Veggie Pret Review

To all my fellow vegans and vegetarians - are you tired of wasting your lunch breaks endlessly scanning food labels for unwanted animal ingredients? Or are you just downright sick of not having a wide selection of food?

Wouldn't it be nice to enter a sandwich shop on your lunch break and be absolutely spoilt for choice?

Well, now you can, thanks to Pret a Manger's all-veggie baby, Veggie Pret.

I've always been an avid fan of Pret a Manger, although, it was much easier to enjoy eating at the chain when I was vegetarian. I remember around Christmas time they released an amazing vegan seasonal baguette with cranberry sauce - it was absolutely delicious! But I was disappointed at the lack of vegan selection.

Last June the sandwich chain opened up a veggie pop-up standalone restaurant. The success of the veggie pop-up and the ever growing amount of herbivores in the UK inspired Chief Executive Clive Schlee to open up two vegetarian standalone stores in London. "It seems the movement for eating less meat continues to grow" - wrote Mr Schlee on his blog. Well spotted! With nearly half a million vegans in the UK and a million more vegetarians, it's about time we're given more choice when it comes to eating out.

Am I beating myself up for leaving London now? YES. I was both thrilled and gutted when I heard this news. But luckily for me, I regularly make visits to London, and last week I finally got the chance to step inside this vegetarian haven.

The two Veggie Pret's are unsurprisingly located in London's two most quirky and characteristic areas - Soho and Shoreditch. These areas have the highest population of vegans and vegetarians, and there already is a selection of veggie-friendly restaurants available.Words cannot explain how ecstatic I was when I walked into the shop. I was so eager I didn't even know where to look first - sandwiches or hot food?! Admittedly, it was actually slightly overwhelming, as I wasn't used to having so much choice!The menu offers a wide range of vegan salads, sandwiches, drinks and snacks. Miles better than the ordinary falafel and hummus wrap option given at most sandwich shops. Don't get me wrong, I love falafel and I love hummus, but I'm sick to death of it being the only option.Here are a few items from the menu to tantalise your tastebuds...

VEGAN MENU (from www.pret.co.uk)

Vegan Brownie A rich, indulgent, and completely vegan chocolate brownie filled with gooey salted caramel.

Vegan Mac & Greens A warming, comforting mac & cheese that's completely vegan!

Banana, Blueberries & Almond Butter Toasted Tortilla Sliced banana and a handful of blueberries scattered on top of almond butter. A shake of icing sugar for a little added sweetness and this is ready to be toasted.

Cauli & Turmeric Super-Veg Salad Turmeric-roasted cauliflower, spiralised courgette, cucumber, edamame beans and pickled cabbage on a bed of spinach, brown rice and red quinoa with cashew nuts and a pot of teryaki dressing.

Super Beans, Broccoli & Turmeric Cauli Veggie Box Turmeric-roasted cauliflower, boroccoli florets, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, our super bean mix of fava beans and split peas and our seed mix.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Chia Pot A rich and creamy vegan chia pot combining soaked chia seeds, dairy-free coconut yoghurt and a dark chocolate sauce topped with fresh blueberries and pomegranate.

Sweet Potato Falafel & Beets Veggie Box An all-vegan recipe of tuermeric and sweet potato falafel, smashed beetroot humous, avocado, brococoli, pomegranate seeds and edamame beans.

I decided to go for vegan mac & greens seeing as it had been far too long since I enjoyed mac and cheese. I also got a packet of sea salt and cider vinegar crisps, and a brownie because I had yet to try a vegan brownie that didn't feel and taste like dirt.

All three items came to around £9, which is quite pricey for lunch but trust me; it was worth EVERY PENNY.

I've actually been wondering if veggie pret are lying about the mac & greens being vegan because it tasted SO CHEESY. You may be familiar with trying some pretty funky tasting vegan cheese, but this was was perfectly creamy, with soft macaroni pasta, green veg, cauliflower and finished with perfect crispy bits on top. The mac & greens totalled around to around £5, but it was served hot and incredibly filling. Definitely worth every single penny.

I was so full from my mac & greens I left the chocolate brownie as a treat for later. I was very apprehensive about this brownie. As I mentioned earlier, I've tried too many dodgy vegan brownies throughout my journey and I was worried that this was going to be yet another letdown. Shoutout to veggie pret for proving me wrong! The texture of this brownie was on point - it was smooth, didn't stick to the roof of my mouth or teeth, and had a gooey caramel centre.

The chocolate was very rich and not overwhelmingly sweet. Admittedly, at first I was slightly disappointed at the size of the brownie, but the richness of the chocolate made the small square a satisfying treat.

Overall my experience at Veggie Pret was fantastic. Pret is always a lovely experience as the staff are always so kind and friendly (shout out to the barista at the Marble Arch branch who gave me a free coffee one morning just because).

My only criticism is that there aren't enough vegan cakes (the chocolate brownie being the only one). Us vegans like cake too! Feed us more cake!

I've heard of plans for Veggie Pret to be expanding over to the US soon. I only hope that they open up more stores in the UK. But in the meantime, Pret a Manger have released a few new vegan and veggie options in their regular stores.