Having recently completed Veganuary, I wanted to continue my herbivorous journey and keep trying more plant-based food.

After a quick Google search, I was delighted to find that Kent has its own fully plant-based eatery, the Wallflower Cafe, nestled in Herne Bay.

I didn’t expect many people to be flocking to the seaside town at this time of year. However, when we arrived at the cafe, I could see several tables were already taken and a small queue was forming at the counter.

We stepped inside and joined the line of hungry customers. As we patiently waited our turn, I noticed a quirky collection of decor: hanging rainbow flags, stacks of recipe magazines and a floral two-seater sofa plonked in the middle of the old country kitchen-style table and chairs.

There was also a tall, glass cabinet where cakes were displayed but it looked as though it had already been pretty much cleared out – and it was barely even lunchtime.

A friendly but slightly frazzled-looking server greeted me at the front of the queue. She got further flustered when the clunky till didn’t play ball and she had to punch in the numbers several times, but I assured her it wasn’t a problem in an attempt to calm her nerves.

There’s a breakfast menu (we were too late for this) and a full main menu with hot dishes, brunches, salad bowls, coffees, smoothies and milkshakes. It’s all 100% plant-based, as the many signs reminded us.

We ordered the mushroom hoisin wrap with chips and salad (£9.95), chilli-loaded chips (£9.95), a latte (£3.20) and hot chocolate (£4) and squeezed into our seats at the only free table.

Unfortunately, this was right next to the dodgy door which, despite our efforts, refused to fully close. The cold February air was constantly blowing in our direction and I deeply regretted leaving my coat in the car.

Another member of staff, who looked like she was barely out of school, then stopped by our table to inform us they’d run out of hoisin sauce, so I opted for the sourdough toast with mushroom, spinach and avocado instead.

Now, we weren’t in any kind of rush but, in a cafe, I expect the hot drinks to be dished out fairly quickly.

We ended up waiting for 15 minutes before our coffee and hot chocolate arrived and, during that time, I heard two other customers ask how much longer their food would be. I could tell the young colleagues were getting a bit muddled and that seemed to cause delays in the kitchen.

We waited another 25 minutes for our food, by which time my hot chocolate had, unfortunately, turned into a cold chocolate.

Both plates looked great. The chilli chips were steaming hot and piled high with a generous amount of toppings, including guacamole, cheese and sour cream. There could’ve been a jalapeno or two for some spice, but it was a warm, hearty meal.

My dish was also a good size and presented very prettily. The sourdough bread was lightly toasted with plenty of butter, and the mushrooms and spinach had a decent kick of garlic and a tangy balsamic drizzle. The sliced avocado on top could’ve done with a crack of salt and pepper, but it was fresh and filling.

However, I must admit that, from my seat, I could see the kitchen very clearly and spotted several ingredients I recognised from my weekly Aldi shop. I appreciate businesses need to keep costs low, but seeing that a lot of the food was being made with ingredients that I have in my own fridge made me begrudge the price somewhat.

I think many people would also assume that somewhere with a vegan ethos would use locally sourced, sustainable ingredients and it was a little disappointing that that didn’t seem to be the case.

Overall I enjoyed my visit and it’s great to see a plant-based business thriving. I’m happy that the Wallflower Cafe exists and wish it a very successful future.

However, I do think there’s room for improvement when it comes to having more experienced staff and better-quality ingredients to help put Kent’s vegan cuisine on the map.

My biggest piece of advice if you plan on visiting the Wallflower Cafe? Bring a coat!

Out of five:

Food: Generous portion sizes and nicely presented, but the seasoning was a little lacking ***

Drink: The hot chocolate and latte we had were pleasant enough. I would’ve loved to try a milkshake but it was simply too cold - maybe in the summer! ***

Décor: Eclectic and colourful. Nothing matched, but that gave it an authentic, homey feel. A couple of rugs or blankets could’ve taken the edge off the draught from the open door. ****

Staff: Very friendly and welcoming, but they all seemed quite young and on the inexperienced side, leading to wrong orders and long wait times ***

Price: I don’t think you’ll find much cheaper if you’re looking for specialist vegan food, however, the prices would be more justifiable if local produce was used ***