Hundreds visited Town Hall this weekend to see what the best vegan businesses from around the country have to offer.

The event, held at the St Aldate’s venue, was organised by Vegan Markets UK and featured about 60 stalls.

There was a range of local and national businesses selling vegan fast food and pastries, organic chocolates, natural wines and ciders, and a variety of eco-friendly and sustainable clothing, candles and period products.

Traders featured at the market included Riverford Organic Farmers, Enrichd Superfoods, Bamboo Feet and Global Fusion Vegan Creole Bakery.

Sophie and Hanna - Oxford Brookes University students - who were visiting the market, said they enjoyed the vast variety of food that was on offer.

The two friends, who are not vegan themselves, sampled flatbreads and cakes, and said they were ‘very surprised’ that it tasted so delicious.

Co-founder and managing director of Vegan Markets UK, Lewis Beresford, held the first event in October 2016 in Cambridge, and three years later, the company organises 24 markets across the UK.

Other popular locations include London, Birmingham, High Wycombe and Leeds.

The Oxford Vegan Market has operated in the heart-of-the city since 2018 and Ellie Beckett, one of the organisers, said it is a very busy location and more than a thousand people attend the event.

She said: “We have the same stall holders that come in every single time, so they do very well.

“We are getting bigger and bigger, and we probably have about 60 traders here today”.

Natty Roots, one of the businesses featured in the market, offered samples of their refreshing Sorrel and beetroot juice, which supposedly ‘helps lower bad cholesterol and detoxify the entire body’.

One of the sales assistants, Shane Jason Heslop, explained that the company creators were inspired by the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle, so they decided to recreate the traditional Jamaican drink using only organic and quality ingredients.

As vegans celebrate World Vegan Month in November, the UK was named as a world leader for plant-based launches, according to data from Mintel.

According to research commissioned by the Vegan Society, the number of Brits becoming vegan quadrupled from 2014 and in 2019 there are an estimated 600,000 people in the UK that have adopted a plant-based diet.

The steady rise of veganism in the country has greatly affected the UK meat-free market, which is estimated to grow from £559m in 2016 to £658m in 2021.

The next Oxford Vegan Market will take place on January 25 from 10.30am to 4pm. Tickets will be available on the door and will cost £2. For trading information visit veganmarkets.co.uk/oxford-traders.