At 72, I never thought that I would find myself at the centre of a revolution in the vegan food industry, yet here I am! Our Mummy Meagz Chuckie Eggs – vegan creme eggs made from Belgian chocolate, complete with a gooey centre and golden ‘yolk’ – have proven to be 2020’s hottest plant-based food trend. We’re selling one every 30 seconds, have upscaled our production, and scored a major listing with national retailer Holland & Barrett.
Meagan Boyle, Mummy Meagz
It has come as a bit of a surprise. When I opened vegetarian cafe Blondes in Yorkshire in 2003, with my daughter Willow, I thought it would be a chance to share my passion for food. The cafe became a wonderful community hub, and we took a risk to turn the business vegan in 2016 to fit more in line with our ethics of being kind to animals. People arrived in even greater numbers, and I spent my days in the kitchen cooking up new menu items for our customers to enjoy alongside their coffee. It was an opportunity to take the nation’s favourite products and make them vegan, and get instant feedback on my creations. My Rocky Roads went down a treat, and as Easter started to roll round, I decided I also wanted to make a seasonal special.
The plan for the vegan and nut-free ‘Chuckie Egg’ was hatched, and after pasting some handmade Belgian chocolate into moulds, and perfecting the technique of filling it with the yolk, I had a treat I was proud of. The customers loved it, and told me how they’d missed the creme eggs they enjoyed as children, which had since been off limits because they contain animal products such as dairy. The world is so full of inequalities, and it’s my mission to make sure that no one misses out on the sweet things in life because of dietary or lifestyle choices.
Every time I put a new batch of Chuckie Eggs out on the counter, the eggs would sell out within minutes. Willow and I decided it was time to spread this joy even further, and we began to sell them online. Production moved out of the Blondes kitchen and to a bigger site, and soon, we had Chuckie Eggs rolling into boxes, all without harming a single chicken! People raved about the eggs online, and we decided we needed to move to the next level.
Holland & Barrett took notice of us, and we signed a deal so the Chuckie Eggs could be sold all around the country. I’ve been watching all the videos, comments and stories about people trying them for the first time on social media, and I can’t believe our little afternoon snack has caused such a fuss! We’re now selling two Chuckie Eggs every minute.
For me, the reason why the eggs have proven so popular is because they’re finally giving vegans what they really want. For too long, vegan food has been thought of as unrelentingly healthy, bland and unexciting. Mummy Meagz is changing all that! I hope that by doing so, my daughter and I can show the world that by being kinder to the animals (we also donate a large percentage of our profits from Blondes Café to animal charities), and to the planet, you don’t have to miss out. Maybe more people will give veganism a go as a result, and we’ll see even more customers come through our cafe doors!
Tagged in Vegan