Brunch on Saturday: Where to eat vegan fluffy pancakes and how to make avocado on toast

This week in Brunch on Saturday, Rachel Hosie hunts out fluffy vegan pancakes and we make smashed avocado and fried mushroom on toast at home

Inset wooden beams and country chic interiors make the Chai Cafe even more welcoming

Brunching out...

Eggs, smoked salmon, pancakes – a lot of traditional brunch foods are noticeably un-vegan-friendly. But as the number of vegans in the UK continues to grow, so does the number of eateries catering for them. And people who need to need to have this diet like brunch as much as the next person.

In fact, so popular are many vegan cafes that plenty of non-vegans choose to eat there too. And Chia Naturally Healthy in Hitchin, proves that. It's a small cafe – which describes itself as being plant based – with exposed beams and wooden tables, the vibe is cosy and cute.

Staff wear sweatshirts with Instagram-worthy slogans like “plant based” and “nuts about mylk” (mylk being a term for a dairy-free milk alternative), and the food is just as photogenic.

The brunch menu is full of both sweet and savoury options as well as a long drinks menu including lots of smoothies and juices.

The pancakes are fluffy – something that is normally hard to achieve in vegan cooking 

I started with the banana mylkshake (£4), which was as thick as any traditional milkshake would be and totally delicious, if not overly sweet.

Being of the opinion that brunch is an occasion to have multiple beverages, I also decided to try a masala chai latte (£3.75) made with oat mylk (there was a lot of mylk going on). It was spicy without being overpoweringly so and you could definitely taste an oat undertone too – I don't think it was better than cow's milk, but it wasn't worse either.

My friend had an incredibly green detox juice (£4.85) which, with its hints of lemon and ginger, tasted incredibly healthy and fresh.

We both went for sweet dishes food-wise. For me, it was gluten-free pancakes with stewed apples (£8), which were fluffy (often a challenge for vegan cooking) without being dry, and the apples were cooked perfectly, so they were soft without being mushy. The cinnamon flavour was complemented by a drizzle of maple syrup and a dollop of almond butter on top.

My friend opted for gluten-free porridge (£5.75) – made with coconut mylk, it was simultaneously creamy and chunky, topped with juicy blackberries whose tartness was offset with vanilla and a little sweet coconut blossom nectar. It was also good and hot, as Lord knows there's nothing worse than lukewarm porridge.

Having opened just 18 months ago, its testament to just how popular Chia cafe is as people were being turned away. If you can't get a table, at least treat yourself to something sweet from the counter - I recommend the raw chocolate caramel slice.

Chia Naturally Healthy Café; 25 Churchyard, Hitchin SG5 1HP; chianaturallyhealthy.co.uk; open daily 9am-5pm, except Sunday opens at 10am

Brunching in...

Smashed avocado and fried mushroom on toast

An absolute favourite for everyone! In this recipe, less is definitely more. It’s so quick and easy to make. Whenever I take the first bite of it, I ask myself why I don’t make this more often. Like every day. Twice a day. You can have it for breakfast, brunch, or even for dinner.

Serves 1

2 slices wholewheat spelt bread
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
lemon juice
cress, to garnish

Avocado cream

1 small ripe avocado
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mushrooms

1 teaspoon coconut oil
150g button mushrooms
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the avocado cream, halve the avocado, remove the stone, peel, reserve a quarter of it and put the rest into a bowl. Add the cottage cheese, onion powder and lemon juice to the avocado and mash everything with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toast the bread until golden brown in either a toaster or in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. To cook the mushrooms, heat up the coconut oil in a frying pan. Wash the mushrooms, cut them into slices and put them into the pan. Fry for 3–5 minutes, season and take off the heat.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

Spread the avocado cream onto the toast and add the fried mushrooms on top. Cut the remaining quarter of the avocado into thin slices and lay on top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the roasted pumpkin seeds on top, add another splash of lemon juice for some more freshness and garnish with cress.

Variations: Add a poached egg on top, which provides an extra portion of protein and tastes incredibly good! You can also use different types of bread – simply make sure it doesn’t contain white flour, refined sugar or preservatives.

For the vegan version, add 1 tablespoon of soy yoghurt instead of the cottage cheese.