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Bristol’s first vegan deli and cafe opens on North Street
Flip owner Sophie Fox wants her new business to be known for its high standard of food, regardless of its non-animal provenance.
It is Sophie’s aim to be able to introduce vegan cuisine at this new North Street deli and cafe to those who might not necessarily have previously considered it as a choice.
But in a subtle way. “We want to help people have a vegan option,” Sophie says. “If we are helping them to have one vegan meal and educating them, then we feel that’s a good thing.”
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Breakfasts at Flip include the likes of a full English (with vegan sausages and black pudding, and scrambled tofu), bagels, pancakes and overnight oats.
Lunch options currently include a burger, pasta and salads, with Asian- and Mexican-inspired dishes on the way; and Sophie envisaging customers popping into the deli on the way back from work to get a choice of homemade pasta sauces to make a quick meal at home.
In a corner unit filled with natural light that was previously Eastern Tandoor restaurant, the shelves of Flip are already packed with items including store cupboard essentials for vegans such as wheat gluten, and dairy-free cream and butters.
Sophie Fox at Flip, her new 100 per cent vegan cafe and deli on North Street
Originally from Merseyside, Sophie studied at the University of Bristol and has lived in the city since 1987, working as a legal adviser, primary school teacher and children’s cookery teacher – which led her to open up the cafe at the Create Centre which she still runs alongside Flip.
As more new customers walk in through the doors on its opening day, Sophie says that she is looking forward to Zero Green’s bigger shop opening opposite, another complementary business within this section of North Street which also includes Corks, Hugo’s and Earthcake.
“North Street is such an amazing place to work,” she says.
Sophie has been vegetarian for around 30 years and vegan for little over a year, following in the footsteps of her son and sister.
The name of Flip comes from the transitioning phase of someone being non-vegan to being vegan.
“I tried becoming vegan and I never looked back,”says Sophie. “It just seemed a very simple thing to do. It’s so easy now to live without dairy or meat. ”
The mural of Stephen Hawking on the side of Flip was painted by Arcy at Upfest 2018
Read more: Bristol officially the number one city in the world for veganism
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