Clean Kitchen founder steps back after meat added to the menu

Made in Chelsea star Verity Bowditch has stepped back from running plant-based restaurant brand Clean Kitchen after meat was added to its menu.

Bowditch co-founded the brand with YouTuber Mikey Pearce in 2020 as a healthier alternative to fast food.

But this week the restaurant team announced the menus will widen from plant-based acai bowls, burgers and wraps to include meat to attract a wider range of customers.

In a video on Instagram, Pearce said the move was a "business decision" to protect jobs and the wider company.

Clean Kitchen's London sites in Battersea Power Station and Camden appear to have temporarily closed.

Pearce said: "We've had a really tough, tough year. Battersea has had its highs and also had its lows. We've had to work incredibly hard. I think the proposition of the brand that we have to change is going from a 100% plant-based menu to a much more whole food approach, catering for everyone.

"The economy right now is in a really tough time, and especially hospitality."

He added: "This decision to not be 100% plant-based I think we all feel opens us up to a much wider market."

Bowditch said her decision meant she would be stepping back from the day-to-day running of the brand.

She added: "I'm so passionate about animal welfare. I can't physically be a part of something that isn't fully plant-based. As emotional as it is walking away from something we've built over the last three years together, it just does not sit right with me and I have to stand true to my values and what I really believe in."

Clean Kitchen previously ran sites in Wembley, Soho and Notting Hill, but they appear to have closed.

Earlier this year, the owner of a vegan restaurant in Manchester told The Caterer that he had reluctantly made the decision to add meat to his menus to keep the business afloat amid a "rollercoaster" of challenges.

Neat Burger, the plant-based fast-food brand backed by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, overhauled its menu from burgers to a have a healthier focus this year.