It’s that time of year when you still haven't quite got over the festive season – when you feel like you ate your own body weight in cheese, chocolate and puddings – and the New Year resolution to shift a few pounds is already a struggle if not a distant memory.

You want to head out for breakfast, but still can’t face the thought of a Full English.

So what’s a girl to do? Find a brekkie that’s not loaded with carbs, that’s what.

Now, I’ll be honest, I haven’t been a Full English fan for a while – the thought of a mountain of eggs, beans, bacon and bread first thing in the morning just doesn’t appeal to me anymore.

But offer me up an Eggs Benedict/Royale/Florentine, a sausage muffin or even the odd pancake or waffle with fruit and I’m in.

This particular weekend, not much was floating my boat. Then I saw Angelina’s in Snodland pop up in my socials.

Photos of glossy-looking eggs, perfectly toasted toast, hollandaise the colour of sunshine, breakfast bowls of yoghurt and granola packed with a rainbow of fruit all had me salivating.

So we booked a table (easy-peasy online) and off we went.

Our visit happened to coincide with the first full weekend the place was open and accepting walk-ins – the weekend before had been for bookings only – so we were expecting a few hiccups.

I’ll tell you early on, there weren’t any.

The first surprise is when you walk through the door. For those of you familiar with Snodland, Angelina’s has opened in what used to be one of two Co-ops in the High Street. The other has not long opened as a Budgens.

The shopping aisles have been replaced with a bright, light and airy restaurant, decorated in creams and pale greens, intricately patterned tiles on the floor and a massive glass roof halfway down the building which floods light into the middle of the dining area, which is huge.

We were welcomed with a smile, shown to our table and brought a carafe of lemon-infused water while we pondered the menu.

I’ll be honest, I wanted the eggs benedict, or the pancakes or the banana bread but, determined to stick with my healthier path, I opted for the Shakshuka baked eggs (£11.50).

They are described on the menu as spicy-mild, with red peppers and tomatoes seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, spinach leaves and flatbread. You can add feta (as I did, apparently I can still fit some cheese in) or potato hash.

Hubby opted for the eggs benedict with bacon (£11), just to drive me mad, and we both ordered tea.

Our drinks arrived promptly and given my dish was being baked, the 20-ish minute wait for our food to arrive seemed about right. It also gave us a chance to see what everyone else was being served.

And what was coming past us looked great.

Granola bowls with mixed berry compote, pancakes with stacks of fruit. Even the Full English drew me in (crispy bacon, fried or poached egg, sausage, mushroom, potato hash, charred tomato, baked beans and sourdough toast if you’re interested).

They also do their own Angelina’s breakfast with smashed avocado on sourdough, bacon, chorizo, poached egg and charred tomato sweet chilli chutney if you’re after something with a twist.

But back to our orders. Sometimes you see something on a restaurant’s socials and the reality doesn’t quite live up to the image. This time, we weren’t disappointed.

Hubby’s eggs benedict – poached eggs, in-house hollandaise, smoked bacon or ham – was hot, beautifully presented and “delicious”. He said the bacon was cooked to just the right amount of crispiness and the eggs poached to perfection.

As for my baked eggs, for something I'd never tried before and was a bit wary of ordering, it was an immediate hit.

The tomatoes were rich with a sweet tang and the spiciness was hot enough to give it a mouth-tingling kick but not so hot it turned your lips numb. The eggs were rich and still runny and the flat breads were sturdy enough to soak up the sauce without making you feel stuffed.

I took my time to slowly demolish it and no doubt I’ll be ordering it again, although next time I’m going to try the Turkish poached eggs, which come with whipped garlic labneh and hot chilli brown butter.

Staff were friendly, attentive but discreet, and were happy to hear feedback from all their customers as well as share their vision of what they’re trying to do.

If there was anything to criticise, it was the plates. I know, picky, but when we tried to cut into something, the plate slid slightly on the table. We quickly resolved it with a paper napkin under the plates – no drama – but it’s something they might want to bear in mind to avoid a repeat performance of Blackpool 1986 when I was staying at a B&B and managed to tip a piping hot Full English breakfast complete with baked beans into my lap, all over my pink tracksuit.

My teenage self was hurt/mortified/embarrassed and it has clearly haunted me as I have, ever since, always pushed my plate back on a table whenever I sit down to eat.

When we visited, they also didn’t have a menu in the window. Maybe that was deliberate and they’re waiting until they are fully up and running to show everything they’re offering, but we saw a few people peer in and then walk away. A visible menu may have enticed them in.

Angelina’s is a new venture and I wish them all the best. The prices aren’t cheap but, in my opinion, some things are worth paying a little more for and treating yourself if you can.

By the time you read this, they had planned to be opening for lunches and the idea (according to one of the team) was to be opening for dinner too by the end of January.

And also by the time you read this, I’ve probably already been back. If I haven’t, it won’t be long before I do. I may have just found my new favourite place to get the day off to the best of starts.

Out of five:

Food: Instagram-worthy dishes which were flavour-packed too. The menu has a good range of options with a few twists. I can’t wait to see what they serve up for lunch and dinner *****

Drink: We had two breakfast teas, which came in china teapots and elegant teacups and saucers. There’s other teas and juices available, and the coffees looked worth a second visit. No doubt the drinks offer will extend along with the opening hours. Complimentary ice water with lemon was delivered to the table too. ****

Decor: Light, airy, relaxed elegance. Chairs and bench seating were comfy with a Mediterranean vibe. They’ve transformed what was once a supermarket into a huge eating area. And I mean huge *****

Staff: Friendly and efficient *****

Price: £29.70 for two meals and two drinks including a tip. Some will think it’s a bit pricey for Snodland but it offers something different to the town, and with West Malling and Kings Hill just up the road, this competes with some of the restaurants there ****