UK chain Homeslice Pizza is to open its first all-vegan restaurant in collaboration with alt-meat brand Symplicity Foods. The site will replace Homeslice’s existing location on Old Street in Shoreditch, London.
Homeslice’s founders, Alan and Mark Wogan, both partners in Symplicity, report that the plant-based pizzas offered at the chain’s conventional sites have proven highly popular, and their success was the catalyst behind the idea of a 100% vegan location, for which Symplicity will supply all of the meat and dairy alternatives.
Toppings available at the new restaurant will include:
- Meatballs and marinara sauce.
- Italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and pangratatto.
- Bolognese sauce, red onion, and rosemary.
Homeslice joins the growing trend of conventional restaurant chains opening plant-based outlets. Pret a Manger, Burger King, and Pizza Express have all done so in recent years, as demand for vegan options continues to skyrocket.
Butcher-made vegan meat
Unusually for a plant-based company, Symplicity was founded by a trained butcher, Neil Rankin. Previously best known for his meat-heavy Smokehouse and Temper restaurants, Rankin became uncomfortable with the unsustainability of animal products. He set out to develop meat alternatives that were less processed than most options currently on the market.
“We’re all about delivering on flavour using simple and delicious local ingredients,” Rankin told The Evening Standard. “I think this collaboration is going to burst a few misrepresented myths about what vegan food can be — and I’m excited to see what both the haters and supporters genuinely think.”
