South Shields vegetarian and vegan cafe Sea-Change scoops top Blue Ribbon Good Food Award

Sea-Change in Ocean Road, South Shields, was delighted with the news they had won a Blue Ribbon Good Food Award in the cafe category for 2022.

Good Food Awards is a national award which recognises the hard-working teams who strive for excellence within their industry. Winners are chosen for their food quality, service and value. The cafe was nominated through reviews and feedback from customers.

Lauren Hugo, front of house at Sea-Change, said the cafe is one of the few across South Tyneside which serves only vegetarian food, as well as vegan options, making it a popular cafe for people with those dietary requirements.

Shee said the team recognised people who eat this kind of food have travelled specifically to their cafe to try out their food which has contributed to winning the award.

“We hope this is a start of many awards to come for the cafe. The chef is very keen to win some more,” said Lauren.

"It was good for us to win this award, particularly for us as the staff but it meant a great deal to the chef.”

The cafe set up less than a year before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and had to learn to adapt throughout lockdowns and other restrictions by offering a takeaway service.

Efforts included serving up a vegan alternative to the classic Good Friday fish and chips, which have long been a staple of Easter weekend custom on the Ocean Road scene.

Its vegan saveloy dip is another plant-based alternative to a popular South Tyneside delicacy.

Lauren said as restrictions lifted and things returned to normal, the cafe has seen a surge in customers and has taken a few more new starters.

The cafe also aims to provided sustainable employment and volunteering opportunities to people with Autism and Learning Disabilities.

It set up in April 2019 in a joint venture with AutismAble, with the vision of providing locally sourced food, real-world employment and training opportunities, and a wide variety of social activities.

So far these have included autism-friendly social events, live music, supper clubs, baby socials and exhibitions.

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