While many businesses were forced to close during the pandemic, Matt Sparrey bucked the trend, opening the Pyramid Vegan Café in Glastonbury.

And since opening its doors in 2020, the Pyramid Vegan Cafe has become a firm favourite in the town, with its plant-based menu winning fans from both locally and further afield.

Tucked away at 15A High Street, down a small alley off the main thoroughfare the café is close to the hustle and bustle while also being a peaceful haven – especially the pretty courtyard.

While the café is a relatively new opening, Matt is no stranger to producing vegan food. His catering business – Pyramid Catering – has become a popular fixture at many festivals around the country, including Glastonbury Festival, whose famous Pyramid stage Matt's stall is modelled on, and where he had his very first vegan food stall.

"Back when I was in college my friend Terry had a girlfriend who lived in Pilton, and she got us a pitch at Glastonbury Festival. We did vegan burgers. That was back in 1987.

"After that though, I didn't do much until about 1990 when I got a burger van and trailer. I called myself Pulse Vegetarian and I did festivals and rave parties all through the nineties and up until the end of 2003. But I had young children, and it meant I was away a lot and I wasn't seeing them so I stopped.

"But when they got older we went festivalling and I got a bit disappointed with the vegan food on offer and I thought I could do better so I created Pyramid Catering and built a stall modelled on the old Pyramid Stage from the 1980s.That was 2012/13 and I found I was really quiet and I wasn't getting good pitches. I didn't break even until the end of 2016, then veganism went bonkers and I was getting really good pitches."

But mass catering for a festival and running a café are two very different things. "At a festival I maybe have about five items," said Matt. "And they are all quick turnaround items.

"Here at the café we can have a bigger menu – we get to do more baking and we have a lot more cakes! Our baker, Ruth, is absolutely fantastic and her cakes are amazing."

And the menu is definitely proving a hit. "We seem to be getting a really good reputation," said Matt. "Our breakfasts are very popular, and our 'Vish and Chips'. We make the 'vish' using tofu and jackfruit with nori kelp in between. I think thanks to social media it's getting quite well known.

"We were also visited by Vegan Food UK which really helped spread the word among the vegan community.

"I really want to thank all the locals who have supported us, especially through lockdown."

The café is proving so successful that Matt is considering stopping the festival catering to focus on the café and attending local events. "But I won't stop going to Glastonbury," he said.

The Pyramid Vegan Café has won several awards, and has now been nominated for a Good Food Award which recognises "those who strive for culinary excellence within their field."

"All the awards are great," said Matt, "but these are really important to us because they are voted for by customers." You can vote for Pyramid Vegan Café HERE.