It’s been five years since I became a vegetarian and, since then, I’ve also made an effort to become more plant-based.

Over the years I’ve made peace with the fact that going out for dinner usually means there won’t be much choice for me - so imagine my delight when discovering the fully plant-based menu at Vegan Antics.

The bakery and cafe in Gravesend is one of Kent’s only fully vegan eateries and offers an eat-in or collection service of completely meat- and dairy-free food.

It’s small - so small, in fact, that when we arrived we weren’t even sure if it was open.

However, we spotted a friendly face behind the counter who welcomed us inside, handed us a couple of menus and urged us to sit at one of the eight seats in the titchy store.

Now, it’s hard to explain to people who aren’t picky eaters or don’t have any dietary requirements, but the sheer pleasure of having an entire menu to choose from was rare, and heavenly.

It’s primarily a bakery, but there’s a decent menu boasting what I’d call ‘junk food’ - hot dogs, loaded fries, nachos, shakes, etc.

We enjoyed taking our time perusing the many options before settling on the chilli ‘cheeze’ fries, a BBQ bourbon hot dog and two fizzy cans.

The divine smell of the sweet treats became irresistible, so we also asked for a Megashake to share between us. The server kindly offered to whip this up for us once we’d finished our mains so we could enjoy it as a dessert, which was a nice touch.

The drinks came first and, rather than your usual Coca-Cola or Pepsi, it was a Green Cola - an all-natural eco-friendly alternative that I’d not heard of before, but it tasted similar and fitted the ethos of the place.

The food was all made to order, so we took in the cute pink decor, flicked through books like Yas Queen and Positive Mental Gratitude and people-watched from our window seats.

When our meals arrived, the look of them alone made it worth the wait and we were excited to dig in.

I tried the hot dog first, which was topped with sweet, sticky BBQ sauce, bacon bits (which taste like Frazzles, for anyone who hasn’t tried veggie bacon), cheese and crispy onions.

The Bavarian-style sausage was the most authentic meat-free hot dog I’ve ever tried; although, the menu says they import these all the way from Germany, so what else would you expect?

The loaded fries looked fantastic, and they tasted just as good.

The vegan cheese was great quality - I’m not usually a fan, but it was creamy and the artificial cheese taste wasn’t too overpowering.

The chilli was delicious, rich and smokey with a mild but moreish spice level.

We polished off every last bite and, about 10 minutes later, our server returned with our milkshake - we didn’t even have to remind her.

The ‘megashake’ - a large milkshake made with your cake of choice - was so indulgent.

We chose the chocolate fudge brownie flavour and I’m so glad we shared it between two of us because it was a truly mammoth shake.

It came with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, brownie chunks and was absolutely divine. I hand-on-heart believe that you couldn’t tell the difference between this and a ‘normal’ milkshake.

Several customers popped in during our visit to collect custom-made cakes and marveled ay how incredible they were.

The customers were all treated like regulars and I couldn’t tell if they genuinely were, or if the woman running the shop just had the knack of making everyone feel like mates.

It’s obvious a lot of time and effort has gone into creating above-and-beyond options for plant-based eaters, and people clearly come back again and again - and I think I’ll be joining them in the future.

Out of five:

Food: Couldn’t fault it. I didn’t miss meat or dairy whatsoever and it was great to have a fully plant-based treat. *****

Drink: The milkshake was lush. I prefer ‘proper’ Diet Coke but appreciated their all-natural approach with the Green Cola. ****

Decor: Some effort has gone into giving this a cute, cosy feel, but it’s too small and gets cramped very quickly. ***

Staff: The woman behind the counter was friendly, helpful and kept on top of everyone’s orders. ****

Price: Two loaded plates of food, two drinks and a scrumptious dessert all for under £30 isn’t bad. Also, knowing all the food is eco-friendly makes the price seem worth it. ***