HEALTHY chocolate and pizza were on offer as a vegan fair came to Witney for the first time.

Ethical companies packed out the Corn Exchange on Sunday, bringing products, talks and demonstrations to the town.

The event gave people the chance to buy a range of plant-based produce from small businesses based in Witney and the surrounding area.

Eden Cafe, based on Wesley Walk, had a stall at the fair and owner Becs Hinds revealed they were in demand throughout the day.

She said: “I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people that turned up.

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"We have quite a few regulars so there were a lot of familiar faces, but also lots of people we hadn’t seen before.

“Quite a few new people came into the cafe that day who came from Oxford and were visiting for the first time.”

The event was organised by Vegan Fairs, a company aiming to make veganism more accessible.

They invited 24 ethical traders in food, clothing, cosmetics, skincare and household products, as well as environmental charities.

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Alongside Eden Cafe, West Oxfordshire traders offered a range of treats, including vegan pizzas and chocolate.

Attendees took to social media to praise the event, noting the amount on offer and the atmosphere, adding that they ‘look forward to another in the future’.

Eden Cafe went fully vegan in January and since then Mrs Hinds said she had seen more people visiting.

She said this was down to the growing interest in the lifestyle.

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The 42-year-old was flat out for most of the five-hour fair and hoped the popularity would convince organisers to return for another event in the future.

She said: “From the interest that was there, it’s definitely something that could happen again in the future and maybe in a bigger location. We’d definitely like to see it come back to Witney.”

Vegan Fair organiser, Daisy Botha, said: “We felt the whole event went really well.

"There were 24 traders in total and many sold out of their products by the end of the event.

"We had around 600 people attend and it was great to see so many different ages there too. We had families, young and old also in attendance.

"Everyone was very positive about the Fair and many whom have already been asking for it to come back soon.

"We will likely do the event again, and most probably in a bigger hall next time as the space was quite cosy.

"We also we want to incorporate even more talks and cookery demos next time too. “

According to Vegan Fairs, the number of vegans in Britain has risen by 360 per cent in the last decade.

Meanwhile, 28 per cent of meat-eating Brits have reduced or limited their meat consumption in the last few years.

Last year, Vegan Fairs organised 10 fairs across the south-west, attended by more than 10,000 people in total, as well as Somerset’s first vegan market.