That aren’t Greggs.
Recently, a certain local newspaper with offensive tendencies posted a list of 5 places around the fine city of Norwich that people can go to get their hands on a vegan sausage roll. Independent shops and cafes that might not have the same level of fame as Greggs, but who sell equally delicious snacks. Problem is, they missed a couple of really great options. They also didn’t really offer much useful information beyond ‘you can get a sausage roll here’.
If you’re keen to shop local or are just fed up of going into Greggs to see that they’re still sold out, here are seven independent venues in Norwich where you can invest in a vegan sausage roll – along with vegan pasties, brownies, scotch eggless-es and a lot of other good stuff. I’ve even put some actual details in, because who doesn’t love that sort of thing?
1 – KindaKafe – 21-23 Castle Meadow
Photos by KindaKafe
The nutty soysage rolls at KindaKafe are so moreish that the first time I had one, I went back the next day, and then the next day, and then the next day to get more.
These vegan savoury rolls are stuffed with herbs and pecans, and you can get one served hot or cold to eat in or take away. Better yet, if you’ve got a serious hunger rumbling in your stomach, you can get one of these as part of a meal deal and pair it up with salad and a smoothie for under £6. Delish.
2 – Tofurei – Pottergate
Photo by Tofurei
Tofurei make all kinds of vegan goodies using locally-sourced soy beans and witchcraft. Okay, it may not be actual witchcraft, but this stuff is magic so I wouldn’t be surprised. After selling snack-sized vegan sausage rolls for quite a while, Tofurei recently added jumbo versions to their repertoire – they’re £3 to take away or a little more to eat in, but there are several varieties to choose from.
All year round, you can enjoy the festive treat that is the chestnut and cranberry soysage roll, or stick to a traditional sage and onion flavour. Or, if neither of those float your boat, get stuck into their pastry homage to the currywurst instead. They’re all stuffed with a tofu-based sausage”meat” creation, and far too easy to devour.
3 – Aroma – 5 Upper King Street
Aroma made it onto my radar not long ago because my old workmate Tony wouldn’t stop raving on about how flipping brilliant everything they do really is. He’s a man who knows what’s what, so I’m always inclined to believe him.
As well as serving up some of the best coffee in the city with a choice of plant milks, Aroma now sell big ol’ vegan sausage rolls for £2.80 alongside their usual meaty fare. Packed with Christmas stuffing-like goodness and just the right amount of caramelised onion, these are a seriously tasty snack, and you can get one warmed up even if you’re dashing out the door.
Rumour has it they have a few sweet treats kicking around for us plant-based people too… I know where I’m heading for lunch tomorrow, and I reckon you should too.
4 – That Cafe – 27 St Augustine’s
I’m a big fan of That Cafe, and not just because they once served me the biggest vegan fry up I’ve ever eaten when they ran out of sausages and offered me burgers instead. They also have an ever-present selection of vegan brownies and cakey things, occasional vegan cheese straws and scones, and some of the nicest staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of being served by. Oh yeah, and vegan sausveg rolls for £2.50.
As an added bonus, on top of having all kinds of dairy-free milks and a discount scheme for BYO-cups, you can actually call up and order brownie deliveries if you plan a day ahead. The website boasts 157 vegan brownie options out of a total 549 possible brownie combinations… a true dedication to the art.
5 – The Green Grocers – 2-4 Earlham House Shops
The Green Grocers are known by a lot of Norwich vegans as being one of the original places to get a slammin’ vegan pizza, since way back before every chain restaurant and their cat started serving them. They focus on stocking organic local produce, winning top sustainability points alongside scoring a spot on the sausage roll list.
It’s £4 for a seed-topped sos roll and salad to eat in at The Green Grocers, though there are other worthwhile options on the menu too – from cakes and snacks to a delectable vegan breakfast.
6 – Mustard – 3 Bridewell Alley
If you don’t have a good food pic, cop out and post the shop front instead
As well as lots of vegan-friendly smoothies and coffees, and an always-changing vegan soup option to feast on at lunch time, Mustard now sell a veg-stuffed savoury roll for under £3. It isn’t pretending to be a sausage, as such, but it’s a lot of tasty goodness packed into a pastry tube and so I’m still counting it on this “sausage” roll list. Perfect for people who like to get their five-a-day in as subtle a way as possible,
7 – Little Shop of Vegans – 137-139 Magdalen Street
Last, but by no means least, the icing on the Magdalen Street cake; Little Shop of Vegans. A one-stop-shop for all kinds of cruelty-free goodies, including toiletries, gift ideas and fancy imported vegan cuisine that nobody else has, Little Shop of Vegans also feed us all a steady supply of Food by Lizzi vegan savoury rolls and scotch eggless.
While the eggless-es come in flavours like maple “bacon”, pizza and Colonel Mustard, savoury rolls can be snapped up in cheddar-style and red onion, sundried tomato and basil, and a seasonal cranberry and chestnut. Grab one cold to takeaway, but for the full effect I’d definitely recommend warming one in the oven and dunking it in your preferred condiment once you get home.
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Let me know if I’ve missed anywhere else from my list that people ought to know about – the longer I can make my planned Sausage Roll Crawl of Norwich, the better!
For more places to eat rad vegan food around the city, check out this post right here – or for vegan and veggie-friendly venues in wider Norfolk, that link ought to do it.
