruit Juice. Only glass bottles are sold. The takeaway cups are china and can be returned and reused. And plastic cups have a 5p levvy attached to them, with proceeds going to Plastic-Free Felixstowe.

“We’re a tiny café, but we’re trying to do our bit,” Kate smiles.

Greenhouse Café is open 9am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

East Anglian Daily Times: A new vegan cafe has opened in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Picture: RACHEL EDGEA new vegan cafe has opened in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Picture: RACHEL EDGE (Image: Archant)