A pioneering cafe has become Maidstone’s first, fully vegan eatery.

As of today (Friday) the Fortify Cafe, in the High Street, will only serve food that is 100% vegan.

Changes have gradually been introduced to its menu over the past 18 months with the last changes made to its selection of sandwiches.

Dairy milk is now off the menu.

Customers will instead have a choice of soya, oat, almond or hemp milk.

Dairy cheese has also been cut.

There will now be two types of nut based cheese available, one made of cashew and the other a gouda.

The eatery also stocks a mock-zer-ella, which is made of soya milk, and a muenster vegan cheese which is close to Brie and comes with a paprika dusting.

It will also serve seitan, a ‘wheat meat’ that has been used by Buddhists since the sixth century.

Owner James Hooper, who set up the business in 2009, said: “We want to give people that totally vegan opportunity. There’s no premises around here that’s exclusively vegan.

“Being a vegetarian is hard enough, that’s why I have a strong feeling about this. Being a vegan shouldn’t be difficult.”