A NEW vegan bakery has opened in Newport and is already proving popular with the community.

At the Green Kitchen, located on Cromwell Road in Newport, everything served there is plant-based – where the food served is derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruits, with no animal products.

Since opening in July, which was pushed back due to the coronavirus lockdown, owner and self-proclaimed foodie Patricia Mellor, 42, is feeling optimistic and excited about the future of her business.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, opening this type of shop” she said.

“Every time me and my husband would go out there were no quality vegan foods on offer.

“It would make such a difference in the amount of people that then go vegan as most people fear it’s not very practical when going out with family or wanting a takeaway on a Friday”.

Mrs Mellor currently runs the shop herself, baking by the hour and serving customers as they approach the shop.

Some of the food she has on offer is toasties, pancakes, porridge bowls, salad bowls, bean burgers, stews, curries, pies and cakes.

Before going vegan herself around six years ago, she suffered from severe digestive problems, and at one point was ill for around a month.

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“I then made the decision to change something and had heard of vegan alternatives for your health,” she added.

“After researching it, and why it would be best for me, I started cutting out red meat. After that period of time, it stopped being what I had to give up and more what I could introduce."

Her biggest tip for anyone wanting to try cooking vegan – treat your main vegetable option as your meat, the star of the dish, and you “will always be successful in any dish you create”.

Mrs Mellor has a degree in hospitality and has worked in the industry for years. Just recently she has qualified in business development, which she said gave her the skills and tools to open her own place.

All packaging and containers used to store food in the shop is biodegradable, with the meal boxes made from corn-starch and the cups from corn syrup.

Mrs Mellor is starting to make the move into delivering in the area, but to keep within the shops eco-friendly ethos, she wanted them to be done by bike and has successfully found someone in the area to do so.

Deliveries will be done within a three-mile radius, and start on Tuesday, September 29.

“It’s imperative to me to create a green business,” she added.

“If you don’t empower people around you when you open a business, you are failing them”.

There are coronavirus guidelines in place, and no one can enter the store, with orders being done by the door as well as payments. There is hand sanitizer by the door to use.

Find the Green Kitchen on Facebook - @TGKthegreenkitchen