Hull city centre now has a new vegan restaurant

A former east Hull postwoman has opened a new vegan restaurant in the city centre.

Sarajayne Poppleton, 34, has overcome her battle with Lyme disease to realise her dream of opening a restaurant serving vegan food.

She previously contracted the bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks, but it was not properly treated and came back last year, causing her new business opening to be delayed for seven months.

Whilst still working as a postwoman, Miss Poppleton was decorating Huckleberry’s in Percy Street, off Freetown Way, but due to her illness, said that “everything went wrong”.

“I was decorating the building myself to try and save money and was working 60 hours a week, but as soon as I got ill, everything went wrong,” she said.

“I’ve had Lyme disease before but it wasn’t properly treated and came back. It was horrendous and it made me feel really down, tired and dizzy and I was trying to do everything all at the same time.

“I went to the doctor seven times and was eventually given strong antibiotics to treat it, but it really knocked me for six and delayed the opening of Huckleberry’s massively.

“One thing after another just seemed to go wrong but we opened up finally two weeks ago and it’s going great.”

Miss Poppleton swapped delivering letters for serving food in February and made the bold decision to leave Royal Mail to follow her passion for veganism by launching Huckleberry’s.

She said that the move was “quite scary” and that she has not yet had a day off, but has fulfilled her dream and is enjoying meeting new people every day.

She loves to cook at home, but opening her own  business will be the first time she has worked as a chef.

Pictures from inside the restaurant

“I always enjoy cooking at home, and wanted to change my job to do something to make a difference, so I thought I would combine the two along with my passion for veganism,” Miss Poppleton previously told Hull Live.

“I’m an animal lover and I’ve been vegetarian since I was 18, but went vegan three years ago after I watched the film Earthings.

The latest food hygiene ratings

“You can take veganism as far as you like, and it’s good for the environment and health as well as ethics, and you don’t have to compromise on taste with it, and I hope my restaurant  can raise awareness of this.

“Deciding to open up Huckleberry’s is pretty nerve-wracking, but I’m going to throw myself into it, and I’ve already had so many positive responses from people who want a vegan restaurant that I can’t wait to get started.”

Even though the restaurant will sell purely vegan food, Miss Poppleton says it will offer something for everyone.

“Huckleberry’s is going to appeal to everyone, not just vegans, and I’m going to be providing hearty, home cooked tex-mex themed food that everyone can enjoy whether you’re a flexitarian, pescatarian, or meat eater,” she said.

“There’s something for all.

“There’ll be nachos, chimichangas, barbecue skewers and more, and I’ll be using mock meats and other vegan alternatives, as well as having a full gluten-free menu.

“We will be open for lunch and evening meals and the decor will be American ranch style, with an ambient, rustic and casual atmosphere and we will be dog friendly.”