Eat My Words: We review the vegan breakfast at Pacey’s Bakery and Coffee Shop in Spalding

The Full English breakfast is a staple and household classic for lots of people – but can a vegan alternative measure up? I decided to ditch the tradition and see what this new option had to offer.

For some people the start of a new year can bring a variety of things such as setting unachievable goals which you know won’t last, gloomy winter mornings, dreams about how brilliant the summer was and… Veganuary.

In some cases I think the dietary change may be used as a way to make some people feel better for their seasonal eating, or as a way for them to project to others that they have tried it and ‘could never not eat meat’.

Veganuary was first introduced in 2014 to promote and educate veganism, by encouraging individuals to live a plant-based lifestyle – and many people carry that on into February and beyond in a bid to keep up their new habit.

I am not vegan but I have been following a pescatarian lifestyle for nearly three years, which involves a similar diet to vegetarians, with the addition of fish.

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Whenever I see a plant-based option on a menu, I am quite intrigued to see what is included – and the same was true about this vegan breakfast at a coffee shop close to me.

I am by no means a morning person, so waking up and leaving the house early is always a task - especially when it’s cold. So, when I discovered that Pacey’s Bakery and Coffee House in Red Lion Street, Spalding served their breakfast all day, I was delighted.

My partner and I arrived at around 11.30am, with our tummies rumbling, ready to devour a tasty meal.

As we walked into the warm and cosy bakery, we could instantly tell it was a popular hot spot for customers buying fresh bread, pastries, cakes and more.

The aroma coming from upstairs meant it was easy for our noses to guide us up to the coffee shop.

The friendly waitress led us to our table and took our orders. The mostly-empty tables in the room started to fill up immediately and, before we knew it, all of them were taken. A good job we got there when we did.

As we sat waiting in anticipation for our meals to arrive (my boyfriend watching the kitchen door like a hawk), we wondered what the mystery vegan breakfast would consist of.

When our meals arrived, we spared no time getting stuck in. Alongside my breakfast I ordered a pot of green tea – which to my pleasant surprise included a flapjack on the side – and my boyfriend enjoyed a glass of cloudy apple juice.

My breakfast included two vegan sausages, two sweetcorn fritters, a slice of granary toast with vegan butter, beans, tomatoes and ‘slugs’ (aka – mushrooms) – which I opted out of.

By contrast, my boyfriend ordered the Full English breakfast, consisting of two Lincolnshire sausages, two slices of bacon, beans, two hash browns, mushrooms – which he also chose not to have! – a fried egg and two slices of toast. The man’s got an appetite!

To my surprise the vegan sausages had a crispy exterior but also a soft and potatoey texture and resembled a mixture between a hash brown and vegetable dipper.

I had never had a veggie alternative sausage like it before, and they were by no means a direct ‘meat substitute’, but I did enjoy them.

The sweetcorn fritters were so good, spicy and full of flavour and the vegan butter, in my opinion, tasted exactly like the dairy version – the only difference was that it didn’t really melt and was more yellow.

My boyfriend was thrilled with his breakfast, rating it 10/10. He said the sausages were meaty, eggs were nice and runny – not snotty! – and the bacon was nice but maybe could have been a bit crispier (that’s his personal preference). The large serving of toast was a win win.

All in all we were very happy with our dining experience and would love to go back to try some of the other options on the menu that grabbed our attention.

My only criticism for the plant-based breakfast would be that if they are thinking about keeping the option on the menu in the long term, an addition of vegan bacon or vegan scrambled eggs could elevate the dish even more.

If I am being honest, I don’t think the breakfast would satisfy a meat eater’s desires and knock the Full English off its pedestal but as a pescatarian I would certainly have it again.

Read all of our Eat My Words reviews here

As we left the bakery I noticed a lot of the baked goods had gone down very quickly from the time we first arrived – so make sure to get there in good time to avoid missing out!

Food: All of the food we had was hot and very tasty. I also noticed on the menu, that the cafe offers a range of options which cater for other dietary requirements – which is good. ****

Drink: We both enjoyed our drinks and I managed to get three cups out of my teapot. *****

Decor: A clean and fairly modern aesthetic. ****

Staff: The staff and service they provided was quick and friendly. *****

Price: Both of our breakfasts cost £10.50 each – which I think is good value for money and pretty average. ****

Have you had a great meal? Share your own Eat My Words reviews or tell us where to try by emailing: news@lincsonline.co.uk