January 19, 2023
This is my second year of doing Veganuary and I am loving it! I always feel so much more creative in the kitchen, and love trying new veg-forward recipes throughout the month. But sometimes you just want someone to cook dinner or make sweet treats for you, don’t you? That’s where this guide to my favorite vegan eats in Milton Keynes comes in handy! After extensive (though not exhaustive) research into the MK vegan food scene, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite vegan-friendly breakfast & brunch, lunch & dinner, and dessert & treat vendors around town.
So whether you’re vegan, dairy free, or just veeg-curious I hope this guide helps you find a new favorite vegan treat. Happy vegan eating!
My first experience of vegan treats from The Quirk Space was summer 2020. My in-laws surprised Ben and I with a delivery of sausage rolls, peanut butter cups, and brownies for our anniversary! Every piece was absolutely delicious. The sausage rolls are now a family favorite, I always love a dark chocolate peanut butter cup, and the brownies are some of the best I’ve had.
I love visiting French Affaire for a fancy brunch out with my husband or the girls! It is an adorable French bistro that offers several delicious vegan items on their brunch menu including crepes and baguettes. I’ll confess I have yet to try their baguettes. The crepes are just too good! While the only savory crepe on French Affaire’s menu is Falafel, they were more than happy to make Le Chevre vegan for me. Both Falafel and Le Chevre are stuffed with so much flavor I never feel like I’m missing out.
Just make sure you save room for a sweet crepe. The Apple Tatin Flambee is a showstopper! It is filled with caramelly soft apples, and flambeed in Calvados as they place it on the table in front of you.
Location: Stony Stratford
Dietaries: Some vegan items on the daytime menu, none on their evening menu
Fluffy American pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast foods, second only to waffles. Leslie Knope definitely had the right idea! And lucky for me (and you!) the newest Out of Office Coffee location in MK has delicious vegan pancakes on their all day brunch menu. The fluffy stack of pancakes come topped with yogurt, berries, and granola, making a perfect sweet vegan brunch option. Though if you’d rather start your day with something savory, Out of Office also offer a tasty-looking tofu scramble on sourdough toast.
Location: Central Milton Keynes
Dietaries: A range of vegan and gluten free items to choose from
Fluffy American pancakes are one of my favorite breakfast foods, second only to waffles. Leslie Knope definitely had the right idea! And lucky for me (and you!) the newest Out of Office Coffee location in MK has delicious vegan pancakes on their all day brunch menu. The fluffy stack of pancakes come topped with yogurt, berries, and granola, making a perfect sweet vegan brunch option. Though if you’d rather start your day with something savory, Out of Office also offer a tasty-looking tofu scramble on sourdough toast.
Location: Central Milton Keynes
Dietaries: A range of vegan and gluten free items to choose from
For a light breakfast, The Quirk Space offers great coffee, a variety of vegan milks, and cakes and pastries to takeaway. I highly recommend the croissants! But perhaps the real star of the breakfast show is their “Breakfast Stuff-in Muffin”. The sandwich is stuffed full of the tastiest vegan alternatives to your favourite breakfast sammie fillings. Bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese – all delicious and all plant-based. You can also add ketchup or brown sauce if you like, but it’s perfectly tasty on its own!
Location: Olney
Dietaries: All vegan, can cater to gluten free
A Vegetative State is a firm favorite at Milton Keynes vegan events and street fairs, and it’s not hard to see why! They make their own seitan-based meat alternatives to serve up in a variety of deli sandwiches and burgers.
If you’re a fan of New York style deli sandwiches, you need to try A Vegetative State’s famous Reuben sandwich! Multigrain bread is stuffed full of vegan pastrami, sauerkraut, Violife cheezy slices, and Thousand Island Dressing, griddled til toasty and melty, then topped with a pickle. It is absolutely delicious and tastes so similar to the “real deal”. As a lover of Reubens I’d prefer more traditional rye bread, but this is a great swap!
Location: Local street food events – follow their socials for the latest popup at a local street fair or takeaway event
Dietaries: All vegan
The Chester Arms has one of the most inclusive menus in Milton Keynes. They cater to all dietary requirements, label major allergens on all their menus, provide separate vegan and gluten free menus, and will happily modify meals too.
One sunny day in 2021, we visited the Chester Arms with friends to try the summer vegan menu! Our favorite items were the fish & chips and the lamb skewers. The vegan “cod” tempura was one of the best fish alternatives I’ve had yet, and the lamb kebabs were unreal! Definitely the place to go for a pub meal out with people that follow all sorts of diets.
Location: Chicheley
Dietaries: Cater to vegan, gluten free, and dairy free diets
I don’t know how they do it, but the best vegan pizza in Milton Keynes is definitely from The Greedy Pizza in Bletchley! To the point where we compare literally every other pizza with vegan cheese to the ones we’ve had from Greedy, and the others always come out lacking.
I highly recommend trying their cheesy garlic bread pizza, which can easily be made vegan-friendly with their incredible vegan cheese. And yes, it is just as ooey gooey cheesy garlicky delicious as it looks! If you want to see another money shot of one of their other pizzas (the Freegan Vegan with pepperoni and without mushrooms), my Adventure Local: West Bletchley guide has the low down!
Location: Bletchley, for delivery and takeaway
Dietaries: Plenty of vegan options, not gluten-free friendly
Not only is it one of the best restaurants in town, Olé Tapas Bar is also one of the best restaurants to find a wide variety of vegan eats in Milton Keynes. Everything I’ve ever had from Olé has been delicious, but one of my favorite vegan menu item are the berenga frita (fried aubergine spears) and agave syrup. They are a perfect balance between crispy and fluffy – almost like a slightly savory doughnut.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you’re looking for a delicious meal friendly to any sort of dietary requirement, you will never go wrong with Olé TapasI It really does have one of the best vegan menus in MK.
Location: Wolverton
Dietaries: Plenty of vegan and gluten free items (and a dedicated GF fryer)
Saf’s Kitchen is one of the preeminent street food vendors in Milton Keynes for very good reason. Her food is vibrant and inspired, and always delicious. You can find Saf at local street food fairs, running pop up restaurants around MK, or even running takeaway curry nights from her home in Wolverton. And there are always multiple vegan items on her menus!
While I’ve had Saf’s food a few times now, I think my favorite meal by her was at Sophie’s Supper Club in August 2021. Together, Saf and Sophie put on a Punjabi Street Food Feast! I had the vegan option, as I often eat vegan at restaurants to easily avoid dairy. To start, I had chickpea stuffed pani puri and Punjabi style fish (banana blossom) and peas. The main was a full thali spread (not pictured), and dessert was both pistachio kulfi AND tiffin. Everything was incredible, and Saf is so generous with her portions I had to save the tiffin to eat the next day!
Location: Wolverton, and various street food events – keep an eye on their socials!
Dietaries: Will gladly cater to any dietary requirement, always several dedicated vegan and gluten free items on her menus
If you find yourself craving a vegan alternative to the classic British meal of fish & chips, you’ss want to give Walnut Tree Fish & Chips a go. Originally, I tried Walnut Tree for my feature in Sophie Etc’s MK vegan eats guide (go give it a read if you haven’t yet!). I loved everything so much we went back only a few weeks later for another chippy dinner!
Not sure where to start with the vegan options? The celeriac bites and artichoke hearts are my favourites, and if you like mushy peas the pea fritters is a must! Also, the chips come in biiiig portions so a medium will do for 2 and then some.
Location: Walnut Tree
Dietaries: Cater to vegans and gluten free – Rachel of The Sightseeing Coeliac recommends it in her Gluten Free in Milton Keynes guide
Clare’s Vegan Cakery is the best vegan bakery in Milton Keynes. If it’s cupcakes, brownies, or celebration cakes you want she is the one to contact. Her most popular bake is a three layer Biscoff cake, and after just one bite of it you know the hype is real! I love her cakes so much I’ve even ordered my birthday cake for this year from Clare!
Location: Clare occasionally stocks local shops and cafes, and will pop up at events around Milton Keynes. She also offers orders for collection or delivery.
Dietaries: All vegan, can accommodate gluten free (check first if coeliac and not just intolerant)
Fuuudge is filling a severely underserved market in Milton Keynes – vegan fudge! Their stuff is honestly the real deal.
I have tried the vanilla & oat, chocolate orange, and clotted cream bars and they were all so delicious! And just what I remember fudge tasting like. Vanilla & oat reminded me of a super sweet and delicious oatmeal cookie, and clotted cream was the most creamy vanilla fudge I’ve ever had.
Location: You can find Fuuudge stocked at cafes and shops all over MK. The MK stockists I know of are Nothing Wasted (featured in my Adventure Local: West Bletchley guide), Bar Bar Black Sheep, and Molly’s Pantry! You can also regularly find them at vegan fairs in the area.
Dietaries: All vegan, some gluten free options
Nutmeg Kitchen makes vegan and vegetarian Indian food for takeaway and have a regular stall at the Woburn Sands Community Market. You can get curries and chutneys to have later, but I always go for a samosa and eat it right on the spot. With some tamarind chutney of course!
I have had a lot of samosas in my lifetime, and Nutmeg Kitchen’s are some of the best. They remind me of the ones I grew up eating at my Indian friends houses! When we last visited their stall we also got a spinach potato pakora, which was just as tasty. They are the perfect treats to round out a lovely Saturday morning spent at the market.
Location: Woburn Sands Community Market, every 2nd Saturday of the month 10am – 2pm
Dietaries: All vegetarian, mostly vegan
Thanks for reading this guide to my favorite vegan eats in Milton Keynes! I hope it’s inspired you to try some delicious vegan food locally made in MK. Please do let me know if you try any of these places. And I’d love to know what your favorite vegan-friendly eats in this town are
